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Higher or greater in excellence; surpassing others in the greatness, or value of any quality; greater in quality or degree; as, a man of superior merit; or of superior bravery.

Lifted up to the highest degree; most eminent; surpassing all other; supreme; as, superlative wisdom or prudence; a woman of superlative beauty; the superlative glory of the divine character.

An encompassing.

A spring of water passing under ground toward a cistern or conduit.

To faint; to swoon. [Obs.] Chaucer. Night she swelt for passing joy. Spenser.

Of short continuance; passing away quickly. Shak.

connection of two coils diagrammatically as a letter T, chiefly used as a connection for passing transformers. When the three free ends are connected to a source of three-phase current, two-phase current may be derived from the secondary circuits. The reverse arrangement may be used to transform from two-phase. -- T"-…

ine, as ta, touching the arc of a circle at one extremity a, and terminated by a line ct, passing from the center through the other extremity o.

on one end and a thread on the other end, to be screwed into some fixed part, instead of passing through the part and receiving a nut. See Illust. under Bolt. -- Tap cinder (Metal.), the slag of a puddling furnace.

One of the side bars of a pair of spectacles, jointed to the bows, and passing one on either side of the head to hold the spectacles in place.

-- sometimes called the unlucky letter, from being used by the judges on their ballots in passing condemnation on a prisoner, it being the first letter of the Greek qa`natos, death. Theta function (Math.), one of a group of functions used in developing the properties of elliptic functions.

A process of electric welding in which heat is developed by a large current passing through the metal.

Passing through; as, thorough lights in a house. [Obs.]

A passing or going through; passage. [R.] [Made] Hell and this world -- one realm, one continent Of easy thoroughfare. Milton.

A strap of a bridle, halter, or the like, passing under a horse's throat.

A shaft of lightning; a brilliant stream of electricity passing from one part of the heavens to another, or from the clouds to the earth.

A capacious, flat-bottomed drinking cup, generally with four handles, formerly used for passing around the table at convivial entertainment.

A tax paid for some liberty or privilege, particularly for the privilege of passing over a bridge or on a highway, or for that of vending goods in a fair, market, or the like.

Rising above; surpassing.

Hence, extreme; violent; surpassing. A man agitated by a towering passion. Sir W. Scott.