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Hence, absent-mindedness; abstraction.

t differs from stricture in being applied especially to diffused rather than localized contractions, and in always indicating an origin organic and not spasmodic.

the optic axes can not be directed to the same object, -- a defect due either to undue contraction or to undue relaxation of one or more of the muscles which move the eyeball; squinting; cross-eye.

A painful discharge of urine, drop by drop, produced by spasmodic muscular contraction.

A localized morbid contraction of any passage of the body. Cf. Organic stricture, and Spasmodic stricture, under Organic, and Spasmodic. Arbuthnot.

abitual sudden twitching of the hinder leg of a horse, or an involuntary or convulsive contraction of the muscles that raise the hock. [Written also springhalt.]

A contraction of Studding sail. With every rag set, stunsails, sky scrapers and all. Lowell.

Producing contraction; stopping bleeding; having the quality of restraining hemorrhage when applied to the bleeding part; astringent. [Written also stiptic.] Styptic weed (Bot.), an American leguminous herb (Cassia occidentalis) closely related to the wild senna.

Arithmetical subtraction. Sir M. Hale.

A contraction of Supernumerary, in sense 2. [Theatrical Cant]

Contraction of Swollen, p. p. Milton.

A contraction of syllables by suppressing some vowel or diphthong at the end of a word, before another vowel or diphthong; as, th' army, for the army. [Written also synaloepha.]

The act of syncopating; the contraction of a word by taking one or more letters or syllables from the middle; syncope.

A contraction of two syllables into one; synizesis.

A contraction of two syllables into one; synecphonesis.

Capable of, or taking place by, alternate contraction and dilatation; as, the systaltic action of the heart.

The contraction of the heart and arteries by which the blood is forced onward and the circulation kept up; -- correlative to diastole.

Of or pertaining to systole, or contraction; contracting; esp., ralating to the systole of the heart; as, systolic murmur. Dunglison.

A colloquial contraction of the other, and formerly a contraction for that other. See the Note under That, 2. The tothir that was crucifield with him. Wyclif(John xix. 32)

p. p. of Ta, to take, or a contraction of Taken. [Poetic & Scot.] Burns.