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Webster’s Dictionary (1828)



744 words match “TAIL”

KETTLE n.
Obs.] Shelton. -- Kettle stitch (Bookbinding), the stitch made in sewing at the head and tail of a book. Knight.
KILKENNY CATS n.
Two cats fabled, in an Irish story, to have fought till nothing was left but their tails. It is probably a parable of a local contest between Kilkenny and Irishtown, which impoverished both towns.
KINGBIRD n.
taking various insects upon the wing. It is dark ash above, and blackish on the bead and tail. The quills and wing coverts are whitish at the edges. It is white beneath, with a white terminal band on the tail. The feathers on the head of the adults show a bright orange basal spot when erected. Called also bee bird, an…
KINKAJOU n.
caudivolvulus) of South America, about as large as a full-grown cat. It has a prehensile tail and lives in trees. It is the only representative of a distinct family (Cercoleptidæ) allied to the raccoons. Called also potto, and honey bear.
KITE n.
h many species are known. They have long wings, adapted for soaring, and usually a forked tail.
KNOT n.
ts of all the continents, in summer. It is grayish or ashy above, with the rump and upper tail coverts white, barred with dusky. The lower parts are pale brown, with the flanks and under tail coverts white. When fat it is prized by epicures. Called also dunne.
KOALA n.
A tailless marsupial (Phascolarctos cinereus), found in Australia. The female carries her young on the back of her neck. Called also Australian bear, native bear, and native sloth.
KOLINSKY n.
inks; esp., Putorius sibiricus, the yellowish brown pelt of which is valued, esp. for the tail, used for making artists' brushes. Trade names for the fur are red sable and Tatar sable.
KRA n.
A long-tailed ape (Macacus cynomolgus) of India and Sumatra. It is reddish olive, spotted with black, and has a black tail.
KRUPP PROCESS n.
process for the manufacture of steel armor plates, invented or practiced by Krupp, the details of which are secret. It is understood to involve the addition of chromium as well as nickel to the metal, and to include a treatment like that of the Harvey process with unknown variations or additions. The product is mentio…
LAELAPS n.
les from the Cretaceous formation of the United States. They had very large hind legs and tail, and are supposed to have been bipedal. Some of the species were about eighteen feet high.
LANNER; LANNERET n.
A long-tailed falcon (Falco lanarius), of Southern Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa, resembling the American prairie falcon.
LAPBOARD n.
A board used on the lap as a substitute for a table, as by tailors.
LASH v.
eat, or beat upon, with a motion like that of a lash; as, a whale lashes the sea with his tail. And big waves lash the frighted shores. Dryden.
LAY v.
To plan in detail; to arrange; as, to lay out a garden. (d) To prepare for burial; as, to lay out a corpse. (e) To exert; as, to lay out all one's strength. -- To lay siege to. (a) To besiege; to encompass with an army. (b) To beset pertinaciously. -- To lay the course (Naut.), to sail toward the port intended withou…
LENGTH n.
Detail or amplification; unfolding; continuance as, to pursue a subject to a great length. May Heaven, great monarch, still augment your bliss. With length of days and every day like this. Dryden.
LENGTHY a.
e like. "Lengthy periods." Washington. "Some lengthy additions." Byron. "These would be details too lengthy." Jefferson. "To cut short lengthy explanations." Trench.
LEWIS; LEWISSON n.
An iron dovetailed tenon, made in sections, which can be fitted into a dovetail mortise; -- used in hoisting large stones, etc.
LION n.
t of the largest tigers. The length, however, is sometimes eleven feet to the base of the tail. The color is a tawny yellow or yellowish brown; the mane is darker, and the terminal tuft of the tail is black. In one variety, called the maneless lion, the male has only a slight mane.
LOBATE; LOBATED a.
Having lobes; -- said of the tails of certain fishes having the integument continued to the bases of the fin rays.
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