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ng point, or curve, or surface, the latter being at any instant called an element of the former.

he English rural folk who often find these objects of prehistoric make in the fields and formerly attributed them to fairies; -- called also elf bolt, elf dart, and elf shot. -- Elf child, a child supposed to be left by elves, in room of one they had stolen. See Changeling. -- Elf fire, the ignis fatuus. Brewer. --…

Formerly, a measuring rod an ell long.

The portion of a line formerly occupied by the letter m, then a square type, used as a unit by which to measure the amount of printed matter on a page; the square of the body of a type.

A suffix from AS. -an, formerly used to form the plural of many nouns, as in ashen, eyen, oxen, all obs. except oxen. In some cases, such as children and brethren, it has been added to older plural forms.

Formerly, a commissioned officer of the army who carried the ensign or flag of a company or regiment.

An object of envious notice or feeling. This constitution in former days used to be the envy of the world. Macaulay.

A work in which the contents of a former work are reduced within a smaller space by curtailment and condensation; a brief summary; an abridgement. [An] epitome of the contents of a very large book. Sydney Smith.

to Etna, . . . ere I will leave her. Shak. Ere long, before, shortly. Shak. -- Ere now, formerly, heretofore. Shak. -- Ere that, and Or are. Same as Ere. Shak.

A recompense formerly given by a murderer to the relatives of the murdered person.

Journeying; itinerant; -- formerly applied to judges who went on circuit and to bailiffs at large. Mozley & W.

Previously; before; formerly; heretofore. Chaucer. Tityrus, with whose style he had erst disclaimed all ambition to match his pastoral pipe. A. W. Ward. At erst, at first; at the beginning. -- Now at erst, at this present time. Chaucer.

Till then or now; heretofore; formerly. [Archaic]

ium maritimum, or sea holly, has been highly esteemed as an aphrodisiac, the roots being formerly candied.

A license formerly required for the making over a bill of exchange to another over sea. Cowell.

t; also, transgression. [Obs.] I should have been more accurate, and corrected all those former escapes. Burton.

A long, heavy, two-handed and two-edged sword, formerly used by Spanish foot soldiers and by executioners. Wilhelm.

To divert from its original use or purpose, or from its former possessor; to alienate. They . . . have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods. Jer. xix. 4.

iety of ethylene, obtained in heavy oil of wine, the residue left after making ether; -- formerly called also concrete oil of wine.

A black substance; -- formerly applied to various preparations of a black or very dark color. [Written also Æthiops.] [Obs.] Ethiops martial (Old Chem.), black oxide of iron. -- Ethiops mineral (Old Chem.), black sulphide of mercury, obtained by triturating mercury with sulphur. -- Ethiops per se (Old Chem.), mercury…