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Definitely laid down; explicitly stated; clearly expressed; -- opposed to implied; as, a positive declaration or promise. Positive words, that he would not bear arms against King Edward's son. Bacon.

lay; to adjourn; as, to postpone the consideration of a bill to the following day, or indefinitely. His praise postponed, and never to be paid. Cowper.

ntial manner; possibly, not positively. The duration of human souls is only potentially infinite. Bentley.

Having determinate limitations; exactly or sharply defined or stated; definite; exact; nice; not vague or equivocal; as, precise rules of morality. The law in this point is not precise. Bacon. For the hour precise Exacts our parting hence. Milton.

cise; exact limitation; exactness; accuracy; strict conformity to a rule or a standard; definiteness. I have left out the utmost precisions of fractions. Locke.

A class or kind described by any definite marks; hence, condition; particular situation or state; especially, an unfortunate or trying position or condition. "O woeful sympathy; piteous predicament!" Shak.

Infinite previous duration. [R.] "The world's preëternity." Cudworth.

Having no sign expressive of quantity; indefinite. See Predesignate.

At once; without delay; forthwith; also, less definitely, soon; shortly; before long; after a little while; by and by. Shak. And presently the fig tree withered away. Matt. xxi. 19.

r plants; as, rabbits propagate rapidly. No need that thou Should'st propagate, already infinite. Milton.

One of the definite areas of the skin of a bird on which feathers grow; -- contrasted with apteria.

The arrangement of feathers in definite areas.

The general body of mankind, or of a nation, state, or community; the people, indefinitely; as, the American public; also, a particular body or aggregation of people; as, an author's public. The public is more disposed to censure than to praise. Addison.

ll spots. The studs have their surface punctulated, as if set all over with other studs infinitely lesser. Woodward.

id of a surface when the area limited by a curve can be exactly found, and expressed in a finite number of algebraic terms.

The integral used in obtaining the area bounded by a curve; hence, the definite integral of the product of any function of one variable into the differential of that variable.

an be drawn through four points, A., B, C, I, the lines being supposed to be produced indefinitely.

A definite portion of a manifoldness, limited by a mark or by a boundary. W. K. Clifford. Quantum meruit ( Etym: [L., as much as he merited] (Law), a count in an action grounded on a promise that the defendant would pay to the plaintiff for his service as much as he should deserve. -- Quantum sufficit (, or Quantum su…

each corner and one in the middle; especially, such an arrangement of trees repeated indefinitely, so as to form a regular group with rows running in various directions.

ers. etc. Single, double, and triple knots were tied in the smaller cords, representing definite numbers. It was chiefly used for arithmetical purposes, and to register important facts and events. [Written also quipo.] Tylor. The mysterious science of the quipus . . . supplied the Peruvians with the means of communicat…