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ydrophobia, by successive inoculations with an attenuated virus of gradually increasing strength.

cloth, or other suitable material, sewed or otherwise fixed upon a garment to repair or strengthen it, esp. upon an old garment to cover a hole. Patches set upon a little breach. Shak.

flaw, fault, or blemish; without error; mature; whole; pure; sound; right; correct. My strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Cor. xii. 9. Three glorious suns, each one a perfect sun. Shak. I fear I am not in my perfect mind. Shak. O most entire perfect sacrifice! Keble. God made thee perfect, not immutable. Milton.…

landing place. Abutment pier, the pier of a bridge next the shore; a pier which by its strength and stability resists the thrust of an arch. -- Pier glass, a mirror, of high and narrow shape, to be put up between windows. -- Pier table, a table made to stand between windows.

To drive piles into; to fill with piles; to strengthen with piles. To sheet-pile, to make sheet piling in or around. See Sheet piling, under 2nd Piling.

Hence: The which contains the strength of life; the vital or essential part; concentrated force; vigor; strength; importance; as, the speech lacked pith. Enterprises of great pith and moment. Shak. Pith paper. Same as Rice paper, under Rice.

Destitute of pith, or of strength; feeble. Dryden. "Pithless argumentation." Glandstone.

Formerly, a body of men who fired together; also, a small square body of soldiers to strengthen the angles of a hollow square.

To ascertain, as by the balance; to weigh. He can not sincerely consider the strength, poise the weight, and discern the evidence. South.

f its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources, and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals.

Wanting in strength or vigor; feeble; dejected; as, poor health; poor spirits. "His genius . . . poor and cowardly." Bacon.

The quality or state of being potent; physical or moral power; inherent strength; energy; ability to effect a purpose; capability; efficacy; influence. "Drugs of potency." Hawthorne. A place of potency and away o' the state. Shak.

Ability, regarded as put forth or exerted; strength, force, or energy in action; as, the power of steam in moving an engine; the power of truth, or of argument, in producing conviction; the power of enthusiasm. "The power of fancy." Shak.

Having the ascendency over others; superior in strength, influence, or authority; prevailing; as, a predominant color; predominant excellence. Those help . . . were predominant in the king's mind. Bacon. Foul subordination is predominant. Shak.

To be superior in number, strength, influence, or authority; to have controlling power or influence; to prevail; to rule; to have the mastery; as, love predominated in her heart. [Certain] rays may predominate over the rest. Sir. I. Newton.

e or suppose to be true, or entitled to belief, without examination or proof, or on the strength of probability; to take for granted; to infer; to suppose. Every man is to be presumed innocent till he is proved to be guilty. Blackstone. What rests but that the mortal sentence pass, . . . Which he presumes already vain…

The quality or condition of being prevalent; superior strength, force, or influence; general existence, reception, or practice; wide extension; as, the prevalence of virtue, of a fashion, or of a disease; the prevalence of a rumor. The duke better knew what kind of argument were of prevalence with him. Clarendon.…

An auxiliary rope to strengthen a mast. Preventer bolts, or Preventer plates (Naut.), fixtures connected with preventers to reënforce other rigging. -- Preventer stay. (Naut.) Same as Preventer, 3.

The spring of life; youth; hence, full health, strength, or beauty; perfection. "Cut off in their prime." Eustace. "The prime of youth." Dryden.

ve many proofs to show your skill. Ford. Formerly, a very rude mode of ascertaining the strength of spirits was practiced, called the proof. Ure.