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Anything which is required to be done; as, in geometry, to bisect a line, to draw a perpendicular; or, in algebra, to find an unknown quantity.

legendary highwayman of Attica, who tied his victims upon an iron bed, and, as the case required, either stretched or cut of their legs to adapt them to its length; -- whence the metaphorical phrase, the bed of Procrustes.

To bring into possession; to cause to accrue to, or to come into possession of; to acquire or provide for one's self or for another; to gain; to get; to obtain by any means, as by purchase or loan. If we procure not to ourselves more woe. Milton.

ny art, science, or knowledge; progression in knowledge; improvement; adeptness; as, to acquire proficiency in music.

Well advanced in any branch of knowledge or skill; possessed of considerable acquirements; well-skilled; versed; adept,

ent; a preliminary sketch. Programme music (Mus.), descriptive instrumental music which requires an argument or programme to explain the meaning of its several movements.

Ready and quick to act as occasion demands; meeting requirements readily; not slow, dilatory, or hesitating in decision or action; responding on the instant; immediate; as, prompt in obedience or compliance; -- said of persons. Very discerning and prompt in giving orders. Clarendon. Tell him I am prompt To lay my crown…

An acquired or artificial quality; that which is given by art, or bestowed by man; as, the poem has the properties which constitute excellence.

from arrest; -- now disused. [Eng.] Blackstone. (b) A judicial writ issued to a person required to attend court, as party, juror, etc., intended to secure him from arrest in coming, staying, and returning.

elations of the psychical and physical in man. Psychophysical time (Physiol.), the time required for the mind to transform a sensory impression into a motor impulse. It is an important part of physiological or reaction time. See under Reaction.

A public notice of intended marriage, required by the laws of some States. [U.S.]

To pursue and obtain; to acquire by seeking; to gain, obtain, or acquire. Chaucer. That loves the thing he can not purchase. Spenser. Your accent is Something finer than you could purchase in so removed a dwelling. Shak. His faults . . . hereditary Rather than purchased. Shak.

One who purchases; one who acquires property for a consideration, generally of money; a buyer; a vendee.

Precise in observance of legal or religious requirements; strict; overscrupulous; rigid; -- often used by way of reproach or contempt. Paritanical circles, from which plays and novels were strictly excluded. Macaulay. He had all the puritanic traits, both good and evil. Hawthorne.

Limit or sphere of authority; scope; extent. In determining the extent of information required in the exercise of a particular authority, recourse must be had to the objects within the purview of that authority. Madison.

nd an arm by which it is applied to a cannon or mortar in adjusting it to the elevation required for attaining the desired range. -- Gunter's quadrant. See Gunter's quadrant, in the Vocabulary. Hadley's quadrant, a hand instrument used chiefly at sea to measure the altitude of the sun or other celestial body in ascert…

Inquire; question; see; -- used to signify doubt or to suggest investigation.

A quire; a book. [Obs.] " The king's quhair." James I. (of Scotland).

That which qualifies; any natural endowment, or any acquirement, which fits a person for a place, office, or employment, or which enables him to sustian any character with success; an enabling quality or circumstance; requisite capacity or possession. There is no qualification for government but virtue and wisdom, actu…

To make such as is required; to give added or requisite qualities to; to fit, as for a place, office, occupation, or character; to furnish with the knowledge, skill, or other accomplishment necessary for a purpose; to make capable, as of an employment or privilege; to supply with legal power or capacity. He had qualifi…