MORGANA (FATA). See FATA.
MORGANATIC, mor-gan-at'ik, _adj._ noting a marriage of a man with a woman of inferior rank, in which neither the latter nor her children enjoy the rank or inherit the possessions of her husband, though the children are legitimate--also _Left-handed marriage_.--_adv._ MORGANAT'ICALLY. [Low L.
_morganatica_, a gift from a bridegroom to his bride--Teut.; cf. Ger.
_morgengabe_, A.S. _morgengifu_, a morning gift.]
MORGAY, mor'g[=a], _n._ the small spotted dogfish or bounce.
MORGLAY, mor'gl[=a], _n._ a claymore--esp. that of the Arthurian hero Sir Bevis.
MORGUE, morg, _n._ a place where bodies found dead are laid out for identification. [Fr.]
MORGUE, morg, _n._ hauteur. [Fr.]
MORIAN, m[=o]'ri-an, _n._ a Moor--also MUR'RIAN (Pr. Bk.)
MORIBUND, mo'ri-bund, _adj._ about to die: in a dying state. [L.
_moribundus_--_mori_, to die.]
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MORION, MORRION, m[=o]'ri-un, _n._ a open helmet without visor or beaver.
[Fr., prob. from Sp. _morrion_--_morra_, crown of the head. Diez suggests Basque _murua_, a hill.]
MORISCO, mo-ris'ko, _n._ the Moorish language: a Moorish dance or dancer: Moorish architecture: one of the Moors who remained in Spain after the fall of Granada in 1492.--_adj._ MOORISH--(_obs._) MORISK'.
MORISONIAN, mor-i-s[=o]'ni-an, _n._ a member of the Evangelical Union, formed in 1843 by the Rev. James _Morison_ (1816-93), after his separation from the United Secession Church.--_n._ MORIS[=O]'NIANISM, the religious views of Morison and others--essentially a reaction from the Calvinistic doctrine of the Westminster Confession on predestination and unconditional election and reprobation.
MORKIN, mor'kin, _n._ a beast that has died by accident.
MORLING, mor'ling, _n._ a sheep dead of disease or its wool.
MORLOP, mor'lop, _n._ a New South Wales jasper.
MORMO, mor'm[=o], _n._ a genus of noctuoid moths: a bugbear.
MORMON, mor'mon, _n._ one of a religious sect in Utah, U.S., openly polygamous till 1890, calling itself 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,' founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith, whose supplement to the Bible, the _Book of Mormon_, was given out as translated from the golden plates of one '_Mormon_,' but was really adapted from a MS. romance written about 1811 by Solomon Spaulding.--_ns._ MOR'MONISM; MOR'MONITE, MOR'MONIST.
MORMOPS, mor'mops, _n._ a genus of American phyllostomine bats, so called from their repulsive physiognomy. [Gr. _morm[=o]_, a bugbear, _[=o]ps_, face.]
MORN, morn, _n._ the first part of the day: morning.--THE MORN (_Scot._), to-morrow; THE MORN'S MORNING, to-morrow morning. [M. E. _morwen_--A.S.
_morgen_; Ger. _morgen_.]
MORNE, m[=o]rn, _n._ the blunt head of a jousting-lance: a small, rounded hill.--_adjs._ MORNe (m[=o]r-n[=a]'), denoting a lion rampant without teeth or claws; MORNED (_her._), blunted. [Fr.]
MORNING, morn'ing, _n._ the first part of the day: the early part of anything: the first dram of the day.--_adj._ pertaining to the morning: taking place or being in the morning.--_ns._ MORN'ING-DRESS, dress such as is usually worn in the morning, as opposed to _Evening-dress_; MORN'ING-GIFT, a gift made by the husband to the wife on the morning after marriage; MORNING-GOWN, a gown for wearing in the morning; MORN'ING-LAND, the east; MORN'ING-ROOM, a woman's morning boudoir or sitting-room in English country houses; MORN'ING-SICK'NESS, nausea and vomiting in the morning, common in the early stages of pregnancy; MORN'ING-STAR, any of the planets, esp. Venus, when it rises before the sun: a kind of flail with a star-like ball of metal at the end of a chain, formerly used as a weapon of war; MORN'ING-TIDE, the morning time: early part; MORN'ING-WATCH, the watch between 4 and 8 A.M. [Contr. of _morwen-ing_. Cf. _Morn_.]
MOROCCO, mo-rok'[=o], _n._ a fine goat-skin leather, tanned with sumac, first brought from _Morocco_, afterwards from the Levant and elsewhere: a sheep-skin leather in imitation of this: a very strong ale, anciently brewed in Cumberland.--_adj._ consisting of Morocco.--FRENCH MOROCCO, an inferior kind of Levant morocco, with small grain; LEVANT MOROCCO, a fine quality of morocco, with large grain; PERSIAN MOROCCO, a morocco finished on the grain side.
MOROLOGY, m[=o]-rol'o-ji, _n._ foolish talk. [Gr., _m[=o]ros_, a fool, _logia_--_legein_, to speak.]
MOROSE, m[=o]-r[=o]s', _adj._ of a sour temper: gloomy: severe.--_adv._ MOROSE'LY.--_ns._ MOROSE'NESS, quality of being morose--(_obs._) MOROS'ITY.
[L. _morosus_, peevish--_mos_, _moris_, manner.]
MORPHEUS, mor'f[=u]s, _n._ a god of dreams: sleep.--_adjs._ MORPH[=E]'AN, MORPHET'IC. [L.]
MORPHIA, mor'fi-a, _n._ the chief narcotic principle of opium: a drug which causes sleep or deadens pain--also MOR'PHINE.--_ns._ MOR'PHINISM; MORPHIOM[=A]'NIA; MORPHIOM[=A]'NIAC. [Coined from Gr. _Morpheus_, god of dreams--_morph[=e]_, shape.]
MORPHIC, mor'fik, _adj._ relating to form, morphological.--_n._ MORPHOGEN'ESIS, the production of morphological characters.--_adj._ MORPHOGENET'IC.--_ns._ MORPHOG'ENY, the genesis of form: morphology; MORPHOG'RAPHER; MORPHOG'RAPHY, descriptive morphology.--_adjs._ MORPHOLOG'IC, -AL.--_ns._ MORPHOL'OGIST, one who is versed in, or who writes upon, morphology; MORPHOL'OGY, the science of organic form, of the development of the forms of living organisms; MORPHON'OMY, the laws of morphology; MORPH[=O]'SIS, morphogenesis.--_adj._ MORPHOT'IC. [Gr.
_morph[=e]_, form.]
MORRHUA, mor'[=oo]-a, _n._ the chief genus of gadoid fishes, including the cod (_Gadus_).
MORRIS, MORRICE, mor'is, MORR'IS-DANCE, _n._ a Moorish dance: a dance in which bells, rattles, tambours, &c. are introduced.--_v.i._ MORR'IS, to perform by dancing.--_ns._ MORR'IS-DANC'ER; MORR'IS-PIKE (_Shak._), a Moorish pike.--NINE MEN'S MORRIS, an old English game in which a figure of squares, one within another, was marked out on aboard or on the turf, and eighteen pieces or stones, nine for each side, were moved alternately as at draughts--also _Nine men's merils_. [Sp. _morisco_, Moorish--Sp. _moro_, a Moor.]
MORROW, mor'[=o], _n._ the day following the present: to-morrow: the next following day: the time immediately after any event.--_n._ To-MORR'OW, next day--also _adv._ [M. E. _morwe_=_morwen_; cf. _Morn_.]
MORSE, mors, _n._ the walrus or sea-horse. [Russ. _morj[)u]_, a morse, prob. from _more_, the sea.]
MORSE, mors, _n._ the metal fastening of the cope, generally of precious metal, ornamented with jewels--also _Pectoral_. [L. _morsus_, a bite.]
MORSE, mors, _n._ (_coll._) the Morse-code signalling of telegraph operators, from Sam. F. B. _Morse_ (1791-1872).--MORSE ALPHABET, a system of symbols to be used in telegraphic messages where Morse's indicator is used, consisting of dots and dashes combined in different ways to indicate the different letters.
MORSEL, mor'sel, _n._ a bite or mouthful: a small piece of food: a small quantity of anything which is divided.--_ns._ MOR'S[=U]RE, the act of biting; MOR'SUS, a bite. [O. Fr. _morsel_ (Fr. _morceau_, It. _morsello_), dim. from L. _morsus_--_mord[=e]re_, _morsum_, to bite.]
MORSING-HORN, mor'sing-horn, _n._ the small horn that used to hold the fine powder used for priming. [Fr. _amorcer_, to prime a gun.]
MORT, mort, _n._ death: a flourish sounded at the death of a buck, & c., in hunting.
MORT, mort, _n._ a great number or amount of anything.
MORT, mort, _n._ (_slang_) a woman.
MORTAL, mor'tal, _adj._ liable to die: causing death: deadly: fatal: punishable with death: involving the penalty of spiritual death, as opposed to _Venial_: extreme, violent, implacable: human: (_coll._) very great, very long, confounded, very drunk.--_n._ a human being.--_v.t._ MOR'TALISE, to make mortal.--_n._ MORTAL'ITY, condition of being mortal: death: frequency or number of deaths, esp. in proportion to population: the human race.--_adv._ MOR'TALLY--(_coll._) MOR'TAL.--_ns._ MORT'-CLOTH, a pall; MORT'-STONE, a stone by the wayside on which the bearers lay the bier for a rest during a funeral procession.--BILLS OF MORTALITY, lists of the numbers of those who have died in any place during any given time; LAW OF MORTALITY, rules founded on experience or calculation, showing what average proportion of those living at the beginning of a given time will be surviving at its close. [Fr.,--L. _mortalis_--_mori_, to die.]
MORTAR, mor'tar, _n._ a vessel in which substances are pounded with a pestle: a short and very thick piece of artillery of large calibre, firing a heavy shell at a fixed angle of 45 or thereabouts, so as to strike vertically: a cement of lime, sand, and water, used to bind together stones or bricks in building.--_v.t._ to close up or in as with mortar: to pound in a mortar.--_n._ MOR'TAR-BOARD, a square board with a handle beneath for holding mortar which the workman is using: a square-crowned academic cap.
[A.S. _mortere_--L. _mortarium_, a mortar.]
MORTGAGE, mor'g[=a]j, _n._ a conditional conveyance of or lien upon land or other property as security for the performance of some condition, as the payment of money, becoming void on the performance of the condition: the act of conveying, or the deed effecting it.--_v.t._ to pledge as security for a debt.--_ns._ MORTGAGEE', one to whom a mortgage is made or given; MORT'GAGER. [O. Fr., _mort_, dead, _gage_, a pledge.]
MORTIER, mor'tye, _n._ a cap of state worn by legal functionaries in France.
MORTIFEROUS, mor-tif'[.e]r-us, _adj._ death-bringing: fatal. [L. _mors_, death, _ferre_, to bring.]
MORTIFY, mor'ti-f[=i], _v.t._ to destroy the vital functions of: to subdue by severities and penance: to vex: to humble: (_Scots law_) to dispose of by mortification.--_v.i._ to lose vitality, to gangrene: to be subdued:--_pa.t._ and _pa.p._ mor'tified.--_ns._ MORTIFIC[=A]'TION, act of mortifying or state of being mortified: the death of one part of an animal body: a bringing under of the passions and appetites by a severe or strict manner of living: humiliation: vexation: that which mortifies or vexes: (_Scots law_) a bequest to some charitable institution; MOR'TIFIEDNESS, subjugation of the passions; MOR'TIFIER, one who mortifies.--_adj._ MOR'TIFYING, tending to mortify or humble: humiliating: vexing. [Fr.,--Low L. _mortific[=a]re_, to cause death to--_mors_ death, _fac[)e]re_, to make.]
MORTISE, mor'tis, _n._ a cavity cut into a piece of timber to receive the tenon, a projection on another piece made to fit it: stability, power of adhesion--also MOR'TICE.--_v.t._ to cut a mortise in: to join by a mortise and tenon. [Fr. _mortaise_; ety. unknown.]
MORTMAIN, mort'm[=a]n, _n._ the transfer of property to a corporation, which is said to be a dead hand, or one that can never part with it again.--STATUTES OF MORTMAIN, acts of parliament restricting or forbidding the giving of property to religious houses. [Fr. _mort_, dead, _main_--L.