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A kind of gum; -- called also gum tragacanth, or tragacanth. See Tragacanth.

Gum, starch, and the like, used in stiffening or finishing silk, linen, and other fabrics.

The tendency of an act, argument, course of conduct, or the like; object aimed at or intended; intention; hence, also, import or meaning of a sentence or discourse; aim. He has made the drift of the whole poem a compliment on his country in general. Addison. Now thou knowest my drift. Sir W. Scott.

r state; as, to drive person by necessity, by persuasion, by force of circumstances, by argument, and the like. " Enough to drive one mad." Tennyson. He, driven to dismount, threatened, if I did not do the like, to do as much for my horse as fortune had done for his. Sir P. Sidney.

A species of pea (Amphicarpæa monoica). It is a climbing leguminous plant, with hairy underground pods.

tic; India rubber is elastic. Capable of being drawn out by force like a piece of elastic gum, and by its own elasticity returning, when the force is removed, to its former position. Paley.

A fragrant gum resin obtained chiefly tropical trees of the genera Amyris and Canarium. A. elemifera yields Mexican elemi; C. commune, the Manila elemi. It is used in the manufacture of varnishes, also in ointments and plasters.

That part of an argument on which its conclusiveness depends; that which convinces of refutes an antagonist; a refutation.

entice forth; to bring to light; to bring out against the will; to deduce by reason or argument; as, to elicit truth by discussion.

To break or dash in pieces; to demolish; as, to elide the force of an argument. [Obs.] Hooker.

Having the power of expressing strong emotions or forcible arguments in an elevated, impassioned, and effective manner; as, an eloquent orator or preacher. O Death, all-eloquent! You only prove What dust we dote on when 't is man we love. Pope.

n officer; to elude detection, inquiry, search, comprehension; to elude the force of an argument or a blow. Me gentle Delia beckons from the plain, Then, hid in shades, eludes he eager swain. Pope. The transition from fetichism to polytheism seems a gradual process of which the stages elude close definition. Tylor.…

The inner layer of the skin or integument of an animal.

The foramen or passage through the inner integument of an ovule.

To give force to; to strengthen; to invigorate; to urge with energy; as, to enforce arguments or requests. Enforcing sentiment of the thrust humanity. Burke.

Diffusiveness of speech or writing; expatiation; a wide range of discourse or argument. An enlargement upon the vices and corruptions that were got into the army. Clarendon.

To announce; to declare; to state, as a proposition or argument. Sir W. Hamilton.

An argument consisting of only two propositions, an antecedent and consequent deduced from it; a syllogism with one premise omitted; as, We are dependent; therefore we should be humble. Here the major proposition is suppressed. The complete syllogism would be, Dependent creatures should be humble; we are dependent crea…

A recapitulation, in the peroration, of the heads of an argument.

To put a covering about; to wrap up or in; to inclose within a case, wrapper, integument or the like; to surround entirely; as, to envelop goods or a letter; the fog envelops a ship. Nocturnal shades this world envelop. J. Philips.