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acon. -- Foster land. (a) Land allotted for the maintenance of any one. [Obs.] (b) One's adopted country. -- Foster lean Etym: [foster + AS. læn a loan See Loan.], remuneration fixed for the rearing of a foster child; also, the jointure of a wife. [Obs.] Wharton. -- Foster mother, a woman who takes a mother's place…

es. There are rough- and smooth-haired varieties. -- Fox trot, a pace like that which is adopted for a few steps, by a horse, when passing from a walk into a trot, or a trot into a walk. -- Fox wedge (Mach. & Carpentry), a wedge for expanding the split end of a bolt, cotter, dowel, tenon, or other piece, to fasten th…

silver coin of France, and since 1795 the unit of the French monetary system. It has been adopted by Belgium and Swizerland. It is equivalent to about nineteen cents, or ten pence, and is divided into 100 centimes.

f magnetic field, equal to a field of one line of force per square centimeter, being thus adopted as an international unit at Paris in 1900; sometimes used as a unit of intensity of magnetic field. It was previously suggested as a unit of magnetomotive force.

1865. -- Geneva cross (Mil.), a red Greek cross on a white ground; -- the flag and badge adopted in the Geneva convention.

Not called for by the circumstances; without reason, cause, or proof; adopted or asserted without any good ground; as, a gratuitous assumption. Acts of gratuitous self-humiliation. De Quincye. -- Gra*tu"i*tous*ly, adv. -- Gra*tu"i*tous*ness, n.

An irregular mode of carrying on war, by the constant attacks of independent bands, adopted in the north of Spain during the Peninsular war.

ated by the "International Convention for the Pacific Settle of International Disputes.", adopted by the International Peace Conference of 1899. It is composed of persons of known competency in questions of international law, nominated by the signatory powers. From these persons an arbitration tribunal is chosen by the…

erature proper represented the movement of the Renaissance, and early in the 16th century adopted the name Humanist as their distinctive title. Schaff- Herzog.

fire was distributed to rooms above. This contrivance, first used in bath, was afterwards adopted in private houses.

A tentative theory or supposition provisionally adopted to explain certain facts, and to guide in the investigation of others; hence, frequently called a working hypothesis.

ssions, religion, etc. In consequence of that intercommunity of paganism . . . one nation adopted the gods of another. Bp. Warburton.

iation called the International. International code (Naut.), a common system of signaling adopted by nearly all maritime nations, whereby communication may be had between vessels at sea. -- International copyright. See under Copyright. -- International law, the rules regulating the mutual intercourse of nations. Inte…

oint Rules of Congress, U. S. -- Joint resolution (Parliamentary Practice), a resolution adopted concurrently by the two branches of a legislative body. "By the constitution of the United States and the rules of the two houses, no absolute distinction is made between bills and joint resolutions." Barclay (Digest). --…

o named because composed of Julian years. -- Julian year, the year of 365 days, 6 hours, adopted in the Julian calendar, and in use until superseded by the Gregorian year, as established in the reformed or Gregorian calendar.

viz., twenty-right or twenty-nine inches by thirtysix; -- so called because that size was adopted by Sir Godfrey Kneller for the portraits he painted of the members of the Kitcal Club. Fairholt.

The name adopted in the southern part of the United States by a secret political organization, active for several years after the close of the Civil War, and having for its aim the repression of the political power of the freedmen; -- called also Kuklux Klan.

The standard adopted by the Emperor Constantine after his conversion to Christianity. It is described as a pike bearing a silk banner hanging from a crosspiece, and surmounted by a golden crown. It bore a monogram of the first two letters (CHR) of the name of Christ in its Greek form. Later, the name was given to vario…

A member of the Church of England, in the time of Charles II., who adopted more liberal notions in respect to the authority, government, and doctrines of the church than generally prevailed. They were called "men of latitude;" and upon this, men of narrow thoughts fastened upon them the name of latitudinarians. Bp. Bur…

ariotte. -- Brehon laws. See under Brehon. -- Canon law, the body of ecclesiastical law adopted in the Christian Church, certain portions of which (for example, the law of marriage as existing before the Council of Tent) were brought to America by the English colonists as part of the common law of the land. Wharton.…