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Without circumlocution or ambiguity; absolutely; in express terms. No man hath hitherto been so impious as plainly and directly to condemn prayer. Hooker.

An ambiguity of meaning; a disagreement of difference in opinion. Sir T. Browne.

Characterized by ambiguity; dubious; as, a doubtful expression; a doubtful phrase.

Uncertainty of meaning; ambiguity; indefiniteness. " The doubtfulness of his expressions." Locke.

A word or expression capable of different meanings; an ambiguous term; an equivoque. In languages of great ductility, equivocals like that just referred to are rarely found. Fitzed. Hall.

s one's opinions in terms which admit of different senses, with intent to deceive; to use ambiguous expressions with a view to mislead; as, to equivocate is the work of duplicity. All that Garnet had to say for him was that he supposed he meant to equivocate. Bp. Stillingfleet.

An ambiguous term; a word susceptible of different significations. Coleridge.

n; distinctly stated; plain in language; open to the understanding; clear; not obscure or ambiguous; express; unequivocal; as, an explicit declaration. The language of the charter was too explicit to admit of a doubt. Bancroft.

rectly and distinctly stated; declared in terms; not implied or left to inference; made unambiguous by intention and care; clear; not dubious; as, express consent; an express statement. I have express commandment. Shak.

Having a double meaning; ambiguous; equivocal. Cross forked (Her.), a cross, the ends of whose arms are divided into two sharp points; -- called also cross double fitché. A cross forked of three points is a cross, each of whose arms terminates in three sharp points. -- Forked counsel, advice pointing more than one way…

Having the same name or designation, but different meaning or relation; hence, equivocal; ambiguous.

Equivocally; ambiguously.

Sameness of name or designation of things or persons which are different; ambiguity.

Want of perspicuity or clearness; vaguness; ambiguity.

A hint; an obscure or indirect suggestion or notice; a remote or ambiguous reference; as, he had given only intimations of his design. Without mentioning the king of England, or giving the least intimation that he was sent by him. Bp. Burnet.

f the corresponding cycle. The Julian period was proposed by Scaliger, to remove or avoid ambiguities in chronological dates, and was so 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 establish…

Signifying many different things; of manifold meaning; equivocal. "An ambiguous multivocal word." Coleridge. -- n.

Resembling an oracle in some way, as in solemnity, wisdom, authority, obscurity, ambiguity, dogmatism. They have something venerable and oracular in that unadorned gravity and shortness in the expression. Pope. -- O*rac"u*lar*ly, adv. -- O*rac"u*lar*ness, n.

The use of equivocal or ambiguous words. [R.]

To embarrass; to puzzle; to distract; to bewilder; to confuse; to trouble with ambiguity, suspense, or anxiety. "Perplexd beyond self- explication." Shak. We are perplexed, but not in despair. 2 Cor. iv. 8. We can distinguish no general truths, or at least shall be apt to perplex the mind. Locke.