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ervance of rules; a formalist; -- formerly applied to the English Puritans. The most dissolute cavaliers stood aghast at the dissoluteness of the emancipated precisian. Macaulay.

Cutting off; (Logic) exactly limiting by cutting off all that is not absolutely relative to the purpose; as, precisive censure; precisive abstraction. I. Watts.

Unclean; impure; polluted; unholy. Nothing is profane that serveth to holy things. Sir W. Raleigh.

y vicious course of life; a state of being abandoned in moral principle and in vice; dissoluteness.

rectitude, principle, virtue, or decency; openly and shamelessly immoral or vicious; dissolute; as, profligate man or wretch. A race more profligate than we. Roscommon. Made prostitute and profligate muse. Dryden.

, and at a time specified therein, or on demand, or at sight, a certain sum of money, absolutely and at all events; -- frequently called a note of hand. Kent. Byles. Story.

pecific gravity of 0.93353, 100 parts by volume of the same consisting of 50 parts of absolute alcohol and 53.71 parts of water," the apparent excess of water being due to contraction of the liquids on mixture. In England proof spirit is defined by Act 58, George III., to be such as shall at a temperature of 51º Fahren…

roteids with gastric and pancreatic juice, and also by the hydrolytic action of boiling dilute acids on proteids. Proteoses are divided into the two groups, the primary and secondary proteoses.

To make foul or muddy; to pollute with dirt; to mix dirt with (water). Some unhatched practice . . . Hath puddled his clear spirit. Shak.

Free from that which harms, vitiates, weakens, or pollutes; genuine; real; perfect; -- applied to things and actions. "Pure religion and impartial laws." Tickell. "The pure, fine talk of Rome." Ascham. Such was the origin of a friendship as warm and pure as any that ancient or modern history records. Macaulay.…

An ancient Greek martial dance, to the accompaniment of the flute, its time being very quick.

or attribute; peculiar power, capacity, or virtue; distinctive trait; as, the tones of a flute differ from those of a violin in quality; the great quality of a statesman.

A band of linen, muslin, or the like, fluted, folded, or plaited so as somewhat to resemble a row of quills.

To act the rake; to lead a dissolute, debauched life. Shenstone. To rake out (Falconry), to fly too far and wide from its master while hovering above waiting till the game is sprung; -- said of the hawk. Encyc. Brit.

A lewd, dissolute fellow; a debauchee; a rake. It seldom doth happen, in any way of life, that a sluggard and a rakehell do not go together. Barrow.

Dissolute; wild; lewd; rakish. [Obs.] Spenser. B. Jonson.

A vile, dissolute wretch. [Obs.] Milton.

Dissolute; lewd; debauched. The arduous task of converting a rakish lover. Macaulay.

Requiring sudden action; pressing; urgent. [Obs.] I scarce have leisure to salute you, My matter is so rash. Shak.

Not mixed or diluted; as, raw spirits.