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ding, for the purpose of destroying weeds and insects, and rendering it mellow; as, it is profitable to fallow cold, strong, clayey land.

Work. containing much blank, or its equivalent, and, therefore, profitable to the compositor. Fat acid. (Chem.) See Sebacic acid, under Sebacic. -- Fat series, Fatty series (Chem.), the series of the paraffine hydrocarbons and their derivatives; the marsh gas or methane series. -- Natural fats (Chem.), the group of o…

nt or spirit; monotonous; as, a flat speech or composition. How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses of this world. Shak.

ss and bloom; as, the flower of life, that is, youth. The choice and flower of all things profitable the Psalms do more briefly contain. Hooker. The flower of the chivalry of all Spain. Southey. A simple maiden in her flower Is worth a hundred coats of arms. Tennyson.

Fruitful; productive; profitable. [Obs.] Nothing fructuous or profitable. Chaucer. -- Fruc"tu*ous*ly, adv. -- Fruc"tu*ous*ness, n. [Obs.]

t of anything valuable which expends nothing unnecessarily, and applies what is used to a profitable purpose; thrift; --- opposed to extravagance. Frugality is founded on the principle that all riches have limits. Burke.

Productive of no advantage or good effect; vain; idle; useless; unprofitable; as, a fruitless attempt; a fruitless controversy. They in mutual accusation spent The fruitless hours. Milton.

Vain; useless; unprofitable. [Obs.] South.

Vain; ineffectual; useless; unprofitable; null; voil; nugatory; of no effect. "Our frustrate search." Shak.

Convenient; suitable; direct; near; handy; dexterous; easy; profitable; cheap; respectable. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Profitable; advantageous; lucrative. "A gainful speculation." Macaulay. -- Gain"ful*ly, adv. -- Gain"ful*ness, n.

Not producing gain; unprofitable. Hammond. -- Gain"less/ness, n.

conformity to, the laws of God; the state or quality of being godly; piety. Godliness is profitable unto all things. 1 Tim. iv. 8.

hing to do with is a source of profit. [Colloq.] -- To bring grist to the maill, to bring profitable business into one's hands; to be a source of profit. [Colloq.] Ayliffe.

Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable; thoughtless; silly; barren. "Deserts idle." Shak. Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Matt. xii. 36. Down their idle weapons dropped. Milton. This idle story became important. Macaulay.

Capable of being used to advantage; profitable; serviceable; advantageous. The essays of weaker heads afford improvable hints to better. Sir T. Browne. -- Im*pro"a*ble*ness, n. -- Im*prov"a*bly, adv.

To use or employ to good purpose; to make productive; to turn to profitable account; to utilize; as, to improve one's time; to improve his means. Shak. We shall especially honor God by improving diligently the talents which God hath committed to us. Barrow. A hint that I do not remember to have seen opened and improved…

The act of making profitable use or applicaton of anything, or the state of being profitably employed; a turning to good account; practical application, as of a doctrine, principle, or theory, stated in a discourse. "A good improvement of his reason." S. Clarke. I shall make some improvement of this doctrine. Tillotson…

Infertile; barren; unprofitable; unproductive. [Obs.] Glanvill.

Not producing fruit; unfruitful; unprofitable. [R.] T. Adams.