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First in importance; chief; principal. A capital article in religion Atterbury. Whatever is capital and essential in Christianity. I. Taylor.

embranous envelope, entering the liver along with the portal vessels and insheathing the latter in their course through the organ. -- Suprarenal capsule, an organ of unknown function, above or in front of each kidney.

The military officer who commands a company, troop, or battery, or who has the rank entitling him to do so though he may be employed on other service.

A courting of favor or applause, by flattery or address; a captivating quality; an attraction. [Obs.] Without any of those dresses, or popular captations, which some men use in their speeches. Eikon Basilike.

rbon atoms, united with a variable number of hydrogen and oxygen atoms, but with the two latter always in proportion as to form water; as dextrose, C6H12O6.

acture of the carbon rods of pencils for the voltaic, arc, and for the plates of voltaic batteries, etc.

retor. In the former air is charged by being passed over the surface of gasoline. In the latter a fine spray of gasoline is drawn from an atomizing nozzle by a current of air induced by the suction of the engine piston, the supply of gasoline being regulated by a float which actuates a needle valve controlling the outl…

ses acid properties; -- hence called also carminic acid. Carmine red (Chem.), a coloring matter obtained from carmine as a purple-red substance, and probably allied to the phthaleïns.

The matter of which the philosopher's stone was believed to be composed.

nch philosopher René Descartes, or his philosophy. The Cartesion argument for reality of matter. Sir W. Hamilton. Cartesian coördinates (Geom), distance of a point from lines or planes; -- used in a system of representing geometric quantities, invented by Descartes. -- Cartesian devil, a small hollow glass figure, use…

A red coloring matter obtained from the safflower, or Carthamus tinctorius.

ing the skeleton in the state of cartilage, the bones containing little or no calcareous matter; said of certain fishes, as the sturgeon and the sharks.

it of one is connected to the secondary circuit of the other, the primary circuit of the latter being connected to the source of supply; also, a system of electric traction in which motors so connected are employed. The cascade system is also called tandem, or concatenated, system; the connection a cascade, tandem, or…

The matters of fact or conditions involved in a suit, as distinguished from the questions of law; a suit or action at law; a cause. Let us consider the reason of the case, for nothing is law that is not reason. Sir John Powell. Not one case in the reports of our courts. Steele.

off, or let go, as a rope. -- To cast off copy, (Print.), to estimate how much printed matter a given amount of copy will make, or how large the page must be in order that the copy may make a given number of pages. -- To cast one's self on or upon to yield or submit one's self unreservedly to. as to the mercy of ano…

h which it is played. See Tipcat. (c) A game of ball, called, according to the number of batters, one old cat, two old cat, etc.

That part of a speech, usually the exordium, in which the orator sets forth the subject matter to be discussed.

tern or vault at the point where a street gutter discharges into a sewer, to oatch bulky matters which would not pass readly throught the sewer. Knight.

One who instructs by question and answer, especially in religions matters.

onception; a predicament. The categories or predicaments -- the former a Greek word, the latter its literal translation in the Latin language -- were intended by Aristotle and his followers as an enumeration of all things capable of being named; an enumeration by the summa genera i.e., the most extensive classes into w…