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sion of their parts and pass through certain chemical changes, giving off usually in some stages of the process more or less offensive odors; to become decomposed by a natural process; to putrefy; to decay. Fixed like a plant on his peculiar spot, To draw nutrition, propagate, and rot. Pope.

Very imperfectly developed; in an early stage of development; embryonic.

To go back and forth from place to place; to ply; as, the stage runs between the hotel and the station.

caked mass, consisting of sodium sulphate, which is obtained as the product of the first stage in the manufacture of soda, according to Leblanc's process. -- Salt fish. (a) Salted fish, especially cod, haddock, and similar fishes that have been salted and dried for food. (b) A marine fish. -- Salt garden, an arrange…

Specifically, a stage or elevated platform for the execution of a criminal; as, to die on the scaffold. That a scaffold of execution should grow a scaffold of coronation. Sir P. Sidney.

o mount by steps; to go through with step by step. [Obs.] Nor stayed till she the highest stage had scand. Spenser.

the part of a theater in which the acting is done, with its adjuncts and decorations; the stage.

The nature or resting stage of a plasmodium.

The young attached larva of Discophora in the stage when it resembles a hydroid, or actinian.

ase; as, Bright's disease is often secondary to scarlet fever. (b) Occuring in the second stage of a disease; as, the secondary symptoms of syphilis. Secondary accent. See the Note under Accent, n., 1. -- Secondary age. (Geol.) The Mesozoic age, or age before the Tertiary. See Mesozoic, and Note under Age, n., 8. --…

in segmentation or cleavage of the ovum; the cavity of the blastosphere. In the gastrula stage, the segmentation cavity in which the mesoblast is formed lies between the entoblast and ectoblast. See Illust. of Invagination. -- Segmentation nucleus (Biol.), the body formed by fusion of the male and female pronucleus i…

The young of an insect in a stage between the larva and pupa.

A signal call on a trumpet or cornet for entrance or exit on the stage. [Obs.]

or inflammation. Three varieties, distinguished by their color and representing different stages of the morbid process, are known respectively as red, yellow, and white, softening.

nic area or vent which yields only sulphur vapors, steam, and the like. It represents the stages of the volcanic activity.

Alone; -- chiefly used in stage directions, and the like.

An early or simple larval stage of trematode worms and some other invertebrates, which is capable or reproducing other germs by asexual generation; a nurse; a redia.

Play; idle jingle. An author who should introduce such a sport of words upon our stage would meet with small applause. Broome.

circle of light used to illuminate brilliantly a single person or object or group on the stage; leaving the rest of the stage more or less unilluminated; hence, conspicuous public notice. [Cant or Colloq.]

The time of growth and progress; early portion; first stage. "The spring of the day." 1 Sam. ix. 26. O how this spring of love resembleth The uncertain glory of an April day. Shak.