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, or is imposed, as a rule, a duty, obligation, or responsibility. "The incumbencies of a family." Donne.

oncerned; inattentive; apathetic; heedless; as, to be indifferent to the welfare of one's family. It was a law of Solon, that any person who, in the civil commotions of the republic, remained neuter, or an indifferent spectator of the contending parties, should be condemned to perpetual banishment. Addison.…

A family of languages, mostly of the isolating type, although some are agglutinative, spoken in the great area extending from northern India in the west to Formosa in the east and from Central Asia in the north to the Malay Peninsula in the south.

ining to the people or nations who speak these languages; as, the Indo- European or Aryan family. The common origin of the Indo-European nations. Tylor.

Pertaining to or denoting the Teutonic family of languages as related to the Sanskrit, or derived from the ancient Aryan language.

Uniting two groups; -- said of certain genera which connect family groups, or of species that connect genera. See Osculant.

A native of Iran; also, the Iranian or Persian language, a division of the Aryan family of languages.

An herb of the Mint family (Sideritis), supposed to heal sword cuts; also, a species of Galeopsis.

Any coral of the genus Isis, or family Isidæ, composed of joints of white, stony coral, alternating with flexible, horny joints. See Gorgoniacea.

One of a sect of Mohammedans who favored the pretensions of the family of Mohammed ben Ismael, of the house Ali.

taly by the inventor, Aldus Manutius, about the year 1500. Italic languages, the group or family of languages of ancient Italy. -- Italic order (Arch.), the composite order. See Composite. -- Italic school, a term given to the Pythagorean and Eleatic philosophers, from the country where their doctrines were first pro…

One of the Iulidæ, a family of myriapods, of which the genus Iulus is the type. See Iulus.

A South African bulbous plant of the Iris family, remarkable for the brilliancy of its flowers.

A tick of the genus Ixodes, or the family Ixodidæ.

about houses and along roadsides. -- Jerusalem sage (Bot.), a perennial herb of the Mint family (Phlomis tuberosa). -- Jerusalem thorn (Bot.), a spiny, leguminous tree (Parkinsonia aculeata), widely dispersed in warm countries, and used for hedges. -- The New Jerusalem, Heaven; the Celestial City.

gs. -- Jumping louse (Zoöl.), any of the numerous species of plant lice belonging to the family Psyllidæ, several of which are injurious to fruit trees. -- Jumping mouse (Zoöl.), North American mouse (Zapus Hudsonius), having a long tail and large hind legs. It is noted for its jumping powers. Called also kangaroo mo…

Any one of numerous species of jumping marsupials of the family Macropodidæ. They inhabit Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands, They have long and strong hind legs and a large tail, while the fore legs are comparatively short and feeble. The giant kangaroo (Macropus major) is the largest species, sometimes becom…

A West Indian plant of the Pineapple family (Nidularium Karatas).

A large, green, arboreal, orthopterous insect (Cyrtophyllus concavus) of the family Locustidæ, common in the United States. The males have stridulating organs at the bases of the front wings. During the summer and autumn, in the evening, the males make a peculiar, loud, shrill sound, resembling the combination Katy-did…

of a work of art; as, the foreground of this painting is not in keeping. Keeping room, a family sitting room. [New Eng. & Prov. Eng.]