Search the Dictionary

A dolt; a dunce. [Low.] Holloway.

ia by Alexander the Great, who went almost naked, denied themselves the use of flesh, renounced bodily pleasures, and employed themselves in the contemplation of nature.

A foolish; a dolt; a blockhead; a dunce. Dryden.

eize and deal with; as, he took him in hand. -- To wash the hands of, to disclaim or renounce interest in, or responsibility for, a person or action; as, to wash one's hands of a business. Matt. xxvii. 24. -- Under the hand of, authenticated by the handwriting or signature of; as, the deed is executed under the hand…

That which is written by hand; manuscript. The handwriting on the wall, a doom pronounced; an omen of disaster. Dan. v. 5.

To be undetermined or uncertain; to be in suspense; to linger; to be delayed. A noble stroke he lifted high, Which hung not, but so swift with tempest fell On the proud crest of Satan. Milton. To hang around, to loiter idly about. -- To hang back, to hesitate; to falter; to be reluctant. "If any one among you hangs ba…

The uncertain result of throwing a die; hence, a fortuitous event; chance; accident; casualty. I will stand the hazard of the die. Shak.

Liable to hazard or chance; uncertain; risky. Sir T. Browne.

rity; dimness. O'er the sky The silvery haze of summer drawn. Tennyson. Above the world's uncertain haze. Keble.

A measure of weight, containing a hundred grams, or about 3.527 ounces avoirdupois.

A measure equal to about ten fluid ounces.

Mexico and Yucatan. -- Sunn hemp, a fiber obtained from a leguminous plant (Crotalaria juncea). -- Water hemp, an annual American weed (Acnida cannabina), related to the amaranth.

An officer whose business was to denounce or proclaim war, to challenge to battle, to proclaim peace, and to bear messages from the commander of an army. He was invested with a sacred and inviolable character.

To decide to be heresy or a heretic; to denounce as a heretic or heretical. Bp. Hall. And let no one be minded, on the score of my neoterism, to hereticate me. Fitzed. Hall.

To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination; as, he hesitated whether to accept the offer or not; men often hesitate in forming a judgment. Pope.

A discourse or sermon read or pronounced to an audience; a serious discourse. Shak.

Changing and uncertain states of mind; caprices; freaks; vagaries; whims. Is my friend all perfection, all virtue and discretion Has he not humors to be endured South.

In our old authors, I was often used for ay (or aye), yes, which is pronounced nearly like it.

Whether; -- in dependent questions. Uncertain if by augury or chance. Dryden. She doubts if two and two make four. Prior. As if, But if. See under As, But.

A stupid, ignorant person; a vain pretender to knowledge; a dunce. An ignoramus in place and power. South.