JOHN n.
Bullism, English character. W. Irving. -- John Doe (Law), the name formerly given to the fictitious plaintiff in an action of ejectment. Mozley & W. -- John Doree, John Dory. Etym: [John (or F. jaune yellow) + Doree, Dory.] (Zoöl.) An oval, compressed, European food fish (Zeus faber). Its color is yellow and olive, w…
MACHINERY n.
The supernatural means by which the action of a poetic or fictitious work is carried on and brought to a catastrophe; in an extended sense, the contrivances by which the crises and conclusion of a fictitious narrative, in prose or verse, are effected. The machinery, madam, is a term invented by the critics, to signify…
MEAN a.
ortional (between two numbers) (Math.), the square root of their product. -- Mean sun, a fictitious sun supposed to move uniformly in the equator so as to be on the meridian each day at mean noon. -- Mean time, time as measured by an equable motion, as of a perfect clock, or as reckoned on the supposition that all th…
NOM n.
Name. Nom de guerre (, literally, war name; hence, a fictitious name, or one assumed for a time. -- Nom de plume (, literally, pen name; hence, a name assumed by an author as his or her signature.
PERSON n.
ccasionally by fusion of several originally distinct persons. Encyc. Brit. Artificial, or Fictitious, person (Law), a corporation or body politic. blackstone. -- Natural person (Law), a man, woman, or child, in distinction from a corporation. -- In person, by one's self; with bodily presence; not by representative. "…
ROMANCE n.
A species of fictitious writing, originally composed in meter in the Romance dialects, and afterward in prose, such as the tales of the court of Arthur, and of Amadis of Gaul; hence, any fictitious and wonderful tale; a sort of novel, especially one which treats of surprising adventures usually befalling a hero or a he…