MAY, m[=a], _v.i._ to be able: to be allowed: to be free to act: to be possible: to be by chance: to be competent:--_pa.t._ might (m[=i]t).--_adv_. MAY'BE, perhaps, possibly.--_n_. a possibility.--_adv_.
MAY'HAP, perhaps. [A.S. _maeg_, pr.t. of _mugan_, to be able, pa.t. _mihte_; cog. with Goth. _magan_, Ger. _mogen_.]
MAY, m[=a], _n_. the fifth month of the year: the early or gay part of life.--_v.i._ to gather _May_ (prov. Eng. the blossom of the hawthorn, which blooms in May):--_pr.p._ May'ing.--_ns_. MAY'-BEE'TLE, MAY'-BUG, the cockchafer; MAY'-BLOOM, the hawthorn flower; MAY'DAY, the first day of May; MAY'-DEW, the dew of May, esp. that of the morning of the first day of May, which is said to whiten linen, and to enable a face washed with it to keep its beauty; MAY'-DUKE, a variety of sour cherry; MAY'-FLOW'ER, the hawthorn, which blooms in May; MAY'FLY, a short-lived fly which appears in May; MAY'-GAME, sport such as is usual on 1st May, frolic generally; MAY'ING, the observance of Mayday sports and games; MAY'-L[=A]'DY, the queen of the May; MAY'-LIL'Y, the lily of the valley, so called because it blooms in May; MAY'-MORN (_Shak_.), freshness, like that of a morning in May, vigour; MAY'POLE, a pole erected for dancing round on Mayday; MAY'-QUEEN, a young woman crowned with flowers as queen on Mayday; MAY'TIME, May, the season of May. [O. Fr. _Mai_--L. _Maius_ (_mensis_, a month), sacred to _Maia_, the mother of Mercury.]
MAY, m[=a], _n_. a maid. [A.S. _m['ae]g_, a kinswoman.]
MAYA, ma'ya, _n_. an illusive appearance, esp. of a celestial maiden personifying the active will of the creator of the universe. [Hind.]
MAYHEM, m[=a]'hem, _n_. the offence of depriving a person by violence of any limb, member, or organ, or causing any mutilation of the body.
[_Maim_.]
MAYONNAISE, m[=a]-on-[=a]z', _n_. a sauce composed of the yoke of eggs, salad-oil, and vinegar or lemon-juice, seasoned: any cold dish of which the foregoing is an ingredient, as lobster. [Fr.]
MAYOR, m[=a]'ur, _n_. the chief magistrate of a city or borough:--_fem_.
MAY'ORESS.--_adj_. MAY'ORAL.--_ns_. MAY'ORALTY, MAY'ORSHIP, the office of a mayor. [Fr. _maire_--L. _major_, comp. of _magnus_, great.]
MAZARD, MAZZARD, maz'ard, _n_. (_Shak_.) a head or skull: a wild European cherry. [Prob. from _mazer_, from the likeness of the skull to a goblet.]
MAZARINADE, maz-a-rin-[=a]d', _n_. a pamphlet or satire against the French minister, Cardinal _Mazarin_ (1602-61).--_n_. MAZARINE', a rich blue colour: a blue gown.--MAZARIN BIBLE, the first printed Bible, printed by Gutenberg and Fust about 1450, so called because Cardinal _Mazarin_ possessed twenty-five copies.
MAZDA, maz'da, _n_. or AHURA MAZDaH, the supreme deity and creator of the Zend-Avesta.--_adj_. MAZ'D[=E]AN.--_n_. MAZ'D[=E]ISM, the religious system of the Zend-Avesta, the ancient sacred writings of the Parsees, Zoroastrianism. [Zend _ahu_=the living, life, or spirit, root _ah_=to be; _Mazdah_, the great Creator, _maz_+_da_=Sans. _maha_+_dha_.]
MAZE, m[=a]z, _n_. a place full of intricate windings: confusion of thought: perplexity.--_v.t._ to bewilder: to confuse.--_adjs_. MAZE'FUL (_Spens_.), MAZ'Y, full of mazes or windings: intricate.--_adv_.
MAZ'ILY.--_n_. MAZ'INESS, state or quality of being mazy. [Scand., as in Ice. _masa_, to jabber.]
MAZER, maz'[.e]r, _n_. (_Spens_.) a kind of hard wood, probably maple: a cup or goblet made of maple, and usually highly ornamented. [Skeat explains as Ice. _mosurr_, a maple-tree, lit. 'spot-wood.']
MAZOURKA, MAZURKA, ma-z[=oo]r'ka, _n_. a lively Polish round dance for four or eight couples: the music such as is played to it.
ME, m[=e], _personal pron_. the objective case of I, including both the old English accusative and dative of the first personal pronoun. [A.S. _me_.]
MEACOCK, m[=e]'kok, _adj_. (_Shak_.) timorous, effeminate, cowardly. [Perh.
dim. of _meek_.]
MEAD, m[=e]d, _n_. honey and water fermented and flavoured. [A.S. _medu_; Ger. _meth_, W. _medd_.]
MEADOW, med'[=o], _n_. a level tract producing grass to be mown down: a rich pasture-ground--(_poet_.) MEAD.--_ns_. MEAD'OW-FOX'TAIL (see FOXTAIL); MEAD'OW-GRASS, the larger and more useful kinds of grass, grown in meadows for hay and pasture; MEAD'OW-HAY, a coarse grass or sedge growing in moist places, used as fodder or bedding; MEAD'OW-LARK, the American field-lark; MEAD'OW-SAFF'RON, the colchicum--also _Autumn-crocus_, or _Naked lady;_ MEAD'OW-SWEET, MEAD'OW-WORT, an ornamental shrub or plant with white flowers, called also _Queen of the meadow.--adj_. MEAD'OWY. [A.S.
_m['ae]d_--_mawan_, to mow; Ger. _mahd_, a mowing, Swiss _matt_, a meadow, as in Zer_matt_, &c.]
MEAGRE, m[=e]'g[.e]r, _adj_. having little flesh: lean: poor: without richness or fertility: barren: scanty: without strength.--_adv_.
MEA'GRELY.--_n_. MEA'GRENESS, state or quality of being meagre. [Fr.
_maigre_--L. _macer_, lean; cf. Ger. _mager_.]
MEAL, m[=e]l, _n_. the food taken at one time: the act or the time of taking food: a breakfast, dinner, or supper.--_ns_. MEAL'ER, one who takes his meals at a boarding-house, lodging elsewhere; MEAL'-TIME, the time for meals.--SQUARE MEAL, a full meal. [A.S. _m['ae]l_, time, portion of time; Dut. _maal_, Ger. _mahl_.]
MEAL, m[=e]l, _n_. grain ground to powder.--_v.i._ to yield or be plentiful in meal.--_ns_. MEAL'-ARK (_Scot_.), a large chest for holding meal; MEAL'INESS; MEAL'-MAN, or MEAL'-MONG'ER, one who deals in meal; MEAL'-POCK, or -POKE, a beggar's meal-bag; MEAL'WORM, the larva of an insect abounding in granaries and flour-stores.--_adj_. MEAL'Y, resembling meal: covered with meal or with something like meal: whitish.--_n_. MEAL'Y-BUG, a small species of cochineal insect covered with a while powdery substance resembling meal or flour.--_adj_. MEAL'Y-MOUTHED, smooth-tongued.--_n_.
MEAL'Y-MOUTHEDNESS. [A.S. _melu, melo;_ Ger. _mehl_, Dut. _meel_, meal.]
MEALIE, m[=e]l'i, _n_. an ear of maize or Indian corn, esp. in _pl_., maize.
MEAN, m[=e]n, _adj_. low in rank or birth: base: sordid: low in worth or estimation: of little value or importance: poor, humble: despicable.--_adj_. MEAN'-BORN, of humble origin.--_adv_. MEAN'LY.--_n._ MEAN'NESS, state or quality of being mean: want of nobility or excellence: a low action.--_adj_. MEAN'-SPIR'ITED, having a mean spirit, base.--_n_.
MEAN'-SPIR'ITEDNESS. [A.S. _m['ae]ne_, wicked, from _man_, wickedness; perh.
conn. with A.S. _gem['ae]ne_, Ger. _gemein_, common.]
MEAN, m[=e]n, _adj_. middle: coming between two others in size, degree, quantity, time, &c.: average: moderate.--_n_. the middle point, quantity, value, or degree: (_math_.) a term interpolated between two terms of a series, and consequently intermediate in magnitude: (_mus_.) a middle voice or voice-part, as the tenor or alto, the second or third string in a viol: instrument or medium: (_pl_.) that by which anything is caused or brought to pass: income: estate: instrument.--_n_. MEAN'-TIME, the interval between two given times.--_advs_. MEAN'TIME, MEAN'WHILE, in the intervening time.--MEANS OF GRACE, divine ordinances, by which divine grace reaches the hearts of men--word and sacraments.--ARITHMETICAL MEAN, the average obtained by adding several quantities together and dividing the sum by their number; HARMONIC MEAN, the reciprocal of the arithmetical mean of the reciprocals of the quantities concerned; GEOMETRIC MEAN, the mean obtained by multiplying two quantities together and extracting the square root of the product; GOLDEN MEAN, the middle course between two extremes: a wise moderation; QUADRATIC MEAN, the square root of the arithmetical mean of the squares of the given quantities.--BY ALL MEANS, certainly; BY ANY MEANS, in any way; BY NO MEANS, certainly not.--IN THE MEAN (_Spens_.), in the meantime. [O. Fr. _meien_ (Fr. _moyen_)--L. _medianus_, enlarged form of _medius_.]
MEAN, m[=e]n, _v.t._ to have in the mind or thoughts: to intend, to purpose: to signify.--_v.i._ to have in the mind: to have meaning or disposition:--_pr.p._ mean'ing; _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ meant (ment).--_n_.
MEAN'ING, that which is in the mind or thoughts: signification: the sense intended: purpose.--_adj_. significant.--_adj_. MEAN'INGLESS, without meaning.--_adv_. MEAN'INGLY. [A.S. _m['ae]nan_; Ger. _meinen_, to think.]
MEAN, m[=e]n, _v.i._ (_Shak_.) to lament, to moan.
MEANDER, m[=e]-an'd[.e]r, _n_. a winding course: a maze: an intricate variety of fretwork: perplexity.--_v.i._ to flow, run, or proceed in a winding course: to be intricate.--_v.t._ to wind or flow round.--_adjs._ MEAN'DERED, formed into mazy passages or patterns; MEAN'DERING, winding in a course; MEAN'DRIAN, MEAN'DROUS, winding.--_n_. a winding course.
[L.,--Gr. _Maiandros_, a winding river in Asia Minor.]
MEANT, _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ of mean (_v.t._).
MEAR, m[=e]r, _n_. (_Spens_.) a boundary. [See MERE.]
MEASE, m[=e]s, or m[=e]z, _n_. a tale of 500 herrings.
MEASLES, m[=e]'zlz, _n.sing._ a contagious fever accompanied with eruptions of small red spots upon the skin: a disease of swine and cattle, caused by larval tapeworms: a disease of trees, the leaves being covered with spots.--_adjs_. MEA'SLED, MEA'SLY, infected with measles: good for nothing, miserable.--_n_. MEAS'LINESS.--GERMAN MEASLES, a name somewhat loosely used of a disease, resembling measles, but mostly less prolonged and severe.
[Dut. _maselen_, measles, from Old Dut. _masche_, a spot, cog. with Old High Ger. _m[=a]s[=a]_, a spot; Ger. _masern_, measles.]
MEASURE, mezh'[=u]r, _n_. that by which extent is ascertained or expressed: the size of anything: a rule or standard by which anything is adjusted (_Apothecaries'_, _Cubic_, _Decimal_, _Dry_, _Liquid_, &c.): (_politics_) a proposal or plan by which some end can be brought about: proportion: a stated quantity: degree: extent: moderation: means to an end: metre: (_mus_.) that division of time, containing a specified number of beats, by which the air and motion of music are regulated: rate of movement, time, rhythm, metre, arrangement of syllables in poetry: a slow and stately dance, as the minuet: (_print_.) the width of a page or column, usually in _ems_: (_pl_., _geol_.) a series of beds or strata.--_v.t._ to ascertain the dimensions of: to adjust by a rule or standard: to mark out: to allot: to show a certain measurement.--_v.i._ to be of a certain size: to be equal or uniform.--_adj_. MEAS'URABLE, that may be measured or computed: moderate: in small quantity or extent.--_n._ MEAS'URABLENESS, the quality of being measurable.--_adv._ MEAS'URABLY.--_adjs._ MEAS'URED, of a certain measure: equal: uniform: steady: restricted; MEAS'URELESS, boundless: immense.--_ns._ MEAS'UREMENT, the act of measuring: quantity found by measuring--(MEASUREMENT GOODS, light goods carried for charges according to bulk, not weight); MEAS'URER, one who, or that which, measures.--_adj._ MEAS'URING, that measures, or fitted for measuring.--MEASURE ONE'S LENGTH, to fall or be thrown down at full length; MEASURE STRENGTH, to engage in a contest; MEASURE SWORDS, to fight with swords: to try one's skill against.--ABOVE, or BEYOND, MEASURE, to an exceedingly great degree; IN A MEASURE, to some degree.--TAKE MEASURES, to adopt means (to gain an end); TAKE ONE'S MEASURE, to find out what one is, and what he can or cannot do; TREAD A MEASURE, to dance; USE HARD MEASURES, to apply harsh treatment to; WITHIN MEASURE, moderately; WITHOUT MEASURE, immoderately. [O. Fr.
_mesure_--L. _mensura_, a measure--_met[=i]ri_, to measure.]
MEAT, m[=e]t, _n._ anything eaten as food, the edible part of anything: act of taking meat: (_obs._) meal, flour: the flesh of animals used as food--sometimes beef, mutton, pork, veal, &c., as opposed to poultry, fish, &c.--_ns._ MEAT'-BIS'CUIT, a preparation of meat, made with meal into a biscuit; MEAT'INESS, quality of being meaty; MEAT'-OFF'ERING, a Jewish sacrificial offering of fine flour or first-fruits with oil and frankincense; MEAT'-PIE, a pie mainly made up of meat; MEAT'-SAFE, a receptacle for storing meat, walled with perforated zinc or gauze; MEAT'-SALES'MAN, one who sells meat, esp. to the retail butchers; MEAT'-TEA, a high tea, at which meat is served; MEAT'-TUB, a pickling-tub.--_adj._ MEAT'Y, full of meat: fleshy: pithy.--HANG MEAT, to hang up meat before cooking; SIT AT MEAT, to sit at table. [A.S. _mete_; Dut. _met_.]
MEATH, MEATHE, m[=e]th, _n._ a form of _mead_, liquor.
MEATUS, m[=e]-[=a]'tus, _n._ a passage or canal, as the urethral meatus.--_adj._ ME[=A]'TAL.--_n._ MEAT'OSCOPE, an instrument for examining the urethral or other meatus. [L. _me[=a]tus_--_me[=a]re_, to go.]
MEAZEL, m[=e]'zl, _n._ (_Shak._) a leper. [_Measles_.]
MECHANIC, -AL, me-kan'ik, -al, _adj._ pertaining to machines or mechanics: constructed according to the laws of mechanics: possessing mechanical talent: acting by physical power: done by a machine: pertaining to artisans: done simply by force of habit, slavish, artificial: vulgar.--_n._ MECHAN'IC, one engaged in a mechanical trade: an artisan--(_Shak._) MECHAN'ICAL.--_adv._ MECHAN'ICALLY.--_ns._ MECHANIC'IAN, MECH'ANIST, a machine-maker: one skilled in mechanics; MECHAN'ICS, the science which treats of machines: the science which treats of the nature of forces and of their action on bodies, either directly or by the agency of machinery.--_v.t._ MECH'ANISE, to make mechanical: to work out the details of a machine.--_ns._ MECH'ANISM, the construction of a machine: the arrangement and action of its parts, by which it produces a given result; MECH'ANOGRAPH, a copy, esp. of a work of art produced by a mechanical process on a machine.--_adj._ MECH'ANOGRAPHIC.--_ns._ MECHANOG'RAPHIST; MECHANOG'RAPHY, the art of multiplying copies of a writing or work of art by means of a machine; MECHANOL'OGY, a treatise on mechanics: the knowledge of such.--MECHANICAL EFFECT, work produced by the use of mechanical power; MECHANICAL PHILOSOPHY, the principles of mechanics applied to solve questions or phenomena involving force; MECHANICAL POWERS, the elementary forms or parts of machines--three _primary_, the lever, inclined plane, and pulley; and three _secondary_, the wheel-and-axle, the wedge, and the screw.--MECHANICS' INSTITUTE, an institution for mechanics, with lectures, library, museum, &c. [O. Fr.,--L. _mechanicus_; Gr.
_m[=e]chanikos_--_m[=e]chane_, a contrivance.]
MECHLIN, meh'lin, _adj._ and _n._ produced at _Mechlin_ or Malines: lace made at Mechlin.
MECONIC, me-kon'ik, _adj._ denoting an acid obtained from poppies.--_ns._ MEC'ONATE, a salt of meconic acid; MEC'ONINE, a white, fusible, neutral substance existing in opium; MEC[=O]'NIUM, the first faeces of a new-born child: opium. [Gr. _m[=e]k[=o]n_, the poppy.]
MEDAL, med'al, _n._ a piece of metal in the form of a coin bearing some device or inscription, struck or cast: a reward of merit.--_v.t._ to decorate with a medal.--_n._ MED'ALET, a small medal, esp. the representation of saints, worn by Roman Catholics.--_adj._ MEDALL'IC, pertaining to medals.--_ns._ MEDALL'ION, a large medal: a bas-relief of a round (sometimes a square) form: a round ornament enclosing a portrait or lock of hair; MED'ALLIST, MED'ALIST, one skilled in medals: an engraver of medals: one who has gained a medal; MED'ALLURGY, the art of producing medals and coins. [O. Fr. _medaille_--It. _medaglia_; through a Low L. form _medalla_ or _medalia_, a small coin, from L. _metallum_, a metal.]
MEDDLE, med'l, _v.i._ to interfere unnecessarily (_with_ or _in_): to take part in a matter with which one has nothing to do: to have to do (_with_).--_n._ MEDD'LER, one who interferes with matters in which he has no concern.--_adj._ MEDD'LESOME, given to meddling.--_n._ MEDD'LESOMENESS.--_adj._ MEDD'LING, interfering in the concerns of others: officious--also _n._ [O. Fr. _medler_, a corr. of _mesler_ (Fr.
_meler_)--Low L. _misculare_--L. _misc[=e]re_, to mix.]
MEDIA. See MEDIUM.