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ich I would give the name of the "comparative." Sir W. Hamilton. The power of the mind to decompose its conceptions, and to recombine the elements of them at its pleasure, is called its faculty of imagination. I. Taylor. The business of conception is to present us with an exact transcript of what we have felt or percei…

Not combustible; not capable of being burned, decomposed, or consumed by fire; uninflammable; as, asbestus is an incombustible substance; carbon dioxide is an incombustible gas. Incombustible cloth, a tissue of amianthus or asbestus; also, a fabric imbued with an incombustible substance. -- In`com*bus"ti*ble*ness, n.…

nt) and other plants, as a yellow or light brown sirup. It has a nauseous bitter taste, a decomposes or drying. By the action of acids, ferments, etc., it breaks down into sugar and indigo. It is the source of natural indigo.

A complex nitrogenous substance, which, by Hermann's hypothesis, is continually decomposed and reproduced in the muscles, during their life.

To convert; to reverse; to decompose by, or subject to, inversion. See Inversion, n., 10.

An alkaloid found in opium, and extracted as a yellow amorphous substance which is easily decomposed.

o, peat as it occurs in such places; peat moss. -- Peat moss. (a) The plants which, when decomposed, become peat.

To render putrid; to cause to decay offensively; to cause to be decomposed; to cause to rot.

Tending to decomposition or decay; decomposed; rotten; -- said of animal or vegetable matter; as, putrid flesh. See Putrefaction.

A poison separable from decomposed meat infusions, and supposed to be formed from albuminous matter through the agency of bacteria.

epeatedly. The far greater number of the objects presented to our observation can only be decomposed, but not actually recomposed. Sir W. Hamilton.

That which decomposes, or dissolves. Boyle.

giving off usually in some stages of the process more or less offensive odors; to become decomposed by a natural process; to putrefy; to decay. Fixed like a plant on his peculiar spot, To draw nutrition, propagate, and rot. Pope.

stone as it comes from the quarry; also, a quarryman's term for the upper fragmentary and decomposed portion of a mass of stone; brash. Brande & C.

A layer of clay or decomposed rock along the wall of a vein. See Gouge, n., 4. Raymond.

Not capable of being decomposed into anything more simple or ultimate by any means at present known; elementary; thus, atoms are regarded as simple bodies. Cf. Ultimate, a.

Not tinged with mineral salts; adapted to decompose soap; as, soft water is the best for washing.

An unorganized ferment or enzyme present in pancreatic juice. It decomposes neutral fats into glycerin and fatty acids.

by the action of phosphorus pentachloride on sulphur trioxide. On treatment with water it decomposes into sulphuric and hydrochloric acids, and is hence called also sulphuric chloranhydride.

A white to gray volcanic tufa, formed of decomposed trachytic cinders; -- sometimes used as a cement. Hence, a coarse sort of plaster or mortar, durable in water, and used to line cisterns and other reservoirs of water. [Formerly written also tarras, tarrace, terras.]