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A cave, grotto, or subterraneous place of large extent used for the burial of the dead; -- commonly in the plural.

id framework of plants, of ordinary wood, linen, paper, etc. It is also found to a slight extent in certain animals, as the tunicates. It is a carbohydrate, (C6H10O5)n, isomeric with starch, and is convertible into starches and sugars by the action of heat and acids. When pure, it is a white amorphous mass. See Starch,…

The extent to which anything circulates or is circulated; the measure of diffusion; as, the circulation of a newspaper.

Full extent; distance between extreme limits; especially; the distance between the nearest surfaces of two bodies, or the space between walls; as, a room ten feet square in the clear.

that system of fire insurance in which the insurer is treated as insuring himself to the extent of that part of the risk not covered by his policy, so that any loss is apportioned between him and the insurance company on the principle of average, as in marine insurance or between other insurers.

Equal in measure or extent; proportionate. Those who are persuaded that they shall continue forever, can not choose but aspire after a hapiness commensurate to their duration. Tillotson.

With equal measure or extent. Goodwin.

An inclosed space; an area; extent. Their wisdom . . . lies in a very narrow compass. Addison.

With great extent of signification; comprehensively. Tillotson.

In a comprehensive manner; with great extent of scope.

Carried to the utmost extent or degree; of the highest quality; complete; perfect. "A man of perfect and consummate virtue." Addison. The little band held the post with consummate tenacity. Motley

That which is contained; the extent; the substance. [Obs.] The containment of a rich man's estate. Fuller.

Power of containing; capacity; extent; size. [Obs.] Strong ship's, of great content. Bacon.

To be drawn together so as to be diminished in size or extent; to shrink; to be reduced in compass or in duration; as, iron contracts in cooling; a rope contracts when wet. Years contracting to a moment. Wordsworth.

- Coral fish. See in the Vocabulary. -- Coral reefs (Phys. Geog.), reefs, often of great extent, made up chiefly of fragments of corals, coral sands, and the solid limestone resulting from their consolidation. They are classed as fringing reefs, when they border the land; barrier reefs, when separated from the shore b…

A violent storm, often of vast extent, characterized by high winds rotating about a calm center of low atmospheric pressure. This center moves onward, often with a velocity of twenty or thirty miles an hour.

f the sciences, or to a cyclopedia; of the nature of a cyclopedia; hence, of great range, extent, or amount; as, a man of cyclopedic knowledge.

-- said of galvanometers and other instruments in which the needle or index moves to the extent of its deflection and stops with little or no further oscillation. Deadbeat escapement. See under Escapement.

A part or portion; a share; hence, an indefinite quantity, degree, or extent, degree, or extent; as, a deal of time and trouble; a deal of cold. Three tenth deals [parts of an ephah] of flour. Num. xv. 9. As an object of science it [the Celtic genius] may count for a good deal . . . as a spiritual power. M. Arnold. She…

determine or clearly exhibit the boundaries of; to mark the limits of; as, to define the extent of a kingdom or country.