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A sort of stone, found in the mines with the true alum rock, chiefly of silica and iron.

A building; a house; an edifice; -- used chiefly in poetry. Approach the dome, the social banquet share. Pope.

communities named from him. Dominican nuns, an order of nuns founded by St. Dominic, and chiefly employed in teaching. -- Dominican tertiaries (the third order of St. Dominic). See Tertiary.

Given; executed; issued; made public; -- used chiefly in the clause giving the date of a proclamation or public act.

The chief tower, also called the keep; a massive tower in ancient castles, forming the strongest part of the fortifications. See Illust. of Castle.

a widow, to distinguish her from the wife of her husband's heir bearing the same name; -- chiefly applied to widows of personages of rank. With prudes for proctors, dowagers for deans. Tennyson. Queen dowager, the widow of a king.

f poor, sandy, undulating or hilly land near the sea, covered with fine turf which serves chiefly for the grazing of sheep; -- usually in the plural. [Eng.] Seven thousand broad-tailed sheep grazed on his downs. Sandys.

The chief or first drummer of a regiment; an instructor of drummers.

One of a people and religious sect dwelling chiefly in the Lebanon mountains of Syria. The Druses separated from the Mohammedan Arabs in the 9th century. Their characteristic dogma is the unity of God. Am. Cyc.

he Voltaic pile, constructed without the use of a liquid, affording a feeble current, and chiefly useful in the construction of electroscopes of great delicacy; -- called also Zamboni's , from the names of the two earliest constructors of it. -- Dry pipe (Steam Engine), a pipe which conducts dry steam from a boiler.…

ful; as, a dubious answer. Wiping the dingy shirt with a still more dubious pocket handkerchief. Thackeray.

The chief lady in waiting on the queen of Spain. Brande.

A leader; a chief; a prince. [Obs.] Hannibal, duke of Carthage. Sir T. Elyot. All were dukes once, who were "duces" -- captains or leaders of their people. Trench.

whose denominations rise in a scale of twelves, as of feet and inches. The system is used chiefly by artificers in computing the superficial and solid contents of their work.

Thinking chiefly or most readily through, or in terms related to, the sense of hearing; specif., thinking words as spoken, as a result of familiarity with speech or of mental peculiarity; -- opposed to eye-minded.

ry breastwork or permanent fortification, for attack or defense, the material of which is chiefly earth.

o discolor by the production of an ecchymosis, or effusion of blood, beneath the skin; -- chiefly used in the passive form; as, the parts were much ecchymosed.

A building; a structure; an architectural fabric; -- chiefly applied to elegant houses, and other large buildings; as, a palace, a church, a statehouse.

A suffix used, chiefly in law terms, in a passive signification, to indicate the direct or indirect object of an action, or the one to whom an act is done or on whom a right is conferred; as in assignee, donee, alienee, grantee, etc. It is correlative to -or, the agent or doer.

To slip or glide away; to pass away silently, as time; -- used chiefly in reference to time. Eight days elapsed; at length a pilgrim came. Hoole.