Search the Dictionary

race that dwells in caves, instead of constructing dwellings; a cave dweller. Most of the primitive races of man were troglodytes. In the troglodytes' country there is a lake, for the hurtful water it beareth called the "mad lake." Holland.

A priming tube, or friction primer. See under Priming, and Friction.

A semifluid or fluid oleoresin, primarily the exudation of the terebinth, or turpentine, tree (Pistacia Terebinthus), a native of the Mediterranean region. It is also obtained from many coniferous trees, especially species of pine, larch, and fir.

rentiated, U being used only as a vowel or semivowel, and V only as a consonant. The true primary vowel sound of U, in Anglo-Saxon, was the sound which it still retains in most of the languages of Europe, that of long oo, as in tool, and short oo, as in wood, answering to the French ou in tour. Etymologically U is most…

Not essential; not of prime importance; not indispensable; unimportant. Addison.

ngle center of growth. Unicentral development, that form of development which takes place primarily around a single central point, as in the lowest of unicellular organisms.

for giving rotary motion at angles less than 140º (Fig. 2). -- Universal umbel (Bot.), a primary or general umbel; the first or largest set of rays in a compound umbel; -- opposed to partial umbel. A universal involucre is not unfrequently placed at the foot of a universal umbel.

One of the primary planets. It is about 1,800,000,000 miles from the sun, about 36,000 miles in diameter, and its period of revolution round the sun is nearly 84 of our years.

A very large, powerful, and savage extinct bovine animal (Bos urus or primigenius) anciently abundant in Europe. It appears to have still existed in the time of Julius Cæsar. It had very large horns, and was hardly capable of domestication. Called also, ur, ure, and tur.

plains certain apparent exceptions to Grimm's law by the original position of the accent. Primitive Indo-European k, t, p, became first in Teutonic h, th, f, and appear without further change in old Teutonic, if the accent rested on the preceding syllable; but these sounds became voiced and produced g, d, b, if the acc…

A vertical line, plane, or circle. Prime vertical, Prime vertical dial. See under Prime, a.

lso walking straw. See Illust. of Stick insect, under Stick. -- Walking wheel (Mach.), a prime mover consisting of a wheel driven by the weight of men or animals walking either in it or on it; a treadwheel.

int, rule, or limit; to revel; to play loosely; to frolic. Nature here wantoned as in her prime. Milton. How merrily we would sally into the fields, and strip under the first warmth of the sun, and wanton like young dace in the streams! Lamb.

Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; Pentecost; -- so called, it is said, because, in the primitive church, those who had been newly baptized appeared at church between Easter and Pentecost in white garments.

ith a less tense, and more open and relaxed, condition of the mouth organs; -- opposed to primary as used by Mr. Bell, and to narrow as used by Mr. Sweet. The effect, as explained by Mr. Bell, is due to the relaxation or tension of the pharynx; as explained by Mr. Sweet and others, it is due to the action of the tongue…

Among the primitive Christians, the living on a diet of dry food in Lent and on other fasts.