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To talk a weak and silly manner, like one whose faculties are decayed; to prate; to prattle. Stanyhurst.

One who prates in a weak and silly manner, like one whose faculties are decayed.

A brown amorphous substance found in decaying vegetation. Cf. Humin. [Formerly written ulmine.]

rily thrown out of employment, as those engaged for short periods, those whose trade is decaying, and those least competent.

Loss by use, decay, evaporation, leakage, or the like; waste.

njure, as an estate, voluntarily, or by suffering the buildings, fences, etc., to go to decay.

cke. To wear away, to consume; to impair, diminish, or destroy, by gradual attrition or decay. -- To wear off, to diminish or remove by attrition or slow decay; as, to wear off the nap of cloth. -- To wear on or upon, to wear. [Obs.] "[I] weared upon my gay scarlet gites [gowns.]" Chaucer. -- To wear out. (a) To con…

To wither; to fade; also, to decay; to decline; to wane. [Obs.] When ruddy Phwelk in west. Spenser. The church, that before by insensible degrees welked and impaired, now with large steps went down hill decaying. Milton.

The period of decay, old age, death, or the like. Life's autumn past, I stand on winter's verge. Wordsworth. Winter apple, an apple that keeps well in winter, or that does not ripen until winter. -- Winter barley, a kind of barley that is sown in autumn. -- Winter berry (Bot.), the name of several American shrubs (Il…

To cause to shrink, wrinkle, or decay, for want of animal moisture. "Age can not wither her." Shak. Shot forth pernicious fire Among the accursed, that withered all their strength. Milton.

uneven in any way. A keen north wind that, blowing dry, Wrinkled the face of deluge, as decayed. Milton. Then danced we on the wrinkled sand. Bryant. To wrinkle at, to sneer at. [Obs.] Marston.

A green or blue pigment produced by Peziza in certain kinds of decayed wood, as the beech, oak, birch, etc., and extracted as an amorphous powder resembling indigo.

A tribe or family of dipterous flies whose larvæ live in decayed wood. Some of the tropical species are very large.

One of a tribe of beetles (Xylophili) whose larvæ live on decayed wood.

and surrounded by prominent bony ridges. Called also spectacled alligator, and spectacled cayman. [Written also jacare.]