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A flower-shaped ornament, esp. one terminating an object or forming one of a series, as a knob of a cover to a dish, or a flower- shaped part in a necklace.

d unsubstantial structure; without reason or plausibility; as, a flimsy argument, excuse, objection. Proud of a vast extent of flimsy lines. Pope. All the flimsy furniture of a country miss's brain. Sheridan.

A trifing matter; an object of contempt. [Obs.] England were but a fling Save for the crooked stick and the gray goose wing. Old Proverb. To have one's fling, to enjoy one's self to the full; to have a season of dissipation. J. H. Newman. "When I was as young as you, I had my fling. I led a life of pleasure." D. Jerrol…

A contrivance for affording a copious stream of water to the heated surface of an object of large bulk, as an anvil or die. Knight.

Examination of an object, as the human body, by exposing it to the X rays and observing the shadow cast upon a fluorescent screen; cryptoscopy.

n in a compact group; -- used of hair or clothing or of small particles of matter. Light objects or particles readily taking a static electric charge may be moved apart by acquisition of a charge, or by approach of a charged object. Such a property is called flyaway. Syn. -- fluttering. [WordNet 1.5]…

from its optical center. --Focal distance of a telescope, the distance of the image of an object from the object glass.

(Photog.) An assisting instrument for focusing an object in or before a camera. Knight.

njugate focus (Opt.), the focus for rays which have a sensible divergence, as from a near object; -- so called because the positions of the object and its image are interchangeable. -- Focus tube (Phys.), a vacuum tube for Roentgen rays in which the cathode rays are focused upon the anticathode, for intensifying the e…

To watch, as a receding object; to keep the eyes fixed upon while in motion; to keep the mind upon while in progress, as a speech, musical performance, etc.; also, to keep up with; to understand the meaning, connection, or force of, as of a course of thought or argument. He followed with his eyes the flitting shade. Dr…

Indicating the remoter and indirect object of an act; the end or final cause with reference to which anything is, acts, serves, or is done. The oak for nothing ill, The osier good for twigs, the poplar for the mill. Spenser. It was young counsel for the persons, and violent counsel for the matters. Bacon. Shall I think…

The boundary line of a material object. In painting, more generally, the human body.

As soon as the thing required may be done by reasonable exertion confined to that object. Bouvier.

The sum of four tens; forty units or objects.

The sum of four units; four units or objects.

The product of four times twenty; eighty units or objects.

The sum of ten and four; forteen units or objects.

Something resembling in any respect a fringe; a line of objects along a border or edge; a border; an edging; a margin; a confine. The confines of grace and the fringes of repentance. Jer. Taylor.

An invested sum, whose income is devoted to a specific object; as, the fund of an ecclesiastical society; a fund for the maintenance of lectures or poor students; also, money systematically collected to meet the expenses of some permanent object.

The general outward form of any solid object, as of a column or a vase.