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er, used for making violet or purple dye. It is prepared from certain species of lichen, especially Lecanora tartarea. Ure.

The tail; the end of a thing; especially, a tail-like twist of hair worn at the back of the head; a queue.

mental appendage at the wrist, whether attached to the sleeve of the garment or separate;especially, in modern times, such an appendage of starched linen, or a substitute for it of paper, or the like.

Mineral coal that is not bituminous; anthracite, especially when found in small masses.

it down; why cumbereth it the ground Luke xiii. 7. The multiplying variety of arguments, especially frivolous ones, . . . but cumbers the memory. Locke.

Wedge-shaped; as, a cuneiform bone; -- especially applied to the wedge-shaped or arrowheaded characters of ancient Persian and Assyrian inscriptions. See Arrowheaded.

A small vessel, used commonly to drink from; as, a tin cup, a silver cup, a wine cup; especially, in modern times, the pottery or porcelain vessel, commonly with a handle, used with a saucer in drinking tea, coffee, and the like.

Eager or inordinate desire, especially for wealth; greed of gain; avarice; covetousness. With the feelings of political distrust were mingled those of cupidity and envy, as the Spaniard saw the fairest provinces of the south still in the hands of the accursed race of Ishmael. Prescott.

ckened part of milk, as distingushed from the whey, or watery part. It is eaten as food, especially when made into cheese. Curds and cream, the flower of country fare. Dryden.

p. a. & vb. n. of Cure. Curing house, a building in which anything is cured; especially, in the West Indies, a building in which sugar is drained and dried.

A ringlet, especially of hair; anything of a spiral or winding form. Under a coronet, his flowing hair In curls on either cheek played. Milton.

A manuscript, especially of the New Testament, written in small, connected characters or in a running hand; -- opposed to uncial. Shipley.

urve, under Circle. -- Curvature of the spine (Med.), an abnormal curving of the spine, especially in a lateral direction. -- Radius of curvature, the radius of the circle of curvature, or osculatory circle, at any point of a curve.

A prominence or point, especially on the crown of a tooth.

The outermost skin or pellicle of a plant, found especially in leaves and young stems.

A piece of meat, especially of veal or mutton, cut for broiling.

A native or inhabitant of Cyprus, especially of ancient Cyprus; a Cypriot.

tion, the lower part of the wall of an apartment when adorned with moldings, or otherwise specially decorated.

To interchange caresses, especially with one of the opposite sex; to use fondling; to wanton; to sport. Not dallying with a brace of courtesans. Shak. Our aerie . . . dallies with the wind. Shak.

A female parent; -- used of beasts, especially of quadrupeds; sometimes applied in contempt to a human mother. Our sire and dam, now confined to horses, are a relic of this age (13th century) . . . .Dame is used of a hen; we now make a great difference between dame and dam. T. L. K. Oliphant. The dam runs lowing up end…