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The art of preserving from, or of preventing, disease; the observance of the rules necessary for the preservation of health; preservative or preventive treatment.

Of the nature of a provision; serving as a provision for the time being; -- used of partial or temporary arrangements; as, a provisional government; a provisional treaty.

Serving or tending to provoke, excite, or stimulate; exciting.

(Bot.), a large dark purple plum, of oval shape, often one-sided. It is much used for preserving, either dried or in sirup. Prune tree. (Bot.) (a) A tree of the genus Prunus (P. domestica), which produces prunes. (b) The West Indian tree, Prunus occidentalis. -- South African prune (Bot.), the edible fruit of a sapin…

One who is very exact in observing forms and ceremonies. Milton.

Deserving of, or liable to, punishment; capable of being punished by law or right; -- said of person or offenses. That time was, when to be a Protestant, to be a Christian, was by law as punishable as to be a traitor. Milton. -- Pun"ish*a*ble*ness, n.

Serving or tending to purify; purificative.

er rails (Naut.), narrow molded planks reaching from the top of the stern to the gangway, serving as a fence to the quarter-deck. -- Quarter sessions (Eng. Law), a general court of criminal jurisdiction held quarterly by the justices of peace in counties and by the recorders in boroughs. -- Quarter square (Math.), th…

A radiotelegraphic station serving solely for determining the position of ships. The radius of operation of such stations was restricted by the International Radiotelegraphic Convention (1912) to 30 nautical miles.

An inclined plane serving as a communication between different interior levels.

Serving to make real, or to impress on the mind as a reality; as, a realizing view of the danger incurred. -- Re"al*i`zing*ly, adv.

A piece of wood hafted into a long stick, and serving to beat out mortar. Elmes.

Serving to recommend; recommending; commendatory. Swift.

Of the nature of recompense; serving to recompense. Sir T. Browne.

Serving or tending to reconcile. Bp. Hall.

like; to make note of; to write or enter in a book or on parchment, for the purpose of preserving authentic evidence of; to register; to enroll; as, to record the proceedings of a court; to record historical events. Those things that are recorded of him . . . are written in the chronicles of the kings. 1 Esd. i. 42. To…

Serving or tending to redeem; redeeming; as, the redemptive work of Christ.

Paid for ransom; serving to redeem. "Hector's redemptory price." Chapman.

ss of making a copy of something, as a figure, design, or draught, on a smaller scale, preserving the proper proportions. Fairholt.

Serving or tending to refract; as, a refracting medium. Refracting angle of a prism (Opt.), the angle of a triangular prism included between the two sides through which the refracted beam passes in the decomposition of light. -- Refracting telescope. (Opt.) See under Telescope.