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To reprove or reprimand with a view of restraining, checking, or preventing; to make charge of fault against; to disapprove of; to chide; to blame; to censure. Chaucer. Aristippus being reprehended of luxury by one that was not rich, for that he gave six crowns for a small fish. Bacon. Pardon me for reprehending thee.…

Repreve. [Obs.] Chaucer.

A substance used to prevent a color or mordant from fixing on those parts to which it has been applied, either by acting machanically in preventing the color, etc., from reaching the cloth, or chemically in changing the color so as to render it incapable of fixing itself in the fibers.. The pastes prepared for this pur…

power of a body which acts in opposition to the impulse or pressure of another, or which prevents the effect of another power; as, the resistance of the air to a body passing through it; the resistance of a target to projectiles.

A divice of gauze or wire, covering the mouth or nose, to prevent the inhalation of noxious substances, as dust or smoke. Being warmed by the breath, it tempers cold air passing through it, and may also be used for the inhalation of medicated vapors.

To restrain; to prevent. [Obs.] Sir W. Temple. Retaining wall (Arch. & Engin.), a wall built to keep any movable backing, or a bank of sand or earth, in its place; -- called also retain wall.

To keep delaying; to continue to hinder; to prevent from progress; to render more slow in progress; to impede; to hinder; as, to retard the march of an army; to retard the motion of a ship; -- opposed to Ant: accelerate.

public use. Revenue cutter, an armed government vessel employed to enforce revenue laws, prevent smuggling, etc.

A convex curve or arch cut in the edge of a sail to prevent chafing, or to secure a better fit. As sound as a roach Etym: [roach perhaps being a corruption of a F. roche a rock], perfectly sound.

To prevent from winning (as a horse), by pulling or curbing. [Racing Slang, Eng.]

On the rough edge of battle. Milton. A quicker and rougher remedy. Clarendon. Kind words prevent a good deal of that perverseness which rough and imperious usage often produces. Locke.

hain (Naut.), one of the loose chains or ropes which fasten the rudder to the quarters to prevent its loss in case it gets unshipped, and for operating it in case the tiller or the wheel is broken. -- Rudder coat (Naut.), a covering of tarred canvas used to prevent water from entering the rudderhole. -- Rudder fish.…

A collar on a shaft ot other piece to prevent endwise motion. See Illust. of Collar.

belt. -- Safety cage (Mach.), a cage for an elevator or mine lift, having appliances to prevent it from dropping if the lifting rope should break. -- Safety lamp. (Mining) See under Lamp. -- Safety match, a match which can be ignited only on a surface specially prepared for the purpose. -- Safety pin, a pin made i…

An auxiliary watch chain, secured to the clothes, usually out of sight, to prevent stealing of the watch.

rried on locomotives, from which sand runs on the rails in front of the driving wheel, to prevent slipping. -- Sand-box tree (Bot.), a tropical American tree (Hura crepitans). Its fruit is a depressed many-celled woody capsule which, when completely dry, bursts with a loud report and scatters the seeds. See Illust. of…

To rescue from something undesirable or hurtful; to prevent from doing something; to spare. I'll save you That labor, sir. All's now done. Shak.

Anything which saves fragments, or prevents waste or loss. Specifically:

le sidewise, that they may make a kerf somewhat wider than the thickness of the blade, to prevent friction; -- called also saw-wrest.

parched; to be dried up. Scatter a little mungy straw or fern amongst your seedlings, to prevent the roots from scorching. Mortimer.