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nd selling of commodities; esp. the exchange of merchandise, on a large scale, between different places or communities; extended trade or traffic. The public becomes powerful in proportion to the opulence and extensive commerce of private men. Hume.

istrative officers in some of the States, invested by local laws with various powers in reference to the roads, courthouses, financial matters, etc., of the county. [U. S.]

ves itself, for the purpose of considering a particular measure under the operation of different rules from those governing the general legislative proceedings. The committee of the whole has its own chairman, and reports its action in the form of recommendations. -- Standing committee. See under Standing.…

The mass formed by mingling different things; a compound; a mixture. Bacon.

eek their own commodity, yet if this were done with injury to others, it was not to be suffered. Hooker.

nobility, are divided into several degrees. Blackstone. The ancient fare of our kings differed from that of the commonalty in plenteousness only. Landon.

nicate with another on business; to be connected; as, a communicating artery. Subjects suffered to communicate and to have intercourse of traffic. Hakluyt. The whole body is nothing but a system of such canals, which all communicate with one another. Arbutnot.

Intercourse by words, letters, or messages; interchange of thoughts or opinions, by conference or other means; conference; correspondence. Argument . . . and friendly communication. Shak.

commutation of copyright; commutation of rations. Angle of commutation (Astron.), the difference of the geocentric longitudes of the sun and a planet. -- Commutation of tithes, the substitution of a regular payment, chargeable to the land, for the annual tithes in kind. -- Commutation ticket, a ticket, as for transp…

of two or more persons or things, for the purpose of discovering their resemblances or differences; to bring into comparison; to regard with discriminating attention. Compare dead happiness with living woe. Shak. The place he found beyond expression bright, Compared with aught on earth. Milton. Compare our faces and be…

an examination of two or more objects with the view of discovering the resemblances or differences; relative estimate. As sharp legal practitioners, no class of human beings can bear comparison with them. Macaulay. The miracles of our Lord and those of the Old Testament afford many interesting points of comparison. Tre…

An inclosing limit; boundary; circumference; as, within the compass of an encircling wall.

sated balance, a kind of balance wheel for a timepiece. The rim is usually made of two different expansibility under changes of temperature, so arranged as to counteract each other and preserve uniformity of movement. -- Compensation pendulum. See Pendulum.

a logarithm. See under Logarithm. -- Arithmetical complement of a number (Math.), the difference between that number and the next higher power of 10; as, 4 is the complement of 6, and 16 of 84. -- Complement of an arc or angle (Geom.), the difference between that arc or angle and 90º. -- Complement of a parallelogra…

One who, or that which, quits or calms; one who adjust a difference. Sweet composes of the pensive sGay.

isy, thistle, and dandelion. Composite carriage, a railroad car having compartments of different classes. [Eng.] -- Composite number (Math.), one which can be divided exactly by a number exceeding unity, as 6 by 2 or 3.prime number. -- Composite photograph or portrait, one made by a combination, or blending, of severa…

t or art of composing, or forming a whole or integral, by placing together and uniting different things, parts, or ingredients. In specific uses:

To mingle, as different fertilizing substances, in a mass where they will decompose and form into a compost.

To form or make by combining different elements, ingredients, or parts; as, to compound a medicine. Incapacitating him from successfully compounding a tale of this sort. Sir W. Scott.

separate manipulation, as of a rudder, may be effected by either of two movements, in different directions, of a single lever, etc.