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kingdom, or a population; to lessen speed, rank, fortune. Charity . . . shall lessen his punishment. Calamy. St. Paul chose to magnify his office when ill men conspired to lessen it. Atterbury.

and collects letters to be mailed. -- Letter cutter, one who engraves letters or letter punches. -- Letter lock, a lock that can not be opened when fastened, unless certain movable lettered rings or disks forming a part of in are in such a position (indicated by a particular combination of the letters) as to permit…

To strike with repeated blows for punishment; to flog; to whip or conquer, as in a pugilistic encounter. [Colloq. or Low] Carlyle. Thackeray.

public, to clear the way, and cause due respect to be paid to them, also to apprehend and punish criminals. Lictors and rods, the ensigns of their power. Milton.

A lively song or dance; a cheerful tune. The housewife went about her work, or spun at her wheel, with a lilt upon her lips. J. C. Shairp.

Forbearance to punish or resent.

lop a tree or its branches. "With branches lopped, in wood or mountain felled." Milton. Expunge the whole, or lop the excrescent parts. Pope.

3N.(CH3)2, of the pyridine series, obtained from bone oil as liquids, and having peculiar pungent odors. These alkaloids are also called respectively dimethyl pyridine, ethyl pyridine, etc.

To inflict punishment upon, especially death, without the forms of law, as when a mob captures and hangs a suspected person. See Lynch law.

. The act or practice by private persons of inflicting punishment for crimes or offenses, without due process of law.

An evil doer; one who commits a crime; one subject to public prosecution and punishment; a criminal.

A name given to several species of Arctostaphylos, but mostly to A. glauca and A. pungens, shrubs of California, Oregon, etc., with reddish smooth bark, ovate or oval coriaceous evergreen leaves, and bearing clusters of red berries, which are said to be a favorite food of the grizzly bear.

k out. (a) To designate, as by a mark; to select; as, the ringleaders were marked out for punishment. (b) To obliterate or cancel with a mark; as, to mark out an item in an account. -- To mark time (Mil.), to keep the time of a marching step by moving the legs alternately without advancing.

A charmer of women. [Slang] London Punch.

To cause to go to the masthead as a punishment. Marryat.

A kind of coarse punch with a rasplike face, used for making a rough surface on etching ground, or on the naked copper, the effect after biting being very similar to stippled lines.

of mercy; having or exercising mercy; disposed to pity and spare offenders; unwilling to punish. The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious. Ex. xxxiv. 6. Be merciful, great duke, to men of mold. Shak.

right to claim as reward; to deserve; sometimes, to deserve in a bad sense; as, to merit punishment. "This kindness merits thanks." Shak.

f or pertaining to millions; consisting of millions; as, the millionary chronology of the pundits. Pinker

To point improperly; to punctuate wrongly.