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legal application to a court for justice; prosecution of right before any tribunal; as, a civil suit; a criminal suit; a suit in chancery. I arrest thee at the suit of Count Orsino. Shak. In England the several suits, or remedial instruments of justice, are distinguished into three kinds -- actions personal, real, and…

An assembly or council having civil authority; a legislative body. It hath in solemn synods been decreed, Both by the Syracusians and ourselves, To admit no traffic to our adverse towns. Shak. Parent of gods and men, propitious Jove! And you, bright synod of the powers above. Dryden.

evolved in the progress of society. De Quincey. His name has thus become, throughout all civilized countries, a synonym for probity and philanthropy. Macaulay. In popular literary acceptation, and as employed in special dictionaries of such words, synonyms are words sufficiently alike in general signification to be li…

ng an objection. -- Tac"it*ly, adv. The tacit and secret theft of abusing our brother in civil contracts. Jer. Taylor.

The body of the Jewish civil and canonical law not comprised in the Pentateuch.

In China, an official at the head of the civil and military affairs of a circuit, which consists of two or more fu, or territorial departments; --called also, by foreigners, intendant of circuit. Foreign consuls and commissioners associated with taotais as superintendants of trade at the treaty ports are ranked with th…

To cause to resemble the Tartars and their civilization, as by conquest.

iced by various barbarous races, both in ancient and modern times, and also by some among civilized nations, especially by sailors.

Civil or political, as distinguished from ecclesiastical; as, temporal power; temporal courts. Lords temporal. See under Lord, n. -- Temporal augment. See the Note under Augment, n.

Careful to save inviolate, or not to injure; -- with of. "Tender of property." Burke. The civil authority should be tender of the honor of God and religion. Tillotson.

practise of coercing governments to accede to political demands by committing violence on civilian targets; any similar use of violence to achieve goals.

rescribing a form of oath and declaration against transubstantiation, which all officers, civil and military, were formerly obliged to take within six months after their admission to office. They were obliged also to receive the sacrament according to the usage of the Church of England. Blackstone. -- Test object (Opt…

One who lives under a theocratic form of government; one who in civil affairs conforms to divine law.

the theorems, Which your polite and terser gallants practice, I re-refine the court, and civilize Their barbarous natures. Massinger.

Any civil wrong or injury; a wrongful act (not involving a breach of contract) for which an action will lie; a form of action, in some parts of the United States, for a wrong or injury. Executor de son tort. See under Executor. -- Tort feasor (Law), a wrongdoer; a trespasser. Wharton.

o compose; to make calm and peaceful; as, to tranquilize a state disturbed by factions or civil commotions; to tranquilize the mind.

The act of transgressing, or of passing over or beyond any law, civil or moral; the violation of a law or known principle of rectitude; breach of command; fault; offense; crime; sin. Forgive thy people . . . all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee. I Kings viii. 50. What rests, but that the…

the board to which is intrusted the management of all matters relating to the sovereign's civil list or other revenues. [Eng.] Brande & C. -- Treasury bench, the first row of seats on the right hand of the Speaker in the House of Commons; -- so called because occupied by the first lord of the treasury and chief minist…

A nation of savages or uncivilized people; a body of rude people united under one leader or government; as, the tribes of the Six Nations; the Seneca tribe.

A viceroy or governor-general, the highest provincial official in China, with civil and military authority over one or more provinces.