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An onomatopoetic word used as an expression of hesitation, doubt, etc. It is often a sort of voluntary half cough, loud or subdued, and would perhaps be better expressed by hm. Cough or cry hem, if anybody come. Shak.

ng, a process of making flour from grain by several successive grindings and intermediate sorting, instead of by a single grinding. -- High noon, the time when the sun is in the meridian. -- High place (Script.), an eminence or mound on which sacrifices were offered. -- High priest. See in the Vocabulary. -- High r…

he Highlands of Scotland. Highland fling, a dance peculiar to the Scottish Highlanders; a sort of hornpipe.

The chief horizontal line in a picture of any sort, which determines in the picture the height of the eye of the spectator; in an extended landscape, the representation of the natural horizon corresponds with this line. Apparent horizon. See under Apparent. -- Artificial horizon, a level mirror, as the surface of merc…

Pertaining or appropriate to a housewife; domestic; economical; prudent. A good sort of woman, ladylike and housewifely. Sir W. Scott.

ignoramus. [Obs.] Christ was received of idiots, of the vulgar people, and of the simpler sort, while he was rejected, despised, and persecuted even to death by the high priests, lawyers, scribes, doctors, and rabbis. C. Blount.

s in the enforcement of maritime liens against a vessel, which is made the defendant by a sort of personification. Most actions for the specific recovery of property in English and American law are in the nature of actions in personam against a person alleged to be unlawfully withholding the property.…

T is folly and incogitancy to argue anything, one way or the other, from the designs of a sort of beings with whom we so little communicate. Glanvill.

atom, nobody will imagine we intend to express a perfect indivisible, but only the least sort of natural bodies. Digby.

A collection of hairs united so as to form a sort of cup, and inclosing the stigma of a flower.

are; uncommon; unusual. The act whereof is at this day infrequent or out of use among all sorts of men. Sir T. Elyot.

A sort of fillet worn by dignitaries, priests, and others among the ancient Romans. It was generally white.

to set afoot; to originate; to commence; to begin or enter upon. How are changes of this sort to be initiated I. Taylor.

. unto arbitrary calculations. Sir T. Browne. A time of insecurity, when interests of all sorts become objects of speculation. Burke.

n; continuing instant in prayer. Rom. xii. 12. I am beginning to be very instant for some sort of occupation. Carlyle.

itutes of Justinian; Coke's Institutes of the Laws of England. Cf. Digest, n. They made a sort of institute and digest of anarchy. Burke. To make the Stoics' institutes thy own. Dryden.

A sort of humor, ridicule, or light sarcasm, which adopts a mode of speech the meaning of which is contrary to the literal sense of the words.

A sort of light spear, to be thrown or cast by thew hand; anciently, a weapon of war used by horsemen and foot soldiers; now used chiefly in hunting the wild boar and other fierce game. Flies the javelin swifter to its mark, Launched by the vigor of a Roman arm Addison.

To sort or separate, as ore in a jigger or sieve. See Jigging, n.

One who, or that which, jigs; specifically, a miner who sorts or cleans ore by the process of jigging; also, the sieve used in jigging.