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An auxiliary verb qualifyng the meaning of another verb, by expressing: (a) Ability, competency, or possibility; -- now oftener expressed by can. How may a man, said he, with idle speech, Be won to spoil the castle of his health ! Spenser. For what he [the king] may do is of two kinds; what he may do as just, and what…

smaller operators in stocks and extract a profit from them, by alternately raising and depressing prices within a short range; -- said of the large dealers. [Cant] -- To milk a telegram, to use for one's own advantage the contents of a telegram belonging to another person. [Cant]

Full of moaning; expressing sorrow. -- Moan"ful*ly, adv.

Indicating, or pertaining to, some mode of conceiving existence, or of expressing thought.

of elasticity, strength, efficiency, etc.; a parameter. Modulus of a machine, a formula expressing the work which a given machine can perform under the conditions involved in its construction; the relation between the work done upon a machine by the moving power, and that yielded at the working points, either constantl…

The arrangement of, or mode of expressing, the terms of a contract or conveyance.

Manner of conceiving and expressing action or being, as positive, possible, hypothetical, etc., without regard to other accidents, such as time, person, number, etc.; as, the indicative mood; the infinitive mood; the subjunctive mood. Same as Mode.

Full of sorrow; expressing, or intended to express, sorrow; mourning; grieving; sad; also, causing sorrow; saddening; grievous; as, a mournful person; mournful looks, tones, loss. -- Mourn"ful*ly, adv. -- Mourn"ful*ness, n.

The act of sorrowing or expressing grief; lamentation; sorrow.

To be obliged; to be necessitated; -- expressing either physical or moral necessity; as, a man must eat for nourishment; we must submit to the laws.

Repressing or obscure utterance.

The condition of being needy or necessitous; pressing need; indigence; want. Urge the necessity and state of times. Shak. The extreme poverty and necessity his majesty was in. Clarendon.

A state that requires supply or relief; pressing occasion for something; necessity; urgent want. And the city had no need of the sun. Rev. xxi. 23. I have no need to beg. Shak. Be governed by your needs, not by your fancy. Jer. Taylor.

Expressing denial; belonging to negation; negative. Carlyle.

form belonging more especially to words which are not appellations of males or females; expressing or designating that which is of neither sex; as, a neuter noun; a neuter termination; the neuter gender.

Nay; not; not at all; not in any respect or degree; -- a word expressing negation, denial, or refusal. Before or after another negative, no is emphatic. We do no otherwise than we are willed. Shak. I am perplx'd and doubtful whether or no I dare accept this your congratulation. Coleridge. There is none righteous, no, n…

aintiff, either because he is satisfied that he can not support it, or upon the judge's expressing his opinion. A compulsory nonsuit is a nonsuit ordered by the court on the ground that the plaintiff on his own showing has not made out his case.

Consisting of, or conveying, notions or ideas; expressing abstract conceptions.

Expressing number; representing number; as, numeral letters or characters, as X or 10 for ten.

essing a person or personified object; also, as an emotional or impassioned exclamation expressing pain, grief, surprise, desire, fear, etc. For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Ps. cxix. 89. O how love I thy law ! it is my meditation all the day. Ps. cxix. 97.