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A key or thing touched to produce a tone. Tasto solo, single touch; -- in old music, a direction denoting that the notes in the bass over or under which it is written should be performed alone, or with no other chords than unisons and octaves.

Having a good taste; -- applied to persons; as, a tasty woman. See Taste, n., 5.

A taste which remains in the mouth after eating or drinking.

See Aleconner. [Eng.]

Opposing, or fitted to relieve, asthma. -- n.

Opposition by which the quality opposed asquires strength; resistance or reaction roused by opposition or by the action of an opposite principle or quality.

aith, principles, or party; esp., the renunciation of a religious faith; as, Julian's apostasy from Christianity.

To take to task; to blame. Shak.

To taste or cause to taste. [Obs.] Chaucer.

An aboriginal American name for the sweet potato (Ipomæa batatas).

A sort of bar or movable nut, attached to the finger board of a guitar or other fretted instrument for the purpose of raising uniformly the pitch of all the strings.

Checking evacutions through astringent or styptic qualities.

That part of a speech, usually the exordium, in which the orator sets forth the subject matter to be discussed.

A placing among the stars; a catalogue of stars. The catasterisms of Eratosthenes. Whewell.

calamitous or disastrous nature; hence, sudden calamity; great misfortune. The strange catastrophe of affairs now at London. Bp. Buret. The most horrible and portentous catastrophe that nature ever yet saw. Woodward.

Of a pertaining to a catastrophe. B. Powell.

The doctrine that the geological changes in the earth's crust have been caused by the sudden action of violent physical causes; -- opposed to the doctrine of uniformism.

One who holds the theory or catastrophism.

An extensive race or stock of Indians, including many tribes, mostly dwelling west of the Mississippi River; -- also, in part, called Sioux. [Written also Dacotahs.]

A small cup for, or of, black coffee.