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F.

F (&ebreve;f). 1. F is the sixth letter of the English alphabet, and a nonvocal consonant. Its form and sound are from the Latin. The Latin borrowed the form from the Greek digamma &?;, which probably had the value of English w consonant. The form and value of Greek letter came from the Phœnician, the ultimate source being probably Egyptian. Etymologically f is most closely related to p, k, v, and b; as in E. five, Gr. pe`nte; E. wolf, L. lupus, Gr. ly`kos; E. fox, vixen ; fragile, break; fruit, brook, v. t.; E. bear, L. ferre. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 178, 179, 188, 198, 230.

2. (Mus.) The name of the fourth tone of the model scale, or scale of C. F sharp (F ♯) is a tone intermediate between F and G.

F clef, the bass clef. See under Clef.

Fa (fä), n. [It.] (Mus.) (a) A syllable applied to the fourth tone of the diatonic scale in solmization. (b) The tone F.

Fa*ba"ceous (f&adot;*bā"shŭs), a. [L. fabaceus, fr. faba bean.] Having the nature of a bean; like a bean.

||Fa*bel"la (?), n.; pl. Fabellae (-l&?;). [NL., dim. of L. faba a bean.] (Anat.) One of the small sesamoid bones situated behind the condyles of the femur, in some mammals.

Fa"bi*an (?), a. [L. Fabianus, Fabius, belonging to Fabius.] Of, pertaining to, or in the manner of, the Roman general, Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus; cautious; dilatory; avoiding a decisive contest.

Fabian policy, a policy like that of Fabius Maximus, who, by carefully avoiding decisive contests, foiled Hannibal, harassing his army by marches, countermarches, and ambuscades; a policy of delays and cautions.

Fa"ble (fā"b'l), n. [F., fr. L. fabula, fr. fari to speak, say. See Ban, and cf. Fabulous, Fame.] 1. A Feigned story or tale, intended to instruct or amuse; a fictitious narration intended to enforce some useful truth or precept; an apologue. See the Note under Apologue.

Jotham's fable of the trees is the oldest extant.
Addison.

2. The plot, story, or connected series of events, forming the subject of an epic or dramatic poem.

The moral is the first business of the poet; this being formed, he contrives such a design or fable as may be most suitable to the moral.
Dryden.

3. Any story told to excite wonder; common talk; the theme of talk. "Old wives' fables. " 1 Tim. iv. 7.

We grew
The fable of the city where we dwelt.
Tennyson.

4. Fiction; untruth; falsehood.

It would look like a fable to report that this gentleman gives away a great fortune by secret methods.
Addison.

Fa"ble, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fabled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fabling (?).] To compose fables; hence, to write or speak fiction ; to write or utter what is not true. "He Fables not." Shak.

Vain now the tales which fabling poets tell.
Prior.

He fables, yet speaks truth.
M. Arnold.

Fa"ble, v. t. To feign; to invent; to devise, and speak of, as true or real; to tell of falsely.

The hell thou fablest.
Milton.

Fa"bler (fā"bl&etilde;r), n. A writer of fables; a fabulist; a dealer in untruths or falsehoods. Bp. Hall.

||Fa`bli`au" (?), n.; pl. Fabliaux (-&osl;"). [F., fr. OF. fablel, dim. of fable a fable.] (Fr. Lit.) One of the metrical tales of the Trouvères, or early poets of the north of France.

Fab"ric (?), n. [L. fabrica fabric, workshop: cf. F. fabrique fabric. See Forge.] 1. The structure of anything; the manner in which the parts of a thing are united; workmanship; texture; make; as cloth of a beautiful fabric.

2. That which is fabricated; as: (a) Framework; structure; edifice; building.

Anon out of the earth a fabric huge
Rose like an exhalation.
Milton.

(b) Cloth of any kind that is woven or knit from fibers, either vegetable or animal; manufactured cloth; as, silks or other fabrics.

3. The act of constructing; construction. [R.]

Tithe was received by the bishop, . . . for the fabric of the churches for the poor.
Milman.

4. Any system or structure consisting of connected parts; as, the fabric of the universe.

The whole vast fabric of society.
Macaulay.

Fab"ric, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fabricked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fabricking.] To frame; to build; to construct. [Obs.] "Fabric their mansions." J. Philips.

Fab"ri*cant (?), n. [F.] One who fabricates; a manufacturer. Simmonds.

Fab"ri*cate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fabricated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fabricating (?).] [L. fabricatus, p. p. of fabricari, fabricare, to frame, build, forge, fr. fabrica. See Fabric, Farge.] 1. To form into a whole by uniting its parts; to frame; to construct; to build; as, to fabricate a bridge or ship.

2. To form by art and labor; to manufacture; to produce; as, to fabricate woolens.

3. To invent and form; to forge; to devise falsely; as, to fabricate a lie or story.

Our books were not fabricated with an accomodation to prevailing usages.
Paley.

Fab`ri*ca"tion (?), n. [L. fabricatio; cf. F. fabrication.] 1. The act of fabricating, framing, or constructing; construction; manufacture; as, the fabrication of a bridge, a church, or a government. Burke.

2. That which is fabricated; a falsehood; as, the story is doubtless a fabrication.

Syn. -- See Fiction.

Fab"ri*ca`tor (?), n. [L.] One who fabricates; one who constructs or makes.

The fabricator of the works of Ossian.
Mason.

Fab"ri*ca`tress (?), n. A woman who fabricates.

Fab"rile (?), a. [L. fabrilis, fr. faber workman. See Forge.] Pertaining to a workman, or to work in stone, metal, wood etc.; as, fabrile skill.

Fab"u*list (?), n. [Cf. F. fabuliste, fr. L. fabula. See Fable.] One who invents or writes fables.

Fab"u*lize (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fabulized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fabulizing (?).] [Cf. F. fabuliser. See Fable.] To invent, compose, or relate fables or fictions. G. S. Faber.

Fab`u*los"i*ty (?), n. [L. fabulositas: cf. F. fabulosité.] 1. Fabulousness. [R.] Abp. Abbot.

2. A fabulous or fictitious story. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

Fab"u*lous (făb"&usl;*lŭs), a. [L. fabulosus; cf. F. fabuleux. See Fable.] 1. Feigned, as a story or fable; related in fable; devised; invented; not real; fictitious; as, a fabulous description; a fabulous hero.

The fabulous birth of Minerva.
Chesterfield.

2. Passing belief; exceedingly great; as, a fabulous price. Macaulay.

Fabulous age, that period in the history of a nation of which the only accounts are myths and unverified legends; as, the fabulous age of Greece and Rome.

-- Fab"u*lous*ly (#), adv. -- Fab"u*lous*ness, n.

Fab"ur*den (făb"ŭr*den), n. [F. faux bourdon. See False, and Burden a verse.] 1. (Mus.) (a) A species of counterpoint with a drone bass. (b) A succession of chords of the sixth. [Obs.]

2. A monotonous refrain. [Obs.] Holland.

Fac (făk), n. [Abbrev. of facsimile.] A large ornamental letter used, esp. by the early printers, at the commencement of the chapters and other divisions of a book. Brande & C.

||Fa`çade" (f&adot;`s&adot;d" or f&adot;`sād"), n. [F., fr. It. facciata, fr. faccia face, L. facies. See Face.] (Arch.) The front of a building; esp., the principal front, having some architectural pretensions. Thus a church is said to have its façade unfinished, though the interior may be in use.

Face (?), n. [F., from L. facies form, shape, face, perh. from facere to make (see Fact); or perh. orig. meaning appearance, and from a root meaning to shine, and akin to E. fancy. Cf. Facetious.] 1. The exterior form or appearance of anything; that part which presents itself to the view; especially, the front or upper part or surface; that which particularly offers itself to the view of a spectator.

A mist . . . watered the whole face of the ground.
Gen. ii. 6.

Lake Leman wooes me with its crystal face.
Byron.

2. That part of a body, having several sides, which may be seen from one point, or which is presented toward a certain direction; one of the bounding planes of a solid; as, a cube has six faces.

3. (Mach.) (a) The principal dressed surface of a plate, disk, or pulley; the principal flat surface of a part or object. (b) That part of the acting surface of a cog in a cog wheel, which projects beyond the pitch line. (c) The width of a pulley, or the length of a cog from end to end; as, a pulley or cog wheel of ten inches face.

4. (Print.) (a) The upper surface, or the character upon the surface, of a type, plate, etc. (b) The style or cut of a type or font of type.

5. Outside appearance; surface show; look; external aspect, whether natural, assumed, or acquired.

To set a face upon their own malignant design.
Milton.

This would produce a new face of things in Europe.
Addison.

We wear a face of joy, because
We have been glad of yore.
Wordsworth.

6. That part of the head, esp. of man, in which the eyes, cheeks, nose, and mouth are situated; visage; countenance.

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread.
Gen. iii. 19.

7. Cast of features; expression of countenance; look; air; appearance.

We set the best faceon it we could.
Dryden.

8. (Astrol.) Ten degrees in extent of a sign of the zodiac. Chaucer.

9. Maintenance of the countenance free from abashment or confusion; confidence; boldness; shamelessness; effrontery.

This is the man that has the face to charge others with false citations.
Tillotson.

10. Presence; sight; front; as in the phrases, before the face of, in the immediate presence of; in the face of, before, in, or against the front of; as, to fly in the face of danger; to the face of, directly to; from the face of, from the presence of.

11. Mode of regard, whether favorable or unfavorable; favor or anger; mostly in Scriptural phrases.

The Lord make his face to shine upon thee.
Num. vi. 25.

My face [favor] will I turn also from them.
Ezek. vii. 22.

12. (Mining) The end or wall of the tunnel, drift, or excavation, at which work is progressing or was last done.

13. (Com.) The exact amount expressed on a bill, note, bond, or other mercantile paper, without any addition for interest or reduction for discount. McElrath.

&fist; Face is used either adjectively or as part of a compound; as, face guard or face-guard; face cloth; face plan or face-plan; face hammer.

Face ague (Med.), a form of neuralgia, characterized by acute lancinating pains returning at intervals, and by twinges in certain parts of the face, producing convulsive twitches in the corresponding muscles; -- called also tic douloureux. -- Face card, one of a pack of playing cards on which a human face is represented; the king, queen, or jack. -- Face cloth, a cloth laid over the face of a corpse. -- Face guard, a mask with windows for the eyes, worn by workman exposed to great heat, or to flying particles of metal, stone, etc., as in glass works, foundries, etc. -- Face hammer, a hammer having a flat face. -- Face joint (Arch.), a joint in the face of a wall or other structure. -- Face mite (Zoöll.), a small, elongated mite (Demdex folliculorum), parasitic in the hair follicles of the face. -- Face mold, the templet or pattern by which carpenters, ect., outline the forms which are to be cut out from boards, sheet metal, ect. -- Face plate. (a) (Turning) A plate attached to the spindle of a lathe, to which the work to be turned may be attached. (b) A covering plate for an object, to receive wear or shock. (c) A true plane for testing a dressed surface. Knight. -- Face wheel. (Mach.) (a) A crown wheel. (b) A Wheel whose disk face is adapted for grinding and polishing; a lap.

Cylinder face (Steam Engine), the flat part of a steam cylinder on which a slide valve moves. -- Face of an anvil, its flat upper surface. -- Face of a bastion (Fort.), the part between the salient and the shoulder angle. -- Face of coal (Mining), the principal cleavage plane, at right angles to the stratification. -- Face of a gun, the surface of metal at the muzzle. -- Face of a place (Fort.), the front comprehended between the flanked angles of two neighboring bastions. Wilhelm. -- Face of a square (Mil.), one of the sides of a battalion when formed in a square. -- Face of a watch, clock, compass, card etc., the dial or graduated surface on which a pointer indicates the time of day, point of the compass, etc. -- Face to face. (a) In the presence of each other; as, to bring the accuser and the accused face to face. (b) Without the interposition of any body or substance. "Now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face." 1 Cor. xiii. 12. (c) With the faces or finished surfaces turned inward or toward one another; vis à vis; -- opposed to back to back. -- To fly in the face of, to defy; to brave; to withstand. -- To make a face, to distort the countenance; to make a grimace. Shak.

Face (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Faced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Facing (?).] 1. To meet in front; to oppose with firmness; to resist, or to meet for the purpose of stopping or opposing; to confront; to encounter; as, to face an enemy in the field of battle.

I'll face
This tempest, and deserve the name of king.
Dryden.

2. To Confront impudently; to bully.

I will neither be facednor braved.
Shak.

3. To stand opposite to; to stand with the face or front toward; to front upon; as, the apartments of the general faced the park.

He gained also with his forces that part of Britain which faces Ireland.
Milton.

4. To cover in front, for ornament, protection, etc.; to put a facing upon; as, a building faced with marble.

5. To line near the edge, esp. with a different material; as, to face the front of a coat, or the bottom of a dress.

6. To cover with better, or better appearing, material than the mass consists of, for purpose of deception, as the surface of a box of tea, a barrel of sugar, etc.

7. (Mach.) To make the surface of (anything) flat or smooth; to dress the face of (a stone, a casting, etc.); esp., in turning, to shape or smooth the flat surface of, as distinguished from the cylindrical surface.

8. To cause to turn or present a face or front, as in a particular direction.

To face down, to put down by bold or impudent opposition. "He faced men down." Prior. -- To face (a thing) out, to persist boldly or impudently in an assertion or in a line of conduct. "That thinks with oaths to face the matter out." Shak.

Face, v. i. 1. To carry a false appearance; to play the hypocrite. "To lie, to face, to forge." Spenser.

2. To turn the face; as, to face to the right or left.

Face about, man; a soldier, and afraid!
Dryden.

3. To present a face or front.

Faced (fāst), a. Having (such) a face, or (so many) faces; as, smooth-faced, two- faced.

Fa"cer (fā"s&etilde;r), n. 1. One who faces; one who puts on a false show; a bold-faced person. [Obs.]

There be no greater talkers, nor boasters, nor fasers.
Latimer.

2. A blow in the face, as in boxing; hence, any severe or stunning check or defeat, as in controversy. [Collog.]

I should have been a stercoraceous mendicant if I had hollowed when I got a facer.
C. Kingsley.

Fac"et (?), n. [F. facette, dim. of face face. See Face.] 1. A little face; a small, plane surface; as, the facets of a diamond. [Written also facette.]

2. (Anat.) A smooth circumscribed surface; as, the articular facet of a bone.

3. (Arch.) The narrow plane surface between flutings of a column.

4. (Zoöl.) One of the numerous small eyes which make up the compound eyes of insects and crustaceans.

Fac"et, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Faceted; p. pr. & vb. n. Faceting.] To cut facets or small faces upon; as, to facet a diamond.

Fa*cete" (?), a. [L. facetus elegant, fine, facetious; akin to facies. See Face, and cf. Facetious.] Facetious; witty; humorous. [Archaic] "A facete discourse." Jer. Taylor.

"How to interpose" with a small, smart remark, sentiment facete, or unctuous anecdote.
Prof. Wilson.

-- Fa*cete"ly, adv. -- Fa*cete"ness, n.

Fac"et*ed (?), a. Having facets.

||Fa*ce"ti*æ (&?;), n. pl. [L., fr. facetus. See Facete.] Witty or humorous writings or saying; witticisms; merry conceits.

Fa*ce"tious (?), a. [Cf. F. facétieux. See Facetiæ.] 1. Given to wit and good humor; merry; sportive; jocular; as, a facetious companion.

2. Characterized by wit and pleasantry; exciting laughter; as, a facetious story or reply.

-- Fa*ce"tious*ly, adv. -- Fa*ce"tious*ness, n.

Fa*cette" (?), n. [F.] See Facet, n.

Face"work` (?), n. The material of the outside or front side, as of a wall or building; facing.

Fa"ci*a (?), n. (Arch.) See Fascia.

Fa"cial (?), a. [LL. facialis, fr. L. facies face : cf. F. facial.] Of or pertaining to the face; as, the facial artery, vein, or nerve. -- Fa"cial*ly, adv.

Facial angle (Anat.), the angle, in a skull, included between a straight line (ab, in the illustrations), from the most prominent part of the forehead to the front efge of the upper jaw bone, and another (cd) from this point to the center of the external auditory opening. See Gnathic index, under Gnathic.

Fa"ci*end (?), n. [From neut. of L. faciendus, gerundive of facere to do.] (Mach.) The multiplicand. See Facient, 2.

Fa"cient (?), n. [L. faciens, -- entis, p. pr. of facere to make, do. See Fact.] 1. One who does anything, good or bad; a doer; an agent. [Obs.] Bp. Hacket.

2. (Mach.) (a) One of the variables of a quantic as distinguished from a coefficient. (b) The multiplier.

&fist; The terms facient, faciend, and factum, may imply that the multiplication involved is not ordinary multiplication, but is either some specified operation, or, in general, any mathematical operation. See Multiplication.

||Fa"ci*es (?), n. [L., from, face. See Face.]

1. The anterior part of the head; the face.

2. (Biol.) The general aspect or habit of a species, or group of species, esp. with reference to its adaptation to its environment.

3. (Zoöl.) The face of a bird, or the front of the head, excluding the bill.

Facies Hippocratica. (Med.) See Hippocratic.

Fac"ile (?) a. [L. facilis, prop., capable of being done or made, hence, facile, easy, fr. facere to make, do: cf. F. facile. Srr Fact, and cf. Faculty.] 1. Easy to be done or performed: not difficult; performable or attainable with little labor.

Order . . . will render the work facile and delightful.
Evelyn.

2. Easy to be surmounted or removed; easily conquerable; readily mastered.

The facile gates of hell too slightly barred.
Milton.

3. Easy of access or converse; mild; courteous; not haughty, austere, or distant; affable; complaisant.

I meant she should be courteous, facile, sweet.
B. Jonson.

4. Easily persuaded to good or bad; yielding; ductile to a fault; pliant; flexible.

Since Adam, and his facile consort Eve,
Lost Paradise, deceived by me.
Milton.

This is treating Burns like a child, a person of so facile a disposition as not to be trusted without a keeper on the king's highway.
Prof. Wilson.

5. Ready; quick; expert; as, he is facile in expedients; he wields a facile pen.

-- Fac"ile*ly, adv. -- Fac"ile*ness, n.

Fa*cil"i*tate (f&adot;*s&ibreve;l"&ibreve;*tāt), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Facilitated (-tā`t&ebreve;d); p. pr. & vb. n. Facilitating (-tā`t&ibreve;ng).] [Cf. F. faciliter. See Facility.] To make easy or less difficult; to free from difficulty or impediment; to lessen the labor of; as, to facilitate the execution of a task.

To invite and facilitate that line of proceeding which the times call for.
I. Taylor.

Fa*cil`i*ta"tion (?), n. The act of facilitating or making easy.

Fa*cil"i*ty (f&adot;*s&ibreve;l"&ibreve;*t&ybreve;), n.; pl. Facilities (- t&ibreve;z). [L. facilitas, fr. facilis easy: cf. F. facilité. See Facile.] 1. The quality of being easily performed; freedom from difficulty; ease; as, the facility of an operation.

The facility with which government has been overturned in France.
Burke.

2. Ease in performance; readiness proceeding from skill or use; dexterity; as, practice gives a wonderful facility in executing works of art.

3. Easiness to be persuaded; readiness or compliance; -- usually in a bad sense; pliancy.

It is a great error to take facility for good nature.
L'Estrange.

4. Easiness of access; complaisance; affability.

Offers himself to the visits of a friend with facility.
South.

5. That which promotes the ease of any action or course of conduct; advantage; aid; assistance; -- usually in the plural; as, special facilities for study.

Syn. -- Ease; expertness; readiness; dexterity; complaisance; condescension; affability. -- Facility, Expertness, Readiness. These words have in common the idea of performing any act with ease and promptitude. Facility supposes a natural or acquired power of dispatching a task with lightness and ease. Expertness is the kind of facility acquired by long practice. Readiness marks the promptitude with which anything is done. A merchant needs great facility in dispatching business; a banker, great expertness in casting accounts; both need great readiness in passing from one employment to another. "The facility which we get of doing things by a custom of doing, makes them often pass in us without our notice." Locke. "The army was celebrated for the expertness and valor of the soldiers." "A readiness to obey the known will of God is the surest means to enlighten the mind in respect to duty."

Fa"cing (?), n. 1. A covering in front, for ornament or other purpose; an exterior covering or sheathing; as, the facing of an earthen slope, sea wall, etc. , to strengthen it or to protect or adorn the exposed surface.

2. A lining placed near the edge of a garment for ornament or protection.

3. (Arch.) The finishing of any face of a wall with material different from that of which it is chiefly composed, or the coating or material so used.

4. (Founding) A powdered substance, as charcoal, bituminous coal, ect., applied to the face of a mold, or mixed with the sand that forms it, to give a fine smooth surface to the casting.

5. (Mil.) (a) pl. The collar and cuffs of a military coat; -- commonly of a color different from that of the coat. (b) The movement of soldiers by turning on their heels to the right, left, or about; -- chiefly in the pl.

Facing brick, front or pressed brick.

Fa"cing*ly, adv. In a facing manner or position.

Fa*cin"o*rous (?), a. [L. facinorous, from facinus deed, bad deed, from facere to make, do.] Atrociously wicked. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

-- Fa*cin"o*rous*ness, n. [Obs.]

Fac"ound (?), n. [F. faconde, L. facundia. See Facund.] Speech; eloquence. [Obs.]

Her facound eke full womanly and plain.
Chaucer.

Fac*sim"i*le (?), n.; pl. Facsimiles (-l&?;z). [L. fac simile make like; or an abbreviation of factum simile made like; facere to make + similes like. See Fact, and Simile.] A copy of anything made, either so as to be deceptive or so as to give every part and detail of the original; an exact copy or likeness.

Facsimile telegraph, a telegraphic apparatus reproducing messages in autograph.

Fac*sim"i*le, (&?;), v. t. To make a facsimile of.

Fact (făkt), n. [L. factum, fr. facere to make or do. Cf. Feat, Affair, Benefit, Defect, Fashion, and -fy.] 1. A doing, making, or preparing. [Obs.]

A project for the fact and vending
Of a new kind of fucus, paint for ladies.
B. Jonson.

2. An effect produced or achieved; anything done or that comes to pass; an act; an event; a circumstance.

What might instigate him to this devilish fact, I am not able to conjecture.
Evelyn.

He who most excels in fact of arms.
Milton.

3. Reality; actuality; truth; as, he, in fact, excelled all the rest; the fact is, he was beaten.

4. The assertion or statement of a thing done or existing; sometimes, even when false, improperly put, by a transfer of meaning, for the thing done, or supposed to be done; a thing supposed or asserted to be done; as, history abounds with false facts.

I do not grant the fact.
De Foe.

This reasoning is founded upon a fact which is not true.
Roger Long.

&fist; The term fact has in jurisprudence peculiar uses in contrast with law; as, attorney at law, and attorney in fact; issue in law, and issue in fact. There is also a grand distinction between law and fact with reference to the province of the judge and that of the jury, the latter generally determining the fact, the former the law. Burrill Bouvier.
[1913 Webster]

Accessary before, or after, the fact. See under Accessary. -- Matter of fact, an actual occurrence; a verity; used adjectively: of or pertaining to facts; prosaic; unimaginative; as, a matter-of-fact narration.

Syn. -- Act; deed; performance; event; incident; occurrence; circumstance.

Fac"tion (făk"shŭn), n. [L. factio a doing, a company of persons acting together, a faction: cf. F. faction See Fashion.] 1. (Anc. Hist.) One of the divisions or parties of charioteers (distinguished by their colors) in the games of the circus.

2. A party, in political society, combined or acting in union, in opposition to the government, or state; -- usually applied to a minority, but it may be applied to a majority; a combination or clique of partisans of any kind, acting for their own interests, especially if greedy, clamorous, and reckless of the common good.

3. Tumult; discord; dissension.

They remained at Newbury in great faction among themselves.
Clarendon.

Syn. -- Combination; clique; junto. See Cabal.

Fac"tion*a*ry (?), a. [Cf. F. factionnaire, L. factionarius the head of a company of charioteers.] Belonging to a faction; being a partisan; taking sides. [Obs.]

Always factionary on the party of your general.
Shak.

Fac"tion*er (-?r), n. One of a faction. Abp. Bancroft.

Fac"tion*ist, n. One who promotes faction.

Fac"tious (?). a. [L. factiosus: cf. F. factieux.] 1. Given to faction; addicted to form parties and raise dissensions, in opposition to government or the common good; turbulent; seditious; prone to clamor against public measures or men; -- said of persons.

Factious for the house of Lancaster.
Shak.

2. Pertaining to faction; proceeding from faction; indicating, or characterized by, faction; -- said of acts or expressions; as, factious quarrels.

Headlong zeal or factious fury.
Burke.

-- Fac"tious*ly, adv. -- Fac"tious- ness, n.

Fac*ti"tious (?), a. [L. factitius, fr. facere to make. See Fact, and cf. Fetich.] Made by art, in distinction from what is produced by nature; artificial; sham; formed by, or adapted to, an artificial or conventional, in distinction from a natural, standard or rule; not natural; as, factitious cinnabar or jewels; a factitious taste. -- Fac-ti"tious*ly, adv. -- Fac*ti"tious-ness, n.

He acquires a factitious propensity, he forms an incorrigible habit, of desultory reading.
De Quincey.

Syn. -- Unnatural. -- Factitious, Unnatural. Anything is unnatural when it departs in any way from its simple or normal state; it is factitious when it is wrought out or wrought up by labor and effort, as, a factitious excitement. An unnatural demand for any article of merchandise is one which exceeds the ordinary rate of consumption; a factitious demand is one created by active exertions for the purpose. An unnatural alarm is one greater than the occasion requires; a factitious alarm is one wrought up with care and effort.

Fac"ti*tive (?). a. [See Fact.] 1. Causing; causative.

2. (Gram.) Pertaining to that relation which is proper when the act, as of a transitive verb, is not merely received by an object, but produces some change in the object, as when we say, He made the water wine.

Sometimes the idea of activity in a verb or adjective involves in it a reference to an effect, in the way of causality, in the active voice on the immediate objects, and in the passive voice on the subject of such activity. This second object is called the factitive object.
J. W. Gibbs.

Fac"tive (?), a. Making; having power to make. [Obs.] "You are . . . factive, not destructive." Bacon.

||Fac"to (?), adv. [L., ablative of factum deed, fact.] (Law) In fact; by the act or fact.

De facto. (Law) See De facto.

Fac"tor (?), n. [L. factor a doer: cf. F. facteur a factor. See Fact.] 1. (Law) One who transacts business for another; an agent; a substitute; especially, a mercantile agent who buys and sells goods and transacts business for others in commission; a commission merchant or consignee. He may be a home factor or a foreign factor. He may buy and sell in his own name, and he is intrusted with the possession and control of the goods; and in these respects he differs from a broker. Story. Wharton.

My factor sends me word, a merchant's fled
That owes me for a hundred tun of wine.
Marlowe.

2. A steward or bailiff of an estate. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

3. (Math.) One of the elements or quantities which, when multiplied together, form a product.

4. One of the elements, circumstances, or influences which contribute to produce a result; a constituent.

The materal and dynamical factors of nutrition.
H. Spencer.

Fac"tor, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Factored (-t?rd); p. pr. & vb. n. Factoring.] (Mach.) To resolve (a quantity) into its factors.

Fac"tor*age (?), n. [Cf. F. factorage.] The allowance given to a factor, as a compensation for his services; -- called also a commission.

Fac"tor*ess (?), n. A factor who is a woman. [R.]

Fac*to"ri*al (?), a. 1. Of or pertaining to a factory. Buchanan.

2. (Math.) Related to factorials.

Fac*to"ri*al, n. (Math.) (a) pl. A name given to the factors of a continued product when the former are derivable from one and the same function F(x) by successively imparting a constant increment or decrement h to the independent variable. Thus the product F(x).F(x + h).F(x + 2h) . . . F[x + (n-1)h] is called a factorial term, and its several factors take the name of factorials. Brande & C.

(b) The product of the consecutive numbers from unity up to any given number.

Fac"tor*ing (?), n. (Math.) The act of resolving into factors.

Fac"tor*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Factorized (-?zd); p. pr. & vb. n. Factorizing (-?"z?ng).] (Law) (a) To give warning to; -- said of a person in whose hands the effects of another are attached, the warning being to the effect that he shall not pay the money or deliver the property of the defendant in his hands to him, but appear and answer the suit of the plaintiff. (b) To attach (the effects of a debtor) in the hands of a third person ; to garnish. See Garnish. [Vt. & Conn.]

Fac"tor*ship, n. The business of a factor.

Fac"to*ry (?), n.; pl. Factories (-r&?;z). [Cf. F. factorerie.] 1. A house or place where factors, or commercial agents, reside, to transact business for their employers. "The Company's factory at Madras." Burke.

2. The body of factors in any place; as, a chaplain to a British factory. W. Guthrie.

3. A building, or collection of buildings, appropriated to the manufacture of goods; the place where workmen are employed in fabricating goods, wares, or utensils; a manufactory; as, a cotton factory.

Factory leg (Med.), a variety of bandy leg, associated with partial dislocation of the tibia, produced in young children by working in factories.

Fac*to"tum (făk*tō"tŭm), n.; pl. Factotums (- tŭmz). [L., do everything; facere to do + totus all : cf. F. factotum. See Fact, and Total.] A person employed to do all kinds of work or business. B. Jonson.

Fac"tu*al (făk*t&usl;"al), a. Relating to, or containing, facts. [R.]

||Fac"tum (făk"tŭm), n.; pl. Facta (#). [L. See Fact.] 1. (Law) A man's own act and deed; particularly: (a) (Civil Law) Anything stated and made certain. (b) (Testamentary Law) The due execution of a will, including everything necessary to its validity.

2. (Mach.) The product. See Facient, 2.

Fac"ture (?), n. [F. facture a making, invoice, L. factura a making. See Fact.] 1. The act or manner of making or doing anything; -- now used of a literary, musical, or pictorial production. Bacon.

2. (Com.) An invoice or bill of parcels.

||Fac"u*læ (?), n. pl. [L., pl. of facula a little torch.] (Astron.) Groups of small shining spots on the surface of the sun which are brighter than the other parts of the photosphere. They are generally seen in the neighborhood of the dark spots, and are supposed to be elevated portions of the photosphere. Newcomb.

Fac"u*lar (?) a. (Astron.) Of or pertaining to the faculæ. R. A. Proctor.

Fac"ul*ty (?), n.; pl. Faculties (#). [F. facult&?;, L. facultas, fr. facilis easy (cf. facul easily), fr. fecere to make. See Fact, and cf. Facility.] 1. Ability to act or perform, whether inborn or cultivated; capacity for any natural function; especially, an original mental power or capacity for any of the well-known classes of mental activity; psychical or soul capacity; capacity for any of the leading kinds of soul activity, as knowledge, feeling, volition; intellectual endowment or gift; power; as, faculties of the mind or the soul.

But know that in the soul
Are many lesser faculties that serve
Reason as chief.
Milton.

What a piece of work is a man ! how noble in reason ! how infinite in faculty !
Shak.

2. Special mental endowment; characteristic knack.

He had a ready faculty, indeed, of escaping from any topic that agitated his too sensitive and nervous temperament.
Hawthorne.

3. Power; prerogative or attribute of office. [R.]

This Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek.
Shak.

4. Privilege or permission, granted by favor or indulgence, to do a particular thing; authority; license; dispensation.

The pope . . . granted him a faculty to set him free from his promise.
Fuller.

It had not only faculty to inspect all bishops' dioceses, but to change what laws and statutes they should think fit to alter among the colleges.
Evelyn.

5. A body of a men to whom any specific right or privilege is granted; formerly, the graduates in any of the four departments of a university or college (Philosophy, Law, Medicine, or Theology), to whom was granted the right of teaching (profitendi or docendi) in the department in which they had studied; at present, the members of a profession itself; as, the medical faculty; the legal faculty, ect.

6. (Amer. Colleges) The body of person to whom are intrusted the government and instruction of a college or university, or of one of its departments; the president, professors, and tutors in a college.

Dean of faculty. See under Dean. -- Faculty of advocates. (Scot.) See under Advocate.

Syn. -- Talent; gift; endowment; dexterity; expertness; cleverness; readiness; ability; knack.

Fac"und (?), a. [L. facundus, fr. fari to speak.] Eloquent. [Archaic]

Fa*cun"di*ous (?), a. [L. facundiosus.] Eloquement; full of words. [Archaic]

Fa*cun"di*ty (?), n. [L. facunditas.] Eloquence; readiness of speech. [Archaic]

Fad (?), n. [Cf. Faddle.] A hobby ; freak; whim. -- Fad"dist, n.

It is your favorite fad to draw plans.
G. Eliot.

Fad"dle (?), v. i. [Cf. Fiddle, Fiddle-faddle.] To trifle; to toy. -- v. t. To fondle; to dandle. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Fade (?) a. [F., prob. fr. L. vapidus vapid, or possibly fr,fatuus foolish, insipid.] Weak; insipid; tasteless; commonplace. [R.] "Passages that are somewhat fade." Jeffrey.

His masculine taste gave him a sense of something fade and ludicrous.
De Quincey.

Fade (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Faded; p. pr. & vb. n. Fading.] [OE. faden, vaden, prob. fr. fade, a.; cf. Prov. D. vadden to fade, wither, vaddigh languid, torpid. Cf. Fade, a., Vade.] 1. To become fade; to grow weak; to lose strength; to decay; to perish gradually; to wither, as a plant.

The earth mourneth and fadeth away.
Is. xxiv. 4.

2. To lose freshness, color, or brightness; to become faint in hue or tint; hence, to be wanting in color. "Flowers that never fade." Milton.

3. To sink away; to disappear gradually; to grow dim; to vanish.

The stars shall fade away.
Addison

He makes a swanlike end,
Fading in music.
Shak.

Fade, v. t. To cause to wither; to deprive of freshness or vigor; to wear away.

No winter could his laurels fade.
Dryden.

Fad"ed (?), a. That has lost freshness, color, or brightness; grown dim. "His faded cheek." Milton.

Where the faded moon
Made a dim silver twilight.
Keats.

Fad"ed*ly, adv. In a faded manner.

A dull room fadedly furnished.
Dickens.

Fade"less, a. Not liable to fade; unfading.

Fa"der (?), n. Father. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fadge (?), v. i. [Cf. OE. faden to flatter, and AS. f&?;gan to join, unit, G. fügen, or AS. āfægian to depict; all perh. form the same root as E. fair. Cf. Fair, a., Fay to fit.] To fit; to suit; to agree.

They shall be made, spite of antipathy, to fadge together.
Milton.

Well, Sir, how fadges the new design ?
Wycherley.

Fadge (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] A small flat loaf or thick cake; also, a fagot. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Fad"ing (?), a. Losing freshness, color, brightness, or vigor. -- n. Loss of color, freshness, or vigor. -- Fad"ing*ly, adv. -- Fad"ing*ness, n.

Fad"ing, n. An Irish dance; also, the burden of a song. "Fading is a fine jig." [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

Fad"me (?), n. A fathom. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fad"y (?), a. Faded. [R.] Shenstone.

Fæ"cal (?), a. See Fecal.

||Fæ"ces (?), n. pl. [L. faex, pl. faeces, dregs.] Excrement; ordure; also, settlings; sediment after infusion or distillation. [Written also feces.]

||Fæc"u*la (?), n. [L.] See Fecula.

Fa"ër*y (?), n. & a. Fairy. [Archaic] Spenser.

Faf"fle (?), v. i. [Cf. Famble, Maffle.] To stammer. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Fag (făg) n. A knot or coarse part in cloth. [Obs.]

Fag, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fagged (făgd); p. pr. & vb. n. Fagging (făg"g&ibreve;ng).] [Cf. LG. fakk wearied, weary, vaak slumber, drowsiness, OFries. fai, equiv. to fāch devoted to death, OS. fēgi, OHG. feigi, G. feig, feige, cowardly, Icel. feigr fated to die, AS. f&aemacr;ge, Scot. faik, to fail, stop, lower the price; or perh. the same word as E. flag to droop.] 1. To become weary; to tire.
[1913 Webster]

Creighton withheld his force till the Italian began to fag.
G. Mackenzie.

2. To labor to wearness; to work hard; to drudge.

Read, fag, and subdue this chapter.
Coleridge.

3. To act as a fag, or perform menial services or drudgery, for another, as in some English schools.

To fag out, to become untwisted or frayed, as the end of a rope, or the edge of canvas.

Fag, v. t. 1. To tire by labor; to exhaust; as, he was almost fagged out.

2. Anything that fatigues. [R.]

It is such a fag, I came back tired to death.
Miss Austen.

Brain fag. (Med.) See Cerebropathy.

Fag"-end" (?), n. 1. An end of poorer quality, or in a spoiled condition, as the coarser end of a web of cloth, the untwisted end of a rope, ect.

2. The refuse or meaner part of anything.

The fag-end of business.
Collier.

Fag"ging (făg"g&ibreve;ng), n. Laborious drudgery; esp., the acting as a drudge for another at an English school.

Fag"ot (făg"ŭt) n. [F., prob. aug. of L. fax, facis, torch, perh. orig., a bundle of sticks; cf. Gr. fa`kelos bundle, fagot. Cf. Fagotto.] 1. A bundle of sticks, twigs, or small branches of trees, used for fuel, for raising batteries, filling ditches, or other purposes in fortification; a fascine. Shak.

2. A bundle of pieces of wrought iron to be worked over into bars or other shapes by rolling or hammering at a welding heat; a pile.

3. (Mus.) A bassoon. See Fagotto.

4. A person hired to take the place of another at the muster of a company. [Eng.] Addison.

5. An old shriveled woman. [Slang, Eng.]

Fagot iron, iron, in bars or masses, manufactured from fagots. -- Fagot vote, the vote of a person who has been constituted a voter by being made a landholder, for party purposes. [Political cant, Eng.]

Fag"ot (?) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fagoted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fagoting.] To make a fagot of; to bind together in a fagot or bundle; also, to collect promiscuously. Dryden.

||Fa*got"to (?), n. [It. See Fagot.] (Mus.) The bassoon; -- so called from being divided into parts for ease of carriage, making, as it were, a small fagot.

||Fa"ham (?), n. The leaves of an orchid (Angraecum fragrans), of the islands of Bourbon and Mauritius, used (in France) as a substitute for Chinese tea.

||Fahl"band` (?), n. [G., fr. fahl dun-colored + band a band.] (Mining) A stratum in crystalline rock, containing metallic sulphides. Raymond.

{ Fahl"erz (?), Fahl"band (?), } n. [G. fahlerz; fahl dun-colored, fallow + erz ore.] (Min.) Same as Tetrahedrite.

Fah"lun*ite (fä"lŭn*īt), n. [From Fahlun, a place in Sweden.] (Min.) A hydrated silica of alumina, resulting from the alteration of iolite.
[1913 Webster]

Fah"ren*heit (?) a. [G.] Conforming to the scale used by Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit in the graduation of his thermometer; of or relating to Fahrenheit's thermometric scale. -- n. The Fahrenheit thermometer or scale.

&fist; The Fahrenheit thermometer is so graduated that the freezing point of water is at 32 degrees above the zero of its scale, and the boiling point at 212 degrees above. It is commonly used in the United States and in England.

||Fa`ï*ence" (?), n. [F., fr. Faenza, a town in Italy, the original place of manufacture.] Glazed earthenware; esp., that which is decorated in color.

Fail (fāl) v. i. [imp. & p. p. Failed (fāld); p. pr. & vb. n. Failing.] [F. failir, fr. L. fallere, falsum, to deceive, akin to E. fall. See Fail, and cf. Fallacy, False, Fault.] 1. To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence; to cease to be furnished in the usual or expected manner, or to be altogether cut off from supply; to be lacking; as, streams fail; crops fail.

As the waters fail from the sea.
Job xiv. 11.

Till Lionel's issue fails, his should not reign.
Shak.

2. To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; -- used with of.

If ever they fail of beauty, this failure is not be attributed to their size.
Berke.

3. To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink.

When earnestly they seek
Such proof, conclude they then begin to fail.
Milton.

4. To deteriorate in respect to vigor, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker; as, a sick man fails.

5. To perish; to die; -- used of a person. [Obs.]

Had the king in his last sickness failed.
Shak.

6. To be found wanting with respect to an action or a duty to be performed, a result to be secured, etc.; to miss; not to fulfill expectation.

Take heed now that ye fail not to do this.
Ezra iv. 22.

Either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st pale.
Shak.

7. To come short of a result or object aimed at or desired ; to be baffled or frusrated.

Our envious foe hath failed.
Milton.

8. To err in judgment; to be mistaken.

Which ofttimes may succeed, so as perhaps
Shall grieve him, if I fail not.
Milton.

9. To become unable to meet one's engagements; especially, to be unable to pay one's debts or discharge one's business obligation; to become bankrupt or insolvent.

Fail (?), v. t. 1. To be wanting to ; to be insufficient for; to disappoint; to desert.

There shall not fail thee a man on the throne.
1 Kings ii. 4.

2. To miss of attaining; to lose. [R.]

Though that seat of earthly bliss be failed.
Milton.

Fail, n. [OF. faille, from failir. See Fail, v. i.] 1. Miscarriage; failure; deficiency; fault; -- mostly superseded by failure or failing, except in the phrase without fail. "His highness' fail of issue." Shak.

2. Death; decease. [Obs.] Shak.

Fail"ance (?), n. [Of. faillance, fr. faillir.] Fault; failure; omission. [Obs.] Bp. Fell.

Fail"ing, n. 1. A failing short; a becoming deficient; failure; deficiency; imperfection; weakness; lapse; fault; infirmity; as, a mental failing.

And ever in her mind she cast about
For that unnoticed failing in herself.
Tennyson.

2. The act of becoming insolvent of bankrupt.

Syn. -- See Fault.

||Faille (?), n. [F.] A soft silk, heavier than a foulard and not glossy.

Fail"ure (?), n. [From Fail.] 1. Cessation of supply, or total defect; a failing; deficiency; as, failure of rain; failure of crops.

2. Omission; nonperformance; as, the failure to keep a promise.

3. Want of success; the state of having failed.

4. Decay, or defect from decay; deterioration; as, the failure of memory or of sight.

5. A becoming insolvent; bankruptcy; suspension of payment; as, failure in business.

6. A failing; a slight fault. [Obs.] Johnson.

Fain (?), a. [OE. fain, fagen, AS. fægen; akin to OS. fagan, Icel. faginn glad; AS. fægnian to rejoice, OS. faganōn, Icel. fagna, Goth. faginōn, cf. Goth. fahēds joy; and fr. the same root as E. fair. Srr Fair, a., and cf. Fawn to court favor.] 1. Well-pleased; glad; apt; wont; fond; inclined.

Men and birds are fain of climbing high.
Shak.

To a busy man, temptation is fainto climb up together with his business.
Jer. Taylor.

2. Satisfied; contented; also, constrained. Shak.

The learned Castalio was fain to make trechers at Basle to keep himself from starving.
Locke.

Fain, adv. With joy; gladly; -- with wold.

He would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat.
Luke xv. 16.

Fain Would I woo her, yet I dare not.
Shak.

Fain, v. t. & i. To be glad ; to wish or desire. [Obs.]

Whoso fair thing does fain to see.
Spencer.

||Fai`né`ant" (f&asl;`n&asl;`äN"), a. [F.; fait he does + néant nothing.] Doing nothing; shiftless. -- n. A do-nothing; an idle fellow; a sluggard. Sir W. Scott.

Faint (fānt), a. [Compar. Fainter (-&etilde;r); superl. Faintest.] [OE. feint, faint, false, faint, F. feint, p. p. of feindre to feign, suppose, hesitate. See Feign, and cf. Feint.] 1. Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to swoon; as, faint with fatigue, hunger, or thirst.

2. Wanting in courage, spirit, or energy; timorous; cowardly; dejected; depressed; as, "Faint heart ne'er won fair lady." Old Proverb.

3. Lacking distinctness; hardly perceptible; striking the senses feebly; not bright, or loud, or sharp, or forcible; weak; as, a faint color, or sound.

4. Performed, done, or acted, in a weak or feeble manner; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy; slight; as, faint efforts; faint resistance.

The faint prosecution of the war.
Sir J. Davies.

Faint, n. The act of fainting, or the state of one who has fainted; a swoon. [R.] See Fainting, n.

The saint,
Who propped the Virgin in her faint.
Sir W. Scott.

Faint, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fainted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fainting.] 1. To become weak or wanting in vigor; to grow feeble; to lose strength and color, and the control of the bodily or mental functions; to swoon; -- sometimes with away. See Fainting, n.

Hearing the honor intended her, she fainted away.
Guardian.

If I send them away fasting . . . they will faint by the way.
Mark viii. 8.

2. To sink into dejection; to lose courage or spirit; to become depressed or despondent.

If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
Prov. xxiv. 10.

3. To decay; to disappear; to vanish.

Gilded clouds, while we gaze upon them, faint before the eye.
Pope.

Faint (?), v. t. To cause to faint or become dispirited; to depress; to weaken. [Obs.]

It faints me to think what follows.
Shak.

Faint"-heart`ed (?), a. Wanting in courage; depressed by fear; easily discouraged or frightened; cowardly; timorous; dejected.

Fear not, neither be faint- hearted.
Is. vii. 4.

-- Faint"-heart`ed*ly, adv. -- Faint"-heart`ed*ness, n.

Faint"ing (?), n. Syncope, or loss of consciousness owing to a sudden arrest of the blood supply to the brain, the face becoming pallid, the respiration feeble, and the heat's beat weak.

Fainting fit, a fainting or swoon; syncope. [Colloq.]

Faint"ish, a. Slightly faint; somewhat faint. -- Faint"ish*ness, n.

Faint"ling (?), a. Timorous; feeble-minded. [Obs.] "A fainting, silly creature." Arbuthnot.

Faint"ly, adv. In a faint, weak, or timidmanner.

Faint"ness, n. 1. The state of being faint; loss of strength, or of consciousness, and self-control.

2. Want of vigor or energy. Spenser.

3. Feebleness, as of color or light; lack of distinctness; as, faintness of description.

4. Faint-heartedness; timorousness; dejection.

I will send a faintness into their hearts.
Lev. xxvi. 36.

Faints (?), n. pl. The impure spirit which comes over first and last in the distillation of whisky; -- the former being called the strong faints, and the latter, which is much more abundant, the weak faints. This crude spirit is much impregnated with fusel oil. Ure.

Faint"y (?), a. Feeble; languid. [R.] Dryden.

Fair (fâr), a. [Compar. Fairer (?); superl. Fairest.] [OE. fair, fayer, fager, AS. fæger; akin to OS. & OHG. fagar, Icel. fagr, Sw. fager, Dan. faver, Goth. fagrs fit, also to E. fay, G. fügen, to fit. fegen to sweep, cleanse, and prob. also to E. fang, peace, pact, Cf. Fang, Fain, Fay to fit.] 1. Free from spots, specks, dirt, or imperfection; unblemished; clean; pure.

A fair white linen cloth.
Book of Common Prayer.

2. Pleasing to the eye; handsome; beautiful.

Who can not see many a fair French city, for one fair French made.
Shak.

3. Without a dark hue; light; clear; as, a fair skin.

The northern people large and fair- complexioned.
Sir M. Hale.

4. Not overcast; cloudless; clear; pleasant; propitious; favorable; -- said of the sky, weather, or wind, etc.; as, a fair sky; a fair day.

You wish fair winds may waft him over.
Prior.

5. Free from obstacles or hindrances; unobstructed; unincumbered; open; direct; -- said of a road, passage, etc.; as, a fair mark; in fair sight; a fair view.

The caliphs obtained a mighty empire, which was in a fair way to have enlarged.
Sir W. Raleigh.

6. (Shipbuilding) Without sudden change of direction or curvature; smooth; flowing; -- said of the figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other lines.

7. Characterized by frankness, honesty, impartiality, or candor; open; upright; free from suspicion or bias; equitable; just; -- said of persons, character, or conduct; as, a fair man; fair dealing; a fair statement. "I would call it fair play." Shak.

8. Pleasing; favorable; inspiring hope and confidence; -- said of words, promises, etc.

When fair words and good counsel will not prevail on us, we must be frighted into our duty.
L' Estrange.

9. Distinct; legible; as, fair handwriting.

10. Free from any marked characteristic; average; middling; so-so; as, a fair specimen.

The news is very fair and good, my lord.
Shak.

Fair ball. (Baseball) (a) A ball passing over the home base at the height called for by the batsman, and delivered by the pitcher while wholly within the lines of his position and facing the batsman. (b) A batted ball that falls inside the foul lines; -- called also a fair hit. -- Fair maid. (Zoöl.) (a) The European pilchard (Clupea pilchardus) when dried. (b) The southern scup (Stenotomus Gardeni). [Virginia] -- Fair one, a handsome woman; a beauty, -- Fair play, equitable or impartial treatment; a fair or equal chance; justice. -- From fair to middling, passable; tolerable. [Colloq.] -- The fair sex, the female sex.

Syn. -- Candid; open; frank; ingenuous; clear; honest; equitable; impartial; reasonable. See Candid.

Fair, adv. Clearly; openly; frankly; civilly; honestly; favorably; auspiciously; agreeably.

Fair and square, justly; honestly; equitably; impartially. [Colloq.] -- To bid fair. See under Bid. -- To speak fair, to address with courtesy and frankness. [Archaic]

Fair, n. 1. Fairness, beauty. [Obs.] Shak.

2. A fair woman; a sweetheart.

I have found out a gift for my fair.
Shenstone.

3. Good fortune; good luck.

Now fair befall thee !
Shak.

The fair, anything beautiful; women, collectively. "For slander's mark was ever yet the fair." Shak.

Fair, v. t. 1. To make fair or beautiful. [Obs.]

Fairing the foul.
Shak.

2. (Shipbuilding) To make smooth and flowing, as a vessel's lines.

Fair, n. [OE. feire, OF. feire, F. foire, fr. L. fariae, pl., days of rest, holidays, festivals, akin to festus festal. See Feast.] 1. A gathering of buyers and sellers, assembled at a particular place with their merchandise at a stated or regular season, or by special appointment, for trade.

2. A festival, and sale of fancy articles. erc., usually for some charitable object; as, a Grand Army fair.

3. A competitive exhibition of wares, farm products, etc., not primarily for purposes of sale; as, the Mechanics' fair; an agricultural fair.

After the fair, Too late. [Colloq.]

Fair"-haired` (?), a. Having fair or light-colored hair.

Fair"hood (?), n. Fairness; beauty. [Obs.] Foxe.

Fair"i*ly (?), adv. In the manner of a fairy.

Numerous as shadows haunting fairily
The brain.
Keats.

Fair"ing, n. A present; originally, one given or purchased at a fair. Gay.

Fairing box, a box receiving savings or small sums of money. Hannah More.

Fair"ish, a. Tolerably fair. [Colloq.] W. D. Howells.

Fair"-lead`er (?), n. (Naut.) A block, or ring, serving as a guide for the running rigging or for any rope.

Fair"ly, adv. 1. In a fair manner; clearly; openly; plainly; fully; distinctly; frankly.

Even the nature of Mr. Dimmesdale's disease had never fairly been revealed to him.
Hawthorne.

2. Favorably; auspiciously; commodiously; as, a town fairly situated for foreign trade.

3. Honestly; properly.

Such means of comfort or even luxury, as lay fairly within their grasp.
Hawthorne.

4. Softly; quietly; gently. [Obs.] Milton.

Fair"-mind`ed (?), a. Unprejudiced; just; judicial; honest. -- Fair"- mind`ed*ness, n.

Fair"-na`tured (?), a. Well- disposed. "A fair-natured prince." Ford.

Fair"ness, n. The state of being fair, or free form spots or stains, as of the skin; honesty, as of dealing; candor, as of an argument, etc.

Fair"-spo`ken (?), a. Using fair speech, or uttered with fairness; bland; civil; courteous; plausible. "A marvelous fair-spoken man." Hooker.

Fair"way` (?), n. The navigable part of a river, bay, etc., through which vessels enter or depart; the part of a harbor or channel ehich is kept open and unobstructed for the passage of vessels. Totten.

Fair"-weath`er (?), a. 1. Made or done in pleasant weather, or in circumstances involving but little exposure or sacrifice; as, a fair-weather voyage. Pope.

2. Appearing only when times or circumstances are prosperous; as, a fair-weather friend.

Fair-weather sailor, a make-believe or inexperienced sailor; -- the nautical equivalent of carpet knight.

Fair"-world` (?) n. State of prosperity. [Obs.]

They think it was never fair-world with them since.
Milton.

Fair"y (?), n.; pl. Fairies (#). [OE. fairie, faierie, enchantment, fairy folk, fairy, OF. faerie enchantment, F. féer, fr. LL. Fata one of the goddesses of fate. See Fate, and cf. Fay a fairy.] [Written also faëry.] 1. Enchantment; illusion. [Obs.] Chaucer.

The God of her has made an end,
And fro this worlde's fairy
Hath taken her into company.
Gower.

2. The country of the fays; land of illusions. [Obs.]

He [Arthur] is a king y-crowned in Fairy.
Lydgate.

3. An imaginary supernatural being or spirit, supposed to assume a human form (usually diminutive), either male or female, and to meddle for good or evil in the affairs of mankind; a fay. See Elf, and Demon.

The fourth kind of spirit [is] called the Fairy.
K. James.

And now about the caldron sing,
Like elves and fairies in a ring.
Shak.

5. An enchantress. [Obs.] Shak.

Fairy of the mine, an imaginary being supposed to inhabit mines, etc. German folklore tells of two species; one fierce and malevolent, the other gentle, See Kobold.

No goblin or swart fairy of the mine
Hath hurtful power over true virginity.
Milton.

Fair"y, a. 1. Of or pertaining to fairies.

2. Given by fairies; as, fairy money. Dryden.

Fairy bird (Zoöl.), the Euoropean little tern (Sterna minuta); -- called also sea swallow, and hooded tern. -- Fairy bluebird. (Zoöl.) See under Bluebird. -- Fairy martin (Zoöl.), a European swallow (Hirrundo ariel) that builds flask-shaped nests of mud on overhanging cliffs. -- Fairy rings or circles, the circles formed in grassy lawns by certain fungi (as Marasmius Oreades), formerly supposed to be caused by fairies in their midnight dances. -- Fairy shrimp (Zoöl.), a European fresh-water phyllopod crustacean (Chirocephalus diaphanus); -- so called from its delicate colors, transparency, and graceful motions. The name is sometimes applied to similar American species. -- Fairy stone (Paleon.), an echinite.

Fair"y*land` (?) n. The imaginary land or abode of fairies.

Fair"y*like` (?), a. Resembling a fairy, or what is made or done be fairies; as, fairylike music.

Faith (fāth), n. [OE. feith, fayth, fay, OF. feid, feit, fei, F. foi, fr. L. fides; akin to fidere to trust, Gr. pei`qein to persuade. The ending th is perhaps due to the influence of such words as truth, health, wealth. See Bid, Bide, and cf. Confide, Defy, Fealty.] 1. Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting solely and implicitly on his authority and veracity; reliance on testimony.

2. The assent of the mind to the statement or proposition of another, on the ground of the manifest truth of what he utters; firm and earnest belief, on probable evidence of any kind, especially in regard to important moral truth.

Faith, that is, fidelity, -- the fealty of the finite will and understanding to the reason.
Coleridge.

3. (Theol.) (a) The belief in the historic truthfulness of the Scripture narrative, and the supernatural origin of its teachings, sometimes called historical and speculative faith. (b) The belief in the facts and truth of the Scriptures, with a practical love of them; especially, that confiding and affectionate belief in the person and work of Christ, which affects the character and life, and makes a man a true Christian, -- called a practical, evangelical, or saving faith.

Without faith it is impossible to please him [God].
Heb. xi. 6.

The faith of the gospel is that emotion of the mind which is called "trust" or "confidence" exercised toward the moral character of God, and particularly of the Savior.
Dr. T. Dwight.

Faith is an affectionate, practical confidence in the testimony of God.
J. Hawes.

4. That which is believed on any subject, whether in science, politics, or religion; especially (Theol.), a system of religious belief of any kind; as, the Jewish or Mohammedan faith; and especially, the system of truth taught by Christ; as, the Christian faith; also, the creed or belief of a Christian society or church.

Which to believe of her,
Must be a faith that reason without miracle
Could never plant in me.
Shak.

Now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.
Gal. i. 23.

5. Fidelity to one's promises, or allegiance to duty, or to a person honored and beloved; loyalty.

Children in whom is no faith.
Deut. xxvii. 20.

Whose failing, while her faith to me remains,
I should conceal.
Milton.

6. Word or honor pledged; promise given; fidelity; as, he violated his faith.

For you alone
I broke me faith with injured Palamon.
Dryden.

7. Credibility or truth. [R.]

The faith of the foregoing narrative.
Mitford.

Act of faith. See Auto-da- fé. -- Breach of faith, Confession of faith, etc. See under Breach, Confession, etc. -- Faith cure, a method or practice of treating diseases by prayer and the exercise of faith in God. -- In good faith, with perfect sincerity.

Faith (?), interj. By my faith; in truth; verily.

Faithed (?), a. Having faith or a faith; honest; sincere. [Obs.] "Make thy words faithed." Shak.

Faith"ful (?), a. 1. Full of faith, or having faith; disposed to believe, especially in the declarations and promises of God.

You are not faithful, sir.
B. Jonson.

2. Firm in adherence to promises, oaths, contracts, treaties, or other engagements.

The faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him.
Deut. vii. 9.

3. True and constant in affection or allegiance to a person to whom one is bound by a vow, by ties of love, gratitude, or honor, as to a husband, a prince, a friend; firm in the observance of duty; loyal; of true fidelity; as, a faithful husband or servant.

So spake the seraph Abdiel, faithful found,
Among the faithless, faithful only he.
Milton.

4. Worthy of confidence and belief; conformable to truth ot fact; exact; accurate; as, a faithful narrative or representation.

It is a faithful saying.
2 Tim. ii. 11.

The Faithful, the adherents of any system of religious belief; esp. used as an epithet of the followers of Mohammed.

Syn. -- Trusty; honest; upright; sincere; veracious; trustworthy.

-- Faith"ful*ly, adv. - Faith"ful*ness, n.

Faith"less, a. 1. Not believing; not giving credit.

Be not faithless, but believing.
John xx. 27.

2. Not believing on God or religion; specifically, not believing in the Christian religion. Shak.

3. Not observant of promises or covenants.

4. Not true to allegiance, duty, or vows; perfidious; trecherous; disloyal; not of true fidelity; inconstant, as a husband or a wife.

A most unnatural and faithless service.
Shak.

5. Serving to disappoint or deceive; delusive; unsatisfying. "Yonder faithless phantom." Goldsmith.

-- Faith"less*ly, adv.Faith"less*ness, n.

Fai"tour (?), n. [OF. faitor a doer, L. factor. See Factor.] A doer or actor; particularly, an evil doer; a scoundrel. [Obs.]

Lo! faitour, there thy meed unto thee take.
Spenser.

Fake (?), n. [Cf. Scot. faik fold, stratum of stone, AS. fæc space, interval, G. fach compartment, partition, row, and E. fay to fit.] (Naut.) One of the circles or windings of a cable or hawser, as it lies in a coil; a single turn or coil.

Fake, v. t. (Naut.) To coil (a rope, line, or hawser), by winding alternately in opposite directions, in layers usually of zigzag or figure of eight form,, to prevent twisting when running out.

Faking box, a box in which a long rope is faked; used in the life-saving service for a line attached to a shot.

Fake, v. t. [Cf. Gael. faigh to get, acquire, reach, or OD. facken to catch or gripe.] [Slang in all its senses.] 1. To cheat; to swindle; to steal; to rob.

2. To make; to construct; to do.

3. To manipulate fraudulently, so as to make an object appear better or other than it really is; as, to fake a bulldog, by burning his upper lip and thus artificially shortening it.

Fake, n. A trick; a swindle. [Slang]

Fa"kir (?), n. [Ar. faqīr poor.] An Oriental religious ascetic or begging monk. [Written also faquir anf fakeer.]

||Fa"la*na"ka (?), n. [Native name.] (Zoöl.) A viverrine mammal of Madagascar (Eupleres Goudotii), allied to the civet; -- called also Falanouc.

Fal*cade" (făl*kād"), n. [F., ultimately fr. L. falx, falcis, a sickle or scythe.] (Man.) The action of a horse, when he throws himself on his haunches two or three times, bending himself, as it were, in very quick curvets. Harris.

{ Fal"cate (?), Fal"ca*ted (?), } a. [L. falcatus, fr. falx, falcis, a sickle or scythe.] Hooked or bent like a sickle; as, a falcate leaf; a falcate claw; -- said also of the moon, or a planet, when horned or crescent- formed.

Fal*ca"tion (?), n. The state of being falcate; a bend in the form of a sickle. Sir T. Browne.

Fal"cer (?), n. [From L. falx, falcis, a sickle.] (Zoöl.) One of the mandibles of a spider.

Fal"chion (?), n. [OE. fauchon, OF. fauchon, LL. fälcio, fr. L. falx, falcis, a sickle, cf. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; a ship's rib, &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; bandy-legged; perh, akin to E. falcon; cf. It. falcione. Cf. Defalcation.] 1. A broad-bladed sword, slightly curved, shorter and lighter than the ordinary sword; -- used in the Middle Ages.

2. A name given generally and poetically to a sword, especially to the swords of Oriental and fabled warriors.

Fal*cid"i*an (?), a. [L. Falcidius.] Of or pertaining to Publius Falcidius, a Roman tribune.

Falcidian law (Civil Law), a law by which a testator was obliged to leave at least a fourth of his estate to the heir. Burrill.

Fal"ci*form (?), a. [L. falx, falcis, a sickle + -form: cf. F. falciforme.] Having the shape of a scithe or sickle; resembling a reaping hook; as, the falciform ligatment of the liver.

Fal"con (?), n. [OE. faucon, faucoun, OF. faucon, falcon, &?;. faucon, fr. LL. falco, perh. from L. falx, falcis, a sickle or scythe, and named from its curving talons. Cf. Falchion.] 1. (Zoöl.) (a) One of a family (Falconidæ) of raptorial birds, characterized by a short, hooked beak, strong claws, and powerful flight. (b) Any species of the genus Falco, distinguished by having a toothlike lobe on the upper mandible; especially, one of this genus trained to the pursuit of other birds, or game.

In the language of falconry, the female peregrine (Falco peregrinus) is exclusively called the falcon.
Yarrell.

2. (Gun.) An ancient form of cannon.

Chanting falcon. (Zoöl.) See under Chanting.

Fal"con*er (?), n. [OE. fauconer, OF. falconier, fauconier, F. fauconnier. See Falcon.] A person who breeds or trains hawks for taking birds or game; one who follows the sport of fowling with hawks. Johnson.

Fal"co*net (?), n. [Dim. of falcon: cf. F. fauconneau, LL. falconeta, properly, a young falcon.] 1. One of the smaller cannon used in the 15th century and later.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) One of several very small Asiatic falcons of the genus Microhierax. (b) One of a group of Australian birds of the genus Falcunculus, resembling shrikes and titmice.

Fal"con*gen`til (?), n. [F. faucon- gentil. See Falcon, and Genteel.] (Zoöl.) The female or young of the goshawk (Astur palumbarius).

Fal"co*nine (?), a. (Zoöl.) Like a falcon or hawk; belonging to the Falconidæ

Fal"con*ry (?), n. [Cf. F. fauconnerie. See Falcon.] 1. The art of training falcons or hawks to pursue and attack wild fowl or game.

2. The sport of taking wild fowl or game by means of falcons or hawks.

||Fal"cu*la (?), n. [L., a small sickle, a billhook.] (Zoöl.) A curved and sharp- pointed claw.

Fal"cu*late (?), a. (Zoöl.) Curved and sharppointed, like a falcula, or claw of a falcon.

Fald"age (?), n. [LL. faldagium, fr. AS. fald, E. fold. Cf. Foldage.] (O. Eng. Law) A privilege of setting up, and moving about, folds for sheep, in any fields within manors, in order to manure them; -- often reserved to himself by the lord of the manor. Spelman.

Fald"fee` (?), n. [AS. fald (E. fold) + E. fee. See Faldage.] (O. Eng. Law) A fee or rent paid by a tenant for the privilege of faldage on his own ground. Blount.

Fald"ing, n. A frieze or rough- napped cloth. [Obs.]

Fal"dis*to*ry (?), n. [LL. faldistorium, faldestorium, from OHG. faldstuol; faldan, faltan, to fold (G. falten) + stuol stool. So called because it could be folded or laid together. See Fold, and Stool, and cf. Faldstool, Fauteuil.] The throne or seat of a bishop within the chancel. [Obs.]

Fald"stool` (?), n. [See Faldistory.] A folding stool, or portable seat, made to fold up in the manner of a camo stool. It was formerly placed in the choir for a bishop, when he offciated in any but his own cathedral church. Fairholt.

&fist; In the modern practice of the Church of England, the term faldstool is given to the reading desk from which the litany is read. This esage is a relic of the ancient use of a lectern folding like a camp stool.

Fa*ler"ni*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Mount Falernus, in Italy; as, Falernianwine.

Falk (f&add;k), n. (Zoöl.) The razorbill. [Written also falc, and faik.] [Prov. Eng.]

Fall (f&add;l), v. i. [imp. Fell (f&ebreve;l); p. p. Fallen (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Falling.] [AS. feallan; akin to D. vallen, OS. & OHG. fallan, G. fallen, Icel. Falla, Sw. falla, Dan. falde, Lith. pulti, L. fallere to deceive, Gr. sfa`llein to cause to fall, Skr. sphal, sphul, to tremble. Cf. Fail, Fell, v. t., to cause to fall.] 1. To Descend, either suddenly or gradually; particularly, to descend by the force of gravity; to drop; to sink; as, the apple falls; the tide falls; the mercury falls in the barometer.

I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Luke x. 18.

2. To cease to be erect; to take suddenly a recumbent posture; to become prostrate; to drop; as, a child totters and falls; a tree falls; a worshiper falls on his knees.

I fell at his feet to worship him.
Rev. xix. 10.

3. To find a final outlet; to discharge its waters; to empty; -- with into; as, the river Rhone falls into the Mediterranean.

4. To become prostrate and dead; to die; especially, to die by violence, as in battle.

A thousand shall fall at thy side.
Ps. xci. 7.

He rushed into the field, and, foremost fighting, fell.
Byron.

5. To cease to be active or strong; to die away; to lose strength; to subside; to become less intense; as, the wind falls.

6. To issue forth into life; to be brought forth; -- said of the young of certain animals. Shak.

7. To decline in power, glory, wealth, or importance; to become insignificant; to lose rank or position; to decline in weight, value, price etc.; to become less; as, the price falls; stocks fell two points.

I am a poor fallen man, unworthy now
To be thy lord and master.
Shak.

The greatness of these Irish lords suddenly fell and vanished.
Sir J. Davies.

8. To be overthrown or captured; to be destroyed.

Heaven and earth will witness,
If Rome must fall, that we are innocent.
Addison.

9. To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin; to depart from the faith; to apostatize; to sin.

Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Heb. iv. 11.

10. To become insnared or embarrassed; to be entrapped; to be worse off than before; as, to fall into error; to fall into difficulties.

11. To assume a look of shame or disappointment; to become or appear dejected; -- said of the countenance.

Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Gen. iv. 5.

I have observed of late thy looks are fallen.
Addison.

12. To sink; to languish; to become feeble or faint; as, our spirits rise and fall with our fortunes.

13. To pass somewhat suddenly, and passively, into a new state of body or mind; to become; as, to fall asleep; to fall into a passion; to fall in love; to fall into temptation.

14. To happen; to to come to pass; to light; to befall; to issue; to terminate.

The Romans fell on this model by chance.
Swift.

Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall.
Ruth. iii. 18.

They do not make laws, they fall into customs.
H. Spencer.

15. To come; to occur; to arrive.

The vernal equinox, which at the Nicene Council fell on the 21st of March, falls now [1694] about ten days sooner.
Holder.

16. To begin with haste, ardor, or vehemence; to rush or hurry; as, they fell to blows.

They now no longer doubted, but fell to work heart and soul.
Jowett (Thucyd. ).

17. To pass or be transferred by chance, lot, distribution, inheritance, or otherwise; as, the estate fell to his brother; the kingdom fell into the hands of his rivals.

18. To belong or appertain.

If to her share some female errors fall,
Look on her face, and you'll forget them all.
Pope.

19. To be dropped or uttered carelessly; as, an unguarded expression fell from his lips; not a murmur fell from him.

To fall abroad of (Naut.), to strike against; -- applied to one vessel coming into collision with another. -- To fall among, to come among accidentally or unexpectedly. -- To fall astern (Naut.), to move or be driven backward; to be left behind; as, a ship falls astern by the force of a current, or when outsailed by another. -- To fall away. (a) To lose flesh; to become lean or emaciated; to pine. (b) To renounce or desert allegiance; to revolt or rebel. (c) To renounce or desert the faith; to apostatize. "These . . . for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away." Luke viii. 13. (d) To perish; to vanish; to be lost. "How . . . can the soul . . . fall away into nothing?" Addison. (e) To decline gradually; to fade; to languish, or become faint. "One color falls away by just degrees, and another rises insensibly." Addison. -- To fall back. (a) To recede or retreat; to give way. (b) To fail of performing a promise or purpose; not to fulfill. -- To fall back upon. (a) (Mil.) To retreat for safety to (a stronger position in the rear, as to a fort or a supporting body of troops). (b) To have recourse to (a reserved fund, or some available expedient or support). -- To fall calm, to cease to blow; to become calm. -- To fall down. (a) To prostrate one's self in worship. "All kings shall fall down before him." Ps. lxxii. 11. (b) To sink; to come to the ground. "Down fell the beauteous youth." Dryden. (c) To bend or bow, as a suppliant. (d) (Naut.) To sail or drift toward the mouth of a river or other outlet. -- To fall flat, to produce no response or result; to fail of the intended effect; as, his speech fell flat. -- To fall foul of. (a) (Naut.) To have a collision with; to become entangled with (b) To attack; to make an assault upon. -- To fall from, to recede or depart from; not to adhere to; as, to fall from an agreement or engagement; to fall from allegiance or duty. -- To fall from grace (M. E. Ch.), to sin; to withdraw from the faith. -- To fall home (Ship Carp.), to curve inward; -- said of the timbers or upper parts of a ship's side which are much within a perpendicular. -- To fall in. (a) To sink inwards; as, the roof fell in. (b) (Mil.) To take one's proper or assigned place in line; as, to fall in on the right. (c) To come to an end; to terminate; to lapse; as, on the death of Mr. B., the annuuity, which he had so long received, fell in. (d) To become operative. "The reversion, to which he had been nominated twenty years before, fell in." Macaulay. -- To fall into one's hands, to pass, often suddenly or unexpectedly, into one's ownership or control; as, to spike cannon when they are likely to fall into the hands of the enemy. -- To fall in with. (a) To meet with accidentally; as, to fall in with a friend. (b) (Naut.) To meet, as a ship; also, to discover or come near, as land. (c) To concur with; to agree with; as, the measure falls in with popular opinion. (d) To comply; to yield to. "You will find it difficult to persuade learned men to fall in with your projects." Addison. -- To fall off. (a) To drop; as, fruits fall off when ripe. (b) To withdraw; to separate; to become detached; as, friends fall off in adversity. "Love cools, friendship falls off, brothers divide." Shak. (c) To perish; to die away; as, words fall off by disuse. (d) To apostatize; to forsake; to withdraw from the faith, or from allegiance or duty.

Those captive tribes . . . fell off
From God to worship calves.
Milton.

(e) To forsake; to abandon; as, his customers fell off. (f) To depreciate; to change for the worse; to deteriorate; to become less valuable, abundant, or interesting; as, a falling off in the wheat crop; the magazine or the review falls off. "O Hamlet, what a falling off was there!" Shak. (g) (Naut.) To deviate or trend to the leeward of the point to which the head of the ship was before directed; to fall to leeward. -- To fall on. (a) To meet with; to light upon; as, we have fallen on evil days. (b) To begin suddenly and eagerly. "Fall on, and try the appetite to eat." Dryden. (c) To begin an attack; to assault; to assail. "Fall on, fall on, and hear him not." Dryden. (d) To drop on; to descend on. -- To fall out. (a) To quarrel; to begin to contend.

A soul exasperated in ills falls out
With everything, its friend, itself.
Addison.

(b) To happen; to befall; to chance. "There fell out a bloody quarrel betwixt the frogs and the mice." L'Estrange. (c) (Mil.) To leave the ranks, as a soldier. -- To fall over. (a) To revolt; to desert from one side to another. (b) To fall beyond. Shak. -- To fall short, to be deficient; as, the corn falls short; they all fall short in duty. -- To fall through, to come to nothing; to fail; as, the engageent has fallen through. - - To fall to, to begin. "Fall to, with eager joy, on homely food." Dryden. -- To fall under. (a) To come under, or within the limits of; to be subjected to; as, they fell under the jurisdiction of the emperor. (b) To come under; to become the subject of; as, this point did not fall under the cognizance or deliberations of the court; these things do not fall under human sight or observation. (c) To come within; to be ranged or reckoned with; to be subordinate to in the way of classification; as, these substances fall under a different class or order. -- To fall upon. (a) To attack. [See To fall on.] (b) To attempt; to have recourse to. "I do not intend to fall upon nice disquisitions." Holder. (c) To rush against.

&fist; Fall primarily denotes descending motion, either in a perpendicular or inclined direction, and, in most of its applications, implies, literally or figuratively, velocity, haste, suddenness, or violence. Its use is so various, and so mush diversified by modifying words, that it is not easy to enumerate its senses in all its applications.

Fall (?), v. t. 1. To let fall; to drop. [Obs.]

For every tear he falls, a Trojan bleeds.
Shak.

2. To sink; to depress; as, to fall the voice. [Obs.]

3. To diminish; to lessen or lower. [Obs.]

Upon lessening interest to four per cent, you fall the price of your native commodities.
Locke.

4. To bring forth; as, to fall lambs. [R.] Shak.

5. To fell; to cut down; as, to fall a tree. [Prov. Eng. & Local, U.S.]

Fall, n. 1. The act of falling; a dropping or descending be the force of gravity; descent; as, a fall from a horse, or from the yard of ship.

2. The act of dropping or tumbling from an erect posture; as, he was walking on ice, and had a fall.

3. Death; destruction; overthrow; ruin.

They thy fall conspire.
Denham.

Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Prov. xvi. 18.

4. Downfall; degradation; loss of greatness or office; termination of greatness, power, or dominion; ruin; overthrow; as, the fall of the Roman empire.

Beholds thee glorious only in thy fall.
Pope.

5. The surrender of a besieged fortress or town ; as, the fall of Sebastopol.

6. Diminution or decrease in price or value; depreciation; as, the fall of prices; the fall of rents.

7. A sinking of tone; cadence; as, the fall of the voice at the close of a sentence.

8. Declivity; the descent of land or a hill; a slope.

9. Descent of water; a cascade; a cataract; a rush of water down a precipice or steep; -- usually in the plural, sometimes in the singular; as, the falls of Niagara.

10. The discharge of a river or current of water into the ocean, or into a lake or pond; as, the fall of the Po into the Gulf of Venice. Addison.

11. Extent of descent; the distance which anything falls; as, the water of a stream has a fall of five feet.

12. The season when leaves fall from trees; autumn.

What crowds of patients the town doctor kills,
Or how, last fall, he raised the weekly bills.
Dryden.

13. That which falls; a falling; as, a fall of rain; a heavy fall of snow.

14. The act of felling or cutting down. "The fall of timber." Johnson.

15. Lapse or declension from innocence or goodness. Specifically: The first apostasy; the act of our first parents in eating the forbidden fruit; also, the apostasy of the rebellious angels.

16. Formerly, a kind of ruff or band for the neck; a falling band; a faule. B. Jonson.

17. That part (as one of the ropes) of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting.

Fall herring (Zoöl.), a herring of the Atlantic (Clupea mediocris); -- also called tailor herring, and hickory shad. -- To try a fall, to try a bout at wrestling. Shak.

Fal*la"cious (?), a. [L. fallaciosus, fr. fallacia: cf. F. fallacieux. See Fallacy.] Embodying or pertaining to a fallacy; illogical; fitted to deceive; misleading; delusive; as, fallacious arguments or reasoning. -- Fal*la"cious*ly, adv. - Fal*la"cious*ness, n.

Fal"la*cy (făl"l&adot;*s&ybreve;), n.; pl. Fallacies (- s&ibreve;z). [OE. fallace, fallas, deception, F. fallace, fr. L. fallacia, fr. fallax deceitful, deceptive, fr. fallere to deceive. See Fail.] 1. Deceptive or false appearance; deceitfulness; that which misleads the eye or the mind; deception.

Winning by conquest what the first man lost,
By fallacy surprised.
Milton.

2. (Logic) An argument, or apparent argument, which professes to be decisive of the matter at issue, while in reality it is not; a sophism.

Syn. -- Deception; deceit; mistake. -- Fallacy, Sophistry. A fallacy is an argument which professes to be decisive, but in reality is not; sophistry is also false reasoning, but of so specious and subtle a kind as to render it difficult to expose its fallacy. Many fallacies are obvious, but the evil of sophistry lies in its consummate art. "Men are apt to suffer their minds to be misled by fallacies which gratify their passions. Many persons have obscured and confounded the nature of things by their wretched sophistry; though an act be never so sinful, they will strip it of its guilt." South.

Fal"-lals` (?), n. pl. Gay ornaments; frippery; gewgaws. [Colloq.] Thackeray.

Fal"lax (?), n. [L. fallax deceptive. See Fallacy.] Cavillation; a caviling. [Obs.] Cranmer.

Fall"en (?), a. Dropped; prostrate; degraded; ruined; decreased; dead.

Some ruined temple or fallen monument.
Rogers.

Fal"len*cy (?), n. [LL. fallentia, L. fallens p. pr of fallere.] An exception. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

Fall"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, falls.

2. (Mach.) A part which acts by falling, as a stamp in a fulling mill, or the device in a spinning machine to arrest motion when a thread breaks.

Fall"fish` (?), n. (Zoöl.) A fresh-water fish of the United States (Semotilus bullaris); -- called also silver chub, and Shiner. The name is also applied to other allied species.

Fal`li*bil"i*ty (?), n. The state of being fallible; liability to deceive or to be deceived; as, the fallibity of an argument or of an adviser.

Fal"li*ble (?), a. [LL. fallibilis, fr. L. fallere to deceive: cf. F. faillible. See Fail.] Liable to fail, mistake, or err; liable to deceive or to be deceived; as, all men are fallible; our opinions and hopes are fallible.

Fal"li*bly, adv. In a fallible manner.

Fall"ing (?), a. & n. from Fall, v. i.

Falling away, Falling off, etc. See To fall away, To fall off, etc., under Fall, v. i. -- Falling band, the plain, broad, linen collar turning down over the doublet, worn in the early part of the 17th century. -- Falling sickness (Med.), epilepsy. Shak. -- Falling star. (Astron.) See Shooting star. -- Falling stone, a stone falling through the atmosphere; a meteorite; an aërolite. -- Falling tide, the ebb tide. -- Falling weather, a rainy season. [Colloq.] Bartlett.

Fal*lo"pi*an (?), a. [From Fallopius, or Fallopio, a physician of Modena, who died in 1562.] (Anat.) Pertaining to, or discovered by, Fallopius; as, the Fallopian tubes or oviducts, the ducts or canals which conduct the ova from the ovaries to the uterus.

Fal"low (?), a. [AS. fealu, fealo, pale yellow or red; akin to D. vaal fallow, faded, OHG. falo, G. falb, fahl, Icel. fölr, and prob. to Lith. palvas, OSlav. plavŭ white, L. pallidus pale, pallere to be pale, Gr. polio`s gray, Skr. palita. Cf. Pale, Favel, a., Favor.] 1. Pale red or pale yellow; as, a fallow deer or greyhound. Shak.

2. [Cf. Fallow, n.] Left untilled or unsowed after plowing; uncultivated; as, fallow ground.

Fallow chat, Fallow finch (Zoöl.), a small European bird, the wheatear (Saxicola œnanthe). See Wheatear.

Fal"low, n. [So called from the fallow, or somewhat yellow, color of naked ground; or perh. akin to E. felly, n., cf. MHG. valgen to plow up, OHG. felga felly, harrow.] 1. Plowed land. [Obs.]

Who . . . pricketh his blind horse over the fallows.
Chaucer.

2. Land that has lain a year or more untilled or unseeded; land plowed without being sowed for the season.

The plowing of fallows is a benefit to land.
Mortimer.

3. The plowing or tilling of land, without sowing it for a season; as, summer fallow, properly conducted, has ever been found a sure method of destroying weeds.

Be a complete summer fallow, land is rendered tender and mellow. The fallow gives it a better tilth than can be given by a fallow crop.
Sinclair.

Fallow crop, the crop taken from a green fallow. [Eng.] -- Green fallow, fallow whereby land is rendered mellow and clean from weeds, by cultivating some green crop, as turnips, potatoes, etc. [Eng.]

Fal"low (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fallowed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fallowing.] [From Fallow, n.] To plow, harrow, and break up, as land, without seeding, for the purpose of destroying weeds and insects, and rendering it mellow; as, it is profitable to fallow cold, strong, clayey land.

Fal"low deer` (?). [So called from its fallow or pale yellow color.] (Zoöl.) A European species of deer (Cervus dama), much smaller than the red deer. In summer both sexes are spotted with white. It is common in England, where it is often domesticated in the parks.

Fal"low*ist (?), n. One who favors the practice of fallowing land. [R.] Sinclair.

Fal"low*ness, n. A well or opening, through the successive floors of a warehouse or manufactory, through which goods are raised or lowered. [U.S.] Bartlett.

Fal"sa*ry (?), n. [L. falsarius, fr. falsus. See False, a.] A falsifier of evidence. [Obs.] Sheldon.

False (?), a. [Compar. Falser (?); superl. Falsest.] [L. falsus, p. p. of fallere to deceive; cf. OF. faus, fals, F. faux, and AS. fals fraud. See Fail, Fall.] 1. Uttering falsehood; unveracious; given to deceit; dishnest; as, a false witness.

2. Not faithful or loyal, as to obligations, allegiance, vows, etc.; untrue; treacherous; perfidious; as, a false friend, lover, or subject; false to promises.

I to myself was false, ere thou to me.
Milton.

3. Not according with truth or reality; not true; fitted or likely to deceive or disappoint; as, a false statement.

4. Not genuine or real; assumed or designed to deceive; counterfeit; hypocritical; as, false tears; false modesty; false colors; false jewelry.

False face must hide what the false heart doth know.
Shak.

5. Not well founded; not firm or trustworthy; erroneous; as, a false claim; a false conclusion; a false construction in grammar.

Whose false foundation waves have swept away.
Spenser.

6. Not essential or permanent, as parts of a structure which are temporary or supplemental.

7. (Mus.) Not in tune.

False arch (Arch.), a member having the appearance of an arch, though not of arch construction. -- False attic, an architectural erection above the main cornice, concealing a roof, but not having windows or inclosing rooms. -- False bearing, any bearing which is not directly upon a vertical support; thus, the weight carried by a corbel has a false bearing. -- False cadence, an imperfect or interrupted cadence. -- False conception (Med.), an abnormal conception in which a mole, or misshapen fleshy mass, is produced instead of a properly organized fetus. -- False croup (Med.), a spasmodic affection of the larynx attended with the symptoms of membranous croup, but unassociated with the deposit of a fibrinous membrane. -- False door or window (Arch.), the representation of a door or window, inserted to complete a series of doors or windows or to give symmetry. -- False fire, a combustible carried by vessels of war, chiefly for signaling, but sometimes burned for the purpose of deceiving an enemy; also, a light on shore for decoying a vessel to destruction. -- False galena. See Blende. -- False imprisonment (Law), the arrest and imprisonment of a person without warrant or cause, or contrary to law; or the unlawful detaining of a person in custody. -- False keel (Naut.), the timber below the main keel, used to serve both as a protection and to increase the shio's lateral resistance. -- False key, a picklock. -- False leg. (Zoöl.) See Proleg. -- False membrane (Med.), the fibrinous deposit formed in croup and diphtheria, and resembling in appearance an animal membrane. -- False papers (Naut.), documents carried by a ship giving false representations respecting her cargo, destination, ect., for the purpose of deceiving. -- False passage (Surg.), an unnatural passage leading off from a natural canal, such as the urethra, and produced usually by the unskillful introduction of instruments. -- False personation (Law), the intentional false assumption of the name and personality of another. -- False pretenses (Law), false representations concerning past or present facts and events, for the purpose of defrauding another. -- False rail (Naut.), a thin piece of timber placed on top of the head rail to strengthen it. -- False relation (Mus.), a progression in harmony, in which a certain note in a chord appears in the next chord prefixed by a flat or sharp. -- False return (Law), an untrue return made to a process by the officer to whom it was delivered for execution. -- False ribs (Anat.), the asternal rebs, of which there are five pairs in man. -- False roof (Arch.), the space between the upper ceiling and the roof. Oxford Gloss. -- False token, a false mark or other symbol, used for fraudulent purposes. -- False scorpion (Zoöl.), any arachnid of the genus Chelifer. See Book scorpion. -- False tack (Naut.), a coming up into the wind and filling away again on the same tack. -- False vampire (Zoöl.), the Vampyrus spectrum of South America, formerly erroneously supposed to have blood-sucking habits; -- called also vampire, and ghost vampire. The genuine blood-sucking bats belong to the genera Desmodus and Diphylla. See Vampire. -- False window. (Arch.) See False door, above. -- False wing. (Zoöl.) See Alula, and Bastard wing, under Bastard. -- False works (Civil Engin.), construction works to facilitate the erection of the main work, as scaffolding, bridge centering, etc.

False, adv. Not truly; not honestly; falsely. "You play me false." Shak.

False, v. t. [L. falsare to falsify, fr. falsus: cf. F. fausser. See False, a.] 1. To report falsely; to falsify. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. To betray; to falsify. [Obs.]

[He] hath his truthe falsed in this wise.
Chaucer.

3. To mislead by want of truth; to deceive. [Obs.]

In his falsed fancy.
Spenser.

4. To feign; to pretend to make. [Obs.] "And falsed oft his blows." Spenser.

False"-faced` (?), a. Hypocritical. Shak.

False"-heart` (?), a. False- hearted. Shak.

False"-heart`ed, a. Hollow or unsound at the core; treacherous; deceitful; perfidious. Bacon. -- False"-heart`ed*ness, n. Bp. Stillingfleet.

False"hood (?), n. [False + - hood] 1. Want of truth or accuracy; an untrue assertion or representation; error; misrepresentation; falsity.

Though it be a lie in the clock, it is but a falsehood in the hand of the dial when pointing at a wrong hour, if rightly following the direction of the wheel which moveth it.
Fuller.

2. A deliberate intentional assertion of what is known to be untrue; a departure from moral integrity; a lie.

3. Treachery; deceit; perfidy; unfaithfulness.

Betrayed by falsehood of his guard.
Shak.

4. A counterfeit; a false appearance; an imposture.

For his molten image is falsehood.
Jer. x. 14.

No falsehood can endure
Touch of celestial temper.
Milton.

Syn. -- Falsity; lie; untruth; fiction; fabrication. See Falsity.

False"ly (?), adv. In a false manner; erroneously; not truly; perfidiously or treacherously. "O falsely, falsely murdered." Shak.

Oppositions of science, falsely so called.
1 Tim. vi. 20.

Will ye steal, murder . . . and swear falsely ?
Jer. vii. 9.

False"ness, n. The state of being false; contrariety to the fact; inaccuracy; want of integrity or uprightness; double dealing; unfaithfulness; treachery; perfidy; as, the falseness of a report, a drawing, or a singer's notes; the falseness of a man, or of his word.

Fals"er (?), n. A deceiver. [Obs.] Spenser.

Fal*set"to (?), n.; pl. Falsettos (#). [It. falsetto, dim. fr. L. falsus. See False.] A false or artificial voice; that voice in a man which lies above his natural voice; the male counter tenor or alto voice. See Head voice, under Voice.

||Fal"si*cri"men (?). [L.] (Civ. Law) The crime of falsifying.

&fist; This term in the Roman law included not only forgery, but every species of fraud and deceit. It never has been used in so extensive a sense in modern common law, in which its predominant significance is forgery, though it also includes perjury and offenses of a like character. Burrill. Greenleaf.

Fal"si*fi`a*ble (?), a. [Cf. OF. falsifiable.] Capable of being falsified, counterfeited, or corrupted. Johnson.

Fal`si*fi*ca"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. falsification.] 1. The act of falsifying, or making false; a counterfeiting; the giving to a thing an appearance of something which it is not.

To counterfeit the living image of king in his person exceedeth all falsifications.
Bacon.

2. Willful misstatement or misrepresentation.

Extreme necessity . . . forced him upon this bold and violent falsification of the doctrine of the alliance.
Bp. Warburton.

3. (Equity) The showing an item of charge in an account to be wrong. Story.

Fal"si*fi*ca`tor (?), n. [Cf. F. falsificateur.] A falsifier. Bp. Morton.

Fal"si*fi`er (?), n. One who falsifies, or gives to a thing a deceptive appearance; a liar.

Fal"si*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Falsified (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Falsifying.] [L. falsus false + -ly: cf. F. falsifier. See False, a.] 1. To make false; to represent falsely.

The Irish bards use to forge and falsify everything as they list, to please or displease any man.
Spenser.

2. To counterfeit; to forge; as, to falsify coin.

3. To prove to be false, or untrustworthy; to confute; to disprove; to nullify; to make to appear false.

By how much better than my word I am,
By so much shall I falsify men's hope.
Shak.

Jews and Pagans united all their endeavors, under Julian the apostate, to baffie and falsify the prediction.
Addison.

4. To violate; to break by falsehood; as, to falsify one's faith or word. Sir P. Sidney.

5. To baffle or escape; as, to falsify a blow. Butler.

6. (Law) To avoid or defeat; to prove false, as a judgment. Blackstone.

7. (Equity) To show, in accounting, (an inem of charge inserted in an account) to be wrong. Story. Daniell.

8. To make false by multilation or addition; to tamper with; as, to falsify a record or document.

Fal"si*fy, v. i. To tell lies; to violate the truth.

It is absolutely and universally unlawful to lie and falsify.

South.

Fals"ism (?), n. That which is evidently false; an assertion or statement the falsity of which is plainly apparent; -- opposed to truism.

Fal"si*ty (?), n.;pl. Falsities (#). [L. falsitas: cf. F. fausseté, OF. also, falsité. See False, a.] 1. The quality of being false; coutrariety or want of conformity to truth.

Probability does not make any alteration, either in the truth or falsity of things.
South.

2. That which is false; falsehood; a lie; a false assertion.

Men often swallow falsities for truths.
Sir T. Brown.

Syn. -- Falsehood; lie; deceit. -- Falsity, Falsehood, Lie. Falsity denotes the state or quality of being false. A falsehood is a false declaration designedly made. A lie is a gross, unblushing falsehood. The falsity of a person's assertion may be proved by the evidence of others and thus the charge of falsehood be fastened upon him.

Fal"ter (?), v. t. To thrash in the chaff; also, to cleanse or sift, as barley. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Fal"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Faltered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Faltering.] [OE. falteren, faltren, prob. from fault. See Fault, v. & n.] 1. To hesitate; to speak brokenly or weakly; to stammer; as, his tongue falters.

With faltering speech and visage incomposed.
Milton.

2. To tremble; to totter; to be unsteady. "He found his legs falter." Wiseman.

3. To hesitate in purpose or action.

Ere her native king
Shall falter under foul rebellion's arms.
Shak.

4. To fail in distinctness or regularity of exercise; -- said of the mind or of thought.

Here indeed the power of disinct conception of space and distance falters.
I. Taylor.

Fal"ter, v. t. To utter with hesitation, or in a broken, trembling, or weak manner.

And here he faltered forth his last farewell.
Byron.

Mde me most happy, faltering "I am thine."
Tennyson.

Fal"ter (?), n. [See Falter, v. i.] Hesitation; trembling; feebleness; an uncertain or broken sound; as, a slight falter in her voice.

The falter of an idle shepherd's pipe.
Lowell.

Fal"ter*ing, a. Hesitating; trembling. "With faltering speech." Milton. -- n. Falter; halting; hesitation. -- Fal"ter*ing*ly, adv.

||Fa`luns" (?), n. [F.] (Geol.) A series of strata, of the Middle Tertiary period, of France, abounding in shells, and used by Lyell as the type of his Miocene subdivision.

Fal"we (?), a. & n. Fallow. [Obs.] Chaucer.

||Falx (?), n. [L., a sickle.] (Anat.) A curved fold or process of the dura mater or the peritoneum; esp., one of the partitionlike folds of the dura mater which extend into the great fissures of the brain.

Fam"ble (?), v. i. [OE. falmelen; cf. SW. famla to grope, Dan. famle to grope, falter, hesitate, Icel. fālma to grope. Cf. Famble.] To stammer. [Obs.] Nares.

Fam"ble, n. [Cf. Famble, v.] A hand. [Slang & Obs.] "We clap our fambles." Beau. & Fl.

Fame (?), n. [OF. fame, L. fama, fr. fari to speak, akin to Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; a saying, report, &?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to speak. See Ban, and cf. Fable, Fate, Euphony, Blame.] 1. Public report or rumor.

The fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house.
Gen. xlv. 16.

2. Report or opinion generally diffused; renown; public estimation; celebrity, either favorable or unfavorable; as, the fame of Washington.

I find thou art no less than fame hath bruited.
Shak.

Syn. -- Notoriety; celebrity; renown; reputation.

Fame, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Famed (?),; p. pr. & vb. n. Faming.] 1. To report widely or honorably.

The field where thou art famed
To have wrought such wonders.
Milton.

2. To make famous or renowned.

Those Hesperian gardens famed of old.
Milton.

Fame"less, a. Without fame or renown. -- Fame"less*ly, adv.

Fa*mil`iar (?), a. [OE. familer, familier, F. familier, fr. L. familiaris, fr. familia family. See Family.] 1. Of or pertaining to a family; domestic. "Familiar feuds." Byron.

2. Closely acquainted or intimate, as a friend or companion; well versed in, as any subject of study; as, familiar with the Scriptures.

3. Characterized by, or exhibiting, the manner of an intimate friend; not formal; unconstrained; easy; accessible. "In loose, familiar strains." Addison.

Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
Shak.

4. Well known; well understood; common; frequent; as, a familiar illustration.

That war, or peace, or both at once, may be
As things acquainted and familiar to us.
Shak.

There is nothing more familiar than this.
Locke.

5. Improperly acquainted; wrongly intimate. Camden.

Familiar spirit, a demon or evil spirit supposed to attend at call. 1 Sam. xxviii. 3, 7-9.

Fa*mil"iar, n. 1. An intimate; a companion.

All my familiars watched for my halting.
Jer. xx. 10.

2. An attendant demon or evil spirit. Shak.

3. (Court of Inquisition) A confidential officer employed in the service of the tribunal, especially in apprehending and imprisoning the accused.

Fa*mil`iar"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Familiarities (#). [OE. familarite, F. familiaritéfr. L. faniliaritas. See Familiar.] 1. The state of being familiar; intimate and frequent converse, or association; unconstrained intercourse; freedom from ceremony and constraint; intimacy; as, to live in remarkable familiarity.

2. Anything said or done by one person to another unceremoniously and without constraint; esp., in the pl., such actions and words as propriety and courtesy do not warrant; liberties.

Syn. -- Acquaintance; fellowship; affability; intimacy. See Acquaintance.

Fa*mil`iar*i*za"tion (?), n. The act or process of making familiar; the result of becoming familiar; as, familiarization with scenes of blood.

Fa*mil"iar*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Familiarized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Familiarizing (?).] [Cf. F. familiariser.] 1. To make familiar or intimate; to habituate; to accustom; to make well known by practice or converse; as, to familiarize one's self with scenes of distress.

2. To make acquainted, or skilled, by practice or study; as, to familiarize one's self with a business, a book, or a science.

Fa"mil"iar*ly, adv. In a familiar manner.

Fa*mil"iar*ness, n. Familiarity. [R.]

Fa*mil"ia*ry (?), a. [L. familiaris. See Familiar.] Of or pertaining to a family or household; domestic. [Obs.] Milton.

Fam"i*lism (?), n. The tenets of the Familists. Milton.

Fam"i*list (?), n. [From Family.] (Eccl. Hist.) One of afanatical Antinomian sect originating in Holland, and existing in England about 1580, called the Family of Love, who held that religion consists wholly in love.

Fam"i*lis*ter*y (?), n.; pl. Familisteries (&?;). [F. familistère.] A community in which many persons unite as in one family, and are regulated by certain communistic laws and customs.

{ Fam`i*listic (?), Fam`i*lis"tic*al (?), } a. Pertaining to Familists. Baxter.

Fam"i*ly (?), n.; pl. Families (#). [L. familia, fr. famulus servant; akin to Oscan famel servant, cf. faamat he dwells, Skr. dhāman house, fr. dhāto set, make, do: cf. F. famille. Cf. Do, v. t., Doom, Fact, Feat.] 1. The collective body of persons who live in one house, and under one head or manager; a household, including parents, children, and servants, and, as the case may be, lodgers or boarders.

2. The group comprising a husband and wife and their dependent children, constituting a fundamental unit in the organization of society.

The welfare of the family underlies the welfare of society.
H. Spencer.

3. Those who descend from one common progenitor; a tribe, clan, or race; kindred; house; as, the human family; the family of Abraham; the father of a family.

Go ! and pretend your family is young.
Pope.

4. Course of descent; genealogy; line of ancestors; lineage.

5. Honorable descent; noble or respectable stock; as, a man of family.

6. A group of kindred or closely related individuals; as, a family of languages; a family of States; the chlorine family.

7. (Biol.) A group of organisms, either animal or vegetable, related by certain points of resemblance in structure or development, more comprehensive than a genus, because it is usually based on fewer or less pronounced points of likeness. In zoölogy a family is less comprehesive than an order; in botany it is often considered the same thing as an order.

Family circle. See under Circle. -- Family man. (a) A man who has a family; esp., one who has a wife and children living with him andd dependent upon him. (b) A man of domestic habits. "The Jews are generally, when married, most exemplary family men." Mayhew. -- Family of curves or surfaces (Geom.), a group of curves or surfaces derived from a single equation. -- In a family way, like one belonging to the family. "Why don't we ask him and his ladies to come over in a family way, and dine with some other plain country gentlefolks?" Thackeray. -- In the family way, pregnant. [Colloq.]

Fam"ine (?), n. [F. famine, fr. L. fames hunger; cf. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?; want, need, Skr. hāni loss, lack, hā to leave.] General scarcity of food; dearth; a want of provisions; destitution. "Worn with famine." Milton.

There was a famine in the land.
Gen. xxvi. 1.

Famine fever (Med.), typhus fever.

Fam"ish (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Famished (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Famishing.] [OE. famen; cf. OF. afamer, L. fames. See Famine, and cf. Affamish.] 1. To starve, kill, or destroy with hunger. Shak.

2. To exhaust the strength or endurance of, by hunger; to distress with hanger.

And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread.
Cen. xli. 55.

The pains of famished Tantalus he'll feel.
Dryden.

3. To kill, or to cause to suffer extremity, by deprivation or denial of anything necessary.

And famish him of breath, if not of bread.
Milton.

4. To force or constrain by famine.

He had famished Paris into a surrender.
Burke.

Fam"ish, v. i. 1. To die of hunger; to starve.

2. To suffer extreme hunger or thirst, so as to be exhausted in strength, or to come near to perish.

You are all resolved rather to die than to famish?
Shak.

3. To suffer extremity from deprivation of anything essential or necessary.

The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish.
Prov. x. 3.

Fam"ish*ment (?), n. State of being famished.

Fa*mos"i*ty (?), n. [L. famositas infamy: cf. F. famosité. See Famous.] The state or quality of being famous. [Obs.] Johnson.

Fa"mous (?), a. [L. famosus, fr. fama fame: cf. F. fameux. See Fame.] Celebrated in fame or public report; renowned; mach talked of; distinguished in story; -- used in either a good or a bad sense, chiefly the former; often followed by for; as, famous for erudition, for eloquence, for military skill; a famous pirate.

Famous for a scolding tongue.
Shak.

Syn. -- Noted; remarkable; signal; conspicuous; celebrated; renowned; illustrious; eminent; transcendent; excellent. -- Famous, Renowned, Illustrious. Famous is applied to a person or thing widely spoken of as extraordinary; renowned is applied to those who are named again and again with honor; illustrious, to those who have dazzled the world by the splendor of their deeds or their virtues. See Distinguished.

Fa"moused (?), a. Renowned. [Obs.] Shak.

Fa"mous*ly (?), adv. In a famous manner; in a distinguished degree; greatly; splendidly.

Then this land was famously enriched
With politic grave counsel.
Shak.

Fa"mous*ness, n. The state of being famous.

Fam"u*lar (?), n. [Cf. L. famularis of servants.] Domestic; familiar. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fam"u*late (?), v. i. [L. famulatus, p. p. of famulari to serve, fr. famulus servant.] To serve. [Obs.]

Fam"u*list (?), n. [L. famulus servant.] A collegian of inferior rank or position, corresponding to the sizar at Cambridge. [Oxford Univ., Eng.]

Fan (?), n. [AS. fann, fr. L. vannus fan, van for winnowing grain; cf. F. van. Cf. Van a winnowing machine, Winnow.] 1. An instrument used for producing artificial currents of air, by the wafting or revolving motion of a broad surface; as: (a) An instrument for cooling the person, made of feathers, paper, silk, etc., and often mounted on sticks all turning about the same pivot, so as when opened to radiate from the center and assume the figure of a section of a circle. (b) (Mach.) Any revolving vane or vanes used for producing currents of air, in winnowing grain, blowing a fire, ventilation, etc., or for checking rapid motion by the resistance of the air; a fan blower; a fan wheel. (c) An instrument for winnowing grain, by moving which the grain is tossed and agitated, and the chaff is separated and blown away. (d) Something in the form of a fan when spread, as a peacock's tail, a window, etc. (e) A small vane or sail, used to keep the large sails of a smock windmill always in the direction of the wind.

Clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.
Is. xxx. 24.

2. That which produces effects analogous to those of a fan, as in exciting a flame, etc.; that which inflames, heightens, or strengthens; as, it served as a fan to the flame of his passion.

3. A quintain; -- from its form. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fan blower, a wheel with vanes fixed on a rotating shaft inclosed in a case or chamber, to create a blast of air (fan blast) for forge purposes, or a current for draft and ventilation; a fanner. -- Fan cricket (Zoöl.), a mole cricket. -- Fan light (Arch.), a window over a door; -- so called from the semicircular form and radiating sash bars of those windows which are set in the circular heads of arched doorways. -- Fan shell (Zoöl.), any shell of the family Pectinidæ. See Scallop, n., 1. -- Fan tracery (Arch.), the decorative tracery on the surface of fan vaulting. -- Fan vaulting (Arch.), an elaborate system of vaulting, in which the ribs diverge somewhat like the rays of a fan, as in Henry VII.'s chapel in Westminster Abbey. It is peculiar to English Gothic. -- Fan wheel, the wheel of a fan blower. -- Fan window. Same as Fan light (above).

Fan (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fanned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fanning (?).] [Cf. OF. vanner, L. vannere. See Fan, n., Van a winnowing machine.] 1. To move as with a fan.

The air . . . fanned with unnumbered plumes.
Milton.

2. To cool and refresh, by moving the air with a fan; to blow the air on the face of with a fan.

3. To ventilate; to blow on; to affect by air put in motion.

Calm as the breath which fans our eastern groves.
Dryden.

4. To winnow; to separate chaff from, and drive it away by a current of air; as, to fan wheat. Jer. li. 2.

5. To excite or stir up to activity, as a fan excites a flame; to stimulate; as, this conduct fanned the excitement of the populace.

Fanning machine, or Fanning mill, a machine for separating seed from chaff, etc., by a blast of air; a fanner.

||Fa`nal" (?), n. [F.] A lighthouse, or the apparatus placed in it for giving light.

Fa*nat"ic (?), a. [L. fanaticus inspired by divinity, enthusiastic, frantic, fr. fanum fane: cf. F. fanatique. See Fane.] Pertaining to, or indicating, fanaticism; extravagant in opinions; ultra; unreasonable; excessively enthusiastic, especially on religious subjects; as, fanatic zeal; fanatic notions.

But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast
To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last.
T. Moore.

Fa*nat"ic, n. A person affected by excessive enthusiasm, particularly on religious subjects; one who indulges wild and extravagant notions of religion.

There is a new word, coined within few months, called fanatics, which, by the close stickling thereof, seemeth well cut out and proportioned to signify what is meant thereby, even the sectaries of our age.
Fuller (1660).

Fanatics are governed rather by imagination than by judgment.
Stowe.

Fa*nat"ic*al (?), a. Characteristic of, or relating to, fanaticism; fanatic. - Fa*nat"ic*al*ly, adv. -- Fa*nat"ic*al*ness, n.

Fa*nat"i*cism (?), n. [Cf. Fanatism.] Excessive enthusiasm, unreasoning zeal, or wild and extravagant notions, on any subject, especially religion; religious frenzy.

Syn. -- See Superstition.

Fa*nat"i*cize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fanaticized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fanaticizing (?).] To cause to become a fanatic.

Fan"a*tism (?), n. [Cf. F. fanatisme. Cf. Fanaticism.] Fanaticism. [R.] Gibbon.

Fan"cied (?), a. [From Fancy, v. t.] Formed or conceived by the fancy; unreal; as, a fancied wrong.

Fan"ci*er (?), n. 1. One who is governed by fancy. "Not reasoners, but fanciers." Macaulay.

2. One who fancies or has a special liking for, or interest in, a particular object or class or objects; hence, one who breeds and keeps for sale birds and animals; as, bird fancier, dog fancier, etc.

Fan"ci*ful (?), a. 1. Full of fancy; guided by fancy, rather than by reason and experience; whimsical; as, a fanciful man forms visionary projects.

2. Conceived in the fancy; not consistent with facts or reason; abounding in ideal qualities or figures; as, a fanciful scheme; a fanciful theory.

3. Curiously shaped or constructed; as, she wore a fanciful headdress.

Gather up all fancifullest shells.
Keats.

Syn. -- Imaginative; ideal; visionary; capricious; chimerical; whimsical; fantastical; wild. -- Fanciful, Fantastical, Visionary. We speak of that as fanciful which is irregular in taste and judgment; we speak of it as fantastical when it becomes grotesque and extravagant as well as irregular; we speak of it as visionary when it is wholly unfounded in the nature of things. Fanciful notions are the product of a heated fancy, without any tems are made up of oddly assorted fancies, aften of the most whimsical kind; visionary expectations are those which can never be realized in fact.

-- Fan"ci*ful*ly, adv. - Fan"ci*ful*ness, n.

Fan"ci*less (?), a. Having no fancy; without ideas or imagination. [R.]

A pert or bluff important wight,
Whose brain is fanciless, whose blood is white.
Armstrong.

Fan"cy (?), n.; pl. Fancies (#). [Contr. fr. fantasy, OF. fantasie, fantaisie, F. fantaisie, L. phantasia, fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; appearance, imagination, the power of perception and presentation in the mind, fr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to make visible, to place before one's mind, fr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to show; akin to &?;&?;&?;&?;, &?;&?;&?;, light, Skr. bhāto shine. Cf. Fantasy, Fantasia, Epiphany, Phantom.] 1. The faculty by which the mind forms an image or a representation of anything perceived before; the power of combining and modifying such objects into new pictures or images; the power of readily and happily creating and recalling such objects for the purpose of amusement, wit, or embellishment; imagination.

In the soul
Are many lesser faculties, that serve
Reason as chief. Among these fancy next
Her office holds.
Milton.

2. An image or representation of anything formed in the mind; conception; thought; idea; conceit.

How now, my lord ! why do you keep alone,
Of sorriest fancies your companoins making ?
Shak.

3. An opinion or notion formed without much reflection; caprice; whim; impression.

I have always had a fancy that learning might be made a play and recreation to children.
Locke.

4. Inclination; liking, formed by caprice rather than reason; as, to strike one's fancy; hence, the object of inclination or liking.

To fit your fancies to your father's will.
Shak.

5. That which pleases or entertains the taste or caprice without much use or value.

London pride is a pretty fancy for borders.
Mortimer.

6. A sort of love song or light impromptu ballad. [Obs.] Shak.

The fancy, all of a class who exhibit and cultivate any peculiar taste or fancy; hence, especially, sporting characters taken collectively, or any specific class of them, as jockeys, gamblers, prize fighters, etc.

At a great book sale in London, which had congregated all the fancy.
De Quincey.

Syn. -- Imagination; conceit; taste; humor; inclination; whim; liking. See Imagination.

Fan"cy, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fancied (?), p. pr. & vb. n. Fancying (&?;).] 1. To figure to one's self; to believe or imagine something without proof.

If our search has reached no farther than simile and metaphor, we rather fancy than know.
Locke.

2. To love. [Obs.] Shak.

Fan"cy, v. t. 1. To form a conception of; to portray in the mind; to imagine.

He whom I fancy, but can ne'er express.
Dryden.

2. To have a fancy for; to like; to be pleased with, particularly on account of external appearance or manners. "We fancy not the cardinal." Shak.

3. To believe without sufficient evidence; to imagine (something which is unreal).

He fancied he was welcome, because those arounde him were his kinsmen.
Thackeray.

Fan"cy, a. 1. Adapted to please the fancy or taste; ornamental; as, fancy goods.

2. Extravagant; above real value.

This anxiety never degenerated into a monomania, like that which led his [Frederick the Great's] father to pay fancy prices for giants.
Macaulay.

Fancy ball, a ball in which porsons appear in fanciful dresses in imitation of the costumes of different persons and nations. -- Fancy fair, a fair at which articles of fancy and ornament are sold, generally for some charitable purpose. -- Fancy goods, fabrics of various colors, patterns, etc., as ribbons, silks, laces, etc., in distinction from those of a simple or plain color or make. -- Fancy line (Naut.), a line rove through a block at the jaws of a gaff; -- used to haul it down. -- Fancy roller (Carding Machine), a clothed cylinder (usually having straight teeth) in front of the doffer. -- Fancy stocks, a species of stocks which afford great opportunity for stock gambling, since they have no intrinsic value, and the fluctuations in their prices are artificial. -- Fancy store, one where articles of fancy and ornament are sold. -- Fancy woods, the more rare and expensive furniture woods, as mahogany, satinwood, rosewood, etc.

Fan"cy-free` (?), a. Free from the power of love. "In maiden meditation, fancy-free." Shak.

Fan"cy*mon`ger (?), n. A lovemonger; a whimsical lover. [Obs.] Shak.

Fan"cy-sick` (?), a. Love- sick. Shak.

Fan"cy*work` (?), n. Ornamental work with a needle or hook, as embroidery, crocheting, netting, etc.

Fand (?), obs. imp. of Find. Spenser.

Fan*dan"go (?), n.; pl. Fandangoes (#). [Sp. A name brought, together with the dance, from the West Indies to Spain.] 1. A lively dance, in 3-8 or 6-8 time, much practiced in Spain and Spanish America. Also, the tune to which it is danced.

2. A ball or general dance, as in Mexico. [Colloq.]

Fane (?), n. [L. fanum a place dedicated to some deity, a sanctuary, fr. fari to speak. See Fame.] A temple; a place consecrated to religion; a church. [Poet.]

Such to this British Isle, her Christian fanes.
Wordsworth.

Fane, n. [See Vane.] A weathercock. [Obs.]

||Fa*ne"ga (?), n. [Sp.] A dry measure in Spain and Spanish America, varying from 1&?; to 2&?; bushels; also, a measure of land. De Colange.

Fan"fare` (?), n. [F. Cf. Fanfaron.] A flourish of trumpets, as in coming into the lists, etc.; also, a short and lively air performed on hunting horns during the chase.

The fanfare announcing the arrival of the various Christian princes.
Sir W. Scott.

||Fan"fa*ron (?), n. [F., fr. Sp. fanfarron; cf. It. fanfano, and OSp. fanfa swaggering, boasting, also Ar. farfār talkative.] A bully; a hector; a swaggerer; an empty boaster. [R.] Dryden.

Fan*far`on*ade" (?), n. [F. fanfaronnade, fr. Sp. fanfarronada. See Fanfaron.] A swaggering; vain boasting; ostentation; a bluster. Swift.

Fan"foot` (?), n. (Zoöl.) (a) A species of gecko having the toes expanded into large lobes for adhesion. The Egyptian fanfoot (Phyodactylus gecko) is believed, by the natives, to have venomous toes. (b) Any moth of the genus Polypogon.

Fang (făng), v. t. [OE. fangen, fongen, fon (g orig. only in p. p. and imp. tense), AS. fōn; akin to D. vangen, OHG. fāhan, G. fahen, fangen, Icel. fā, Sw. få, fånga, Dan. fange, faae, Goth. fahan, and prob. to E. fair, peace, pact. Cf. Fair, a.] 1. To catch; to seize, as with the teeth; to lay hold of; to gripe; to clutch. [Obs.] Shak.

He's in the law's clutches; you see he's fanged.
J. Webster.

2. To enable to catch or tear; to furnish with fangs. "Chariots fanged with scythes." Philips.

Fang, n. [From Fang, v. t.; cf. AS. fang a taking, booty, G. fang.] 1. (Zoöl.) The tusk of an animal, by which the prey is seized and held or torn; a long pointed tooth; esp., one of the usually erectile, venomous teeth of serpents. Also, one of the falcers of a spider.

Since I am a dog, beware my fangs.
Shak.

2. Any shoot or other thing by which hold is taken.

The protuberant fangs of the yucca.
Evelyn.

3. (Anat.) The root, or one of the branches of the root, of a tooth. See Tooth.

4. (Mining) A niche in the side of an adit or shaft, for an air course. Knight.

5. (Mech.) A projecting tooth or prong, as in a part of a lock, or the plate of a belt clamp, or the end of a tool, as a chisel, where it enters the handle.

6. (Naut.) (a) The valve of a pump box. (b) A bend or loop of a rope.

In a fang, fast entangled. -- To lose the fang, said of a pump when the water has gone out; hence: To fang a pump, to supply it with the water necessary to make it operate. [Scot.]

Fanged (?), a. Having fangs or tusks; as, a fanged adder. Also used figuratively.

Fan"gle (?), n. [From Fang, v. t.; hence, prop., a taking up a new thing.] Something new-fashioned; a foolish innovation; a gewgaw; a trifling ornament.

Fan"gle, v. t. To fashion. [Obs.]

To control and new fangle the Scripture.
Milton.

Fan"gled (?), a. New made; hence, gaudy; showy; vainly decorated. [Obs., except with the prefix new.] See Newfangled. "Our fangled world." Shak.

Fan"gle*ness (?), n. Quality of being fangled. [Obs.]

He them in new fangleness did pass.
Spenser.

Fang"less (?), a. Destitute of fangs or tusks. "A fangless lion." Shak.

Fan"got (?), n. [Cf. It. fagotto, fangotto, a bundle. Cf. Fagot.] A quantity of wares, as raw silk, etc., from one hundred weight.

Fan"ion (?), n. [See Fanon.] 1. (Mil.) A small flag sometimes carried at the head of the baggage of a brigade. [Obs.]

2. A small flag for marking the stations in surveying.

Fan"like` (?), a. Resembling a fan; -- specifically (Bot.), folded up like a fan, as certain leaves; plicate.

Fan"nel (?), n. [Dim., from same source as fanon.] Same as Fanon.

Fan"ner (?), n. 1. One who fans. Jer. li. 2.

2. A fan wheel; a fan blower. See under Fan.

Fan"-nerved` (?), a. (Bot. & Zoöl.) Having the nerves or veins arranged in a radiating manner; -- said of certain leaves, and of the wings of some insects.

Fan"on (?), n. [F. fanon, LL. fano, fr. OHG. fano banner cloth, G. fahne banner. See Vane, and cf. Fanion, Gonfalon.] (Eccl.) A term applied to various articles, as: (a) A peculiar striped scarf worn by the pope at mass, and by eastern bishops. (b) A maniple. [Written also fannel, phanon, etc.]

Fan" palm` (?). (Bot.) Any palm tree having fan-shaped or radiate leaves; as the Chamærops humilis of Southern Europe; the species of Sabal and Thrinax in the West Indies, Florida, etc.; and especially the great talipot tree (Corypha umbraculifera) of Ceylon and Malaya. The leaves of the latter are often eighteen feet long and fourteen wide, and are used for umbrellas, tents, and roofs. When cut up, they are used for books and manuscripts.

Fan"tail` (făn"tāl`), n. (Zool.) (a) A variety of the domestic pigeon, so called from the shape of the tail. (b) Any bird of the Australian genus Rhipidura, in which the tail is spread in the form of a fan during flight. They belong to the family of flycatchers.

Fan"-tailed` (?), a. (Zoöl.) Having an expanded, or fan-shaped, tail; as, the fan-tailed pigeon.

Fan*ta"si*a (?), n. [It. See Fancy.] (Mus.) A continuous composition, not divided into what are called movements, or governed by the ordinary rules of musical design, but in which the author's fancy roves unrestricted by set form.

Fan"ta*sied (?), a. [From Fantasy.] Filled with fancies or imaginations. [Obs.] Shak.

Fan"tasm (?), n. [See Phantasm, Fancy.] Same as Phantasm.

Fan"tast (?), n. One whose manners or ideas are fantastic. [R.] Coleridge.

Fan*tas"tic (?), a. [F. fantastique, fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; able to represent, fr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to make visible. See Fancy.] 1. Existing only in imagination; fanciful; imaginary; not real; chimerical.

2. Having the nature of a phantom; unreal. Shak.

3. Indulging the vagaries of imagination; whimsical; full of absurd fancies; capricious; as, fantastic minds; a fantastic mistress.

4. Resembling fantasies in irregularity, caprice, or eccentricity; irregular; oddly shaped; grotesque.

There at the foot of yonder nodding beech,
That wreathes its old fantastic roots so high.
T. Gray.

Syn. -- Fanciful; imaginative; ideal; visionary; capricious; chimerical; whimsical; queer. See Fanciful.

Fan*tas"tic, n. A person given to fantastic dress, manners, etc.; an eccentric person; a fop. Milton.

Our fantastics, who, having a fine watch, take all ocasions to draw it out to be seen.
Fuller.

Fan*tas"tic*al (?), a. Fanciful; unreal; whimsical; capricious; fantastic.

Fan*tas`ti*cal"i*ty (?), n. Fantastically. [Obs.]

Fan*tas"tic*al*ly (?), adv. In a fantastic manner.

the letter A, in scarlet, fantastically embroidered with gold thread, upon her bosom.
Hawthorne.

Fan*tas"tic-al*ness, n. The quality of being fantastic.

Fan*tas"ti*cism (?), n. The quality of being fantastical; fancifulness; whimsicality. Ruskin.

Fan*tas"tic*ly (?), adv. Fantastically. [Obs.]

Fan*tas"tic*ness, n. Fantasticalness. [Obs.]

||Fan*tas"ti*co (?), n. [It.] A fantastic. [Obs.] Shak.

Fan"ta*sy (?), n.; pl. Fantasies (#). [See Fancy.] 1. Fancy; imagination; especially, a whimsical or fanciful conception; a vagary of the imagination; whim; caprice; humor.

Is not this something more than fantasy ?
Shak.

A thousand fantasies
Begin to throng into my memory.
Milton.

2. Fantastic designs.

Embroidered with fantasies and flourishes of gold thread.
Hawthorne.

Fan"ta*sy, v. t. To have a fancy for; to be pleased with; to like; to fancy. [Obs.] Cavendish.

Which he doth most fantasy.
Robynson (More's Utopia).

||Fan`toc*ci"ni (?), n. pl. [It., dim. fr. fante child.] Puppets caused to perform evolutions or dramatic scenes by means of machinery; also, the representations in which they are used.

Fan"tom (?), n. See Phantom.

Fantom corn, phantom corn. Grose.

Fap (?), a. Fuddled. [Obs.] Shak.

Fa*quir" (?), n. See Fakir.

Far (?), n. [See Farrow.] (Zoöl.) A young pig, or a litter of pigs.

Far, a. [Farther (#) and Farthest (#) are used as the compar. and superl. of far, although they are corruptions arising from confusion with further and furthest. See Further.] [OE. fer, feor, AS. feor; akin to OS. fer, D. ver, OHG. ferro, adv., G. fern, a., Icel. fjarri, Dan. fjirn, Sw. fjerran, adv., Goth. faīrra, adv., Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?; beyond, Skr. paras, adv., far, and prob. to L. per through, and E. prefix for-, as in forgive, and also to fare. Cf. Farther, Farthest.] 1. Distant in any direction; not near; remote; mutually separated by a wide space or extent.

They said, . . . We be come from a far country.
Josh. ix. 6.

The nations far and near contend in choice.
Dryden.

2. Remote from purpose; contrary to design or wishes; as, far be it from me to justify cruelty.

3. Remote in affection or obedience; at a distance, morally or spiritually; t enmity with; alienated.

They that are far from thee ahsll perish.
Ps. lxxiii. 27.

4. Widely different in nature or quality; opposite in character.

He was far from ill looking, though he thought himself still farther.
F. Anstey.

5. The more distant of two; as, the far side (called also off side) of a horse, that is, the right side, or the one opposite to the rider when he mounts.

&fist; The distinction between the adjectival and adverbial use of far is sometimes not easily discriminated.

By far, by much; by a great difference. -- Far between, with a long distance (of space or time) between; at long intervals. "The examinations are few and far between." Farrar.

Far, adv. 1. To a great extent or distance of space; widely; as, we are separated far from each other.

2. To a great distance in time from any point; remotely; as, he pushed his researches far into antiquity.

3. In great part; as, the day is far spent.

4. In a great proportion; by many degrees; very much; deeply; greatly.

Who can find a virtuous woman ? for her price is far above rubies.
Prov. xxxi. 10.

As far as, to the extent, or degree, that. See As far as, under As. -- Far off. (a) At a great distance, absolutely or relatively. (b) Distant in sympathy or affection; alienated. "But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who some time were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." Eph. ii. 13. -- Far other, different by a great degree; not the same; quite unlike. Pope. -- Far and near, at a distance and close by; throughout a whole region. -- Far and wide, distantly and broadly; comprehensively. "Far and wide his eye commands." Milton. -- From far, from a great distance; from a remote place.

&fist; Far often occurs in self-explaining compounds, such as far-extended, far-reaching, far-spread.

Far"-a*bout` (?), n. A going out of the way; a digression. [Obs.] Fuller.

Far"ad (?), n. [From Michael Faraday, the English electrician.] (Elec.) The standard unit of electrical capacity; the capacity of a condenser whose charge, having an electro-motive force of one volt, is equal to the amount of electricity which, with the same electromotive force, passes through one ohm in one second; the capacity, which, charged with one coulomb, gives an electro-motive force of one volt.

Far*ad"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to Michael Faraday, the distinguished electrician; -- applied especially to induced currents of electricity, as produced by certain forms of inductive apparatus, on account of Faraday's investigations of their laws.

{ Far"a*dism (?), Far`a*di*za"tion (?), } n. (Med.) The treatment with faradic or induced currents of electricity for remedial purposes.

Far"and (?), n. See Farrand, n.

Far"an*dams (?), n. A fabrik made of silk and wool or hair. Simmonds.

Far"ant*ly (?), a. [See Farrand.] Orderly; comely; respectable. [Obs.] Halliwell.

Farce (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Farced (?), p. pr. & vb. n. Farcing (&?;).] [F. Farcir, L. farcire; akin to Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to fence in, stop up. Cf. Force to stuff, Diaphragm, Frequent, Farcy, Farse.] 1. To stuff with forcemeat; hence, to fill with mingled ingredients; to fill full; to stuff. [Obs.]

The first principles of religion should not be farced with school points and private tenets.
Bp. Sanderson.

His tippet was aye farsed full of knives.
Chaucer.

2. To render fat. [Obs.]

If thou wouldst farce thy lean ribs.
B. Jonson.

3. To swell out; to render pompous. [Obs.]

Farcing his letter with fustian.
Sandys.

Farce, n. [F. farce, from L. farsus (also sometimes farctus), p. p. pf farcire. See Farce, v. t.] 1. (Cookery) Stuffing, or mixture of viands, like that used on dressing a fowl; forcemeat.

2. A low style of comedy; a dramatic composition marked by low humor, generally written with little regard to regularity or method, and abounding with ludicrous incidents and expressions.

Farce is that in poetry which "grotesque" is in a picture: the persons and action of a farce are all unnatural, and the manners false.
Dryden.

3. Ridiculous or empty show; as, a mere farce. "The farce of state." Pope.

Farce"ment (?), n. Stuffing; forcemeat. [Obs.]

They spoil a good dish with . . . unsavory farcements.
Feltham.

Far"ci*cal (?), a. Pertaining to farce; appropriated to farce; ludicrous; unnatural; unreal.

They deny the characters to be farcical, because they are &?;&?;tually in in nature.
Gay.

-- Far"ci*cal*ly, adv. - Far"ci*cal*ness, n.

Far"ci*cal, a. Of or pertaining to the disease called farcy. See Farcy, n.

Far"ci*lite (?), n. [Farce+- lite.] (Min.) Pudding stone. [Obs.] Kirwan.

{ Far"ci*men (?), Far"cin (?), } n. (Far.) Same as Farcy.

Far"cing (?), n. (Cookery) Stuffing; forcemeat.

Farc"tate (?), a. [L. farctus, p. p. of farcire. See Farce, v. t.] (Bot.) Stuffed; filled solid; as, a farctate leaf, stem, or pericarp; -- opposed to tubular or hollow. [Obs.]

Far"cy (?), n. [F. farcin; cf. L. farciminum a disease of horses, fr. farcire. See Farce.] (Far.) A contagious disease of horses, associated with painful ulcerating enlargements, esp. upon the head and limbs. It is of the same nature as glanders, and is often fatal. Called also farcin, and farcimen.

&fist; Farcy, although more common in horses, is communicable to other animals and to human beings.

Farcy bud, a hard, prominent swelling occurring upon the cutaneous surface in farcy, due to the obstruction and inflammation of the lymphatic vessels, and followed by ulceration. Youatt.

Fard (?), n. [F., prob. fr. OHG. gifarit, gifarwit p. p. of farwjan to color, tinge, fr. farawa color, G. farbe.] Paint used on the face. [Obs.] "Painted with French fard." J. Whitaker.

Fard, v. t. [F. farder to paint one's face.] To paint; -- said esp. of one's face. [Obs.] Shenstone.

||Far`dage" (?), n. [F. See Fardel.] (Naut.) See Dunnage.

Far"del (?), n. [OF. fardel, F. fardeau; cf. Sp. fardel, fardillo, fardo, LL. fardellus; prob. fr. Ar. fard one of the two parts of an object divisible into two, hence, one of the two parts of a camel's load. Cf. Furl.] A bundle or little pack; hence, a burden. [Obs.] Shak.

A fardel of never-ending misery and suspense.
Marryat.

Far"del, v. t. To make up in fardels. [Obs.] Fuller.

Far"ding-bag` (?), n. [Of uncertain origin; cf. Fardel.] The upper stomach of a cow, or other ruminant animal; the rumen.

Far"ding*dale (?), n. A farthingale. [Obs.]

Far"ding*deal (?), n. [See Farthing, and Deal a part.] The fourth part of an acre of land. [Obs.] [Written also farding dale, fardingale, etc.]

Fare (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fared (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Faring.] [AS. faran to travel, fare; akin to OS., Goth., & OHG. faran to travel, go, D. varen, G. fahren, OFries., Icel., & Sw. fara, Dan. fare, Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?; a way through, &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; a ferry, strait, &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to convey, &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to go, march, &?;&?;&?;&?;&?; beyond, on the other side, &?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to pass through, L. peritus experienced, portus port, Skr. par to bring over. √78. Cf. Chaffer, Emporium, Far, Ferry, Ford, Peril, Port a harbor, Pore, n.] 1. To go; to pass; to journey; to travel.

So on he fares, and to the border comes
Of Eden.
Milton.

2. To be in any state, or pass through any experience, good or bad; to be attended with any circummstances or train of events, fortunate or unfortunate; as, he fared well, or ill.

So fares the stag among the enraged hounds.
Denham.

I bid you most heartily well to fare.
Robynson (More's Utopia).

So fared the knight between two foes.
Hudibras.

3. To be treated or entertained at table, or with bodily or social comforts; to live.

There was a certain rich man which . . . fared sumptuously every day.
Luke xvi. 19.

4. To happen well, or ill; -- used impersonally; as, we shall see how it will fare with him.

So fares it when with truth falsehood contends.
Milton.

5. To behave; to conduct one's self. [Obs.]

She ferde [fared] as she would die.
Chaucer.

Fare (?), n. [AS. faru journey, fr. faran. See Fare, v.] 1. A journey; a passage. [Obs.]

That nought might stay his fare.
Spenser.

2. The price of passage or going; the sum paid or due for conveying a person by land or water; as, the fare for crossing a river; the fare in a coach or by railway.

3. Ado; bustle; business. [Obs.]

The warder chid and made fare.
Chaucer.

4. Condition or state of things; fortune; hap; cheer.

What fare? what news abroad ?
Shak.

5. Food; provisions for the table; entertainment; as, coarse fare; delicious fare. "Philosophic fare." Dryden.

6. The person or persons conveyed in a vehicle; as, a full fare of passengers. A. Drummond.

7. The catch of fish on a fishing vessel.

Bill of fare. See under Bill. -- Fare indicator or register, a device for recording the number of passengers on a street car, etc. -- Fare wicket. (a) A gate or turnstile at the entrance of toll bridges, exhibition grounds, etc., for registering the number of persons passing it. (b) An opening in the door of a street car for purchasing tickets of the driver or passing fares to the conductor. Knight.

Far"en (?), obs. p. p. of Fare, v. i. Chaucer.

Fare`well" (?), interj. [Fare (thou, you) + well.] Go well; good-by; adieu; -- originally applied to a person departing, but by custom now applied both to those who depart and those who remain. It is often separated by the pronoun; as, fare you well; and is sometimes used as an expression of separation only; as, farewell the year; farewell, ye sweet groves; that is, I bid you farewell.

So farewell hope, and with hope, farewell fear.
Milton.

Fare thee well! and if forever,
Still forever fare thee well.
Byron.

&fist; The primary accent is sometimes placed on the first syllable, especially in poetry.

Fare`well" (?), n. 1. A wish of happiness or welfare at parting; the parting compliment; a good-by; adieu.

2. Act of departure; leave-taking; a last look at, or reference to something.

And takes her farewell of the glorious sun.
Shak.

Before I take my farewell of the subject.
Addison.

Fare"well` (?), a. Parting; valedictory; final; as, a farewell discourse; his farewell bow.

Leans in his spear to take his farewell view.
Tickell.

Farewell rock (Mining), the Millstone grit; -- so called because no coal is found worth working below this stratum. It is used for hearths of furnaces, having power to resist intense heat. Ure.

Far"fet` (?), a. [Far + fet, p. p. of Fette.] Farfetched. [Obs.]

York with his farfet policy.
Shak.

Far"fetch` (?), v. t. [Far + fetch.] To bring from far; to seek out studiously. [Obs.]

To farfetch the name of Tartar from a Hebrew word.
Fuller.

Far"fetch`, n. Anything brought from far, or brought about with studious care; a deep strategem. [Obs.] "Politic farfetches." Hudibras.

Far"fetched` (?), a. 1. Brought from far, or from a remote place.

Every remedy contained a multitude of farfetched and heterogeneous ingredients.
Hawthorne.

2. Studiously sought; not easily or naturally deduced or introduced; forced; strained.

Fa*ri"na (f&adot;*rī"n&adot; or f&adot;*rē"n&adot;), n. [L., meal, flour, fr. far a sort of grain, spelt; akin to E. barley.] 1. A fine flour or meal made from cereal grains or from the starch or fecula of vegetables, extracted by various processes, and used in cookery.

2. (Bot.) Pollen. [R.] Craig.

Far`i*na"ceous (?), a. [L. farinaceus.] 1. Consisting or made of meal or flour; as, a farinaceous diet.

2. Yielding farina or flour; as, ffarinaceous seeds.

3. Like meal; mealy; pertaining to meal; as, a farinaceous taste, smell, or appearance.

Far`i*nose" (?), a. [L. farinosus: cf. F. farineux.] 1. Yielding farina; as, farinose substances.

2. (Bot. & Zoöl.) Covered with a sort of white, mealy powder, as the leaves of some poplars, and the body of certain insects; mealy.

Farl (?), v. t. Same as Furl. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

Far"lie (?), n. [OE. ferlish wonder, as adj., strange, sudden, fearful, AS. f&aemacr;rlīc sudden. See Fear.] An unusual or unexpected thing; a wonder. See Fearly. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Drayton.

Farm (?), n. [OE. ferme rent, lease, F. ferme, LL. firma, fr. L. firmus firm, fast, firmare to make firm or fast. See Firm, a. & n.] 1. The rent of land, -- originally paid by reservation of part of its products. [Obs.]

2. The term or tenure of a lease of land for cultivation; a leasehold. [Obs.]

It is great willfulness in landlords to make any longer farms to their tenants.
Spenser.

3. The land held under lease and by payment of rent for the purpose of cultivation.

4. Any tract of land devoted to agricultural purposes, under the management of a tenant or the owner.

&fist; In English the ideas of a lease, a term, and a rent, continue to be in a great degree inseparable, even from the popular meaning of a farm, as they are entirely so from the legal sense. Burrill.

5. A district of country leased (or farmed) out for the collection of the revenues of government.

The province was devided into twelve farms.
Burke.

6. (O. Eng. Law) A lease of the imposts on particular goods; as, the sugar farm, the silk farm.

Whereas G. H. held the farm of sugars upon a rent of 10,000 marks per annum.
State Trials (1196).

Farm (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Farmed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Farming.] 1. To lease or let for an equivalent, as land for a rent; to yield the use of to proceeds.

We are enforced to farm our royal realm.
Shak.

2. To give up to another, as an estate, a business, the revenue, etc., on condition of receiving in return a percentage of what it yields; as, to farm the taxes.

To farm their subjects and their duties toward these.
Burke.

3. To take at a certain rent or rate.

4. To devote (land) to agriculture; to cultivate, as land; to till, as a farm.

To farm let, To let to farm, to lease on rent.

Farm, v. i. To engage in the business of tilling the soil; to labor as a farmer.

Farm"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being farmed.

Farm"er (?), n. [Cf. F. fermier.] One who farms; as: (a) One who hires and cultivates a farm; a cultivator of leased ground; a tenant. Smart. (b) One who is devoted to the tillage of the soil; one who cultivates a farm; an agriculturist; a husbandman. (c) One who takes taxes, customs, excise, or other duties, to collect, either paying a fixed annuual rent for the privilege; as, a farmer of the revenues. (d) (Mining) The lord of the field, or one who farms the lot and cope of the crown.

Farmer-general [F. fermier-general], one to whom the right of levying certain taxes, in a particular district, was farmed out, under the former French monarchy, for a given sum paid down. -- Farmers' satin, a light material of cotton and worsted, used for coat linings. McElrath. -- The king's farmer (O. Eng. Law), one to whom the collection of a royal revenue was farmed out. Burrill.

Farm"er*ess, n. A woman who farms.

Farm"er*ship, n. Skill in farming.

Farm"er*y (?), n. The buildings and yards necessary for the business of a farm; a homestead. [Eng.]

Farm"house`, n. A dwelling house on a farm; a farmer's residence.

Farm"ing, a. Pertaining to agriculture; devoted to, adapted to, or engaged in, farming; as, farming tools; farming land; a farming community.

Farm"ing, n. The business of cultivating land.

Far"most` (?), a. Most distant; farthest.

A spacious cave within its farmost part.
Dryden.

Farm"stead (?), n. A farm with the building upon it; a homestead on a farm. Tennyson.

With its pleasant groves and farmsteads.
Carlyle.

Farm"stead*ing, n. A farmstead. [Scot.] Black.

Farm"yard` (?), n. The yard or inclosure attached to a barn, or the space inclosed by the farm buildings.

Far"ness (?), n. [From Far, a.] The state of being far off; distance; remoteness. [R.] Grew.

Far"o (?), n. [Said to be so called because the Egyptian king Pharaoh was formerly represented upon one of the cards.] A gambling game at cards, in which all the other players play against the dealer or banker, staking their money upon the order in which the cards will lie and be dealt from the pack.

Faro bank, the capital which the proprietor of a faro table ventures in the game; also, the place where a game of faro is played. Hoyle.

Fa`ro*ese` (?), n. sing. & pl. An inhabitant, or, collectively, inhabitants, of the Faroe islands.

Far"-off` (?), a. Remote; as, the far-off distance. Cf. Far-off, under Far, adv.

Far*rag*i*nous (?), a. [See Farrago.] Formed of various materials; mixed; as, a farraginous mountain. [R.] Kirwan.

A farraginous concurrence of all conditions, tempers, sexes, and ages.
Sir T. Browne.

||Far*ra"go (?), n. [L. farrago, -aginis, mixed fodder for cattle, mash, medley, fr. far a sort of grain. See Farina.] A mass composed of various materials confusedly mixed; a medley; a mixture.

A confounded farrago of doubts, fears, hopes, wishes, and all the flimsy furniture of a country miss's brain.
Sheridan.

Far"rand (?), n. [OE. farand beautiful; cf. Gael. farranta neat, stout, stately; or perh. akin to E. fare.] Manner; custom; fashion; humor. [Prov. Eng.] [Written also farand.] Grose.

Far`re*a"tion (?), n. [L. farreatio.] Same as Confarreation.

Far"ri*er (?), n. [OE. farrour, ferrer, OF. ferreor, ferrier, LL. Ferrator, ferrarius equorum, from ferrare to shoe a horse, ferrum a horseshoe, fr. L. ferrum iron. Cf. Ferreous.] 1. A shoer of horses; a veterinary surgeon.

Far"ri*er, v. i. To practice as a farrier; to carry on the trade of a farrier. [Obs.] Mortimer.

Far"ri*er*y (?), n. 1. The art of shoeing horses.

2. The art of preventing, curing, or mitigating diseases of horses and cattle; the veterinary art.

3. The place where a smith shoes horses.

Far"row (făr"r&osl;), n. [AS. fearh a little pig; a akin to OHG. farh, farah, pig, dim. farheli little pig, G. fercel, D. varken pig, Lith. parszas OIr. orc, L. porcus, Gr. po`rkos. Cf. Pork.] A litter of pigs. Shak.

Far"row, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Farrowed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Farrowing.] To bring forth (young); -- said only of swine. Tusser.

Far"row, a. [Cf. Scot. ferry cow a cow that is not with calf, D. vaarkoe, vaars, heifer, G. färse, AS. fearr bull, G. farre. Cf. Heifer.] Not producing young in a given season or year; - - said only of cows.

&fist; If a cow has had a calf, but fails in a subsequent year, she is said to be farrow, or to go farrow.

Far"ry (?), n. A farrow. [Obs.] Perry.

Farse (?), n. [See Farce, n.] (Eccl.) An addition to, or a paraphrase of, some part of the Latin service in the vernacular; -- common in English before the Reformation.

Far"see`ing (?), a. 1. Able to see to a great distance; farsighted.

2. Having foresight as regards the future.

Far"sight`ed (?), a. 1. Seeing to great distance; hence, of good judgment regarding the remote effects of actions; sagacious.

2. (Med.) Hypermetropic.

Far"sight`ed*ness, n. 1. Quality of bbeing farsighted.

2. (Med.) Hypermetropia.

Far"-stretched` (?), a. Stretched beyond ordinary limits.

Far"ther (fär"&thlig;&etilde;r), a., compar. of Far. [superl. Farthest (-&thlig;&ebreve;st). See Further.] [For farrer, OE. ferrer, compar. of far; confused with further. Cf. Farthest.] 1. More remote; more distant than something else.

2. Tending to a greater distance; beyond a certain point; additional; further.

Before our farther way the fates allow.
Dryden.

Let me add a farther Truth.
Dryden.

Some farther change awaits us.
MIlton.

Far"ther, adv. 1. At or to a greater distance; more remotely; beyond; as, let us rest with what we have, without looking farther.

2. Moreover; by way of progress in treating a subject; as, farther, let us consider the probable event.

No farther, (used elliptically for) go no farther; say no more, etc.

It will be dangerous to go on. No farther !
Shak.

Far"ther, v. t. To help onward. [R.] See Further.

Far"ther*ance (?), n. [Obs.] See Furtherance.

Far"ther*more` (?), adv. [Obs.] See Furthermore.

Far"ther*most` (?), a. Most remote; farthest.

Far"thest (fär"&thlig;&ebreve;st), a. Superl. of far. [See Farther and cf. Furthest] Most distant or remote; as, the farthest degree. See Furthest.

Far"thest adv. At or to the greatest distance. See Furthest.

Far"thing (?), n. [OE. furthing, AS. feórðung, fr. feórða fourth, feór, feówer, four. See Four.] 1. The fourth of a penny; a small copper coin of Great Britain, being a cent in United States currency.

2. A very small quantity or value. [Obs.]

In her cup was no farthing seen of grease.
Chaucer.

3. A division of land. [Obs.]

Thirty acres make a farthing land; nine farthings a Cornish acre; and four Cornish acres a knight's fee.
R. Carew.

Far"thin*gale (?), n. [OE. vardingale, fardingale, fr. OF. vertugale, verdugade, F. vertugade, vertugadin, from Sp. verdugado, being named from its hoops, fr. verdugo a young shoot of tree, fr. verde green, fr. L. viridis. See Verdant.] A hoop skirt or hoop petticoat, or other light, elastic material, used to extend the petticoat.

We'll revel it as bravely as the best, . . .
With ruffs and cuffs, and farthingales and things.
Shak.

||Fas"ces (?), n. pl. [L., pl. of fascis bundle; cf. fascia a band, and Gr. fa`kelos a bundle.], (Rom. Antiq.) A bundle of rods, having among them an ax with the blade projecting, borne before the Roman magistrates as a badge of their authority.

Fas"cet (?), n. (Glass Making) A wire basket on the end of a rod to carry glass bottles, etc., to the annealing furnace; also, an iron rod to be thrust into the mouths of bottles, and used for the same purpose; -- called also pontee and punty.

||Fas"ci*a (?), n.; pl. Fasciæ (#). [L., a band: cf. It. fascia. See Fasces, and cf. Fess.] 1. A band, sash, or fillet; especially, in surgery, a bandage or roller.

2. (Arch.) A flat member of an order or building, like a flat band or broad fillet; especially, one of the three bands which make up the architrave, in the Ionic order. See Illust. of Column.

3. (Anat.) The layer of loose tissue, often containing fat, immediately beneath the skin; the stronger layer of connective tissue covering and investing all muscles; an aponeurosis.

4. (Zoöl.) A broad well-defined band of color.

Fas"ci*al (?), a. 1. Pertaining to the fasces.

2. (Anat.) Relating to a fascia.

{ Fas"ci*ate (?), Fas"ci*a`ted (?), } a. [L. fasciatus, p. p. of fasciare to envelop with bands, fr. fascia band. See Fasces.] 1. Bound with a fillet, sash, or bandage.

2. (Bot.) (a) Banded or compacted together. (b) Flattened and laterally widened, as are often the stems of the garden cockscomb.

3. (Zoöl.) Broadly banded with color.

Fas`ci*a"tion, n. The act or manner of binding up; bandage; also, the condition of being fasciated.

Fas"ci*cle (?), n. [L. fasciculus, dim. of fascis. See Fasces.] A small bundle or collection; a compact cluster; as, a fascicle of fibers; a fascicle of flowers or roots.

Fas"ci*cled (?), a. Growing in a bundle, tuft, or close cluster; as, the fascicled leaves of the pine or larch; the fascicled roots of the dahlia; fascicled muscle fibers; fascicled tufts of hair.

Fas*cic"u*lar (?), a. Pertaining to a fascicle; fascicled; as, a fascicular root.

Fas*cic"u*lar*ly, adv. In a fascicled manner. Kirwan.

{ Fas*cic"u*late (?), Fas*cic"u*la`ted (?),} a. Grouped in a fascicle; fascicled.

||Fas*cic"u*lus (?), n.; pl. Fasciculi (#). [L. See Fascicle.] 1. A little bundle; a fascicle.

2. A division of a book.

Fas"ci*nate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fascinated (?), p. pr. & vb. n.. Fascinating (&?;).] [L. fascinare; cf. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to slander, bewitch.] 1. To influence in an uncontrollable manner; to operate on by some powerful or irresistible charm; to bewitch; to enchant.

It has been almost universally believed that . . . serpents can stupefy and fascinate the prey which they are desirous to obtain.
Griffith (Cuvier).

2. To excite and allure irresistibly or powerfully; to charm; to captivate, as by physical or mental charms.

There be none of the passions that have been noted to fascinate or bewitch but love and envy.
Bacon.

Syn. -- To charm; enrapture; captivate; enchant; bewitch; attract.

Fas`ci*na"tion (?), n. [L. fascinatio; cf. F. fascination.] 1. The act of fascinating, bewitching, or enchanting; enchantment; witchcraft; the exercise of a powerful or irresistible influence on the affections or passions; unseen, inexplicable influence.

The Turks hang old rags . . . upon their fairest horses, and other goodly creatures, to secure them against fascination.
Waller.

2. The state or condition of being fascinated.

3. That which fascinates; a charm; a spell.

There is a certain bewitchery or fascination in words.
South.

Fas*cine" (?), n. [F., fr. L. fascina a bundle of sticks, fr. fascis. See Fasces.] (Fort. & Engin.) A cylindrical bundle of small sticks of wood, bound together, used in raising batteries, filling ditches, strengthening ramparts, and making parapets; also in revetments for river banks, and in mats for dams, jetties, etc.

Fas"ci*nous (?), a. [L. fascinum witchcraft, akin to fascinare. See Fascinate.] Caused or acting by witchcraft. [Obs.] "Fascinous diseases." Harvey.

||Fas*ci"o*la (?), n.;pl. Fasciolæ (#). [See Fasciole.] (Anat.) A band of gray matter bordering the fimbria in the brain; the dentate convolution. Wilder.

Fas"ci*ole (?), n. [L. fasciola a little bandage. See Fascia.] (Zoöl.) A band of minute tubercles, bearing modified spines, on the shells of spatangoid sea urchins. See Spatangoidea.

Fash (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fashed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fashing.] [OF. faschier, F. f&?;cher, to anger, vex; cf. Pr. fasticar, fastigar, fr. L. fastidium dilike. See Fastidious.] To vex; to tease; to trouble. [Scot.]

Fash, n. Vexation; anxiety; care. [Scot.]

Without further fash on my part.
De Quincey.

Fash"ion (?), n. [OE. fasoun, facioun, shape, manner, F. facon, orig., a making, fr. L. factio a making, fr. facere to make. See Fact, Feat, and cf. Faction.]

1. The make or form of anything; the style, shape, appearance, or mode of structure; pattern, model; as, the fashion of the ark, of a coat, of a house, of an altar, etc.; workmanship; execution.

The fashion of his countenance was altered.
Luke ix. 29.

I do not like the fashion of your garments.
Shak.

2. The prevailing mode or style, especially of dress; custom or conventional usage in respect of dress, behavior, etiquette, etc.; particularly, the mode or style usual among persons of good breeding; as, to dress, dance, sing, ride, etc., in the fashion.

The innocent diversions in fashion.
Locke.

As now existing, fashion is a form of social regulation analogous to constitutional government as a form of political regulation.
H. Spencer.

3. Polite, fashionable, or genteel life; social position; good breeding; as, men of fashion.

4. Mode of action; method of conduct; manner; custom; sort; way. "After his sour fashion." Shak.

After a fashion, to a certain extent; in a sort. -- Fashion piece (Naut.), one of the timbers which terminate the transom, and define the shape of the stern. -- Fashion plate, a pictorial design showing the prevailing style or a new style of dress.

Fash"ion, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fashioned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fashioning.] [Cf. F. faconner.] 1. To form; to give shape or figure to; to mold.

Here the loud hammer fashions female toys.
Gay.

Ingenious art . . .
Steps forth to fashion and refine the age.
Cowper.

2. To fit; to adapt; to accommodate; -- with to.

Laws ought to be fashioned to the manners and conditions of the people.
Spenser.

3. To make according to the rule prescribed by custom.

Fashioned plate sells for more than its weight.
Locke.

4. To forge or counterfeit. [Obs.] Shak.

Fashioning needle (Knitting Machine), a needle used for widening or narrowing the work and thus shaping it.

Fash"ion*a*ble (?), a. 1. Conforming to the fashion or established mode; according with the prevailing form or style; as, a fashionable dress.

2. Established or favored by custom or use; current; prevailing at a particular time; as, the fashionable philosophy; fashionable opinions.

3. Observant of the fashion or customary mode; dressing or behaving according to the prevailing fashion; as, a fashionable man.

4. Genteel; well-bred; as, fashionable society.

Time is like a fashionable host
That slightly shakes his parting guest by the hand.
Shak.

Fash"ion*a*ble, n. A person who conforms to the fashions; -- used chiefly in the plural.

Fash"ion*a*ble*ness, n. State of being fashionable.

Fash"ion*a*bly, adv. In a fashionable manner.

Fash"ioned (?), a. Having a certain style or fashion; as old-fashioned; new- fashioned.

Fash"ion*er (?), n. One who fashions, forms, ar gives shape to anything. [R.]

The fashioner had accomplished his task, and the dresses were brought home.
Sir W. Scott.

Fash"ion*ist (?), n. An obsequious follower of the modes and fashions. [R.] Fuller.

Fash"ion*less, a. Having no fashion.

Fash"ion-mon`ger (?), n. One who studies the fashions; a fop; a dandy. Marston.

Fash"ion-mon`ger*ing, a. Behaving like a fashion-monger. [R.] Shak.

Fas"sa*ite (?), n. (Min.) A variety of pyroxene, from the valley of Fassa, in the Tyrol.

Fast (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fasting.] [AS. fæstan; akin to D. vasten, OHG. fastēn, G. fasten, Icel. & Sw. fasta, Dan. faste, Goth. fastan to keep, observe, fast, and prob. to E. fast firm.] 1. To abstain from food; to omit to take nourishment in whole or in part; to go hungry.

Fasting he went to sleep, and fasting waked.
Milton.

2. To practice abstinence as a religious exercise or duty; to abstain from food voluntarily for a time, for the mortification of the body or appetites, or as a token of grief, or humiliation and penitence.

Thou didst fast and weep for the child.
2 Sam. xii. 21.

Fasting day, a fast day; a day of fasting.

Fast, n. [OE. faste, fast; cf. AS. fæsten, OHG. fasta, G. faste. See Fast, v. i.] 1. Abstinence from food; omission to take nourishment.

Surfeit is the father of much fast.
Shak.

2. Voluntary abstinence from food, for a space of time, as a spiritual discipline, or as a token of religious humiliation.

3. A time of fasting, whether a day, week, or longer time; a period of abstinence from food or certain kinds of food; as, an annual fast.

Fast day, a day appointed for fasting, humiliation, and religious offices as a means of invoking the favor of God. -- To break one's fast, to put an end to a period of abstinence by taking food; especially, to take one's morning meal; to breakfast. Shak.

Fast, a. [Compar. Faster (?); superl. Fastest (?).] [OE., firm, strong, not loose, AS. f&?;st; akin to OS. fast, D. vast, OHG. fasti, festi, G. fest, Icel. fastr, Sw. & Dan. fast, and perh. to E. fetter. The sense swift comes from the idea of keeping close to what is pursued; a Scandinavian use. Cf. Fast, adv., Fast, v., Avast.] 1. Firmly fixed; closely adhering; made firm; not loose, unstable, or easily moved; immovable; as, to make fast the door.

There is an order that keeps things fast.
Burke.

2. Firm against attack; fortified by nature or art; impregnable; strong.

Outlaws . . . lurking in woods and fast places.
Spenser.

3. Firm in adherence; steadfast; not easily separated or alienated; faithful; as, a fast friend.

4. Permanent; not liable to fade by exposure to air or by washing; durable; lasting; as, fast colors.

5. Tenacious; retentive. [Obs.]

Roses, damask and red, are fast flowers of their smells.
Bacon.

6. Not easily disturbed or broken; deep; sound.

All this while in a most fast sleep.
Shak.

7. Moving rapidly; quick in mition; rapid; swift; as, a fast horse.

8. Given to pleasure seeking; disregardful of restraint; reckless; wild; dissipated; dissolute; as, a fast man; a fast liver. Thackeray.

Fast and loose, now cohering, now disjoined; inconstant, esp. in the phrases to play at fast and loose, to play fast and loose, to act with giddy or reckless inconstancy or in a tricky manner; to say one thing and do another. "Play fast and loose with faith." Shak. - - Fast and loose pulleys (Mach.), two pulleys placed side by side on a revolving shaft, which is driven from another shaft by a band, and arranged to disengage and reëngage the machinery driven thereby. When the machinery is to be stopped, the band is transferred from the pulley fixed to the shaft to the pulley which revolves freely upon it, and vice versa. -- Hard and fast (Naut.), so completely aground as to be immovable. -- To make fast (Naut.), to make secure; to fasten firmly, as a vessel, a rope, or a door.

Fast (?), adv. [OE. faste firmly, strongly, quickly, AS. fæste. See Fast, a.] 1. In a fast, fixed, or firmly established manner; fixedly; firmly; immovably.

We will bind thee fast.
Judg. xv. 13.

2. In a fast or rapid manner; quickly; swiftly; extravagantly; wildly; as, to run fast; to live fast.

Fast by, or Fast beside, close or near to; near at hand.

He, after Eve seduced, unminded slunk
Into the wood fast by.
Milton.

Fast by the throne obsequious Fame resides.
Pope.

Fast, n. That which fastens or holds; especially, (Naut.) a mooring rope, hawser, or chain; - - called, according to its position, a bow, head, quarter, breast, or stern fast; also, a post on a pier around which hawsers are passed in mooring.

Fas"ten (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fastened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fastening (?).] [AS. fæstnian; akin to OHG. festinōn. See Fast, a.] 1. To fix firmly; to make fast; to secure, as by a knot, lock, bolt, etc.; as, to fasten a chain to the feet; to fasten a door or window.

2. To cause to hold together or to something else; to attach or unite firmly; to cause to cleave to something , or to cleave together, by any means; as, to fasten boards together with nails or cords; to fasten anything in our thoughts.

The words Whig and Tory have been pressed to the service of many successions of parties, with very different ideas fastened to them.
Swift.

3. To cause to take close effect; to make to tell; to lay on; as, to fasten a blow. [Obs.] Dryden.

If I can fasten but one cup upon him.
Shak.

To fasten a charge, or a crime, upon, to make his guilt certain, or so probable as to be generally believed. -- To fasten one's eyes upon, to look upon steadily without cessation. Acts iii. 4.

Syn. -- To fix; cement; stick; link; affix; annex.

Fas"ten, v. i. To fix one's self; to take firm hold; to clinch; to cling.

A horse leech will hardly fasten on a fish.
Sir T. Browne.

Fas"ten*er (?), n. One who, or that which, makes fast or firm.

Fas"ten*ing (?), n. Anything that binds and makes fast, as a lock, catch, bolt, bar, buckle, etc.

Fast"er (?), n. One who abstains from food.

Fast"-hand`ed (?), a. Close- handed; close-fisted; covetous; avaricious. [Obs.] Bacon.

||Fas"ti (?), n. pl. [L.] 1. The Roman calendar, which gave the days for festivals, courts, etc., corresponding to a modern almanac.

2. Records or registers of important events.

Fas*tid`i*os"i*ty (?), n. Fastidiousness; squeamishness. [Obs.] Swift.

Fas*tid"i*ous (?), a. [L. fastidiosus disdainful, fr. fastidium loathing, aversion, perh. fr. fastus arrogance (of uncertain origin) + taedium loathing. Cf. Tedious, Fash.] Difficult to please; delicate to a fault; suited with difficulty; squeamish; as, a fastidious mind or ear; a fastidious appetite.

Proud youth ! fastidious of the lower world.
Young.

Syn. -- Squeamish; critical; overnice; difficult; punctilious. -- Fastidious, Squeamish. We call a person fastidious when his taste or feelings are offended by trifling defects or errors; we call him squeamish when he is excessively nice or critical on minor points, and also when he is overscrupulous as to questions of duty. "Whoever examines his own imperfections will cease to be fastidious; whoever restrains his caprice and scrupulosity will cease to be squeamish." Crabb.

-- Fas*tid"i*ous*ly, adv. -- Fas*tid"i*ous*ness, n.

{ Fas*tig"i*ate (?), Fas*tig"i*a`ted (?), } a. [L. fastigium gable end, top, height, summit.] 1. Narrowing towards the top.

2. (Bot.) Clustered, parallel, and upright, as the branches of the Lombardy poplar; pointed.

3. (Zoöl.) United into a conical bundle, or into a bundle with an enlarged head, like a sheaf of wheat.

Fast"ish (?), a. Rather fast; also, somewhat dissipated. [Colloq.] Thackeray.

Fast"ly, adv. Firmly; surely.

Fast"ness, n. [AS. fæstnes, fr. fæst fast. See Fast, a.] 1. The state of being fast and firm; firmness; fixedness; security; faithfulness.

All . . . places of fastness [are] laid open.
Sir J. Davies.

2. A fast place; a stronghold; a fortress or fort; a secure retreat; a castle; as, the enemy retired to their fastnesses in the mountains.

3. Conciseness of style. [Obs.] Ascham.

4. The state of being fast or swift.

Fas"tu*ous (?), a. [L. fastuosus, from fastus haughtiness, pride: cf. F. fastueux.] Proud; haughty; disdainful. [Obs.] Barrow. -- Fas"tu*ous*ness, n. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

Fat (?), n. [See Vat, n.] 1. A large tub, cistern, or vessel; a vat. [Obs.]

The fats shall overflow with wine and oil.
Joel ii. 24.

2. A measure of quantity, differing for different commodities. [Obs.] Hebert.

Fat, a. [Compar. Fatter (?); superl. Fattest (?).] [AS. f&aemacr;tt; akin to D. vet, G. fett, feist, Icel. feitr, Sw. fet, Dan. fed, and perh. to Gr. pi^dax spring, fountain, pidy`ein to gush forth, pi`wn fat, Skr. pi to swell.] 1. Abounding with fat; as: (a) Fleshy; characterized by fatness; plump; corpulent; not lean; as, a fat man; a fat ox. (b) Oily; greasy; unctuous; rich; -- said of food.

2. Exhibiting the qualities of a fat animal; coarse; heavy; gross; dull; stupid.

Making our western wits fat and mean.
Emerson.

Make the heart of this people fat.
Is. vi. 10.

3. Fertile; productive; as, a fat soil; a fat pasture.

4. Rich; producing a large income; desirable; as, a fat benefice; a fat office; a fat job.

Now parson of Troston, a fat living in Suffolk.
Carlyle.

5. Abounding in riches; affluent; fortunate. [Obs.]

Persons grown fat and wealthy by long impostures.
Swift.

6. (Typog.) Of a character which enables the compositor to make large wages; -- said of matter containing blank, cuts, or many leads, etc.; as, a fat take; a fat page.

Fat lute, a mixture of pipe clay and oil for filling joints.

Fat (?), n. 1. (Physiol. Chem.) An oily liquid or greasy substance making up the main bulk of the adipose tissue of animals, and widely distributed in the seeds of plants. See Adipose tissue, under Adipose.

&fist; Animal fats are composed mainly of three distinct fats, tristearin, tripalmitin, and triolein, mixed in varying proportions. As olein is liquid at ordinary temperatures, while the other two fats are solid, it follows that the consistency or hardness of fats depends upon the relative proportion of the three individual fats. During the life of an animal, the fat is mainly in a liquid state in the fat cells, owing to the solubility of the two solid fats in the more liquid olein at the body temperature. Chemically, fats are composed of fatty acid, as stearic, palmitic, oleic, etc., united with glyceryl. In butter fat, olein and palmitin predominate, mixed with another fat characteristic of butter, butyrin. In the vegetable kingdom many other fats or glycerides are to be found, as myristin from nutmegs, a glyceride of lauric acid in the fat of the bay tree, etc.

2. The best or richest productions; the best part; as, to live on the fat of the land.

3. (Typog.) Work. containing much blank, or its equivalent, and, therefore, profitable to the compositor.

Fat acid. (Chem.) See Sebacic acid, under Sebacic. -- Fat series, Fatty series (Chem.), the series of the paraffine hydrocarbons and their derivatives; the marsh gas or methane series. -- Natural fats (Chem.), the group of oily substances of natural occurrence, as butter, lard, tallow, etc., as distinguished from certain fatlike substance of artificial production, as paraffin. Most natural fats are essentially mixtures of triglycerides of fatty acids.

Fat, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fatted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. atting (?).] [OE. fatten, AS. f&aemacr;ttian. See Fat, a., and cf. Fatten.] To make fat; to fatten; to make plump and fleshy with abundant food; as, to fat fowls or sheep.

We fat all creatures else to fat us.
Shak.

Fat, v. i. To grow fat, plump, and fleshy.

An old ox fats as well, and is as good, as a young one.
Mortimer.

Fa"tal, a. [L. fatalis, fr. fatum: cf. F. fatal. See Fate.] 1. Proceeding from, or appointed by, fate or destiny; necessary; inevitable. [R.]

These thing are fatal and necessary.
Tillotson.

It was fatal to the king to fight for his money.
Bacon.

2. Foreboding death or great disaster. [R.]

That fatal screech owl to our house
That nothing sung but death to us and ours.
Shak.

3. Causing death or destruction; deadly; mortal; destructive; calamitous; as, a fatal wound; a fatal disease; a fatal day; a fatal error.

Fa"tal*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. fatalisme.] The doctrine that all things are subject to fate, or that they take place by inevitable necessity.

Fa"tal*ist (?), n. [Cf. F. fataliste.] One who maintains that all things happen by inevitable necessity.

Fa`tal*is"tic (?), a. Implying, or partaking of the nature of, fatalism.

Fa*tal"i*ty (?), n.;pl. Fatalities (#). [L. fatalitas: cf. F. fatalité] 1. The state of being fatal, or proceeding from destiny; invincible necessity, superior to, and independent of, free and rational control.

The Stoics held a fatality, and a fixed, unalterable course of events.
South.

2. The state of being fatal; tendency to destruction or danger, as if by decree of fate; mortaility.

The year sixty-three is conceived to carry with it the most considerable fatality.
Ser T. Browne.

By a strange fatality men suffer their dissenting.
Eikon Basilike.

3. That which is decreed by fate or which is fatal; a fatal event. Dryden.

Fa"tal*ly (?), adv. 1. In a manner proceeding from, or determined by, fate. Bentley.

2. In a manner issuing in death or ruin; mortally; destructively; as, fatally deceived or wounded.

Fa"tal*ness, n. Quality of being fatal. Johnson.

||Fa"ta Mor*ga"na (?). [It.; -- so called because this phenomenon was looked upon as the work of a fairy (It. fata) of the name of Morgána. See Fairy.] A kind of mirage by which distant objects appear inverted, distorted, displaced, or multiplied. It is noticed particularly at the Straits of Messina, between Calabria and Sicily.

Fat"back` (?), n. (Zoöl.) The menhaden.

Fat"-brained` (?), a. Dull of apprehension.

Fate (?), n. [L. fatum a prophetic declaration, oracle, what is ordained by the gods, destiny, fate, fr. fari to speak: cf. OF. fat. See Fame, Fable, Ban, and cf. 1st Fay, Fairy.] 1. A fixed decree by which the order of things is prescribed; the immutable law of the universe; inevitable necessity; the force by which all existence is determined and conditioned.

Necessity and chance
Approach not me; and what I will is fate.
Milton.

Beyond and above the Olympian gods lay the silent, brooding, everlasting fate of which victim and tyrant were alike the instruments.
Froude.

2. Appointed lot; allotted life; arranged or predetermined event; destiny; especially, the final lot; doom; ruin; death.

The great, th'important day, big with the fate
Of Cato and of Rome.
Addison.

Our wills and fates do so contrary run
That our devices still are overthrown.
Shak.

The whizzing arrow sings,
And bears thy fate, Antinous, on its wings.
Pope.

3. The element of chance in the affairs of life; the unforeseen and unestimated conitions considered as a force shaping events; fortune; esp., opposing circumstances against which it is useless to struggle; as, fate was, or the fates were, against him.

A brave man struggling in the storms of fate.
Pope.

Sometimes an hour of Fate's serenest weather strikes through our changeful sky its coming beams.
B. Taylor.

4. pl. [L. Fata, pl. of fatum.] (Myth.) The three goddesses, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, sometimes called the Destinies, or Parcæwho were supposed to determine the course of human life. They are represented, one as holding the distaff, a second as spinning, and the third as cutting off the thread.

&fist; Among all nations it has been common to speak of fate or destiny as a power superior to gods and men -- swaying all things irresistibly. This may be called the fate of poets and mythologists. Philosophical fate is the sum of the laws of the universe, the product of eternal intelligence and the blind properties of matter. Theological fate represents Deity as above the laws of nature, and ordaining all things according to his will -- the expression of that will being the law. Krauth- Fleming.

Syn. -- Destiny; lot; doom; fortune; chance.

Fat"ed (?), p. p. & a. 1. Decreed by fate; destined; doomed; as, he was fated to rule a factious people.

One midnight
Fated to the purpose.
Shak.

2. Invested with the power of determining destiny. [Obs.] "The fated sky." Shak.

3. Exempted by fate. [Obs. or R.] Dryden.

Fate"ful (?), a. . Having the power of serving or accomplishing fate. "The fateful steel." J. Barlow.

2. Significant of fate; ominous.

The fateful cawings of the crow.
Longfellow.

-- Fate"ful*ly, adv.- Fate"ful*ness, n.

Fat"head` (?), n. (Zoöl.) (a) A cyprinoid fish of the Mississippi valley (Pimephales promelas); -- called also black-headed minnow. (b) A labroid food fish of California; the redfish.

Fa"ther (fä"&thlig;&etilde;r), n. [OE. fader, AS. fæder; akin to OS. fadar, D. vader, OHG. fatar, G. vater, Icel. faðir Sw. & Dan. fader, OIr. athir, L. pater, Gr. path`r, Skr. pitr, perh. fr. Skr. pā protect. √75, 247. Cf. Papa, Paternal, Patriot, Potential, Pablum.] 1. One who has begotten a child, whether son or daughter; a generator; a male parent.

A wise son maketh a glad father.
Prov. x. 1.

2. A male ancestor more remote than a parent; a progenitor; especially, a first ancestor; a founder of a race or family; -- in the plural, fathers, ancestors.

David slept with his fathers.
1 Kings ii. 10.

Abraham, who is the father of us all.
Rom. iv. 16.

3. One who performs the offices of a parent by maintenance, affetionate care, counsel, or protection.

I was a father to the poor.
Job xxix. 16.

He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house.
Gen. xiv. 8.

4. A respectful mode of address to an old man.

And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him [Elisha], . . . and said, O my father, my father!
2 Kings xiii. 14.

5. A senator of ancient Rome.

6. A dignitary of the church, a superior of a convent, a confessor (called also father confessor), or a priest; also, the eldest member of a profession, or of a legislative assembly, etc.

Bless you, good father friar !
Shak.

7. One of the chief ecclesiastical authorities of the first centuries after Christ; -- often spoken of collectively as the Fathers; as, the Latin, Greek, or apostolic Fathers.

8. One who, or that which, gives origin; an originator; a producer, author, or contriver; the first to practice any art, profession, or occupation; a distinguished example or teacher.

The father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
Gen. iv. 21.

Might be the father, Harry, to that thought.
Shak.

The father of good news.
Shak.

9. The Supreme Being and Creator; God; in theology, the first person in the Trinity.

Our Father, which art in heaven.
Matt. vi. 9.

Now had the almighty Father from above . . .
Bent down his eye.
Milton.

Adoptive father, one who adopts the child of another, treating it as his own. -- Apostolic father, Conscript fathers, etc. See under Apostolic, Conscript, etc. -- Father in God, a title given to bishops. -- Father of lies, the Devil. -- Father of the bar, the oldest practitioner at the bar. -- Fathers of the city, the aldermen. -- Father of the Faithful. (a) Abraham. Rom. iv. Gal. iii. 6- 9. (b) Mohammed, or one of the sultans, his successors. -- Father of the house, the member of a legislative body who has had the longest continuous service. -- Most Reverend Father in God, a title given to archbishops and metropolitans, as to the archbishops of Canterbury and York. -- Natural father, the father of an illegitimate child. -- Putative father, one who is presumed to be the father of an illegitimate child; the supposed father. -- Spiritual father. (a) A religious teacher or guide, esp. one instrumental in leading a soul to God. (b) (R. C. Ch.) A priest who hears confession in the sacrament of penance. -- The Holy Father (R. C. Ch.), the pope.

Fa"ther (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fathered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fathering.] 1. To make one's self the father of; to beget.

Cowards father cowards, and base things sire base.
Shak.

2. To take as one's own child; to adopt; hence, to assume as one's own work; to acknowledge one's self author of or responsible for (a statement, policy, etc.).

Men of wit
Often fathered what he writ.
Swift.

3. To provide with a father. [R.]

Think you I am no stronger than my sex,
Being so fathered and so husbanded ?
Shak.

To father on or upon, to ascribe to, or charge upon, as one's offspring or work; to put or lay upon as being responsible. "Nothing can be so uncouth or extravagant, which may not be fathered on some fetch of wit, or some caprice of humor." Barrow.

Fa"ther*hood (?), n. The state of being a father; the character or authority of a father; paternity.

Fa"ther-in-law` (?), n.; pl. Fathers-in-law (&?;). The father of one's husband or wife; -- correlative to son-in-law and daughter- in-law.

&fist; A man who marries a woman having children already, is sometimes, though erroneously, called their father-in-law.

Fa"ther*land" (?), n. [Imitated fr. D. vaderland. See Father, and Land.] One's native land; the native land of one's fathers or ancestors.

Fa"ther-lash`er (?), n. (Zoöl.) A European marine fish (Cottus bubalis), allied to the sculpin; -- called also lucky proach.

Fa"ther*less, a. 1. Destitute of a living father; as, a fatherless child.

2. Without a known author. Beau. & Fl.

Fa"ther*less*ness, n. The state of being without a father.

Fa"ther*li*ness (?), n. [From Fatherly.] The qualities of a father; parantal kindness, care, etc.

Fa"ther long"legs` (?). (Zoöl.) See Daddy longlegs, 2.

Fa"ther*ly, a. 1. Like a father in affection and care; paternal; tender; protecting; careful.

You have showed a tender, fatherly regard.
Shak.

2. Of or pertaining to a father.

Fa"ther*ship, n. The state of being a father; fatherhood; paternity.

Fath"om (fă&thlig;"ŭm), n. [OE. fadme, faðme, AS. fæðm fathom, the embracing arms; akin to OS. faðmos the outstretched arms, D. vadem, vaam, fathom, OHG. fadom, fadum, G. faden fathom, thread, Icel. faðmr fathom, Sw. famn, Dan. favn; cf. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to spread out, &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; outspread, flat, L. patere to lie open, extend. Cf. Patent, Petal.] 1. A measure of length, containing six feet; the space to which a man can extend his arms; -- used chiefly in measuring cables, cordage, and the depth of navigable water by soundings.

2. The measure or extant of one's capacity; depth, as of intellect; profundity; reach; penetration. [R.]

Another of his fathom they have none
To lead their business.
Shak.

Fath"om, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fathomed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fathoming.] 1. To encompass with the arms extended or encircling; to measure by throwing the arms about; to span. [Obs.] Purchas.

2. To measure by a sounding line; especially, to sound the depth of; to penetrate, measure, and comprehend; to get to the bottom of. Dryden.

The page of life that was spread out before me seemed dull and commonplace, only because I had not fathomed its deeper import.
Hawthotne.

Fath"om*a*ble (?), a. Capable of being fathomed.

Fath"om*er (?), n. One who fathoms.

Fath"om*less, a. 1. Incapable of being fathomed; immeasurable; that can not be sounded.

And buckle in a waist most fathomless.
Shak.

2. Incomprehensible.

The fathomless absurdity.
Milton.

Fa*tid"i*cal (?), a. [L. fatidicus; fatum fate + dicere to say, tell.] Having power to foretell future events; prophetic; fatiloquent; as, the fatidical oak. [R.] Howell. -- Fa*tid"i*cal*ly, adv.

Fa*tif"er*ous (?), a. [L. fatifer; fatum fate + ferre to bear, bring.] Fate-bringing; deadly; mortal; destructive. [R.] Johnson.

Fat"i*ga*ble (?), a. [L. fatigabilis: cf. F. fatigable. See Fatigue.] Easily tired. [Obs.] Bailey.

Fat"i*gate (?), a. [L. fatigatus, p. p. of fatigare. See Fatigue.] Wearied; tired; fatigued. [Obs.]

Requickened what in flesh was fatigate.
Shak.

Fat"i*gate (?), v. t. To weary; to tire; to fatigue. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.

Fat`i*ga"tion (?), n. [L. fatigatio: cf. OF. fatigation.] Weariness. [Obs.] W. Montaqu.

Fa*tigue" (?), n. [F., fr. fatiguer to fatigue, L. fatigare; cf. L. affatim sufficiently.] 1. Weariness from bodily labor or mental exertion; lassitude or exhaustion of strength.

2. The cause of weariness; labor; toil; as, the fatigues of war. Dryden.

3. The weakening of a metal when subjected to repeated vibrations or strains.

Fatigue call (Mil.), a summons, by bugle or drum, to perform fatigue duties. -- Fatigue dress, the working dress of soldiers. -- Fatigue duty (Mil.), labor exacted from soldiers aside from the use of arms. Farrow. -- Fatigue party, a party of soldiers on fatigue duty.

Fa*tigue", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fatigued (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fatiguing, n.] [Cf. F. fatiguer. See Fatigue, n.] To weary with labor or any bodily or mental exertion; to harass with toil; to exhaust the strength or endurance of; to tire.

Syn. -- To jade; tire; weary; bore. See Jade.

Fa*til"o*quent (?), a. [See Fatiloquist.] Prophetic; fatidical. [Obs.] Blount.

Fa*til"o*quist (?), n. [L. fatiloquus declaring fate; fatum fate+ Loqui to speak.] A fortune teller.

{ Fat"i*mite (?), Fat"i*mide (?) }, a. (Hist.) Descended from Fatima, the daughter and only child of Mohammed. -- n. A descendant of Fatima.

Fa*tis"cence (?), n. [L. fatiscense, p. pr. of fatiscere to gape or crack open.] A gaping or opening; state of being chinky, or having apertures. Kirwan.

Fat"-kid`neyed (?), a. Gross; lubberly.

Peace, ye fat-kidneyed rascal !
Shak.

Fat"ling (?), n. [Fat + - ling.] A calf, lamb, kid, or other young animal fattened for slaughter; a fat animal; -- said of such animals as are used for food.

He sacrificed oxen and fatlings.
2 Sam. vi. 13.

Fat"ly, adv. Grossly; greasily.

Fat"ner (?), n. One who fattens. [R.] See Fattener. Arbuthnit.

Fat"ness, n. 1. The quality or state of being fat, plump, or full-fed; corpulency; fullness of flesh.

Their eyes stand out with fatness.
Ps. lxxiii. 7.

2. Hence; Richness; fertility; fruitfulness.

Rich in the fatness of her plenteous soil.
Rowe.

3. That which makes fat or fertile.

The clouds drop fatness.
Philips.

Fat"ten (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fattened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fattening (?).] [See Fat, v. t.] 1. To make fat; to feed for slaughter; to make fleshy or plump with fat; to fill full; to fat.

2. To make fertile and fruitful; to enrich; as, to fatten land; to fatten fields with blood. Dryden.

Fat"ten, v. i. To grow fat or corpulent; to grow plump, thick, or fleshy; to be pampered.

And villains fatten with the brave man's labor.
Otway.

Fat"ten*er (?), n. One who, or that which, fattens; that which gives fatness or fertility.

Fat"ti*ness (?), n. State or quality of being fatty.

Fat"tish (?), a. Somewhat fat; inclined to fatness.

Coleridge, a puffy, anxious, obstructed-looking, fattish old man.
Carlyle.

Fat"ty (?), a. Containing fat, or having the qualities of fat; greasy; gross; as, a fatty substance.

Fatty acid (Chem.), any one of the paraffin series of monocarbonic acids, as formic acid, acetic, etc.; -- so called because the higher members, as stearic and palmitic acids, occur in the natural fats, and are themselves fatlike substances. -- Fatty clays. See under Clay. -- Fatty degeneration (Med.), a diseased condition, in which the oil globules, naturally present in certain organs, are so multiplied as gradually to destroy and replace the efficient parts of these organs. -- Fatty heart, Fatty liver, etc. (Med.), a heart, liver, etc., which have been the subjects of fatty degeneration or infiltration. -- Fatty infiltration (Med.), a condition in which there is an excessive accumulation of fat in an organ, without destruction of any essential parts of the latter. -- Fatty tumor (Med.), a tumor consisting of fatty or adipose tissue; lipoma.

Fa*tu"i*tous (?), a. Stupid; fatuous.

Fa*tu"i*ty (?), n. [L. fatuitas, fr. fatuus foolish: cf. F. fatuité Cf. Fatuous.] Weakness or imbecility of mind; stupidity.

Those many forms of popular fatuity.
I Taylor.

Fat"u*ous (?), a. [L. fatuus.] 1. Feeble in mind; weak; silly; stupid; foolish; fatuitous. Glanvill.

2. Without reality; illusory, like the ignis fatuus.

Thence fatuous fires and meteors take their birth.
Danham.

Fat"-wit`ted (?), a. Dull; stupid. Shak.

||Fau`bourg" (fō`b&oomac;r"; E. fō"b&oomac;rg), n. [F.] A suburb of a French city; also, a district now within a city, but formerly without its walls.

Fau"cal (?), a. [L. fauces throat.] Pertaining to the fauces, or opening of the throat; faucial; esp., (Phon.) produced in the fauces, as certain deep guttural sounds found in the Semitic and some other languages.

Ayin is the most difficult of the faucals.
I. Taylor (The Alphabet).

||Fau"ces (?), n. pl. [L.] 1. (Anat.) The narrow passage from the mouth to the pharynx, situated between the soft palate and the base of the tongue; -- called also the isthmus of the fauces. On either side of the passage two membranous folds, called the pillars of the fauces, inclose the tonsils.

2. (Bot.) The throat of a calyx, corolla, etc.

3. (Zoöl.) That portion of the interior of a spiral shell which can be seen by looking into the aperture.

Fau"cet (?), n. [F. fausset, perh. fr. L. fauces throat.] 1. A fixture for drawing a liquid, as water, molasses, oil, etc., from a pipe, cask, or other vessel, in such quantities as may be desired; -- called also tap, and cock. It consists of a tubular spout, stopped with a movable plug, spigot, valve, or slide.

2. The enlarged end of a section of pipe which receives the spigot end of the next section.

Fau"chion (?), n. See Falchion. [Obs.]

Fau"cial (?), a. (Anat.) Pertaining to the fauces; pharyngeal.

Faugh (?), interj. [Cf. Foh.] An exclamation of contempt, disgust, or abhorrence.

Faul"chion (?), n. See Falchion.

Faul"con (?), n. (Zoöl.) See Falcon.

Fauld (?), n. The arch over the dam of a blast furnace; the tymp arch.

Faule (?), n. A fall or falling band. [Obs.]

These laces, ribbons, and these faules.
Herrick.

Fault (?), n. [OE. faut, faute, F. faute (cf. It., Sp., & Pg. falta), fr. a verb meaning to want, fail, freq., fr. L. fallere to deceive. See Fail, and cf. Default.] 1. Defect; want; lack; default.

One, it pleases me, for fault of a better, to call my friend.
Shak.

2. Anything that fails, that is wanting, or that impairs excellence; a failing; a defect; a blemish.

As patches set upon a little breach
Discredit more in hiding of the fault.
Shak.

3. A moral failing; a defect or dereliction from duty; a deviation from propriety; an offense less serious than a crime.

4. (Geol. & Mining) (a) A dislocation of the strata of the vein. (b) In coal seams, coal rendered worthless by impurities in the seam; as, slate fault, dirt fault, etc. Raymond.

5. (Hunting) A lost scent; act of losing the scent.

Ceasing their clamorous cry till they have singled,
With much ado, the cold fault cleary out.
Shak.

6. (Tennis) Failure to serve the ball into the proper court.

At fault, unable to find the scent and continue chase; hence, in trouble or embarrassment, and unable to proceed; puzzled; thrown off the track. -- To find fault, to find reason for blaming or complaining; to express dissatisfaction; to complain; -- followed by with before the thing complained of; but formerly by at. "Matter to find fault at." Robynson (More's Utopia).

Syn. -- -- Error; blemish; defect; imperfection; weakness; blunder; failing; vice. -- Fault, Failing, Defect, Foible. A fault is positive, something morally wrong; a failing is negative, some weakness or falling short in a man's character, disposition, or habits; a defect is also negative, and as applied to character is the absence of anything which is necessary to its completeness or perfection; a foible is a less important weakness, which we overlook or smile at. A man may have many failings, and yet commit but few faults; or his faults and failings may be few, while his foibles are obvious to all. The faults of a friend are often palliated or explained away into mere defects, and the defects or foibles of an enemy exaggerated into faults. "I have failings in common with every human being, besides my own peculiar faults; but of avarice I have generally held myself guiltless." Fox. "Presumption and self-applause are the foibles of mankind." Waterland.

Fault (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Faulted; p. pr. & vb. n. Faulting.] 1. To charge with a fault; to accuse; to find fault with; to blame. [Obs.]

For that I will not fault thee.
Old Song.

2. (Geol.) To interrupt the continuity of (rock strata) by displacement along a plane of fracture; -- chiefly used in the p. p.; as, the coal beds are badly faulted.

Fault, v. i. To err; to blunder, to commit a fault; to do wrong. [Obs.]

If after Samuel's death the people had asked of God a king, they had not faulted.
Latimer.

Fault"er (?), n. One who commits a fault. [Obs.]

Behold the faulter here in sight.
Fairfax.

Fault"-find`er (?), n. One who makes a practice of discovering others' faults and censuring them; a scold.

Fault"-find`ing, n. The act of finding fault or blaming; -- used derogatively. Also Adj.

Fault"ful (?), a. Full of faults or sins. Shak.

Fault"i*ly (?), adv. In a faulty manner.

Fault"i*ness, n. Quality or state of being faulty.

Round, even to faultiness.
Shak.

Fault"ing, n. (Geol.) The state or condition of being faulted; the process by which a fault is produced.

Fault"less, a. Without fault; not defective or imperfect; free from blemish; free from incorrectness, vice, or offense; perfect; as, a faultless poem.

Whoever thinks a faultless piece to see,
Thinks what ne'er was, nor is, nor e'er shall be.
Pope.

Syn. -- Blameless; spotless; perfect. See Blameless.

-- Fault"less*ly, adv.- Fault"less*ness, n.

Fault"y (?), a. 1. Containing faults, blemishes, or defects; imperfect; not fit for the use intended.

Created once
So goodly and erect, though faulty since.
Milton.

2. Guilty of a fault, or of faults; hence, blamable; worthy of censure. Shak.

The king doth speak . . . as one which is faulty.
2 Sam. xiv. 13.

Faun (?), n. [L. Faunus, fr. favere to be favorable. See Favor.] (Rom. Myth.) A god of fields and shipherds, diddering little from the satyr. The fauns are usually represented as half goat and half man.

Satyr or Faun, or Sylvan.
Milton.

Fau"na (?), n. [NL.: cf. F. faune. See Faun.] (Zoöl.) The animals of any given area or epoch; as, the fauna of America; fossil fauna; recent fauna.

Fau"nal (?), a. Relating to fauna.

Fau"nist (?), n. One who describes the fauna of country; a naturalist. Gilbert White.

||Fau"nus (?), n.;pl. Fauni (#). [L.] (Myth.) See Faun.

Fau"sen (?), n. [Cf. W. llysowen eel, ll sounding in Welsh almost like fl.] (Zoöl.) A young eel. [Prov. Eng.]

||Fausse`-braye" (?), n. [F. fausse- braie.] (Mil.) A second rampart, exterior to, and parallel to, the main rampart, and considerably below its level.

||Fau`teuil" (?), n. [F. See Faldistory.] 1. An armchair; hence (because the members sit in fauteuils or armchairs), membership in the French Academy.

2. Chair of a presiding officer.

Fau"tor (?), n. [L., contr. fr. favitor, fr. favere to be favorable: cf. F. fauteur. See Favor.] A favorer; a patron; one who gives countenance or support; an abettor. [Obs.]

The king and the fautors of his proceedings.
Latimer.

Fau"tress (?), n. [L. fauutrix: cf. F. fautrice.] A patroness. [Obs.] Chapman.

||Fau`vette" (?), n. [F., dim. fr. fauve fawn-colored.] (Zoöl.) A small singing bird, as the nightingale and warblers.

||Faux (?), n.; pl. Fauces (#). [L.] See Fauces.

||faux` pas" (?). [F. See False, and Pas.] A false step; a mistake or wrong measure.

Fa*vag"i*nous (?), a. [L. favus a honeycomb.] Formed like, or resembling, a honeycomb.

Fa"vas (?), n. See Favus, n., 2. Fairholt.

Fa"vel (?), a. [OF. fauvel, favel, dim. of F. fauve; of German oigin. See Fallow, a.] Yellow; fal&?;ow; dun. [Obs.] Wright.

Fa"vel, n. A horse of a favel or dun color.

To curry favel. See To curry favor, under Favor, n.

Fa"vel, n. [OF. favele, fr. L. fabella short fable, dim. of fabula. See Fable.] Flattery; cajolery; deceit. [Obs.] Skeat.

||Fa*vel"la (?), n. [NL., prob. from L. favus a honeycomb.] (Bot.) A group of spores arranged without order and covered with a thin gelatinous envelope, as in certain delicate red algæ.

Fa*ve"o*late (?), a. [L. favus honeycomb.] Honeycomb; having cavities or cells, somewhat resembling those of a honeycomb; alveolate; favose.

Fa*vil"lous (?), a. [L. favilla sparkling or glowing ashes.] Of or pertaining to ashes. [Obs.]

Light and favillous particles.
Sir T. Browne.

Fa*vo"ni*an (?), a. [L. Favonius the west wind.] Pertaining to the west wind; soft; mild; gentle.

Fa"vor (?), n. [Written also favour.] [OF. favor, F. faveur, L. favor, fr. favere to be favorable, cf. Skr. bhāvaya to further, foster, causative of bhū to become, be. Cf. Be. In the phrase to curry favor, favor is prob. for favel a horse. See 2d Favel.] 1. Kind regard; propitious aspect; countenance; friendly disposition; kindness; good will.

Hath crawled into the favor of the king.
Shak.

2. The act of countenancing, or the condition of being countenanced, or regarded propitiously; support; promotion; befriending.

But found no favor in his lady's eyes.
Dryden.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
Luke ii. 52.

3. A kind act or office; kindness done or granted; benevolence shown by word or deed; an act of grace or good will, as distinct from justice or remuneration.

Beg one favor at thy gracious hand.
Shak.

4. Mildness or mitigation of punishment; lenity.

I could not discover the lenity and favor of this sentence.
Swift.

5. The object of regard; person or thing favored.

All these his wondrous works, but chiefly man,
His chief delight and favor.
Milton.

6. A gift or represent; something bestowed as an evidence of good will; a token of love; a knot of ribbons; something worn as a token of affection; as, a marriage favor is a bunch or knot of white ribbons or white flowers worn at a wedding.

Wear thou this favor for me, and stick it in thy cap.
Shak.

7. Appearance; look; countenance; face. [Obs.]

This boy is fair, of female favor.
Shak.

8. (Law) Partiality; bias. Bouvier.

9. A letter or epistle; -- so called in civility or compliment; as, your favor of yesterday is received.

10. pl. Love locks. [Obs.] Wright.

Challenge to the favor or for favor (Law), the challenge of a juror on grounds not sufficient to constitute a principal challenge, but sufficient to give rise to a probable suspicion of favor or bias, such as acquaintance, business relation, etc. See Principal challenge, under Challenge. -- In favor of, upon the side of; favorable to; for the advantage of. -- In favor with, favored, countenanced, or encouraged by. -- To curry favor [see the etymology of Favor, above], to seek to gain favor by flattery, caresses, kindness, or officious civilities. -- With one's favor, or By one's favor, with leave; by kind permission.

But, with your favor, I will treat it here.
Dryden.

Syn. -- Kindness; countenance; patronage; support; lenity; grace; gift; present; benefit.

Fa"vor, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Favored (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Favoring.] [Written also favour.] [Cf. OF. favorer, favorir. See Favor, n.] 1. To regard with kindness; to support; to aid, or to have the disposition to aid, or to wish success to; to be propitious to; to countenance; to treat with consideration or tenderness; to show partiality or unfair bias towards.

O happy youth! and favored of the skies.
Pope.

He that favoreth Joab, . . . let him go after Joab.
2 Sam. xx. 11.

[The painter] has favored her squint admirably.
Swift.

2. To afford advantages for success to; to facilitate; as, a weak place favored the entrance of the enemy.

3. To resemble in features; to have the aspect or looks of; as, the child favors his father.

The porter owned that the gentleman favored his master.
Spectator.

Fa"vor*a*ble (?), a. [Written also favourable.] [F. favorable, L. favorabilis favored, popular, pleasing, fr. favor. See Favor, n.] 1. Full of favor; favoring; manifesting partiality; kind; propitious; friendly.

Lend favorable ears to our request.
Shak.

Lord, thou hast been favorable unto thy land.
Ps. lxxxv. 1.

2. Conducive; contributing; tending to promote or facilitate; advantageous; convenient.

A place very favorable for the making levies of men.
Clarendon.

The temper of the climate, favorable to generation, health, and long life.
Sir W. Temple.

3. Beautiful; well-favored. [Obs.] Spenser.

-- Fa"vora*ble*ness, n. -- Fa"vor*a*bly, sdv.

The faborableness of the present times to all extertions in the cause of liberty.
Burke.

Fa"vored (?), a. 1. Countenanced; aided; regarded with kidness; as, a favored friend.

2. Having a certain favor or appearance; featured; as, well-favored; hard-favored, etc.

Fa"vored*ly (?), adv. In a favored or a favorable manner; favorably. [Obs.] Deut. xvii. 1. Arscham.

Fa"vored*ness, n. Appearance. [Obs.]

Fa"vor*er (?), n. One who favors; one who regards with kindness or friendship; a well-wisher; one who assists or promotes success or prosperity. [Written also favourer.]

And come to us as favorers, not as foes.
Shak.

Fa"vor*ess (?), n. A woman who favors or gives countenance. [Written also fovouress.]

Fa"vor*ing, a. That favors. -- Fa"vor*ing*ly, adv.

Fa"vor*ite (?), n. [OF. favorit favored, F. favori, fem. favorite, p. p. of OF. favorir, cf. It. favorito, frm. favorita, fr. favorire to favor. See Favor.] 1. A person or thing regarded with peculiar favor; one treated with partiality; one preferred above others; especially, one unduly loved, trusted, and enriched with favors by a person of high rank or authority.

Committing to a wicked favorite
All public cares.
Milton.

2. pl. Short curls dangling over the temples; -- fashionable in the reign of Charles II. [Obs.] Farquhar.

3. (Sporting) The competitor (as a horse in a race) that is judged most likely to win; the competitor standing highest in the betting.

Fa"vor*ite, a. Regarded with particular affection, esteem, or preference; as, a favorite walk; a favorite child. "His favorite argument." Macaulay.

Fa"vor*it*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. favoritisme.] The disposition to favor and promote the interest of one person or family, or of one class of men, to the neglect of others having equal claims; partiality.

A spirit of favoritism to the Bank of the United States.
A. Hamilton.

Fa"vor*less, a. 1. Unfavored; not regarded with favor; having no countenance or support.

2. Unpropitious; unfavorable. [Obs.] "Fortune favorless." Spenser.

Fa*vose" (?), a. [L. favus honeycomb.] 1. (Bot.) Honeycombed. See Faveolate.

2. (Med.) Of or pertaining to the disease called favus.

Fav"o*site (?), a. (Zoöl.) Like or pertaining to the genus Favosites.

||Fav`o*si"tes (?), n. [NL. See Favose.] (Paleon.) A genus of fossil corals abundant in the Silurian and Devonian rocks, having polygonal cells with perforated walls.

||Fa"vus (?), n. [L., honeycomb.] 1. (Med.) A disease of the scalp, produced by a vegetable parasite.

2. A tile or flagstone cut into an hexagonal shape to produce a honeycomb pattern, as in a pavement; -- called also favas and sectila. Mollett.

Fawe (?), a. [See Fain.] Fain; glad; delighted. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fawk"ner (?), n. [See Falconer.] A falconer. [Obs.] Donne.

Fawn (?), n. [OF. faon the young one of any beast, a fawn, F. faon a fawn, for fedon, fr. L. fetus. See Fetus.] 1. (Zoöl.) A young deer; a buck or doe of the first year. See Buck.

2. The young of an animal; a whelp. [Obs.]

[The tigress] . . . followeth . . . after her fawns.
Holland.

3. A fawn color.

Fawn, a. Of the color of a fawn; fawn-colored.

Fawn, v. i. [Cf. F. faonner.] To bring forth a fawn.

Fawn, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fawned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fawning.] [OE. fawnen, fainen, fagnien, to rejoice, welcome, flatter, AS. fægnian to rejoice; akin to Icel. fagna to rejoice, welcome. See Fain.] To court favor by low cringing, frisking, etc., as a dog; to flatter meanly; -- often followed by on or upon.

You showed your teeth like apes, and fawned like hounds.
Shak.

Thou with trembling fear,
Or like a fawning parasite, obeyest.
Milton.

Courtiers who fawn on a master while they betray him.
Macaulay.

Fawn, n. A servile cringe or bow; mean flattery; sycophancy. Shak.

Fawn"-col`ored (?), a. Of the color of a fawn; light yellowish brown.

Fawn"er (?), n. One who fawns; a sycophant.

Fawn"ing*ly, adv. In a fawning manner.

Faxed (?), a. [AS. feaxede haired, fr. feax hair. Cf. Paxwax.] Hairy. [Obs.] amden.

Fay (?), n. [F. fée. See Fate, and cf. Fairy.] A fairy; an elf. "Yellow-skirted fays." Milton.

Fay, n. [OF. fei, F. foi. See Faith.] Faith; as, by my fay. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fay (fā), v. t. [imp. & p. p. fayed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Faying.] [OE. feien, v.t. & i., AS. fēgan to join, unite; akin to OS. fōgian, D. voegen, OHG. fuogen, G. fügen, Sw. foga. See Fair, and cf. Fadge.] (Shipbuilding) To fit; to join; to unite closely, as two pieces of wood, so as to make the surface fit together.

Fay, v. i. (Shipbuilding) To lie close together; to fit; to fadge; -- often with in, into, with, or together.

Faying surface, that surface of an object which comes with another object to which it is fastened; -- said of plates, angle irons, etc., that are riveted together in shipwork.

Fay"al*ite (?), n. [So called from the island Fayal.] (Min.) A black, greenish, or brownish mineral of the chrysolite group. It is a silicate of iron.

||Fa`y*ence" (?), n. See Fa&?;ence.

Fay"tour (?), n. See Faitour. [Obs.] Spenser.

Faze (?), v. t. See Feeze.

Faz"zo*let` (?), n. [It. fazzoletto.] A handkerchief. [R.] percival.

Fea"ber*ry (?), n. [Cf. Prov. E. feabe, theabe, thape.] (Bot.) A gooseberry. [Prov. Eng.] Prior.

Feague (?), v. t. [Cf. G. fegen to sweep, Icel. fægia to cleanse, polish, E. fair, fay, to fit, fey to cleanse.] To beat or whip; to drive. [Obs.] Otway.

Fe"al (?), a. [OF. feal, feel, feeil, fedeil, F. fidèle, L. fidelis faithful, fr. fides faith. See Faith.] Faithful; loyal. [Obs.] Wright.

Fe"al*ty (?), n. [OE. faute, OF. fauté, fealté, feelé, feelteit, fr. L. fidelitas, fr. fidelis faithful. See Feal, and cf. Fidelity.] 1. Fidelity to one's lord; the feudal obligation by which the tenant or vassal was bound to be faithful to his lord; the special oath by which this obligation was assumed; fidelity to a superior power, or to a government; loyality. It is no longer the practice to exact the performance of fealty, as a feudal obligation. Wharton (Law Dict. ). Tomlins.

2. Fidelity; constancy; faithfulness, as of a friend to a friend, or of a wife to her husband.

He should maintain fealty to God.
I. Taylor.

Makes wicked lightnings of her eyes, and saps
The fealty of our friends.
tennyson.

Swore fealty to the new government.
Macaulay.

&fist; Fealty is distinguished from homage, which is an acknowledgment of tenure, while fealty implies an oath. See Homage. Wharton.

Syn. -- Homage; loyality; fidelity; constancy.

Fear (?), n. A variant of Fere, a mate, a companion. [Obs.] Spenser.

Fear, n. [OE. fer, feer, fere, AS. f&?;r a coming suddenly upon, fear, danger; akin to D. vaar, OHG. fāra danger, G. gefahr, Icel. fār harm, mischief, plague, and to E. fare, peril. See Fare.] 1. A painful emotion or passion excited by the expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger; apprehension; anxiety; solicitude; alarm; dread.

&fist; The degrees of this passion, beginning with the most moderate, may be thus expressed, -- apprehension, fear, dread, fright, terror.

Fear is an uneasiness of the mind, upon the thought of future evil likely to befall us.
Locke.

Where no hope is left, is left no fear.
Milton.

2. (Script.) (a) Apprehension of incurring, or solicitude to avoid, God's wrath; the trembling and awful reverence felt toward the Supreme Belng. (b) Respectful reverence for men of authority or worth.

I will put my fear in their hearts.
Jer. xxxii. 40.

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Ps. xxxiv. 11.

render therefore to all their dues; tribute to whom tribute is due . . . fear to whom fear.
Rom. xiii. 7.

3. That which causes, or which is the object of, apprehension or alarm; source or occasion of terror; danger; dreadfulness.

There were they in great fear, where no fear was.
Ps. liii. 5.

The fear of your adventure would counsel you to a more equal enterprise.
Shak.

For fear, in apprehension lest. "For fear you ne'er see chain nor money more." Shak.

Fear, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feared (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fearing.] [OE. feren, faeren, to frighten, to be afraid, AS. f&?;ran to terrify. See Fear, n.] 1. To feel a painful apprehension of; to be afraid of; to consider or expect with emotion of alarm or solicitude.

I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
Ps. xxiii. 4.

With subordinate clause.

I greatly fear my money is not safe.
Shak.

I almost fear to quit your hand.
D. Jerrold.

2. To have a reverential awe of; to solicitous to avoid the displeasure of.

Leave them to God above; him serve and fear.
Milton.

3. To be anxious or solicitous for. [R.]

The sins of the father are to be laid upon the children, therefore . . . I fear you.
Shak.

4. To suspect; to doubt. [Obs.]

Ay what else, fear you not her courage?
Shak.

5. To affright; to terrify; to drive away or prevent approach of by fear. [Obs.]

fear their people from doing evil.
Robynsin (More's utopia).

Tush, tush! fear boys with bugs.
Shak.

Syn. -- To apprehend; dread; reverence; venerate.

Fear, v. i. To be in apprehension of evil; to be afraid; to feel anxiety on account of some expected evil.

I exceedingly fear and quake.
Heb. xii. 21.

Fear"er (?), n. One who fars. Sir P. Sidney.

Fear"ful (?), a. 1. Full of fear, apprehension, or alarm; afraid; frightened.

Anxious amidst all their success, and fearful amidat all their power.
Bp. Warburton.

2. inclined to fear; easily frightened; without courage; timid.

What man is there that is fearful and faint- hearted?
Deut. xx. 8.

3. Indicating, or caused by, fear.

Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh.
Shak.

4. Inspiring fear or awe; exciting apprehension or terror; terrible; frightful; dreadful.

This glorious and fearful name, The Lord thy God.
Deut. xxviii. 58.

Death is a fearful thing.
Shak.

In dreams they fearful precipices tread.
Dryden.

Syn. -- Apprehensive; afraid; timid; timorous; horrible; distressing; shocking; frightful; dreadful; awful.

Fear"ful*ly, adv. In a fearful manner.

Fear"ful*ness, n. The state of being fearful.

Fear"less, a. Free from fear.

Syn. -- Bold; courageous; intrepid; valorous; valiant; brave; undaunted; dauntless; heroic.

-- Fear"less*ly, adv. -- Fear"less*ness, n.

Fear"naught` (?), n. 1. A fearless person.

2. A stout woolen cloth of great thickness; dreadnaught; also, a warm garment.

Fear"some (?) a. 1. Frightful; causing fear. [Scotch] "This fearsome wind." Sir W. Scott

2. Easily frightened; timid; timorous. "A silly fearsome thing." B. Taylor

Fea"si*bil*ity (?) n.; pl. Feasibilities (-tiz). [from Feasible] The quality of being feasible; practicability; also, that which is feasible; as, before we adopt a plan, let us consider its feasibility.

Men often swallow falsities for truths, dubiosities for certainties, possibilities for feasibilities.
Sir T. Browne.

Fea"si*ble (?) a. [F. faisable, fr. faire to make or do, fr. L. facere. See Fact, Feat.] 1. Capable of being done, executed, or effected; practicable.

Always existing before their eyes as a thing feasible in practice.
Burke.

It was not feasible to gratify so many ambitions.
Beaconsfield.

2. Fit to be used or tailed, as land. [R.] R. Trumbull.

Fea"si*ble*ness, n. -- Fea"si*bly, adv.

Feast (fēst), n. [OE. feste festival, holiday, feast, OF. feste festival, F. fête, fr. L. festum, pl. festa, fr. festus joyful, festal; of uncertain origin. Cf. Fair, n., Festal, Fête.] 1. A festival; a holiday; a solemn, or more commonly, a joyous, anniversary.

The seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord.
Ex. xiii. 6.

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
Luke ii. 41.

&fist; Ecclesiastical feasts are called immovable when they always occur on the same day of the year; otherwise they are called movable.

2. A festive or joyous meal; a grand, ceremonious, or sumptuous entertainment, of which many guests partake; a banquet characterized by tempting variety and abundance of food.

Enough is as good as a feast.
Old Proverb.

Belshazzar the King made a great feast to a thousand of his lords.
Dan. v. 1.

3. That which is partaken of, or shared in, with delight; something highly agreeable; entertainment.

The feast of reason, and the flow of soul.
Pope.

Feast day, a holiday; a day set as a solemn commemorative festival.

Syn. -- Entertainment; regale; banquet; treat; carousal; festivity; festival. -- Feast, Banquet, Festival, Carousal. A feast sets before us viands superior in quantity, variety, and abundance; a banquet is a luxurious feast; a festival is the joyful celebration by good cheer of some agreeable event. Carousal is unrestrained indulgence in frolic and drink.

Feast, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Feasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Feasting.] [OE. festen, cf. OF. fester to rest from work, F. fêter to celebrate a holiday. See Feast, n.] 1. To eat sumptuously; to dine or sup on rich provisions, particularly in large companies, and on public festivals.

And his sons went and feasted in their houses.
Job. i. 4.

2. To be highly gratified or delighted.

With my love's picture then my eye doth feast.
Shak.

Feast, v. t. 1. To entertain with sumptuous provisions; to treat at the table bountifully; as, he was feasted by the king. Hayward.

2. To delight; to gratify; as, to feast the soul.

Feast your ears with the music a while.
Shak.

Feast"er (?), n. 1. One who fares deliciously.

2. One who entertains magnificently. Johnson.

Feast"ful (?), a. Festive; festal; joyful; sumptuous; luxurious. "Feastful days." Milton.

-- Feast"ful*ly, adv.

Feat (?), n. [OE. fet, OF. fet, fait, F. fait, factum, fr. L. facere, factum, to make or do. Cf. Fact, Feasible, Do.] 1. An act; a deed; an exploit.

The warlike feats I have done.
Shak.

2. A striking act of strength, skill, or cunning; a trick; as, feats of horsemanship, or of dexterity.

Feat, v. t. To form; to fashion. [Obs.]

To the more mature,
A glass that feated them.
Shak.

Feat, a. [Compar. Feater (?); superl. Featest.] [F. fait made, shaped, fit, p. p. of faire to make or do. See Feat, n.] Dexterous in movements or service; skillful; neat; nice; pretty. [Archaic]

Never master had a page . . . so feat.
Shak.

And look how well my garments sit upon me --
Much feater than before.
Shak.

Feat"-bod`ied (?), a. Having a feat or trim body. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

Feat"e*ous (?), a. [Cf. OF. faitis, faitice, fetis, well made, fine, L. facticius made by art.] Dexterous; neat. [Obs.] Johnson.

-- Feat"e*ous*ly, adv.

Feath"er (f&ebreve;&thlig;"&etilde;r), n. [OE. fether, AS. feðer; akin to D. veder, OHG. fedara, G. feder, Icel. fjöðr, Sw. fjäder, Dan. fjæder, Gr. ptero`n wing, feather, pe`tesqai to fly, Skr. pattra wing, feather, pat to fly, and prob. to L. penna feather, wing. √76, 248. Cf. Pen a feather.] 1. One of the peculiar dermal appendages, of several kinds, belonging to birds, as contour feathers, quills, and down.

&fist; An ordinary feather consists of the quill or hollow basal part of the stem; the shaft or rachis, forming the upper, solid part of the stem; the vanes or webs, implanted on the rachis and consisting of a series of slender laminæ or barbs, which usually bear barbules, which in turn usually bear barbicels and interlocking hooks by which they are fastened together. See Down, Quill, Plumage.

2. Kind; nature; species; -- from the proverbial phrase, "Birds of a feather," that is, of the same species. [R.]

I am not of that feather to shake off
My friend when he must need me.
Shak.

3. The fringe of long hair on the legs of the setter and some other dogs.

4. A tuft of peculiar, long, frizzly hair on a horse.

5. One of the fins or wings on the shaft of an arrow.

6. (Mach. & Carp.) A longitudinal strip projecting as a fin from an object, to strengthen it, or to enter a channel in another object and thereby prevent displacement sidwise but permit motion lengthwise; a spline.

7. A thin wedge driven between the two semicylindrical parts of a divided plug in a hole bored in a stone, to rend the stone. Knight.

8. The angular adjustment of an oar or paddle-wheel float, with reference to a horizontal axis, as it leaves or enters the water.

&fist; Feather is used adjectively or in combination, meaning composed of, or resembling, a feather or feathers; as, feather fan, feather-heeled, feather duster.

Feather alum (Min.), a hydrous sulphate of alumina, resulting from volcanic action, and from the decomposition of iron pyrites; -- called also halotrichite. Ure. -- Feather bed, a bed filled with feathers. -- Feather driver, one who prepares feathers by beating. -- Feather duster, a dusting brush of feathers. -- Feather flower, an artifical flower made of feathers, for ladies' headdresses, and other ornamental purposes. -- Feather grass (Bot.), a kind of grass (Stipa pennata) which has a long feathery awn rising from one of the chaffy scales which inclose the grain. -- Feather maker, one who makes plumes, etc., of feathers, real or artificial. -- Feather ore (Min.), a sulphide of antimony and lead, sometimes found in capillary forms and like a cobweb, but also massive. It is a variety of Jamesonite. -- Feather shot, or Feathered shot (Metal.), copper granulated by pouring into cold water. Raymond. -- Feather spray (Naut.), the spray thrown up, like pairs of feathers, by the cutwater of a fast-moving vessel. -- Feather star. (Zoöl.) See Comatula. -- Feather weight. (Racing) (a) Scrupulously exact weight, so that a feather would turn the scale, when a jockey is weighed or weighted. (b) The lightest weight that can be put on the back of a horse in racing. Youatt. (c) In wrestling, boxing, etc., a term applied to the lightest of the classes into which contestants are divided; -- in contradistinction to light weight, middle weight, and heavy weight. -- A feather in the cap an honour, trophy, or mark of distinction. [Colloq.] -- To be in full feather, to be in full dress or in one's best clothes. [Collog.] -- To be in high feather, to be in high spirits. [Collog.] -- To cut a feather. (a) (Naut.) To make the water foam in moving; in allusion to the ripple which a ship throws off from her bows. (b) To make one's self conspicuous. [Colloq.] -- To show the white feather, to betray cowardice, -- a white feather in the tail of a cock being considered an indication that he is not of the true game breed.

Feath"er (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feathered (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Feathering.] 1. To furnish with a feather or feathers, as an arrow or a cap.

An eagle had the ill hap to be struck with an arrow feathered from her own wing.
L'Estrange.

2. To adorn, as with feathers; to fringe.

A few birches and oaks still feathered the narrow ravines.
Sir W. Scott.

3. To render light as a feather; to give wings to.[R.]

The Polonian story perhaps may feather some tedious hours.
Loveday.

4. To enrich; to exalt; to benefit.

They stuck not to say that the king cared not to plume his nobility and people to feather himself.
Bacon. Dryden.

5. To tread, as a cock. Dryden.

To feather one's nest, to provide for one's self especially from property belonging to another, confided to one's care; -- an expression taken from the practice of birds which collect feathers for the lining of their nests. -- To feather an oar (Naut), to turn it when it leaves the water so that the blade will be horizontal and offer the least resistance to air while reaching for another stroke. -- To tar and feather a person, to smear him with tar and cover him with feathers, as a punishment or an indignity.

Feath"er, v. i. 1. To grow or form feathers; to become feathered; -- often with out; as, the birds are feathering out.

2. To curdle when poured into another liquid, and float about in little flakes or "feathers;" as, the cream feathers. [Colloq.]

3. To turn to a horizontal plane; -- said of oars.

The feathering oar returns the gleam.
Tickell.

Stopping his sculls in the air to feather accurately.
Macmillan's Mag.

4. To have the appearance of a feather or of feathers; to be or to appear in feathery form.

A clump of ancient cedars feathering in evergreen beauty down to the ground.
Warren.

The ripple feathering from her bows.
Tennyson.

Feath"er-brained` (?), a. Giddy; frivolous; feather-headed. [Colloq.]

Feath"ered (?), a. 1. Clothed, covered, or fitted with (or as with) feathers or wings; as, a feathered animal; a feathered arrow.

Rise from the ground like feathered Mercury.
Shak.

Nonsense feathered with soft and delicate phrases and pointed with pathetic accent.
Dr. J. Scott.

2. Furnished with anything featherlike; ornamented; fringed; as, land feathered with trees.

3. (Zoöl.) Having a fringe of feathers, as the legs of certian birds; or of hairs, as the legs of a setter dog.

4. (Her.) Having feathers; -- said of an arrow, when the feathers are of a tincture different from that of the shaft.

Feath"er-edge` (?), n. 1. (Zoöl.) The thin, new growth around the edge of a shell, of an oyster.

2. Any thin, as on a board or a razor.

Feath"er-edged` (?), a. Having a feather-edge; also, having one edge thinner than the other, as a board; -- in the United States, said only of stuff one edge of which is made as thin as practicable.

Feath"er-few (?), n. (Bot.) Feverfew.

Feath"er-foil` (?), n. [Feather + foil a leaf.] (Bot.) An aquatic plant (Hottonia palustris), having finely divided leaves.

Feath"er-head` (?), n. A frivolous or featherbrained person. [Colloq.] H. James.

Feath"er-head`ed (?), a. Giddy; frivolous; foolish. [Colloq.] G. Eliot.

Feath"er-heeled` (?), a. Light- heeled; gay; frisky; frolicsome. [Colloq.]

Feath"er*i*ness (?), n. The state or condition of being feathery.

Feath"er*ing, n. 1. (Arch.) Same as Foliation.

2. The act of turning the blade of the oar, as it rises from the water in rowing, from a vertical to a horizontal position. See To feather an oar, under Feather, v. t.

3. A covering of feathers.

Feathering float (Naut.), the float or paddle of a feathering wheel. -- Feathering screw (Naut.), a screw propeller, of which the blades may be turned so as to move edgewise through the water when the vessel is moving under sail alone. -- Feathering wheel (Naut.), a paddle wheel whose floats turn automatically so as to dip about perpendicularly into the water and leave in it the same way, avoiding beating on the water in the descent and lifting water in the ascent.

Feath"er*less, a. Destitute of feathers.

Feath"er*ly, a. Like feathers. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Feath"er-pat"ed (?), a. Feather- headed; frivolous. [Colloq.] Sir W. Scott.

Feath"er-veined` (?), a. (Bot.) Having the veins (of a leaf) diverging from the two sides of a midrib.

Feath"er*y (?), a. Pertaining to, or resembling, feathers; covered with, or as with, feathers; as, feathery spray or snow. Milton.

Ye feathery people of mid air.
Barry Cornwall.

Feat"ly (?), adv. [From Feat, a.] Neatly; dexterously; nimbly. [Archaic]

Foot featly here and there.
Shak.

Feat"ness, n. Skill; adroitness. [Archaic] Johnson.

Fea"ture (?; 135), n. [OE. feture form, shape, feature, OF. faiture fashion, make, fr. L. factura a making, formation, fr. facere, factum, to make. See Feat, Fact, and cf. Facture.] 1. The make, form, or outward appearance of a person; the whole turn or style of the body; esp., good appearance.

What needeth it his feature to descrive?
Chaucer.

Cheated of feature by dissembling nature.
Shak.

2. The make, cast, or appearance of the human face, and especially of any single part of the face; a lineament. (pl.) The face, the countenance.

It is for homely features to keep home.
Milton.

3. The cast or structure of anything, or of any part of a thing, as of a landscape, a picture, a treaty, or an essay; any marked peculiarity or characteristic; as, one of the features of the landscape.

And to her service bind each living creature
Through secret understanding of their feature.
Spenser.

4. A form; a shape. [R.]

So scented the grim feature, and upturned
His nostril wide into the murky air.
Milton.

Fea"tured (?; 135), a. 1. Shaped; fashioned.

How noble, young, how rarely featured!
Shak.

2. Having features; formed into features.

The well-stained canvas or the featured stone.
Young.

Fea"ture*less (?; 135), a. Having no distinct or distinctive features.

Fea"ture*ly, a. Having features; showing marked peculiarities; handsome. [R.]

Featurely warriors of Christian chivalry.
Coleridge.

Feaze (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feazed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Feazing.] [Cf. OE. faseln to ravel, fr. AS. fæs fringe; akin to G. fasen to separate fibers or threads, fasen, faser, thread, filament, OHG. faso.] To untwist; to unravel, as the end of a rope. Johnson.

Feaze, v. t. [See Feese.] To beat; to chastise; also, to humble; to harass; to worry. [Obs.] insworth.

Feaze, n. A state of anxious or fretful excitement; worry; vexation. [Obs.]

Feaz"ings (?), n. pl. [See Feaze, v. t.] (Naut.) The unlaid or ragged end of a rope. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Fe*bric"i*tate (?), v. i. [L. febricitare, fr. febris. See Febrile.] To have a fever. [Obs.] Bailey.

Fe*bric"u*lose` (?), a. [L. febriculosus.] Somewhat feverish. [Obs.] Johnson.

Feb`ri*fa"cient (?), a. [L. febris fever + faciens, p. pr. of facere to make.] Febrific. Dunglison.

-- n. That which causes fever. Beddoes.

Fe*brif"er*ous (?), a. [L. febris fever + -ferous.] Causing fever; as, a febriferous locality.

Fe*brif"ic (?), a. [L. febris fever + ficare (in comp.) to make. See fy-.] Producing fever. Dunglison.

Fe*brif"u*gal (? or ?), a. [See Febrifuge.] Having the quality of mitigating or curing fever. Boyle.

Feb"ri*fuge (?), n. [L. febris fever + fugare to put to flight, from fugere to flee: cf. F. fébrifuge. see Febrile, Feverfew.] (Med.) A medicine serving to mitigate or remove fever. -- a. Antifebrile.

Fe"brile (?; 277), a. [F. fébrile, from L. febris fever. See Fever.] Pertaining to fever; indicating fever, or derived from it; as, febrile symptoms; febrile action. Dunglison.

Feb"ru*a*ry (?), n. [L. Februarius, orig., the month of expiation, because on the fifteenth of this month the great feast of expiation and purification was held, fr. februa, pl., the Roman festival or purification; akin to februare to purify, expiate.] The second month in the year, said to have been introduced into the Roman calendar by Numa. In common years this month contains twenty-eight days; in the bissextile, or leap year, it has twenty-nine days.

Feb`ru*a"tion (?), n. [L. februatio. See february.] Purification; a sacrifice. [Obs.] Spenser.

Fe"cal (fē"kal), a. [Cf. F. fécal. See Feces.] relating to, or containing, dregs, feces, or ordure; fæcal.

Fec"che (?), v. t. To fetch. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fe"ces (?), n. pl. dregs; sediment; excrement. See FÆces.

Fe"cial (?), a. [L. fetialis belonging to the fetiales, the Roman priests who sanctioned treaties and demanded satisfaction from the enemy before a formal declaration of war.] Pertaining to heralds, declarations of war, and treaties of peace; as, fecial law. Kent.

Fe"ci*fork` (?), n. [Feces + fork.] (Zoöl.) The anal fork on which the larvæ of certain insects carry their fæces.

Feck"less (?), a. [Perh. a corruption of effectless.] Spiritless; weak; worthless. [Scot]

feck"less*ness n. absence of merit.
[WordNet 1.5]

Fecks (?), n. A corruption of the word faith. Shak.

Fec"u*la (?), n.; pl. FeculÆ [L. faecula burnt tartar or salt of tartar, dim. of faex, faecis, sediment, dregs: cf. F. fécule.] Any pulverulent matter obtained from plants by simply breaking down the texture, washing with water, and subsidence. Especially: (a) The nutritious part of wheat; starch or farina; -- called also amylaceous fecula. (b) The green matter of plants; chlorophyll.

Fec"u*lence (?), n. [L. faeculentia dregs, filth: cf. F. féculence.] 1. The state or quality of being feculent; muddiness; foulness.

2. That which is feculent; sediment; lees; dregs.

Fec"u*len*cy (?), n. Feculence.

Fec"u*lent (?), a. [L. faeculentus, fr. faecula: cf. F. féculent. See Fecula.] Foul with extraneous or impure substances; abounding with sediment or excrementitious matter; muddy; thick; turbid.

Both his hands most filthy feculent.
Spenser.

Fec"und (?), a. [L. fecundus, from the root of fetus: cf. F. fécond. see Fetus.] Fruitful in children; prolific. Graunt.

Fec"un*date (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fecundated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fecundating (?).] [L. fecundare, fr. fecundus. See Fecund.] 1. To make fruitful or prolific. W. Montagu.

2. (Biol.) To render fruitful or prolific; to impregnate; as, in flowers the pollen fecundates the ovum through the stigma.

Fec`un*da"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. fécondation.] (Biol.) The act by which, either in animals or plants, material prepared by the generative organs the female organism is brought in contact with matter from the organs of the male, so that a new organism results; impregnation; fertilization.

Fe*cun"di*fy (?), v. t. [Fecund + -fy.] To make fruitful; to fecundate. Johnson.

Fe*cun"di*ty (?), n. [L. fecunditas: cf. F. fécondité. See Fecund.] 1. The quality or power of producing fruit; fruitfulness; especially (Biol.), the quality in female organisms of reproducing rapidly and in great numbers.

2. The power of germinating; as in seeds.

3. The power of bringing forth in abundance; fertility; richness of invention; as, the fecundity of God's creative power. Bentley.

Fed (?), imp. & p. p. of Feed.

Fed"a*ry (?), n. A feodary. [Obs.] Shak.

Fed"er*al (?), a. [L. foedus league, treaty, compact; akin to fides faith: cf. F. fédéral. see Faith.] 1. Pertaining to a league or treaty; derived from an agreement or covenant between parties, especially between nations; constituted by a compact between parties, usually governments or their representatives.

The Romans compelled them, contrary to all federal right, . . . to part with Sardinia.
Grew.

2. Specifically: (a) Composed of states or districts which retain only a subordinate and limited sovereignty, as the Union of the United States, or the Sonderbund of Switzerland. (b) Consisting or pertaining to such a government; as, the Federal Constitution; a Federal officer. (c) Friendly or devoted to such a government; as, the Federal party. see Federalist.

Federal Congress. See under Congress.

Fed"er*al, n. See Federalist.

Fed"er*al*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. fédéralisme.] The principles of Federalists or of federal union.

Fed"er*al*ist, n. [Cf. F. fédéraliste.] An advocate of confederation; specifically (Amer. Hist.), a friend of the Constitution of the United States at its formation and adoption; a member of the political party which favored the administration of president Washington.

Fed"er*al*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Federalized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Federalizing (?).] [Cf. F. fédéraliser.] To unite in compact, as different States; to confederate for political purposes; to unite by or under the Federal Constitution. Barlow.

Fed"er*a*ry (?), n. [See Federal.] A partner; a confederate; an accomplice. [Obs.] hak.

Fed"er*ate (?), a. [L. foederatus, p. p. of foederare to establish by treaty or league, fr. foedus. See Federal.] United by compact, as sovereignties, states, or nations; joined in confederacy; leagued; confederate; as, federate nations.

Fed`er*a"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. fédération.] 1. The act of uniting in a league; confederation.

2. A league; a confederacy; a federal or confederated government. Burke.

Fed"er*a*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. fédératif.] Uniting in a league; forming a confederacy; federal. "A federative society." Burke.

Fed"i*ty (?), n. [L. foeditas, fr. foedus foul, filthy.] Turpitude; vileness. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

Fee (fē), n. [OE. fe, feh, feoh, cattle, property, money, fief, AS. feoh cattle, property, money; the senses of "property, money," arising from cattle being used in early times as a medium of exchange or payment, property chiefly consisting of cattle; akin to OS. fehu cattle, property, D. vee cattle, OHG. fihu, fehu, G. vieh, Icel. fē cattle, property, money, Goth. faíhu, L. pecus cattle, pecunia property, money, Skr. paçu cattle, perh. orig., "a fastened or tethered animal," from a root signifying to bind, and perh. akin to E. fang, fair, a.; cf. OF. fie, flu, feu, fleu, fief, F. fief, from German, of the same origin. the sense fief is due to the French. √249. Cf. Feud, Fief, Fellow, Pecuniary.] 1. property; possession; tenure. "Laden with rich fee." Spenser.

Once did she hold the gorgeous East in fee.
Wordsworth.

2. Reward or compensation for services rendered or to be rendered; especially, payment for professional services, of optional amount, or fixed by custom or laws; charge; pay; perquisite; as, the fees of lawyers and physicians; the fees of office; clerk's fees; sheriff's fees; marriage fees, etc.

To plead for love deserves more fee than hate.
Shak.

3. (Feud. Law) A right to the use of a superior's land, as a stipend for services to be performed; also, the land so held; a fief.

4. (Eng. Law) An estate of inheritance supposed to be held either mediately or immediately from the sovereign, and absolutely vested in the owner.

&fist; All the land in England, except the crown land, is of this kind. An absolute fee, or fee simple, is land which a man holds to himself and his heirs forever, who are called tenants in fee simple. In modern writers, by fee is usually meant fee simple. A limited fee may be a qualified or base fee, which ceases with the existence of certain conditions; or a conditional fee, or fee tail, which is limited to particular heirs. Blackstone.

5. (Amer. Law) An estate of inheritance belonging to the owner, and transmissible to his heirs, absolutely and simply, without condition attached to the tenure.

Fee estate (Eng. Law), land or tenements held in fee in consideration or some acknowledgment or service rendered to the lord. -- Fee farm (Law), land held of another in fee, in consideration of an annual rent, without homage, fealty, or any other service than that mentioned in the feoffment; an estate in fee simple, subject to a perpetual rent. Blackstone. -- Fee farm rent (Eng. Law), a perpetual rent reserved upon a conveyance in fee simple. -- Fee fund (Scot. Law), certain court dues out of which the clerks and other court officers are paid. -- Fee simple (Law), an absolute fee; a fee without conditions or limits.

Buy the fee simple of my life for an hour and a quarter.
Shak.

-- Fee tail (Law), an estate of inheritance, limited and restrained to some particular heirs. Burill.

Fee (fē), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feed (fēd); p. pr. & vb. n. Feeing.] To reward for services performed, or to be performed; to recompense; to hire or keep in hire; hence, to bribe.

The patient . . . fees the doctor.
Dryden.

There's not a one of them but in his house
I keep a servant feed.
Shak.

Fee"ble (fē"b'l), a. [Compar. Feebler (-bl&etilde;r); superl. Feeblest (-bl&ebreve;st).] [OE. feble, OF. feble, flebe, floibe, floible, foible, F. faible, L. flebilis to be wept over, lamentable, wretched, fr. flere to weep. Cf. Foible.] 1. Deficient in physical strength; weak; infirm; debilitated.

Carried all the feeble of them upon asses.
2 Chron. xxviii. 15.

2. Wanting force, vigor, or efficiency in action or expression; not full, loud, bright, strong, rapid, etc.; faint; as, a feeble color; feeble motion. "A lady's feeble voice." Shak.

Fee"ble, v. t. To make feble; to enfeeble. [Obs.]

Shall that victorious hand be feebled here?
Shak.

Fee"ble-mind"ed (?), a. Weak in intellectual power; wanting firmness or constancy; irresolute; vacillating; imbecile. "comfort the feeble-minded." 1 Thess. v. 14.

-- Fee"ble-mind"ed*ness, n.

Fee"ble*ness, n. The quality or condition of being feeble; debility; infirmity.

That shakes for age and feebleness.
Shak.

Fee"bly (?), adv. In a feeble manner.

The restored church . . . contended feebly, and with half a heart.
Macaulay.

Feed (fēd), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fed (f&ebreve;d); p. pr. & vb. n. Feeding.] [AS. fēdan, fr. fōda food; akin to OS. fōdian, OFries. fēda, fōda, D. voeden, OHG. fuottan, Icel. fæða, Sw. föda, Dan. föde. √75. See Food.] 1. To give food to; to supply with nourishment; to satisfy the physical huger of.

If thine enemy hunger, feed him.
Rom. xii. 20.

Unreasonable creatures feed their young.
Shak.

2. To satisfy; gratify or minister to, as any sense, talent, taste, or desire.

I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.
Shak.

Feeding him with the hope of liberty.
Knolles.

3. To fill the wants of; to supply with that which is used or wasted; as, springs feed ponds; the hopper feeds the mill; to feed a furnace with coal.

4. To nourish, in a general sense; to foster, strengthen, develop, and guard.

Thou shalt feed my people Israel.
2 Sam. v. 2.

Mightiest powers by deepest calms are fed.
B. Cornwall.

5. To graze; to cause to be cropped by feeding, as herbage by cattle; as, if grain is too forward in autumn, feed it with sheep.

Once in three years feed your mowing lands.
Mortimer.

6. To give for food, especially to animals; to furnish for consumption; as, to feed out turnips to the cows; to feed water to a steam boiler.

7. (Mach.) (a) To supply (the material to be operated upon) to a machine; as, to feed paper to a printing press. (b) To produce progressive operation upon or with (as in wood and metal working machines, so that the work moves to the cutting tool, or the tool to the work).

Feed, v. i. 1. To take food; to eat.

Her kid . . . which I afterwards killed because it would not feed.
De Foe.

2. To subject by eating; to satisfy the appetite; to feed one's self (upon something); to prey; -- with on or upon.

Leaving thy trunk for crows to feed upon.
Shak.

3. To be nourished, strengthened, or satisfied, as if by food. "He feeds upon the cooling shade." Spenser.

4. To place cattle to feed; to pasture; to graze.

If a man . . . shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field.
Ex. xxii. 5.

Feed (?), n. 1. That which is eaten; esp., food for beasts; fodder; pasture; hay; grain, ground or whole; as, the best feed for sheep.

2. A grazing or pasture ground. Shak.

3. An allowance of provender given to a horse, cow, etc.; a meal; as, a feed of corn or oats.

4. A meal, or the act of eating. [R.]

For such pleasure till that hour
At feed or fountain never had I found.
Milton.

5. The water supplied to steam boilers.

6. (Mach.) (a) The motion, or act, of carrying forward the stuff to be operated upon, as cloth to the needle in a sewing machine; or of producing progressive operation upon any material or object in a machine, as, in a turning lathe, by moving the cutting tool along or in the work. (b) The supply of material to a machine, as water to a steam boiler, coal to a furnace, or grain to a run of stones. (c) The mechanism by which the action of feeding is produced; a feed motion.

Feed bag, a nose bag containing feed for a horse or mule. -- Feed cloth, an apron for leading cotton, wool, or other fiber, into a machine, as for carding, etc. -- Feed door, a door to a furnace, by which to supply coal. -- Feed head. (a) A cistern for feeding water by gravity to a steam boiler. (b) (Founding) An excess of metal above a mold, which serves to render the casting more compact by its pressure; -- also called a riser, deadhead, or simply feed or head Knight. -- Feed heater. (a) (Steam Engine) A vessel in which the feed water for the boiler is heated, usually by exhaust steam. (b) A boiler or kettle in which is heated food for stock. -- Feed motion, or Feed gear (Mach.), the train of mechanism that gives motion to the part that directly produces the feed in a machine. -- Feed pipe, a pipe for supplying the boiler of a steam engine, etc., with water. -- Feed pump, a force pump for supplying water to a steam boiler, etc. -- Feed regulator, a device for graduating the operation of a feeder. Knight. -- Feed screw, in lathes, a long screw employed to impart a regular motion to a tool rest or tool, or to the work. -- Feed water, water supplied to a steam boiler, etc. -- Feed wheel (Mach.), a kind of feeder. See Feeder, n., 8.

Feed"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, gives food or supplies nourishment; steward.

A couple of friends, his chaplain and feeder.
Goldsmith.

2. One who furnishes incentives; an encourager. "The feeder of my riots." Shak.

3. One who eats or feeds; specifically, an animal to be fed or fattened.

With eager feeding, food doth choke the feeder.
Shak.

4. One who fattens cattle for slaughter.

5. A stream that flows into another body of water; a tributary; specifically (Hydraulic Engin.), a water course which supplies a canal or reservoir by gravitation or natural flow.

6. A branch railroad, stage line, or the like; a side line which increases the business of the main line.

7. (Mining) (a) A small lateral lode falling into the main lode or mineral vein. Ure. (b) A strong discharge of gas from a fissure; a blower. Raymond.

8. (Mach.) An auxiliary part of a machine which supplies or leads along the material operated upon.

9. (Steam Engine) A device for supplying steam boilers with water as needed.

Feed"ing, n. 1. the act of eating, or of supplying with food; the process of fattening.

2. That which is eaten; food.

3. That which furnishes or affords food, especially for animals; pasture land.

Feeding bottle. See under Bottle.

Fee`-faw`-fum" (?), n. A nonsensical exclamation attributed to giants and ogres; hence, any expression calculated to impose upon the timid and ignorant. "Impudent fee-faw-fums." J. H. Newman.

Fee"jee (?), a. & n. (Ethnol.) See Fijian.

Feel (fēl), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Felt (f&ebreve;lt); p. pr. & vb. n. Feeling.] [AS. fēlan; akin to OS. gifōlian to perceive, D. voelen to feel, OHG. fuolen, G. fühlen, Icel. fālma to grope, and prob. to AS. folm palm of the hand, L. palma. Cf. Fumble, Palm.] 1. To perceive by the touch; to take cognizance of by means of the nerves of sensation distributed all over the body, especially by those of the skin; to have sensation excited by contact of (a thing) with the body or limbs.

Who feel
Those rods of scorpions and those whips of steel.
Creecn.

2. To touch; to handle; to examine by touching; as, feel this piece of silk; hence, to make trial of; to test; often with out.

Come near, . . . that I may feel thee, my son.
Gen. xxvii. 21.

He hath this to feel my affection to your honor.
Shak.

3. To perceive by the mind; to have a sense of; to experience; to be affected by; to be sensible of, or sensitive to; as, to feel pleasure; to feel pain.

Teach me to feel another's woe.
Pope.

Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing.
Eccl. viii. 5.

He best can paint them who shall feel them most.
Pope.

Mankind have felt their strength and made it felt.
Byron.

4. To take internal cognizance of; to be conscious of; to have an inward persuasion of.

For then, and not till then, he felt himself.
Shak.

5. To perceive; to observe. [Obs.] Chaucer.

To feel the helm (Naut.), to obey it.

Feel (?), v. i. 1. To have perception by the touch, or by contact of anything with the nerves of sensation, especially those upon the surface of the body.

2. To have the sensibilities moved or affected.

[She] feels with the dignity of a Roman matron
. Burke.

And mine as man, who feel for all mankind.
Pope.

3. To be conscious of an inward impression, state of mind, persuasion, physical condition, etc.; to perceive one's self to be; -- followed by an adjective describing the state, etc.; as, to feel assured, grieved, persuaded.

I then did feel full sick.
Shak.

4. To know with feeling; to be conscious; hence, to know certainly or without misgiving.

Garlands . . . which I feel
I am not worthy yet to wear.
Shak.

5. To appear to the touch; to give a perception; to produce an impression by the nerves of sensation; -- followed by an adjective describing the kind of sensation.

Blind men say black feels rough, and white feels smooth.
Dryden.

To feel after, to search for; to seek to find; to seek as a person groping in the dark. "If haply they might feel after him, and find him." Acts xvii. 27.

-- To feel of, to examine by touching.

Feel (?), n. 1. Feeling; perception. [R.]

To intercept and have a more kindly feel of its genial warmth.
Hazlitt.

2. A sensation communicated by touching; impression made upon one who touches or handles; as, this leather has a greasy feel.

The difference between these two tumors will be distinguished by the feel.
S. Sharp.

Feel"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, feels.

2. (Zoöl.) One of the sense organs or certain animals (as insects), which are used in testing objects by touch and in searching for food; an antenna; a palp.

Insects . . . perpetually feeling and searching before them with their feelers or antennæ.
Derham.

3. Anything, as a proposal, observation, etc., put forth or thrown out in order to ascertain the views of others; something tentative.

Feel"ing, a. 1. Possessing great sensibility; easily affected or moved; as, a feeling heart.

2. Expressive of great sensibility; attended by, or evincing, sensibility; as, he made a feeling representation of his wrongs.

Feel"ing, n. 1. The sense by which the mind, through certain nerves of the body, perceives external objects, or certain states of the body itself; that one of the five senses which resides in the general nerves of sensation distributed over the body, especially in its surface; the sense of touch; nervous sensibility to external objects.

Why was the sight
To such a tender ball as the eye confined, . . .
And not, as feeling, through all parts diffused?
Milton.

2. An act or state of perception by the sense above described; an act of apprehending any object whatever; an act or state of apprehending the state of the soul itself; consciousness.

The apprehension of the good
Gives but the greater feeling to the worse.
Shak.

3. The capacity of the soul for emotional states; a high degree of susceptibility to emotions or states of the sensibility not dependent on the body; as, a man of feeling; a man destitute of feeling.

4. Any state or condition of emotion; the exercise of the capacity for emotion; any mental state whatever; as, a right or a wrong feeling in the heart; our angry or kindly feelings; a feeling of pride or of humility.

A fellow feeling makes one wondrous kind.
Garrick.

Tenderness for the feelings of others.
Macaulay.

5. That quality of a work of art which embodies the mental emotion of the artist, and is calculated to affect similarly the spectator. Fairholt.

Syn. -- Sensation; emotion; passion; sentiment; agitation; opinion. See Emotion, Passion, Sentiment.

Feel"ing*ly, adv. In a feeling manner; pathetically; sympathetically.

Feere (?), n. [See Fere, n.] A consort, husband or wife; a companion; a fere. [Obs.]

Feese (?), n. [Cf. OE. fesien to put to flight, AS. fēsian, f&ymacr;sian, f&ymacr;san, fr. fūs, prompt, willing.] The short run before a leap. [Obs.] Nares.

Feet (?), n. pl. See Foot.

Feet, n. [See Feat, n.] Fact; performance. [Obs.]

Feet"less, a. Destitute of feet; as, feetless birds.

Feeze (?), v. t. [For sense 1, cf. F. visser to screw, vis screw, or 1st E. feaze, v.t.: for sense 2, see Feese.] 1. To turn, as a screw. [Scot] Jamieson.

2. To beat; to chastise; to humble; to worry. [Obs.] [Written also feaze, feize, pheese.] Beau. & Fl.

To feeze up, to work into a passion. [Obs.]

Feeze, n. Fretful excitement. [Obs.] See Feaze.

||Feh"ling (?), n. (Chem.) See Fehling's solution, under Solution.

Feh"mic (?), a. See Vehmic.

Feign (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feigned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Feigning.] [OE. feinen, F. feindre (p. pr. feignant), fr. L. fingere; akin to L. figura figure,and E. dough. See Dough, and cf. Figure, Faint, Effigy, Fiction.] 1. To give a mental existence to, as to something not real or actual; to imagine; to invent; hence, to pretend; to form and relate as if true.

There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.
Neh. vi. 8.

The poet
Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and floods.
Shak.

2. To represent by a false appearance of; to pretend; to counterfeit; as, to feign a sickness. Shak.

3. To dissemble; to conceal. [Obs.] Spenser.

Feigned (?), a. Not real or genuine; pretended; counterfeit; insincere; false. "A feigned friend." Shak.

Give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
Ps. xvii. 1.

-- Feign"ed*ly (#), adv. -- Feign"ed*ness, n.

Her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly.
Jer. iii. 10.

Feigned issue (Law), an issue produced in a pretended action between two parties for the purpose of trying before a jury a question of fact which it becomes necessary to settle in the progress of a cause. Burill. Bouvier.

Feign"er (?), n. One who feigns or pretends.

Feign"ing, a. That feigns; insincere; not genuine; false.

-- Feign"ing*ly, adv.

Feine (?), v. t. & i. To feign. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Feint (?), a. [F. feint, p. p. of feindre to feign. See Feign.] Feigned; counterfeit. [Obs.]

Dressed up into any feint appearance of it.
Locke.

Feint, n. [F. feinte, fr. feint. See Feint, a.] 1. That which is feigned; an assumed or false appearance; a pretense; a stratagem; a fetch.

Courtley's letter is but a feint to get off.
Spectator.

2. A mock blow or attack on one part when another part is intended to be struck; -- said of certain movements in fencing, boxing, war, etc.

Feint, v. i. To make a feint, or mock attack.

||Fei`tsui" (?), n. (Min.) The Chinese name for a highly prized variety of pale green jade. See Jade.

Feize (?), v. t. See Feeze, v. t.

Fel"an*ders (?), n. pl. See Filanders.

{ Feld"spar` (?), Feld"spath` (?) }, n. [G. feldspath; feld field + spath spar.] (Min.) A name given to a group of minerals, closely related in crystalline form, and all silicates of alumina with either potash, soda, lime, or, in one case, baryta. They occur in crystals and crystalline masses, vitreous in luster, and breaking rather easily in two directions at right angles to each other, or nearly so. The colors are usually white or nearly white, flesh-red, bluish, or greenish.

&fist; The group includes the monoclinic (orthoclastic) species orthoclase or common potash feldspar, and the rare hyalophane or baryta feldspar; also the triclinic species (called in general plagioclase) microcline, like orthoclase a potash feldspar; anorthite or lime feldspar; albite or soda feldspar; also intermediate between the last two species, labradorite, andesine, oligoclase, containing both lime and soda in varying amounts. The feldspars are essential constituents of nearly all crystalline rocks, as granite, gneiss, mica, slate, most kinds of basalt and trachyte, etc. The decomposition of feldspar has yielded a large part of the clay of the soil, also the mineral kaolin, an essential material in the making of fine pottery. Common feldspar is itself largely used for the same purpose.

{ Feld*spath"ic (?), Feld*spath"ose (?) }, a. Pertaining to, or consisting of, feldspar.

Fele (?), a. [AS. fela, feola; akin to G. viel, gr. &?;. See Full, a.] Many. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fe*lic"ify (?), v. t. [L. felix happy + -fy.] To make happy; to felicitate. [Obs.] Quarles.

Fe*lic"i*tate (?), a. [L. felicitatus, p. p. of felicitare to felicitate, fr. felix, -icis, happy. See felicity.] Made very happy. [Archaic]

I am alone felicitate
In your dear highness' love.
Shak.

Fe*lic"i*tate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Felicitated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. felicitating.] [Cf. F. féliciter.] 1. To make very happy; to delight.

What a glorious entertainment and pleasure would fill and felicitate his spirit.
I. Watts.

2. To express joy or pleasure to; to wish felicity to; to call or consider (one's self) happy; to congratulate.

Every true heart must felicitate itself that its lot is cast in this kingdom.
W. Howitt.

Syn. -- See Congratulate.

Fe*lic`i*ta"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. félicitation.] The act of felicitating; a wishing of joy or happiness; congratulation.

Fe*lic"i*tous (?), a. Characterized by felicity; happy; prosperous; delightful; skillful; successful; happily applied or expressed; appropriate.

Felicitous words and images.
M. Arnold.

-- Fe*lic"i*tous*ly, adv. -- Fe*lic"i*tous*ness, n.

Fe*lic"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Felicities (#). [OE. felicite, F. félicité, fr. L. felicitas, fr. felix, -icis, happy, fruitful; akin to fetus.] 1. The state of being happy; blessedness; blissfulness; enjoyment of good.

Our own felicity we make or find.
Johnson.

Finally, after this life, to attain everlasting joy and felicity.
Book of Common Prayer.

2. That which promotes happiness; a successful or gratifying event; prosperity; blessing.

the felicities of her wonderful reign.
Atterbury.

3. A pleasing faculty or accomplishment; as, felicity in painting portraits, or in writing or talking. "Felicity of expression." Bp. Warburton.

Syn. -- Happiness; bliss; beatitude; blessedness; blissfulness. See Happiness.

Fe"line (?), a. [L. felinus, fr. feles, felis, cat, prob. orig., the fruitful: cf. F. félin. See Fetus.] 1. (Zoöl.) Catlike; of or pertaining to the genus Felis, or family Felidæ; as, the feline race; feline voracity.

2. Characteristic of cats; sly; stealthy; treacherous; as, a feline nature; feline manners.

||Fe"lis (?), n. [L., cat.] (Zoöl.) A genus of carnivorous mammals, including the domestic cat, the lion, tiger, panther, and similar animals.

Fell (?), imp. of Fall.

Fell, a. [OE. fel, OF. fel cruel, fierce, perfidious; cf. AS. fel (only in comp.) OF. fel, as a noun also accus. felon, is fr. LL. felo, of unknown origin; cf. Arm fall evil, Ir. feal, Arm. falloni treachery, Ir. & Gael. feall to betray; or cf. OHG. fillan to flay, torment, akin to E. fell skin. Cf. Felon.] 1. Cruel; barbarous; inhuman; fierce; savage; ravenous.

While we devise fell tortures for thy faults.
Shak.

2. Eager; earnest; intent. [Obs.]

I am so fell to my business.
Pepys.

Fell, n. [Cf. L. fel gall, bile, or E. fell, a.] Gall; anger; melancholy. [Obs.]

Untroubled of vile fear or bitter fell.
Spenser.

Fell, n. [AS. fell; akin to D. vel, OHG. fel, G. fell, Icel. fell (in comp.), Goth fill in þrutsfill leprosy, L. pellis skin, G. &?;. Cf. Film, Peel, Pell, n.] A skin or hide of a beast with the wool or hair on; a pelt; -- used chiefly in composition, as woolfell.

We are still handling our ewes, and their fells, you know, are greasy.
Shak.

Fell (?), n. [Icel. fell, fjally; akin to Sw. fjäll a ridge or chain of mountains, Dan. fjeld mountain, rock and prob. to G. fels rock, or perh. to feld field, E. field.] 1. A barren or rocky hill. T. Gray.

2. A wild field; a moor. Dryton.

Fell, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Felled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Felling.] [AS. fellan, a causative verb fr. feallan to fall; akin to D. vellen, G. fällen, Icel. fella, Sw. fälla, Dan. fælde. See Fall, v. i.] To cause to fall; to prostrate; to bring down or to the ground; to cut down.

Stand, or I'll fell thee down.
Shak.

Fell, n. (Mining) The finer portions of ore which go through the meshes, when the ore is sorted by sifting.

Fell, v. t. [Cf. Gael. fill to fold, plait, Sw. fåll a hem.] To sew or hem; -- said of seams.

Fell, n. 1. (Sewing) A form of seam joining two pieces of cloth, the edges being folded together and the stitches taken through both thicknesses.

2. (Weaving) The end of a web, formed by the last thread of the weft.

Fell"a*ble (?), a. Fit to be felled.

||Fel"lah (?), n.; pl. Ar. Fellahin (#), E. Fellahs (#). [Ar.] A peasant or cultivator of the soil among the Egyptians, Syrians, etc. W. M. Thomson.

Fell"er (?), n. One who, or that which, fells, knocks or cuts down; a machine for felling trees.

Fell"er, n. An appliance to a sewing machine for felling a seam.

Fell"fare` (?), n. [Cf. AS. fealafor, and E. fieldfare.] (Zoöl.) The fieldfare.

Fel*lif"lu*ous (?), a. [L. fellifuus; fel gall + fluere to flow.] Flowing with gall. [R.] Johnson.

Fel*lin"ic (?), a. [L. fel, fellis, gall.] Of, relating to, or derived from, bile or gall; as, fellinic acid.

Fell"mon`ger (?), n. A dealer in fells or sheepskins, who separates the wool from the pelts.

Fell"ness, n. [See Fell cruel.] The quality or state of being fell or cruel; fierce barbarity. Spenser.

Fel"loe (?), n. See Felly.

Fel"lon (?), n. Variant of Felon. [Obs.]

Those two were foes the fellonest on ground.
Spenser.

Fel"low (?), n. [OE. felawe, felaghe, Icel. fēlagi, fr. fēlag companionship, prop., a laying together of property; fē property + lag a laying, pl. lög law, akin to liggja to lie. See Fee, and Law, Lie to be low.] 1. A companion; a comrade; an associate; a partner; a sharer.

The fellows of his crime.
Milton.

We are fellows still,
Serving alike in sorrow.
Shak.

That enormous engine was flanked by two fellows almost of equal magnitude.
Gibbon.

&fist; Commonly used of men, but sometimes of women. Judges xi. 37.

2. A man without good breeding or worth; an ignoble or mean man.

Worth makes the man, and want of it, the fellow.
Pope.

3. An equal in power, rank, character, etc.

It is impossible that ever Rome
Should breed thy fellow.
Shak.

4. One of a pair, or of two things used together or suited to each other; a mate; the male.

When they be but heifers of one year, . . . they are let go to the fellow and breed.
Holland.

This was my glove; here is the fellow of it.
Shak.

5. A person; an individual.

She seemed to be a good sort of fellow.
Dickens.

6. In the English universities, a scholar who is appointed to a foundation called a fellowship, which gives a title to certain perquisites and privileges.

7. In an American college or university, a member of the corporation which manages its business interests; also, a graduate appointed to a fellowship, who receives the income of the foundation.

8. A member of a literary or scientific society; as, a Fellow of the Royal Society.

&fist; Fellow is often used in compound words, or adjectively, signifying associate, companion, or sometimes equal. Usually, such compounds or phrases are self- explanatory; as, fellow-citizen, or fellow citizen; fellow-student, or fellow student; fellow- workman, or fellow workman; fellow-mortal, or fellow mortal; fellow-sufferer; bedfellow; playfellow; workfellow.

Were the great duke himself here, and would lift up
My head to fellow pomp amongst his nobles.
Ford.

Fel"low (?), v. t. To suit with; to pair with; to match. [Obs.] Shak.

Fel"low-com"mon*er (?), n. A student at Cambridge University, England, who commons, or dines, at the Fellow's table.

Fel"low-crea"ture (?; 135), n. One of the same race or kind; one made by the same Creator.

Reason, by which we are raised above our fellow- creatures, the brutes.
I. Watts.

Fel"low*feel" (?), v. t. To share through sympathy; to participate in. [R.] D. Rodgers.

Fel"low-feel"ing, n. 1. Sympathy; a like feeling.

2. Joint interest. [Obs.] Arbuthnot.

Fel"low*less, a. Without fellow or equal; peerless.

Whose well-built walls are rare and fellowless.
Chapman.

Fel"low*like` (?), a. Like a companion; companionable; on equal terms; sympathetic. [Obs.] Udall.

Fel"low*ly, a. Fellowlike. [Obs.] Shak.

Fel"low*ship (?), n. [Fellow + -ship.] 1. The state or relation of being or associate.

2. Companionship of persons on equal and friendly terms; frequent and familiar intercourse.

In a great town, friends are scattered, so that there is not that fellowship which is in less neighborhods.
Bacon.

Men are made for society and mutual fellowship.
Calamy.

3. A state of being together; companionship; partnership; association; hence, confederation; joint interest.

The great contention of the sea and skies
Parted our fellowship.
Shak.

Fellowship in pain divides not smart
. Milton.

Fellowship in woe doth woe assuage
. Shak.

The goodliest fellowship of famous knights,
Whereof this world holds record.
Tennyson.

4. Those associated with one, as in a family, or a society; a company.

The sorrow of Noah with his fellowship.
Chaucer.

With that a joyous fellowship issued
Of minstrels.
Spenser.

5. (Eng. & Amer. Universities) A foundation for the maintenance, on certain conditions, of a scholar called a fellow, who usually resides at the university.

6. (Arith.) The rule for dividing profit and loss among partners; -- called also partnership, company, and distributive proportion.

Good fellowship, companionableness; the spirit and disposition befitting comrades.

There's neither honesty, manhood, nor good fellowship in thee.
Shak.

Fel"low*ship (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fellowshiped (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n.. Fellowshiping.] (Eccl.) To acknowledge as of good standing, or in communion according to standards of faith and practice; to admit to Christian fellowship.

Fel"ly (?), adv. In a fell or cruel manner; fiercely; barbarously; savagely. Spenser.

Fel"ly, n.; pl. Fellies (&?;). [OE. feli, felwe, felow, AS. felg, felge; akin to D. velg, G. felge, OHG. felga felly (also, a harrow, but prob. a different word), Dan. felge.] The exterior wooden rim, or a segment of the rim, of a wheel, supported by the spokes. [Written also felloe.]

Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel.
Shak.

||Fe"lo-de-se` (?), n.; pl. Felos-de-se (#). [LL. felo, E. felon + de of, concerning + se self.] (Law) One who deliberately puts an end to his own existence, or loses his life while engaged in the commission of an unlawful or malicious act; a suicide. Burrill.

Fel"on (?), n. [OE., adj., cruel, n., villain, ruffian, traitor, whitlow, F. félon traitor, in OF. also, villain, fr. LL. felo. See Fell, a.] 1. (Law) A person who has committed a felony.

2. A person guilty or capable of heinous crime.

3. (Med.) A kind of whitlow; a painful imflammation of the periosteum of a finger, usually of the last joint.

Syn. -- Criminal; convict; malefactor; culprit.

Fel"on, a. Characteristic of a felon; malignant; fierce; malicious; cruel; traitorous; disloyal.

Vain shows of love to vail his felon hate.
Pope.

Fe*lo"ni*ous (?), a. Having the quality of felony; malignant; malicious; villainous; traitorous; perfidious; in a legal sense, done with intent to commit a crime; as, felonious homicide.

O thievish Night,
Why should'st thou, but for some felonious end,
In thy dark lantern thus close up the stars?
Milton.

-- Fe*lo"ni*ous*ly, adv. -- Fe*lo"ni*ous*ness, n.

Fel"o*nous (?), a. [Cf. OF. feloneus. Cf. Felonious.] Wicked; felonious. [Obs.] Spenser.

Fel"on*ry (?), n. A body of felons; specifically, the convict population of a penal colony. Howitt.

Fel"on*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) The bittersweet nightshade (Solanum Dulcamara). See Bittersweet.

Fel"o*ny (?), n.; pl. Felonies (#). [OE. felonie cruelty, OF. felonie, F. félonie treachery, malice. See Felon, n.] 1. (Feudal Law) An act on the part of the vassal which cost him his fee by forfeiture. Burrill.

2. (O. Eng. Law) An offense which occasions a total forfeiture either lands or goods, or both, at the common law, and to which capital or other punishment may be added, according to the degree of guilt.

3. A heinous crime; especially, a crime punishable by death or imprisonment.

&fist; Forfeiture for crime having been generally abolished in the United States, the term felony, in American law, has lost this point of distinction; and its meaning, where not fixed by statute, is somewhat vague and undefined; generally, however, it is used to denote an offense of a high grade, punishable either capitally or by a term of imprisonment. In Massachusetts, by statute, any crime punishable by death or imprisonment in the state prison, and no other, is a felony; so in New York. the tendency now is to obliterate the distinction between felonies and misdemeanors; and this has been done partially in England, and completely in some of the States of the Union. The distinction is purely arbitrary, and its entire abolition is only a question of time.

&fist; There is no lawyer who would undertake to tell what a felony is, otherwise than by enumerating the various kinds of offenses which are so called. originally, the word felony had a meaning: it denoted all offenses the penalty of which included forfeiture of goods; but subsequent acts of Parliament have declared various offenses to be felonies, without enjoining that penalty, and have taken away the penalty from others, which continue, nevertheless, to be called felonies, insomuch that the acts so called have now no property whatever in common, save that of being unlawful and purnishable. J. S. Mill.

To compound a felony. See under Compound, v. t.

Fel"site (?), n. [Cf. Feldspar.] (Min.) A finegrained rock, flintlike in fracture, consisting essentially of orthoclase feldspar with occasional grains of quartz.

Fel*sit"ic (?), a. relating to, composed of, or containing, felsite.

{ Fel"spar` (?), Fel"spath` (?) }, n. (Min.) See Feldspar.

Fel*spath"ic (?), a. See Feldspathic.

Fel"stone` (?), n. [From G. feldstein, in analogy with E. felspar.] (Min.) See Felsite.

Felt (?), imp. & p. p. or a. from Feel.

Felt (?), n. [AS. felt; akin to D. vilt, G. filz, and possibly to Gr. &?; hair or wool wrought into felt, L. pilus hair, pileus a felt cap or hat.] 1. A cloth or stuff made of matted fibers of wool, or wool and fur, fulled or wrought into a compact substance by rolling and pressure, with lees or size, without spinning or weaving.

It were a delicate stratagem to shoe
A troop of horse with felt.
Shak.

2. A hat made of felt. Thynne.

3. A skin or hide; a fell; a pelt. [Obs.]

To know whether sheep are sound or not, see that the felt be loose.
Mortimer.

Felt grain, the grain of timber which is transverse to the annular rings or plates; the direction of the medullary rays in oak and some other timber. Knight.

Felt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Felted; p. pr. & vb. n. Felting.] 1. To make into felt, or a feltike substance; to cause to adhere and mat together. Sir M. Hale.

2. To cover with, or as with, felt; as, to felt the cylinder of a steam engine.

Felt"er (?), v. t. To clot or mat together like felt.

His feltered locks that on his bosom fell.
Fairfax.

Felt"ing, n. 1. The material of which felt is made; also, felted cloth; also, the process by which it is made.

2. The act of splitting timber by the felt grain.

Fel"try (?), n. [OF. feltre.] See Felt, n. [Obs.]

Fe*luc"ca (&?;), n. [It. feluca (cf. Sp. faluca, Pg. falua), fr. Ar. fulk ship, or harrāqah a sort of ship.] (Naut.) A small, swift-sailing vessel, propelled by oars and lateen sails, -- once common in the Mediterranean. Sometimes it is constructed so that the helm may be used at either end.

Fel"wort` (?), n. [Probably a corruption of fieldwort.] (Bot.) A European herb (Swertia perennis) of the Gentian family.

Fe"male (?), n. [OE. femel, femal, F. femelle, fr. L. femella, dim. of femina woman. See Feminine.] 1. An individual of the sex which conceives and brings forth young, or (in a wider sense) which has an ovary and produces ova.

The male and female of each living thing.
Drayton.

2. (Bot.) A plant which produces only that kind of reproductive organs which are capable of developing into fruit after impregnation or fertilization; a pistillate plant.

Fe"male, a. 1. Belonging to the sex which conceives and gives birth to young, or (in a wider sense) which produces ova; not male.

As patient as the female dove
When that her golden couplets are disclosed.
Shak.

2. Belonging to an individual of the female sex; characteristic of woman; feminine; as, female tenderness. "Female usurpation.'b8 Milton.

To the generous decision of a female mind, we owe the discovery of America.
Belknap.

3. (Bot.) Having pistils and no stamens; pistillate; or, in cryptogamous plants, capable of receiving fertilization.

Female rhymes (Pros.), double rhymes, or rhymes (called in French feminine rhymes because they end in e weak, or feminine) in which two syllables, an accented and an unaccented one, correspond at the end of each line.

&fist; A rhyme, in which the final syllables only agree (strain, complain) is called a male rhyme; one in which the two final syllables of each verse agree, the last being short (motion, ocean), is called female. Brande & C.

-- Female screw, the spiral-threaded cavity into which another, or male, screw turns. Nicholson. -- Female fern (Bot.), a common species of fern with large decompound fronds (Asplenium Filixfæmina), growing in many countries; lady fern.

&fist; The names male fern and female fern were anciently given to two common ferns; but it is now understood that neither has any sexual character.

Syn. -- Female, Feminine. We apply female to the sex or individual, as opposed to male; also, to the distinctive belongings of women; as, female dress, female form, female character, etc.; feminine, to things appropriate to, or affected by, women; as, feminine studies, employments, accomplishments, etc. "Female applies to sex rather than gender, and is a physiological rather than a grammatical term. Feminine applies to gender rather than sex, and is grammatical rather than physiological." Latham.

Fe"mal*ist (?), n. A gallant. [Obs.]

Courting her smoothly like a femalist.
Marston.

Fe"mal*ize (?), v. t. To make, or to describe as, female or feminine. Shaftesbury.

||Feme (f&ebreve;m or făm), n. [OF. feme, F. femme.] (Old Law) A woman. Burrill.

Feme covert (Law), a married woman. See Covert, a., 3. -- Feme sole (Law), a single or unmarried woman; a woman who has never been married, or who has been divorced, or whose husband is dead. -- Feme sole trader or merchant (Eng. Law), a married woman, who, by the custom of London, engages in business on her own account, inpendently of her husband.

Fem"er*al (?), n. (Arch.) See Femerell.

Fem"er*ell (?), n. [OF. fumeraille part of a chimney. See Fume.] (Arch.) A lantern, or louver covering, placed on a roof, for ventilation or escape of smoke.

Fem"i*nal (?), a. Feminine. [Obs.] West.

Fem`i*nal"i*ty (?), n. Feminity.

Fem"i*nate (?), a. [L. feminatus effeminate.] Feminine. [Obs.]

Fem`i*ne"i*ty (?), n. [L. femineus womanly.] Womanliness; femininity. C. Reade.

Fem"i*nine (?), a. [L. femininus, fr. femina woman; prob. akin to L. fetus, or to Gr. qh^sqai to suck, qh^sai to suckle, Skr. dhā to suck; cf. AS. f&aemacr;mme woman, maid: cf. F. féminin. See Fetus.] 1. Of or pertaining to a woman, or to women; characteristic of a woman; womanish; womanly.

Her letters are remarkably deficient in feminine ease and grace.
Macaulay.

2. Having the qualities of a woman; becoming or appropriate to the female sex; as, in a good sense, modest, graceful, affectionate, confiding; or, in a bad sense, weak, nerveless, timid, pleasure-loving, effeminate.

Her heavenly form
Angelic, but more soft and feminine.
Milton.

Ninus being esteemed no man of war at all, but altogether feminine, and subject to ease and delicacy.
Sir W. Raleigh.

Feminine rhyme. (Pros.) See Female rhyme, under Female, a.

Syn. -- See Female, a.

Fem"i*nine, n. 1. A woman. [Obs. or Colloq.]

They guide the feminines toward the palace.
Hakluyt.

2. (Gram.) Any one of those words which are the appellations of females, or which have the terminations usually found in such words; as, actress, songstress, abbess, executrix.

There are but few true feminines in English.
Latham.

Fem"i*nine*ly, adv. In a feminine manner. Byron.

Fem"i*nine*ness, n. The quality of being feminine; womanliness; womanishness.

Fem`i*nin"i*ty (?), n. 1. The quality or nature of the female sex; womanliness.

2. The female form. [Obs.]

O serpent under femininitee.
Chaucer.

Fe*min"i*ty (?), n. Womanliness; femininity. [Obs.] "Trained up in true feminity." Spenser.

Fem`i*ni*za"tion (?), n. The act of feminizing, or the state of being feminized.

Fem"i*nize (?), v. t. [Cf. F. féminiser.] To make womanish or effeminate. Dr. H. More.

Fem"i*nye (?), n. [OF. femenie, feminie, the female sex, realm of women.] The people called Amazons. [Obs.] "[The reign of] feminye." Chaucer.

||Femme (? or ?), n. [F.] A woman. See Feme, n.

Femme de chambre (?). [F.] A lady's maid; a chambermaid.

Fem"o*ral (?), a. [L. femur, femoris, thigh: cf. F. fémoral.] Pertaining to the femur or thigh; as, the femoral artery. "Femoral habiliments." Sir W. Scott.

||Fe"mur (fē"mŭr), n.; pl. Femora (f&ebreve;m"&osl;*r&adot;). [L. thigh.] (Anat.) (a) The thigh bone. (b) The proximal segment of the hind limb containing the thigh bone; the thigh. See Coxa.

Fen (?), n. [AS. fen, fenn, marsh, mud, dirt; akin to D. veen, OFries. fenne, fene, OHG. fenna, G. fenn, Icel. fen, Goth. fani mud.] Low land overflowed, or covered wholly or partially with water, but producing sedge, coarse grasses, or other aquatic plants; boggy land; moor; marsh.

'Mid reedy fens wide spread.
Wordsworth.

&fist; Fen is used adjectively with the sense of belonging to, or of the nature of, a fen or fens.

Fen boat, a boat of light draught used in marshes. -- Fen duck (Zoöl.), a wild duck inhabiting fens; the shoveler. [Prov. Eng.] -- Fen fowl (Zoöl.), any water fowl that frequent fens. -- Fen goose (Zoöl.), the graylag goose of Europe. [Prov. Eng.] -- Fen land, swamp land.

Fence (?), n. [Abbrev. from defence.] 1. That which fends off attack or danger; a defense; a protection; a cover; security; shield.

Let us be backed with God and with the seas,
Which he hath given for fence impregnable.
Shak.

A fence betwixt us and the victor's wrath.
Addison.

2. An inclosure about a field or other space, or about any object; especially, an inclosing structure of wood, iron, or other material, intended to prevent intrusion from without or straying from within.

Leaps o'er the fence with ease into the fold.
Milton.

&fist; In England a hedge, ditch, or wall, as well as a structure of boards, palings, or rails, is called a fence.

3. (Locks) A projection on the bolt, which passes through the tumbler gates in locking and unlocking.

4. Self-defense by the use of the sword; the art and practice of fencing and sword play; hence, skill in debate and repartee. See Fencing.

Enjoy your dear wit, and gay rhetoric,
That hath so well been taught her dazzing fence.
Milton.

Of dauntless courage and consummate skill in fence.
Macaulay.

5. A receiver of stolen goods, or a place where they are received. [Slang] Mayhew.

Fence month (Forest Law), the month in which female deer are fawning, when hunting is prohibited. Bullokar. -- Fence roof, a covering for defense. "They fitted their shields close to one another in manner of a fence roof." Holland. -- Fence time, the breeding time of fish or game, when they should not be killed. -- Rail fence, a fence made of rails, sometimes supported by posts. -- Ring fence, a fence which encircles a large area, or a whole estate, within one inclosure. -- Worm fence, a zigzag fence composed of rails crossing one another at their ends; -- called also snake fence, or Virginia rail fence. -- To be on the fence, to be undecided or uncommitted in respect to two opposing parties or policies. [Colloq.]

Fence, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fenced (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Fencing (?).] 1. To fend off danger from; to give security to; to protect; to guard.

To fence my ear against thy sorceries.
Milton.

2. To inclose with a fence or other protection; to secure by an inclosure.

O thou wall! . . . dive in the earth,
And fence not Athens.
Shak.

A sheepcote fenced about with olive trees.
Shak.

To fence the tables (Scot. Church), to make a solemn address to those who present themselves to commune at the Lord's supper, on the feelings appropriate to the service, in order to hinder, so far as possible, those who are unworthy from approaching the table. McCheyne.

Fence (?), v. i. 1. To make a defense; to guard one's self of anything, as against an attack; to give protection or security, as by a fence.

Vice is the more stubborn as well as the more dangerous evil, and therefore, in the first place, to be fenced against.
Locke.

2. To practice the art of attack and defense with the sword or with the foil, esp. with the smallsword, using the point only.

He will fence with his own shadow.
Shak.

3. Hence, to fight or dispute in the manner of fencers, that is, by thrusting, guarding, parrying, etc.

They fence and push, and, pushing, loudly roar;
Their dewlaps and their sides are bat&?;ed in gore.
Dryden.

As when a billow, blown against,
Falls back, the voice with which I fenced
A little ceased, but recommenced.
Tennyson.

Fence"ful (?), a. Affording defense; defensive. [Obs.] Congreve.

Fence"less, a. Without a fence; uninclosed; open; unguarded; defenseless. Milton.

Fen"cer (?), n. One who fences; one who teaches or practices the art of fencing with sword or foil.

As blunt as the fencer's foils.
Shak.

Fen"ci-ble (?), a. Capable of being defended, or of making or affording defense. [Obs.]

No fort so fencible, nor walls so strong.
Spenser.

Fen"ci*ble, n. (Mil.) A soldier enlisted for home service only; -- usually in the pl.

Fen"cing (?), n. 1. The art or practice of attack and defense with the sword, esp. with the smallsword. See Fence, v. i., 2.

2. Disputing or debating in a manner resembling the art of fencers. Shak.

3. The materials used for building fences. [U.S.]

4. The act of building a fence.

5. The aggregate of the fences put up for inclosure or protection; as, the fencing of a farm.

Fen" crick`et (?). (Zoöl.) The mole cricket. [Prov. Eng.]

Fend (?), n. A fiend. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fend (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fended; p. pr. & vb. n. Fending.] [Abbrev. fr. defend.] To keep off; to prevent from entering or hitting; to ward off; to shut out; -- often with off; as, to fend off blows.

With fern beneath to fend the bitter cold.
Dryden.

To fend off a boat or vessel (Naut.), to prevent its running against anything with too much violence.

Fend, v. i. To act on the defensive, or in opposition; to resist; to parry; to shift off.

The dexterous management of terms, and being able to fend . . . with them, passes for a great part of learning.
Locke.

Fen"der (?), n. [From Fend, v. t. & i., cf. Defender.] One who or that which defends or protects by warding off harm; as: (a) A screen to prevent coals or sparks of an open fire from escaping to the floor. (b) Anything serving as a cushion to lessen the shock when a vessel comes in contact with another vessel or a wharf. (c) A screen to protect a carriage from mud thrown off the wheels: also, a splashboard. (d) Anything set up to protect an exposed angle, as of a house, from damage by carriage wheels.

Fend"liche (?), a. Fiendlike. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fen"er*ate (?), v. i. [L. faeneratus, p. p. of faenerari lend on interest, fr. faenus interest.] To put money to usury; to lend on interest. [Obs.] Cockeram.

Fen`er*a"tion (?), n. [L. faeneratio.] The act of fenerating; interest. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

||Fen`es-tel"la (?), n. [L., dim. of fenestra &?; window.] (Arch.) Any small windowlike opening or recess, esp. one to show the relics within an altar, or the like.

||Fe*nes"tra (?), n.; pl. Fenestræ (#). [L., a window.] (Anat.) A small opening; esp., one of the apertures, closed by membranes, between the tympanum and internal ear.

Fe*nes"tral (?), a. [L. fenestra a window.] 1. (Arch.) Pertaining to a window or to windows.

2. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to a fenestra.

Fe*nes"tral, n. (Arch.) A casement or window sash, closed with cloth or paper instead of glass. Weale.

Fe*nes"trate (?), a. [L. fenestratus, p. p. of fenestrare to furnish with openings and windows.] 1. Having numerous openings; irregularly reticulated; as, fenestrate membranes; fenestrate fronds.

2. (Zoöl.) Having transparent spots, as the wings of certain butterflies.

Fe*nes"tra*ted (?), a. 1. (Arch.) Having windows; characterized by windows.

2. Same as Fenestrate.

Fen`es*tra"tion (?), n. 1. (Arch.) The arrangement and proportioning of windows; -- used by modern writers for the decorating of an architectural composition by means of the window (and door) openings, their ornaments, and proportions.

2. (Anat.) The state or condition of being fenestrated.

Fe*nes"trule (?), n. [L. fenestrula a little window, dim. of fenestra a window.] (Zoöl.) One of the openings in a fenestrated structure.

Fen"gite (?), n. (Min.) A kind of marble or alabaster, sometimes used for windows on account of its transparency.

Fe"ni*an (?), n. [From the Finians or Fenii, the old militia of Ireland, who were so called from Fin or Finn, Fionn, or Fingal, a popular hero of Irish traditional history.] A member of a secret organization, consisting mainly of Irishmen, having for its aim the overthrow of English rule in Ireland.

Fe"ni*an (?), a. Pertaining to Fenians or to Fenianism.

Fe"ni*an*ism (?), n. The principles, purposes, and methods of the Fenians.

Fenks (f&ebreve;&nsm;ks), n. The refuse whale blubber, used as a manure, and in the manufacture of Prussian blue. Ure.

Fen"nec (f&ebreve;n"n&ebreve;k), n. [Ar. fanek.] (Zoöl.) A small, African, foxlike animal (Vulpes zerda) of a pale fawn color, remarkable for the large size of its ears.

Fen"nel (f&ebreve;n"n&ebreve;l), n. [AS. fenol, finol, from L. feniculum, faeniculum, dim. of fenum, faenum, hay: cf. F. fenouil. Cf. Fenugreek. Finochio.] (Bot.) A perennial plant of the genus Fæniculum (F. vulgare), having very finely divided leaves. It is cultivated in gardens for the agreeable aromatic flavor of its seeds.

Smell of sweetest fennel.
Milton.

A sprig of fennel was in fact the theological smelling bottle of the tender sex.
S. G. Goodrich.

Azorean, or Sweet, fennel, (Fæniculum dulce). It is a smaller and stouter plant than the common fennel, and is used as a pot herb. -- Dog's fennel (Anthemis Cotula), a foul- smelling European weed; -- called also mayweed. -- Fennel flower (Bot.), an herb (Nigella) of the Buttercup family, having leaves finely divided, like those of the fennel. N. Damascena is common in gardens. N. sativa furnishes the fennel seed, used as a condiment, etc., in India. These seeds are the "fitches" mentioned in Isaiah (xxviii. 25). -- Fennel water (Med.), the distilled water of fennel seed. It is stimulant and carminative. -- Giant fennel (Ferula communis), has stems full of pith, which, it is said, were used to carry fire, first, by Prometheus. -- Hog's fennel, a European plant (Peucedanum officinale) looking something like fennel.

Fen"nish (?), a. Abounding in fens; fenny.

Fen"ny (?), a. [AS. fennig.] Pertaining to, or inhabiting, a fen; abounding in fens; swampy; boggy. "Fenny snake." Shak.

Fen"owed (?), a. [AS. fynig musty, fynegean to become musty or filthy: cf. fennig fenny, muddy, dirty, fr. fen fen. Cf. Finew.] Corrupted; decayed; moldy. See Vinnewed. [Obs.] Dr. Favour.

Fen"si-ble (?), a. Fencible. [Obs.] Spenser.

Fen"-sucked` (?), a. Sucked out of marches. "Fen-sucked fogs." Shak.

Fen"u*greek (? or ?), n. [L. faenum Graecum, lit., Greek hay: cf. F. fenugrec. Cf. Fennel.] (Bot.) A plant (trigonella Fœnum Græcum) cultivated for its strong-smelling seeds, which are "now only used for giving false importance to horse medicine and damaged hay." J. Smith (Pop. Names of Plants, 1881).

Feod (?), n. A feud. See 2d Feud. Blackstone.

Feod"al (?), a. Feudal. See Feudal.

Feo*dal"i*ty (?), n. Feudal tenure; the feudal system. See Feudality. Burke.

Feod"a*ry (?), n. 1. An accomplice.

Art thou a feodary for this act?
Shak.

2. (Eng. Law) An ancient officer of the court of wards. Burrill.

Feod"a*to*ry (?), n. See Feudatory.

Feoff (?; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feoffed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.. Feoffing.] [OE. feffen, OF. feffer, fieffer, F. fieffer, fr. fief fief; cf. LL. feoffare, fefare. See Fief.] (Law) To invest with a fee or feud; to give or grant a corporeal hereditament to; to enfeoff.

Feoff, n. (Law) A fief. See Fief.

Feof*fee" (?; 277), n. [OF. feoffé.] (Law) The person to whom a feoffment is made; the person enfeoffed.

Feoff"ment (?), n. [OF. feoffement, fieffement; cf. LL. feoffamentum.] (Law) (a) The grant of a feud or fee. (b) (Eng. Law) A gift or conveyance in fee of land or other corporeal hereditaments, accompanied by actual delivery of possession. Burrill.

(c) The instrument or deed by which corporeal hereditaments are conveyed. [Obs. in the U.S., Rare in Eng.]

{ Feo"for (?), Feof"fer (?) }, n. [OF. feoour.] (Law) One who enfeoffs or grants a fee.

Fer (?), a. & adv. Far. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fe*ra"cious (?), a. [L. ferax, -acis, fr. ferre to bear.] Fruitful; producing abundantly. [R.] Thomson.

Fe*rac"i*ty (?), n. [L. feracitas.] The state of being feracious or fruitful. [Obs.] Beattie.

||Fe"ræ (?), n. pl. [L., wild animals, fem. pl. of ferus wild.] (Zoöl.) A group of mammals which formerly included the Carnivora, Insectivora, Marsupialia, and lemurs, but is now often restricted to the Carnivora.

||Fe"ræ na*tu"ræ (?). [L.] Of a wild nature; -- applied to animals, as foxes, wild ducks, etc., in which no one can claim property.

Fe"ral (?), a. [L. ferus. See Fierce.] (Bot. & Zoöl.) Wild; untamed; ferine; not domesticated; -- said of beasts, birds, and plants.

Fe"ral, a. [L. feralis, belonging to the dead.] Funereal; deadly; fatal; dangerous. [R.] "Feral accidents." Burton.

Ferde (?), obs. imp. of Fare. Chaucer.

||Fer`-de-lance" (?), n. [F., the iron of a lance, lance head.] (Zoöl.) A large, venomous serpent (Trigonocephalus lanceolatus) of Brazil and the West Indies. It is allied to the rattlesnake, but has no rattle.

Fer"ding (?), n. [See Farthing.] A measure of land mentioned in Domesday Book. It is supposed to have consisted of a few acres only. [Obs.]

Ferd"ness (?), n. [OE. ferd fear. See Fear.] Fearfulness. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fere (?), n. [OE. fere companion, AS. gefēra, from fēran to go, travel, faran to travel. √78. See Fare.] A mate or companion; -- often used of a wife. [Obs.] [Written also fear and feere.] Chaucer.

And Cambel took Cambrina to his fere.
Spenser.

In fere, together; in company. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fere, a. [Cf. L. ferus wild.] Fierce. [Obs.]

Fere, n. [See Fire.] Fire. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fere, n. [See Fear.] Fear. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fere, v. t. & i. To fear. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fer`e*to*ry (?), n. [L. feretrum bier, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to bear, akin to L. ferre, E. bear to support.] A portable bier or shrine, variously adorned, used for containing relics of saints. Mollett.

Fer"forth` (?), adv. Far forth. [Obs.]

As ferforth as, as far as. -- So ferforth, to such a degree.

Fer"forth`ly, adv. Ferforth. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fer"gu*son*ite (?), n. (Min.) A mineral of a brownish black color, essentially a tantalo- niobate of yttrium, erbium, and cerium; -- so called after Robert Ferguson.

||Fe"ri*a (?), n.; pl. Feriæ (&?;). (Eccl.) A week day, esp. a day which is neither a festival nor a fast. Shipley.

Fe"ri*al (?), n. Same as Feria.

Fe"ri*al, a. [LL. ferialis, fr. L. ferie holidays: cf. F. férial. See 5th Fair.] 1. Of or pertaining to holidays. [Obs.] J. Gregory.

2. Belonging to any week day, esp. to a day that is neither a festival nor a fast.

Fe`ri*a"tion (?), n. [L. feriari to keep holiday, fr. ferie holidays.] The act of keeping holiday; cessation from work. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Fe"rie (?), n. [OF. ferie, fr. L. ferie holidays. See 5th Fair.] A holiday. [Obs.] Bullokar.

Fe"ri*er (?), a., compar. of Fere, fierce. [Obs.]

Rhenus ferier than the cataract.
Marston.

Fe"rine (?), a. [L. ferinus, fr. ferus wild. See Fierce.] Wild; untamed; savage; as, lions, tigers, wolves, and bears are ferine beasts. Sir M. Hale. -- n. A wild beast; a beast of prey. -- Fe"rine*ly, adv. - - Fe"rine*ness, n.

||Fer*in"gee (?), n. [Per. Farangī, or Ar. Firanjī, properly, a Frank.] The name given to Europeans by the Hindos. [Written also Feringhee.]

Fer"i*ty (?), n. [L. feritas, from ferus wild.] Wildness; savageness; fierceness. [Obs.] Woodward.

Fer"ly (?), a. [AS. f&?;rlic sudden, unexpected. See Fear, n.] Singular; wonderful; extraordinary. [Obs.] -- n. A wonder; a marvel. [Obs.]

Who hearkened ever such a ferly thing.
Chaucer.

{ Ferm, Ferme (?), n. }[See Farm.] Rent for a farm; a farm; also, an abode; a place of residence; as, he let his land to ferm. [Obs.]

Out of her fleshy ferme fled to the place of pain.
Spenser.

Fer"ma*cy (?), n. [OE. See Pharmacy.] Medicine; pharmacy. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fer"ment (?), n. [L. fermentum ferment (in senses 1 & 2), perh. for fervimentum, fr. fervere to be boiling hot, boil, ferment: cf. F. ferment. Cf. 1st Barm, Fervent.] 1. That which causes fermentation, as yeast, barm, or fermenting beer.

&fist; Ferments are of two kinds: (a) Formed or organized ferments. (b) Unorganized or structureless ferments. The latter are also called soluble or chemical ferments, and enzymes. Ferments of the first class are as a rule simple microscopic vegetable organisms, and the fermentations which they engender are due to their growth and development; as, the acetic ferment, the butyric ferment, etc. See Fermentation. Ferments of the second class, on the other hand, are chemical substances, as a rule soluble in glycerin and precipitated by alcohol. In action they are catalytic and, mainly, hydrolytic. Good examples are pepsin of the dastric juice, ptyalin of the salvia, and disease of malt.

2. Intestine motion; heat; tumult; agitation.

Subdue and cool the ferment of desire.
Rogers.

the nation is in a ferment.
Walpole.

3. A gentle internal motion of the constituent parts of a fluid; fermentation. [R.]

Down to the lowest lees the ferment ran.
Thomson.

ferment oils, volatile oils produced by the fermentation of plants, and not originally contained in them. These were the quintessences of the alchenists. Ure.

Fer*ment" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fermented; p. pr. & vb. n. Fermenting.] [L. fermentare, fermentatum: cf. F. fermenter. See Ferment, n.] To cause ferment of fermentation in; to set in motion; to excite internal emotion in; to heat.

Ye vigorous swains! while youth ferments your blood.
Pope.

Fer*ment", v. i. 1. To undergo fermentation; to be in motion, or to be excited into sensible internal motion, as the constituent particles of an animal or vegetable fluid; to work; to effervesce.

2. To be agitated or excited by violent emotions.

But finding no redress, ferment and rage.
Milton.

The intellect of the age was a fermenting intellect.
De Quincey.

Fer*ment`a*bil"i*ty (?), n. Capability of fermentation.

Fer*ment"a*ble (?), a. [Cf. F. fermentable.] Capable of fermentation; as, cider and other vegetable liquors are fermentable.

Fer*ment"al (?), a. Fermentative. [Obs.]

Fer`men*ta"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. fermentation.] 1. The process of undergoing an effervescent change, as by the action of yeast; in a wider sense (Physiol. Chem.), the transformation of an organic substance into new compounds by the action of a ferment, either formed or unorganized. It differs in kind according to the nature of the ferment which causes it.

2. A state of agitation or excitement, as of the intellect or the feelings.

It puts the soul to fermentation and activity.
Jer. Taylor.

A univesal fermentation of human thought and faith.
C. Kingsley.

Acetous, or Acetic, fermentation, a form of oxidation in which alcohol is converted into vinegar or acetic acid by the agency of a specific fungus or ferment (Mycoderma aceti). The process involves two distinct reactions, in which the oxygen of the air is essential. An intermediate product, aldehyde, is formed in the first process.

1. C2H6O + O = H2O + C2H4O Alcohol. Water. Aldehyde.

2. C2H4O + O = C2H4O2 Aldehyde. Acetic acid.

-- Alcoholic fermentation, the fermentation which saccharine bodies undergo when brought in contact with the yeast plant or Torula. The sugar is converted, either directly or indirectly, into alcohol and carbonic acid, the rate of action being dependent on the rapidity with which the Torulæ develop. - - Ammoniacal fermentation, the conversion of the urea of the urine into ammonium carbonate, through the growth of the special urea ferment.

CON2H4 + 2H2O = (NH4)2CO3 Urea. Water. Ammonium carbonate.

Whenever urine is exposed to the air in open vessels for several days it undergoes this alkaline fermentation. -- Butyric fermentation, the decomposition of various forms of organic matter, through the agency of a peculiar worm-shaped vibrio, with formation of more or less butyric acid. It is one of the many forms of fermentation that collectively constitute putrefaction. See Lactic fermentation. -- Fermentation by an unorganized ferment or enzyme. Fermentations of this class are purely chemical reactions, in which the ferment acts as a simple catalytic agent. Of this nature are the decomposition or inversion of cane sugar into levulose and dextrose by boiling with dilute acids, the conversion of starch into dextrin and sugar by similar treatment, the conversion of starch into like products by the action of diastase of malt or ptyalin of saliva, the conversion of albuminous food into peptones and other like products by the action of pepsin-hydrochloric acid of the gastric juice or by the ferment of the pancreatic juice. -- Fermentation theory of disease (Biol. & Med.), the theory that most if not all, infectious or zymotic disease are caused by the introduction into the organism of the living germs of ferments, or ferments already developed (organized ferments), by which processes of fermentation are set up injurious to health. See Germ theory. -- Glycerin fermentation, the fermentation which occurs on mixing a dilute solution of glycerin with a peculiar species of schizomycetes and some carbonate of lime, and other matter favorable to the growth of the plant, the glycerin being changed into butyric acid, caproic acid, butyl, and ethyl alcohol. With another form of bacterium (Bacillus subtilis) ethyl alcohol and butyric acid are mainly formed. -- Lactic fermentation, the transformation of milk sugar or other saccharine body into lactic acid, as in the souring of milk, through the agency of a special bacterium (Bacterium lactis of Lister). In this change the milk sugar, before assuming the form of lactic acid, presumably passes through the stage of glucose.

C12H22O11.H2O = 4C3H6O3 Hydrated milk sugar. Lactic acid.

In the lactic fermentation of dextrose or glucose, the lactic acid which is formed is very prone to undergo butyric fermentation after the manner indicated in the following equation: 2C3H6O3 (lactic acid) = C4H8O2 (butyric acid) + 2CO2 (carbonic acid) + 2H2 (hydrogen gas). -- Putrefactive fermentation. See Putrefaction.

Fer*ment"a*tive (?), a. [Cf. F. fermentatif.] Causing, or having power to cause, fermentation; produced by fermentation; fermenting; as, a fermentative process.

-- Fer*ment"a*tive*ly, adv. -- Fer*ment"a*tive*ness, n.

Fer"mer*ere (?), n. [OF. enfermerier, fr. enfermerie infirmary. See Infirmary.] The officer in a religious house who had the care of the infirmary. [Obs.]

Fer"mil*let (?), n. [OF., dim. of fermeil, fermail, clasp, prob. fr. OF. & F. fermer to make fast, fr. ferme fast. See Firm.] A buckle or clasp. [Obs.] Donne.

Fern (?), adv. Long ago. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fern, a. [AS. fyrn.] Ancient; old. [Obs.] "Pilgrimages to . . . ferne halwes." [saints]. Chaucer.

Fern (f&etilde;rn), n. [AS. fearn; akin to D. varen, G. farn, farnkraut; cf. Skr. parn.a wing, feather, leaf, sort of plant, or Lith. papartis fern.] (Bot.) An order of cryptogamous plants, the Filices, which have their fructification on the back of the fronds or leaves. They are usually found in humid soil, sometimes grow epiphytically on trees, and in tropical climates often attain a gigantic size.

&fist; The plants are asexual, and bear clustered sporangia, containing minute spores, which germinate and form prothalli, on which are borne the true organs of reproduction. The brake or bracken, the maidenhair, and the polypody are all well known ferns.

Christmas fern. See under Christmas. -- Climbing fern (Bot.), a delicate North American fern (Lygodium palmatum), which climbs several feet high over bushes, etc., and is much sought for purposes of decoration. -- Fern owl. (Zoöl.) (a) The European goatsucker. (b) The short-eared owl. [Prov. Eng.] -- Fern shaw, a fern thicket. [Eng.] R. Browning.

Fern"er*y (?), n. A place for rearing ferns.

Fern"ti*cle (?), n. A freckle on the skin, resembling the seed of fern. [Prov. Eng.]

Fern"y (?), a. Abounding in ferns.

Fe*ro"cious (?), a. [L. ferox, -ocis, fierce: cf. F. féroce. See Ferocity.] Fierce; savage; wild; indicating cruelty; ravenous; rapacious; as, ferocious look or features; a ferocious lion.

The humbled power of a ferocious enemy.
Lowth.

Syn. -- Ferocious, Fierce, Savage, Barbarous. When these words are applied to human feelings or conduct, ferocious describes the disposition; fierce, the haste and violence of an act; barbarous, the coarseness and brutality by which it was marked; savage, the cruel and unfeeling spirit which it showed. A man is ferocious in his temper, fierce in his actions, barbarous in the manner of carrying out his purposes, savage in the spirit and feelings expressed in his words or deeds.

-- Fe*ro"cious*ly, adv. -- Fe*ro"cious*ness, n.

It [Christianity] has adapted the ferociousness of war.
Blair.

Fe*roc"i*ty (?), n. [L. ferocitas, fr. ferox, -ocis, fierce, kin to ferus wild: cf. F. ferocité. See Fierce.] Savage wildness or fierceness; fury; cruelty; as, ferocity of countenance.

The pride and ferocity of a Highland chief.
Macaulay.

||Fer*o"her (?), n. (Archæol.) A symbol of the solar deity, found on monuments exhumed in Babylon, Nineveh, etc.

Fe"rous (?), a. [L. ferus. See Fierce.] Wild; savage. [R.] Arthur Wilson.

-fer*ous (?). [L. -fer. fr. ferre to bear. See Bear to support.] A suffix signifying bearing, producing, yielding; as, auriferous, yielding gold; chyliferous, producing chyle.

Fer*ran"dine (? or ?), n. [F.; cf. OF. ferrant iron-gray, from L. ferrum iron.] A stuff made of silk and wool.

I did buy a colored silk ferrandine.
Pepys.

Fer*ra"ra (?), n. A sword bearing the mark of one of the Ferrara family of Italy. These swords were highly esteemed in England and Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Fer`ra*rese" (?), a. Pertaining to Ferrara, in Italy. -- n., sing. & pl. A citizen of Ferrara; collectively, the inhabitants of Ferrara.

Fer"ra*ry (?), n. [L. ferraria iron works. See Ferreous.] The art of working in iron. [Obs.] Chapman.

Fer"rate (?), n. [L. ferrum iron.] (Chem.) A salt of ferric acid.

{ Fer"re (?), Fer"rer (?), a. & adv. } Obs. compar. of Fer.

Fer"re*ous (?), a. [L. ferreus, fr. ferrum iron. Cf. Farrier, Ferrous.] Partaking of, made of, or pertaining to, iron; like iron. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Fer"rest (?), a. & adv. Obs. superl. of Fer. Chaucer.

Fer"ret (?), n. [F. furet, cf. LL. furo; prob. fr. L. fur thief (cf. Furtive); cf. Arm. fur wise, sly.] (Zoöl.) An animal of the Weasel family (Mustela or Putorius furo), about fourteen inches in length, of a pale yellow or white color, with red eyes. It is a native of Africa, but has been domesticated in Europe. Ferrets are used to drive rabbits and rats out of their holes.

Fer"ret, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ferreted; p. pr. & vb. n. Ferreting.] [Cf. F. fureter. See Ferret, n.] To drive or hunt out of a lurking place, as a ferret does the cony; to search out by patient and sagacious efforts; -- often used with out; as, to ferret out a secret.

Master Fer! I'll fer him, and firk him, and ferret him.
Shak.

Fer"ret, n. [Ital. foretto, dim. of fiore flower; or F. fleuret. Cf. Floret.] A kind of narrow tape, usually made of woolen; sometimes of cotton or silk; -- called also ferreting.

Fer"ret, n. [F. feret, dim. or fer iron, L. ferrum.] (Glass Making) The iron used for trying the melted glass to see if is fit to work, and for shaping the rings at the mouths of bottles.

Fer"ret*er (?), n. One who ferrets. Johnson.

Fer"ret-eye` (?), n. (Zoöl.) The spur-winged goose; -- so called from the red circle around the eyes.

Fer*ret"to (?), n. [It. ferretto di Spagna, dim. of ferro iron, fr. L. ferrum.] Copper sulphide, used to color glass. Hebert.

Fer"ri- (&?;). (Chem.) A combining form indicating ferric iron as an ingredient; as, ferricyanide.

Fer"ri*age (?; 48), n. [From Ferry.] The price or fare to be paid for passage at a ferry.

Fer"ric (?), a. [L. ferrum iron: cf. F. ferrique. See Ferrous.] Pertaining to, derived from, or containing iron. Specifically (Chem.), denoting those compounds in which iron has a higher valence than in the ferrous compounds; as, ferric oxide; ferric acid.

Ferric acid (Chem.), an acid, H2FeO4, which is not known in the free state, but forms definite salts, analogous to the chromates and sulphates. -- Ferric oxide (Chem.), sesquioxide of iron, Fe2O3; hematite. See Hematite.

Fer`ri*cy"a*nate (?), n. [Ferri- + cyanate.] (Chem.) A salt of ferricyanic acid; a ferricyanide.

Fer`ri*cy*an"ic (?), a. [Ferri- + cyanic.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, a ferricyanide.

Ferricyanic acid (Chem.), a brown crystalline substance, H6(CN)12Fe2, obtained from potassium ferricyanide, and regarded as the type of the ferricyanides; -- called also hydro-ferricyanic acid, hydrogen ferricyanide, etc.

Fer`ri*cy"a*nide (?; 104), n. [Ferri- + cyanide.] (Chem.) One of a complex series of double cyanides of ferric iron and some other base.

Potassium ferricyanide (Chem.), red prussiate of potash; a dark, red, crystalline salt, K6(CN)12Fe2, consisting of the double cyanide of potassium and ferric iron. From it is derived the ferrous ferricyanate, Turnbull's blue.

Fer"ri*er (?), n. A ferryman. Calthrop.

Fer*rif"er*ous (?), a. [L. ferrum iron + -ferous: cf. F. ferrifère.] Producing or yielding iron.

Fer`ri*prus"si*ate (? or ?; see Prussiate, 277), n. [Ferri- + prussiate.] (Chem.) A ferricyanate; a ferricyanide. [R.]

Fer`ri*prus"sic (? or ?; see Prussik, 277), a. [Ferri- + prussic.] (Chem.) Ferricyanic. [R.]

Fer"ro- (&?;). (Chem.) A prefix, or combining form, indicating ferrous iron as an ingredient; as, ferrocyanide.

Fer`ro*cal"cite (?), n. [Ferro- + calcite.] Limestone containing a large percentage of iron carbonate, and hence turning brown on exposure.

Fer`ro*cy"a*nate (?), n. [Ferro- + cyanate: cf. F. ferrocyanate.] (Chem.) A salt of ferrocyanic acid; a ferrocyanide.

Fer`ro*cy*an"ic (?), a. [Ferro- + cyanic: cf. F. ferrocyanique.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, a ferrocyanide.

ferrocyanic acid (Chem.), a white crystalline substance, H4(CN)6Fe, of strong acid properties, obtained from potassium ferrocyanide, and regarded as the type of the ferrocyanides; -- called also hydro-ferrocyanic acid, hydrogen ferrocyanide. etc.

Fer`ro*cy"a*nide (? or ?; 104), n. [Ferro- + cyanide.] (Chem.) One of a series of complex double cyanides of ferrous iron and some other base.

Potassium ferrocyanide (Chem.), yellow prussiate of potash; a tough, yellow, crystalline salt, K4(CN)6Fe, the starting point in the manufacture of almost all cyanogen compounds, and the basis of the ferric ferrocyanate, prussian blue. It is obtained by strongly heating together potash, scrap iron, and animal matter containing nitrogen, as horn, leather, blood, etc., in iron pots.

Fer`ro*prus"si*ate (&?; or &?; or &?;; see Prussiate, 277), n. [Ferro- + prussiate.] (Chem.) A ferrocyanate; a ferocyanide. [R.]

Fer`ro*prus"sic (? or ?; see Prussic, 277), a. [Ferro- + prussic.] (Chem.) Ferrocyanic.

Fer*ro"so- (&?;). (Chem.) See Ferro- .

Fer"ro*type (?), n. [L. ferrum iron + -type.] A photographic picture taken on an iron plate by a collodion process; -- familiarly called tintype.

Fer"rous (?), a. [Cf. F. ferreux. See Ferreous.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, iron; -- especially used of compounds of iron in which the iron has its lower valence; as, ferrous sulphate.

Fer*ru"gi*na`ted (?), a. [See Ferrugo.] Having the color or properties of the rust of iron.

Fer`ru*gin"e*ous (?), a. Ferruginous. [R.]

Fer*ru"gi*nous (?), a. [L. ferruginus, ferrugineus, fr. ferrugo, - ginis, iron rust: cf. F. ferrugineux. See Ferrugo.] 1. Partaking of iron; containing particles of iron. Boyle.

2. Resembling iron rust in appearance or color; brownish red, or yellowish red.

||Fer*ru"go (?), n. [L., iron rust, fr. ferrum iron.] A disease of plants caused by fungi, commonly called the rust, from its resemblance to iron rust in color.

Fer"rule (? or ?; 277), n. [Formerly verrel, F. virole, fr. L. viriola little bracelet, dim. of viriae, pl., bracelets; prob. akin to viere to twist, weave, and E. withe. The spelling with f is due to confusion with L. ferrum iron.] 1. A ring or cap of metal put round a cane, tool, handle, or other similar object, to strengthen it, or prevent splitting and wearing.

2. (Steam Boilers) A bushing for expanding the end of a flue to fasten it tightly in the tube plate, or for partly filling up its mouth.

Fer*ru"mi*nate (?), v. t. [L. ferruminatus, p. p. of ferruminare to cement, solder, fr. ferrumen cement, fr. ferrum iron.] To solder or unite, as metals. [R.] Coleridge.

Fer*ru`mi*na"tion (?), n. [L. ferruminatio: cf. F. ferrumination.] The soldering or uniting of metals. [R.] Coleridge.

Fer"ry (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ferried (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Ferrying.] [OE. ferien to convey, AS. ferian, from faran to go; akin to Icel. ferja to ferry, Goth. farjan to sail. See Fare.] To carry or transport over a river, strait, or other narrow water, in a boat.

Fer"ry, v. i. To pass over water in a boat or by a ferry.

They ferry over this Lethean sound
Both to and fro.
Milton.

Fer"ry, n.; pl. Ferries (#). [OE. feri; akin to Icel. ferja, Sw. färja, Dan. færge, G. fähre. See Ferry, v. t.] 1. A place where persons or things are carried across a river, arm of the sea, etc., in a ferryboat.

It can pass the ferry backward into light.
Milton.

To row me o'er the ferry.
Campbell.

2. A vessel in which passengers and goods are conveyed over narrow waters; a ferryboat; a wherry.

3. A franchise or right to maintain a vessel for carrying passengers and freight across a river, bay, etc., charging tolls.

Ferry bridge, a ferryboat adapted in its structure for the transfer of railroad trains across a river or bay. -- Ferry railway. See under Railway.

Fer"ry*boat` (?), n. A vessel for conveying passengers, merchandise, etc., across streams and other narrow waters.

Fer"ry*man (?), n.; pl. Ferrymen (&?;). One who maintains or attends a ferry.

Fers (?), a. Fierce. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Ferthe (?), a. Fourth. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fer"tile (? or ?; 277), a. [L. fertilis, fr. ferre to bear, produce: cf. F. fertile. See Bear to support.] 1. Producing fruit or vegetation in abundance; fruitful; able to produce abundantly; prolific; fecund; productive; rich; inventive; as, fertile land or fields; a fertile mind or imagination.

Though he in a fertile climate dwell.
Shak.

2. (Bot.) (a) Capable of producing fruit; fruit-bearing; as, fertile flowers. (b) Containing pollen; -- said of anthers.

3. produced in abundance; plenteous; ample.

Henceforth, my early care . . .
Shall tend thee, and the fertile burden ease
Of thy full branches.
Milton.

Syn. -- Fertile, Fruitful. Fertile implies the inherent power of production; fruitful, the act. The prairies of the West are fertile by nature, and are turned by cultivation into fruitful fields. The same distinction prevails when these words are used figuratively. A man of fertile genius has by nature great readiness of invention; one whose mind is fruitful has resources of thought and a readiness of application which enable him to think and act effectively.

Fer"tile*ly (? or ?; 277), adv. In a fertile or fruitful manner.

fer"tile*ness, n. Fertility. Sir P. Sidney.

Fer*til"i*tate (?), v. t. To fertilize; to fecundate. Sir T. Browne.

Fer*til"i*ty (?), n. [L. fertilitas: cf. F. fertilité.] The state or quality of being fertile or fruitful; fruitfulness; productiveness; fecundity; richness; abundance of resources; fertile invention; quickness; readiness; as, the fertility of soil, or of imagination. "fertility of resource." E. Everett.

And all her husbandry doth lie on heaps
Corrupting in its own fertility.
Shak.

Thy very weeds are beautiful; thy waste
More rich than other climes' fertility.
Byron.

Fer`ti*li*za"tion (?), n. 1. The act or process of rendering fertile.

2. (Biol.) The act of fecundating or impregnating animal or vegetable germs; esp., the process by which in flowers the pollen renders the ovule fertile, or an analogous process in flowerless plants; fecundation; impregnation.

Close fertilization (Bot.), the fertilization of pistils by pollen derived from the stamens of the same blossom. -- Cross fertilization, fertilization by pollen from some other blossom. See under Cross, a.

Fer"ti*lize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fertilized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fertilizing (?).] [Cf. F. fertiliser.] 1. To make fertile or enrich; to supply with nourishment for plants; to make fruitful or productive; as, to fertilize land, soil, ground, and meadows.

And fertilize the field that each pretends to gain.
Byron.

2. To fecundate; as, to fertilize flower. A. R. Wallace.

Fer"ti*lizer (?), n. 1. One who fertilizes; the agent that carries the fertilizing principle, as a moth to an orchid. A. R. Wallace.

2. That which renders fertile; a general name for commercial manures, as guano, phosphate of lime, etc.

||Fer"u*la (?), n. [L. ferula giant fennel (its stalks were used in punishing schoolboys), rod, whip, fr. ferire to strike; akin to OHG. berjan, Icel. berja. Cf. Ferule.] 1. A ferule. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

2. The imperial scepter in the Byzantine or Eastern Empire.

Fer`u*la"ceous (?), a. [L. ferulaceus, fr. ferula rod: cf. F. férulacé.] Pertaining to reeds and canes; having a stalk like a reed; as, ferulaceous plants.

Fer"u*lar (?), n. A ferule. [Obs.] Milton.

Fer"ule (? or ?; 277), n. [L. ferula: cf. F. férule. See Ferula.] A flat piece of wood, used for striking, children, esp. on the hand, in punishment.

Fer"ule (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feruled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Feruling.] To punish with a ferule.

Fe*ru"lic (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, asafetida (Ferula asafœtida); as, ferulic acid. [Written also ferulaic.]

Fer"vence (?), n. Heat; fervency. [Obs.]

Fer"ven*cy (?), n. [Cf. OF. fervence. See Fervent.] The state of being fervent or warm; ardor; warmth of feeling or devotion; eagerness.

When you pray, let it be with attention, with fervency, and with perseverance.
Wake.

Fer"vent (?), a. [F. fervent, L. fervens, -entis. p. pr. of fervere o the boiling hot, to boil, glow.] 1. Hot; glowing; boiling; burning; as, a fervent summer.

The elements shall melt with fervent heat.
2 Pet. iii. 10.

2. Warm in feeling; ardent in temperament; earnest; full of fervor; zealous; glowing.

Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit.
Rom. iii. 11.

So spake the fervent angel.
Milton.

A fervent desire to promote the happiness of mankind.
Macaulay.

-- Fer"vent*ly, adv. -- Fer"vent*ness, n.

Laboring fervently for you in prayers.
Col. iv. 12.

Fer*ves"cent (?), a. [L. fervescens, p. pr. of fervescere to become boiling hot, incho., fr. fervere. See Fervent.] Growing hot.

Fer"vid (?), a. [L. fervidus, fr. fervere. See Fervent.] 1. Very hot; burning; boiling.

The mounted sun
Shot down direct his fervid rays.
Milton.

2. Ardent; vehement; zealous.

The fervid wishes, holy fires.
Parnell.

-- Fer"vid*ly, adv. -- Fer"vid*ness, n.

Fer"vor (?), n. [Written also fervour.] [OF. fervor, fervour, F. ferveur, L. fervor, fr. fervere. See Fervent.] 1. Heat; excessive warmth.

The fevor of ensuing day.
Waller.

2. Intensity of feeling or expression; glowing ardor; passion; holy zeal; earnestness. Hooker.

Winged with fervor of her love.
Shak.

Syn. -- Fervor, Ardor. Fervor is a boiling heat, and ardor is a burning heat. Hence, in metaphor, we commonly use fervor and its derivatives when we conceive of thoughts or emotions under the image of ebullition, or as pouring themselves forth. Thus we speak of the fervor of passion, fervid declamation, fervid importunity, fervent supplication, fervent desires, etc. Ardent is used when we think of anything as springing from a deepseated glow of soul; as, ardent friendship, ardent zeal, ardent devotedness; burning with ardor for the fight.

Fes"cen*nine (?), a. [L. Fescenninus, fr. Fescennia, a city of Etruria.] Pertaining to, or resembling, the Fescennines. -- n. A style of low, scurrilous, obscene poetry originating in fescennia.

Fes"cue (f&ebreve;s"k&usl;), n. [OE. festu, OF. festu, F. fétu, fr. L. festuca stalk, straw.] 1. A straw, wire, stick, etc., used chiefly to point out letters to children when learning to read. "Pedantic fescue." Sterne.

To come under the fescue of an imprimatur.
Milton.

2. An instrument for playing on the harp; a plectrum. [Obs.] Chapman.

3. The style of a dial. [Obs.]

4. (Bot.) A grass of the genus Festuca.

Fescue grass (Bot.), a genus of grasses (Festuca) containing several species of importance in agriculture. Festuca ovina is sheep's fescue; F. elatior is meadow fescue.

Fes"cue (f&ebreve;s"k&usl;), v. i. & t. [imp. & p. p. Fescued (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fescuing.] To use a fescue, or teach with a fescue. Milton.

Fes"els (?), n. pl. [Written also fasels.] See Phasel. [Obs.] May (Georgics).

{ Fess, Fesse } (?), n. [OF. fesse, faisse, F. fasce, fr. L. fascia band. See Fascia.] (Her.) A band drawn horizontally across the center of an escutcheon, and containing in breadth the third part of it; one of the nine honorable ordinaries.

Fess point (Her.), the exact center of the escutcheon. See Escutcheon.

Fes"si*tude (?), n. [L. fessus wearied, fatigued.] Weariness. [Obs.] Bailey.

Fess"wise (?), adv. In the manner of fess.

Fest (?), n. [See Fist.] The fist. [Obs.] Chaucer.

{ Fest, Fes"te (?), n. } A feast. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fes"tal (?), a. [L. festum holiday, feast. See feast.] Of or pertaining to a holiday or a feast; joyous; festive.

You bless with choicer wine the festal day.
Francis.

Fes"tal*ly, adv. Joyously; festively; mirthfully.

Fes"ten*nine (?), n. A fescennine.

Fes"ter (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Festered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Festering.] [OE. festern, fr. fester, n.; or fr. OF. festrir, fr. festre, n. See Fester, n.] 1. To generate pus; to become imflamed and suppurate; as, a sore or a wound festers.

Wounds immedicable
Rankle, and fester, and gangrene.
Milton.

Unkindness may give a wound that shall bleed and smart, but it is treachery that makes it fester.
South.

Hatred . . . festered in the hearts of the children of the soil.
Macaulay.

2. To be inflamed; to grow virulent, or malignant; to grow in intensity; to rankle.

Fes`ter, v. t. To cause to fester or rankle.

For which I burnt in inward, swelt'ring hate,
And festered ranking malice in my breast.
Marston.

Fes"ter, n. [OF. festre, L. fistula a sort of ulcer. Cf. Fistula.] 1. A small sore which becomes inflamed and discharges corrupt matter; a pustule.

2. A festering or rankling.

The fester of the chain their necks.
I. Taylor.

Fes"ter*ment (?), n. A festering. [R.] Chalmers.

Fest"eye (?), v. t. [OF. festier, festeer, F. festoyer.] To feast; to entertain. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fes"ti*nate (?), a. [L. festinatus, p. p. of festinare to hasten.] Hasty; hurried. [Obs.] -- Fes"ti*nate*ly, adv. [Obs.] Shak.

Fes`ti*na"tion (?), n. [L. festinatio.] Haste; hurry. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Fes"ti*val (?), a. [OF. festival, fr. L. festivum festive jollity, fr. festivus festive, gay. See Festive.] Pertaining to a fest; festive; festal; appropriate to a festival; joyous; mirthful.

I cannot woo in festival terms.
Shak.

Fes"ti-val, n. A time of feasting or celebration; an anniversary day of joy, civil or religious.

The morning trumpets festival proclaimed.
Milton.

Syn. -- Feast; banquet; carousal. See Feast.

Fes"tive (?), a. [L. festivus, fr. festum holiday, feast. See feast, and cf. Festivous.] Pertaining to, or becoming, a feast; festal; joyous; gay; mirthful; sportive. -- Fes"tive*ly, adv.

The glad circle round them yield their souls
To festive mirth and wit that knows no gall.
Thomson.

Fes*tiv"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Festivities (#). [L. festivitas: cf. F. festivité.] 1. The condition of being festive; social joy or exhilaration of spirits at an entertaintment; joyfulness; gayety.

The unrestrained festivity of the rustic youth.
Bp. Hurd.

2. A festival; a festive celebration. Sir T. Browne.

Fes"ti*vous (?), a. [See Festive.] Pertaining to a feast; festive. [R.] Sir W. Scott.

Fest"lich (?), a. [See Feast, n.] Festive; fond of festive occasions. [Obs.] "A festlich man." Chaucer.

Fes*toon" (?), n. [F. feston (cf. Sp. feston, It. festone), prob. fr. L. festum festival. See Feast.] 1. A garland or wreath hanging in a depending curve, used in decoration for festivals, etc.; anything arranged in this way.

2. (Arch. & Sculp.) A carved ornament consisting of flowers, and leaves, intermixed or twisted together, wound with a ribbon, and hanging or depending in a natural curve. See Illust. of Bucranium.

Fes*toon", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Festooned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Festooning.] To form in festoons, or to adorn with festoons.

Fes*toon"y (?), a. Pertaining to, consisting of, or resembling, festoons. Sir J. Herschel.

Fes*tu*cine (? or ?), a. [L. festula stalk, straw. Cf. Fescue.] Of a straw color; greenish yellow. [Obs.]

A little insect of a festucine or pale green.
Sir T. Browne.

Fes"tu*cous (?), a. Formed or consisting of straw. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Fes"tue (?), n. [See Fescue.] A straw; a fescue. [Obs.] Holland.

Fet (?), n. [Cf. feat, F. fait, and It. fett&?; slice, G. fetzen rag, Icel. fat garment.] A piece. [Obs.] Dryton.

Fet, v. t. [OE. fetten, feten, AS. fetian; akin to AS. fæt a journey, and to E. foot; cf. G. fassen to seize. √ 77. See Foot, and cf. Fetch.] To fetch. [Obs.]

And from the other fifty soon the prisoner fet.
Spenser.

Fet, p. p. of Fette. Fetched. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fe"tal (?), a. [From Fetus.] Pertaining to, or connected with, a fetus; as, fetal circulation; fetal membranes.

Fe*ta"tion (?), n. The formation of a fetus in the womb; pregnancy.

Fetch (f&ebreve;ch; 224), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fetched 2; p. pr. & vb. n.. Fetching.] [OE. fecchen, AS. feccan, perh. the same word as fetian; or cf. facian to wish to get, OFries. faka to prepare. √ 77. Cf. Fet, v. t.] 1. To bear toward the person speaking, or the person or thing from whose point of view the action is contemplated; to go and bring; to get.

Time will run back and fetch the age of gold.
Milton.

He called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bred in thine hand.
1 Kings xvii. 11, 12.

2. To obtain as price or equivalent; to sell for.

Our native horses were held in small esteem, and fetched low prices.
Macaulay.

3. To recall from a swoon; to revive; -- sometimes with to; as, to fetch a man to.

Fetching men again when they swoon.
Bacon.

4. To reduce; to throw.

The sudden trip in wrestling that fetches a man to the ground.
South.

5. To bring to accomplishment; to achieve; to make; to perform, with certain objects; as, to fetch a compass; to fetch a leap; to fetch a sigh.

I'll fetch a turn about the garden.
Shak.

He fetches his blow quick and sure.
South.

6. To bring or get within reach by going; to reach; to arrive at; to attain; to reach by sailing.

Meantine flew our ships, and straight we fetched
The siren's isle.
Chapman.

7. To cause to come; to bring to a particular state.

They could n't fetch the butter in the churn.
W. Barnes.

To fetch a compass (Naut.), to make a sircuit; to take a circuitious route going to a place. -- To fetch a pump, to make it draw water by pouring water into the top and working the handle. -- To fetch headway or sternway (Naut.), to move ahead or astern. -- To fetch out, to develop. "The skill of the polisher fetches out the colors [of marble]" Addison. -- To fetch up. (a) To overtake. [Obs.] "Says [the hare], I can fetch up the tortoise when I please." L'Estrange. (b) To stop suddenly.

fetch, v. i. To bring one's self; to make headway; to veer; as, to fetch about; to fetch to windward. Totten.

To fetch away (Naut.), to break loose; to roll slide to leeward. -- To fetch and carry, to serve obsequiously, like a trained spaniel.

Fetch, n. 1. A stratagem by which a thing is indirectly brought to pass, or by which one thing seems intended and another is done; a trick; an artifice.

Every little fetch of wit and criticism.
South.

2. The apparation of a living person; a wraith.

The very fetch and ghost of Mrs. Gamp.
Dickens.

Fetch candle, a light seen at night, superstitiously believed to portend a person's death.

Fetch"er (?), n. One who fetches or brings.

Fete (fēt), n. [See feat.] A feat. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fete, n. pl. [See Foot.] Feet. [Obs.] Chaucer.

||Fête (f&asl;t), n. [F. See Feast.] A festival.

Fête champêtre (&?;) [F.], a festival or entertainment in the open air; a rural festival.

Fête (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fêted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fêting.] [Cf. F. fêter.] To feast; to honor with a festival.

{ Fe"tich, Fe"tish (?), n. }[F. fétiche, from Pg. feitiço, adj., n., sorcery, charm, fr. L. facticius made by art, artifical, factitious. See Factitious.] 1. A material object supposed among certain African tribes to represent in such a way, or to be so connected with, a supernatural being, that the possession of it gives to the possessor power to control that being.

2. Any object to which one is excessively devoted.

{ fe"tich*ism, Fe"tish*ism (? or ?); 277), n. }[Cf. F. fétichisme.] [Written also feticism.] 1. The doctrine or practice of belief in fetiches.

2. Excessive devotion to one object or one idea; abject superstition; blind adoration.

The real and absolute worship of fire falls into two great divisions, the first belonging rather to fetichism, the second to polytheism proper.
Tylor.

{ Fe"tich*ist, Fe"tish*ist, n. } A believer in fetiches.

He was by nature a fetichist.
H. Holbeach.

{ Fe`tich*is"tic (?), Fe`tish*is"tic, a.} Pertaining to, or involving, fetichism.

A man of the fifteenth century, inheriting its strange web of belief and unbelief, of epicurean levity and fetichistic dread.
G. Eliot.

Fe"ti*cide (? or ?), n. [Written also fœticide.] [Fetus + L. caedere to kill.] (Med. & Law) The act of killing the fetus in the womb; the offense of procuring an abortion.

Fe"ti*cism (?), n. See Fetichism.

Fet"id (? or ?; 277), a. [L. fetidus, foetidus, fr. fetere, foetere, to have an ill smell, to stink: cf. F. fétide.] Having an offensive smell; stinking.

Most putrefactions . . . smell either fetid or moldy.
Bacon.

Fet*id"i*ty (? or ?), n. Fetidness.

Fet"id*ness, n. The quality or state of being fetid.

Fe*tif"er*ous (?), a. [Fetus + -ferous.] Producing young, as animals.

Fe"tis (?), a. [OF. fetis, faitis. Cf. Factitious.] Neat; pretty; well made; graceful. [Obs.]

Full fetis was her cloak, as I was ware.
Chaucer.

Fe"tise*ly (?), adv. Neatly; gracefully; properly. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fe"tish (?), n., Fe"tish*ism (&?; or &?;; 277), n., Fe`tish*is"tic (&?;), a. See Fetich, n., Fetichism, n., Fetichistic, a.

Fet"lock (?), n. [OE. fetlak, fitlock, cf. Icel. fet pace, step, fit webbed foot of water birds, akin to E. foot. √77. See Foot.] The cushionlike projection, bearing a tuft of long hair, on the back side of the leg above the hoof of the horse and similar animals. Also, the joint of the limb at this point (between the great pastern bone and the metacarpus), or the tuft of hair.

Their wounded steeds
Fret fetlock deep in gore.
Shak.

Fe"tor (?), n. [L. fetor, foetor. See Fetid.] A strong, offensive smell; stench; fetidness. Arbuthnot.

Fet"te (? or ?), v. t. [imp. Fette, p. p. Fet.] [See Fet, v. t.] To fetch. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fet"ter (f&ebreve;t"t&etilde;r), n. [AS. fetor, feter; akin to OS. feterōs, pl., OD. veter, OHG. fezzera, Icel. fjöturr, L. pedica, Gr. pe`dh, and to E. foot. √ 77. See Foot.] [Chiefly used in the plural, fetters.] 1. A chain or shackle for the feet; a chain by which an animal is confined by the foot, either made fast or disabled from free and rapid motion; a bond; a shackle.

[They] bound him with fetters of brass.
Judg. xvi. 21.

2. Anything that confines or restrains; a restraint.

Passion's too fierce to be in fetters bound.
Dryden.

Fet"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fettered (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Fettering.] 1. To put fetters upon; to shackle or confine the feet of with a chain; to bind.

My heels are fettered, but my fist is free.
Milton.

2. To restrain from motion; to impose restraints on; to confine; to enchain; as, fettered by obligations.

My conscience! thou art fettered
More than my shanks and wrists.
Shak.

Fet"tered (?), a. (Zoöl.) Seeming as if fettered, as the feet of certain animals which bend backward, and appear unfit for walking.

Fet"ter*er (?), n. One who fetters. Landor.

Fet"ter*less, a. Free from fetters. Marston.

Fet"tle (?), v. t. [OE. & Prov. E., to fettle (in sense 1), fettle, n., order, repair, preparation, dress; prob. akin to E. fit. See Fit, a.] 1. To repair; to prepare; to put in order. [Prov. Eng.] Carlyle.

2. (Metal.) To cover or line with a mixture of ore, cinders, etc., as the hearth of a puddling furnace.

Fet"tle, v. i. To make preparations; to put things in order; to do trifling business. [Prov. Eng.] Bp. Hall.

Fet"tle, n. The act of fettling. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

In fine fettle, in good spirits.

Fet"tling (?), n. 1. (Metal.) A mixture of ore, cinders, etc., used to line the hearth of a puddling furnace. [Eng.] [It is commonly called fix in the United States.]

2. (Pottery) The operation of shaving or smoothing the surface of undried clay ware.

Fet"u*ous (?), a. Neat; feat. [Obs.] Herrick.

Fe"tus (?), n.; pl. Fetuses (#). [L. fetus, foetus, a bringing forth, brood, offspring, young ones, cf. fetus fruitful, fructified, that is or was filled with young; akin to E. fawn a deer, fecundity, felicity, feminine, female, and prob. to do, or according to others, to be.] The young or embryo of an animal in the womb, or in the egg; often restricted to the later stages in the development of viviparous and oviparous animals, embryo being applied to the earlier stages. [Written also fœtus.]

||Fet"wah (?), n. [Ar.] A written decision of a Turkish mufti on some point of law. Whitworth.

Feu (?), n. [See 2d Feud, and Fee.] (Scots Law) A free and gratuitous right to lands made to one for service to be performed by him; a tenure where the vassal, in place of military services, makes a return in grain or in money. Burrill.

Feu"ar (?), n. [From Feu.] (Scots Law) One who holds a feu. Sir W. Scott.

Feud (fūd), n. [OE. feide, AS. f&aemacr;hð, fr. fāh hostile; akin to OHG. fēhida, G. fehde, Sw. fejd, D. feide; prob. akin to E. fiend. See Foe.] 1. A combination of kindred to avenge injuries or affronts, done or offered to any of their blood, on the offender and all his race.

2. A contention or quarrel; especially, an inveterate strife between families, clans, or parties; deadly hatred; contention satisfied only by bloodshed.

Mutual feuds and battles betwixt their several tribes and kindreds.
Purchas.

Syn. -- Affray; fray; broil; contest; dispute; strife.

Feud, n. [LL. feudum, feodum prob. of same origin as E. fief. See Fief, Fee.] (Law) A stipendiary estate in land, held of superior, by service; the right which a vassal or tenant had to the lands or other immovable thing of his lord, to use the same and take the profists thereof hereditarily, rendering to his superior such duties and services as belong to military tenure, etc., the property of the soil always remaining in the lord or superior; a fief; a fee.

Feu"dal (?), a. [F. féodal, or LL. feudalis.] 1. Of or pertaining to feuds, fiefs, or feels; as, feudal rights or services; feudal tenures.

2. Consisting of, or founded upon, feuds or fiefs; embracing tenures by military services; as, the feudal system.

Feu"dal*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. féodalisme.] The feudal system; a system by which the holding of estates in land is made dependent upon an obligation to render military service to the kind or feudal superior; feudal principles and usages.

Feu"dal*ist, n. An upholder of feudalism.

Feu*dal"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. féodalité.] The state or quality of being feudal; feudal form or constitution. Burke.

Feu`dal*i*za"tion (?), n. The act of reducing to feudal tenure.

Feu"dal*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feudalized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Feudalizing (?).] To reduce to a feudal tenure; to conform to feudalism.

Feu"dal*ly, adv. In a feudal manner.

Feu"da*ry (?), a. [LL. feudarius, fr. feudum. See 2d Feud.] Held by, or pertaining to, feudal tenure.

Feu"da*ry, n. 1. A tenant who holds his lands by feudal service; a feudatory. Foxe.

2. A feodary. See Feodary.

Feu"da*ta*ry (?), a. & n. [LL. feudatarius: cf. F. feudataire.] See Feudatory.

Feu"da*to*ry (?), n.; pl. Feudatories (&?;). A tenant or vassal who held his lands of a superior on condition of feudal service; the tenant of a feud or fief.

The grantee . . . was styled the feudatory or vassal.
Blackstone.

[He] had for feudatories great princes.
J. H. Newman.

Feu"da*to*ry, a. Held from another on some conditional tenure; as, a feudatory title. Bacon.

||Feu` de joie" (?). [F., lit., fire of joy.] A fire kindled in a public place in token of joy; a bonfire; a firing of guns in token of joy.

Feud"ist (?), n. [Cf. F. feudiste.] A writer on feuds; a person versed in feudal law. Spelman.

||Feu`illants" (?), n. pl. A reformed branch of the Bernardines, founded in 1577 at Feuillans, near Toulouse, in France.

Feuille"mort` (?), a. [F. feuille morte a dead leaf.] Having the color of a faded leaf. Locke.

||Feu`ille*ton" (? or ?), n. [F., from feulle leaf.] A part of a French newspaper (usually the bottom of the page), devoted to light literature, criticism, etc.; also, the article or tale itself, thus printed.

Feuill"ton*ist (?), n. [F. feuilletoniste.] A writer of feuilletons. F. Harrison.

feu"ter (&?;), v. t. [OE. feutre rest for a lance, OF. feutre, fautre, feltre, felt, cushion, rest for a lance, fr. LL. filtrum, feltrum; of German origin, and akin to E. felt. See Felt, and cf. Filter.] To set close; to fix in rest, as a spear. Spenser.

Feu"ter*er (?), n. [Either fr. G. fütterer feeder, or corrupted fr. OF. vautrier, vaultrier; fr. vaultre, viautre, a kind of hound, fr. L. vertragus, vertraga, a greyhound. The last is of Celtic origin.] A dog keeper. [Obs.] Massinger.

Fe"ver (?), n. [OE. fever, fefer, AS. fefer, fefor, L. febris: cf. F. fièvre. Cf. Febrile.] 1. (Med.) A diseased state of the system, marked by increased heat, acceleration of the pulse, and a general derangement of the functions, including usually, thirst and loss of appetite. Many diseases, of which fever is the most prominent symptom, are denominated fevers; as, typhoid fever; yellow fever.

&fist; Remitting fevers subside or abate at intervals; intermitting fevers intermit or entirely cease at intervals; continued or continual fevers neither remit nor intermit.

2. Excessive excitement of the passions in consequence of strong emotion; a condition of great excitement; as, this quarrel has set my blood in a fever.

An envious fever
Of pale and bloodless emulation.
Shak.

After life's fitful fever he sleeps well.
Shak.

Brain fever, Continued fever, etc. See under Brain, Continued, etc. -- Fever and ague, a form of fever recurring in paroxysms which are preceded by chills. It is of malarial origin. -- Fever blister (Med.), a blister or vesicle often found about the mouth in febrile states; a variety of herpes. -- Fever bush (Bot.), the wild allspice or spice bush. See Spicewood. -- Fever powder. Same as Jame's powder. -- Fever root (Bot.), an American herb of the genus Triosteum (T. perfoliatum); -- called also feverwort amd horse gentian. -- Fever sore, a carious ulcer or necrosis. Miner.

Fe"ver, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fevered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fevering.] To put into a fever; to affect with fever; as, a fevered lip. [R.]

The white hand of a lady fever thee.
Shak.

Fe"ver*et (?), n. A slight fever. [Obs.] Ayliffe.

Fe"ver*few (?), n. [AS. feferfuge, fr. L. febrifugia. See fever, Fugitive, and cf. Febrifuge.] (Bot.) A perennial plant (Pyrethrum, or Chrysanthemum, Parthenium) allied to camomile, having finely divided leaves and white blossoms; -- so named from its supposed febrifugal qualities.

Fe"ver*ish, a. 1. Having a fever; suffering from, or affected with, a moderate degree of fever; showing increased heat and thirst; as, the patient is feverish.

2. Indicating, or pertaining to, fever; characteristic of a fever; as, feverish symptoms.

3. Hot; sultry. "The feverish north." Dryden.

4. Disordered as by fever; excited; restless; as, the feverish condition of the commercial world.

Strive to keep up a frail and feverish bing.
Milton.

-- Fe"ver*ish*ly, adv. -- Fe"ver*ish*ness, n.

Fe"ver*ous (?), a. [Cf.F. fiévreux.] 1. Affected with fever or ague; feverish.

His heart, love's feverous citadel.
Keats.

2. Pertaining to, or having the nature of, fever; as, a feverous pulse.

All maladies . . . all feverous kinds.
Milton.

3. Having the tendency to produce fever; as, a feverous disposition of the year. [R.] Bacon.

Fe"ver*ous*ly, adv. Feverishly. [Obs.] Donne.

Fe"ver*wort` (?), n. See Fever root, under Fever.

Fe"ver*y (?), a. Feverish. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Few (fū), a. [Compar. Fewer (?); superl. Fewest.] [OE. fewe, feawe, AS. feá, pl. feáwe; akin to OS. fāh, OHG. fō fao, Icel. fār, Sw. få, pl., Dan. faa, pl., Goth. faus, L. paucus, cf. Gr. pay^ros. Cf. Paucity.] Not many; small, limited, or confined in number; -- indicating a small portion of units or individuals constituing a whole; often, by ellipsis of a noun, a few people. "Are not my days few?" Job x. 20.

Few know and fewer care.
Proverb.

&fist; Few is often used partitively; as, few of them.

A few, a small number. -- In few, in a few words; briefly. Shak.

-- No few, not few; more than a few; many. Cowper.

-- The few, the minority; -- opposed to the many or the majority.

Fe"wel (?), n. [See Fuel.] Fuel. [Obs.] Hooker.

Few"met (?), n. See Fumet. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Few"ness, n. 1. The state of being few; smallness of number; paucity. Shak.

2. Brevity; conciseness. [Obs.] Shak.

Fey (?), a. [AS. f&?;ga, Icel. feigr, OHG. feigi.] Fated; doomed. [Old Eng. & Scot.]

Fey (?), n. [See Fay faith.] Faith. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fey (?), v. t. [Cf. Feague.] To cleanse; to clean out. [Obs.] Tusser.

Feyne (?), v. t. To feign. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Feyre (?), n. A fair or market. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fez (?), n. [F., fr. the town of Fez in Morocco.] A felt or cloth cap, usually red and having a tassel, -- a variety of the tarboosh. See Tarboosh. B. Taylor.

||Fia"cre (?), n. [F.] A kind of French hackney coach.

Fi"ance (?), v. t. [F. fiancer. See Affiance.] To betroth; to affiance. [Obs.] Harmar.

||Fi`an`cé" (?), n. [F.] A betrothed man.

||Fi`an`cée" (?), n. [F.] A betrothed woman.

Fi"ants (?), n. [F. fiente dung.] The dung of the fox, wolf, boar, or badger.

Fi"ar (? or ?), n. [See Feuar.] 1. (Scots Law) One in whom the property of an estate is vested, subject to the estate of a life renter.

I am fiar of the lands; she a life renter.
Sir W. Scott.

2. pl. The price of grain, as legally fixed, in the counties of Scotland, for the current year.

||Fi*as"co (?), n.; pl. Fiascoes (#). [It.] A complete or ridiculous failure, esp. of a musical performance, or of any pretentious undertaking.

Fi"at (?), n. [L., let it be done, 3d pers. sing., subj. pres., fr. fieri, used as pass. of facere to make. Cf. Be.] 1. An authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree.

His fiat laid the corner stone.
Willis.

2. (Eng. Law) (a) A warrant of a judge for certain processes. (b) An authority for certain proceedings given by the Lord Chancellor's signature.

Fiat money, irredeemable paper currency, not resting on a specie basis, but deriving its purchasing power from the declaratory fiat of the government issuing it.

Fi*aunt" (?), n. Commission; fiat; order; decree. [Obs.] Spenser.

Fib (?), n. [Prob. fr. fable; cf. Prov. E. fibble-fabble nonsense.] A falsehood; a lie; -- used euphemistically.

They are very serious; they don't tell fibs.
H. James.

Fib, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fibbed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fibbing (?).] To speak falsely. [Colloq.]

Fib, v. t. To tell a fib to. [R.] De Quincey.

Fib"ber (?), n. One who tells fibs.

{ Fi"ber, Fi"bre }, (&?;), n. [F. fibre, L. fibra.] 1. One of the delicate, threadlike portions of which the tissues of plants and animals are in part constituted; as, the fiber of flax or of muscle.

2. Any fine, slender thread, or threadlike substance; as, a fiber of spun glass; especially, one of the