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Having the effect of loosening or opening the intestines, and relieving from constipation; -- opposed to astringent. -- n. (Med.)

Of or pertaining to Lethe; resembling in effect the water of Lethe. Milton. Barrow.

t or writer indulges, assuming that it will be permitted for the sake of the advantage or effect gained; as, poetic license; grammatical license, etc.

s marked by narrow, dark, revolving lines. -- Line engraving. (a) Engraving in which the effects are produced by lines of different width and closeness, cut with the burin upon copper or similar material; also, a plate so engraved. (b) A picture produced by printing from such an engraving. -- Line of battle. (a) (Mil…

A kind of lithography by which the effect of a tinted drawing is produced, as if made with India ink.

A diminution or softening of statement for the sake of avoiding censure or increasing the effect by contrast with the moderation shown in the form of expression; as, " a citizen of no mean city," that is, of an illustrious city.

position, as by a besieging party; an instrument thrown up in a captured position; as, to effect a lodgment.

Not to employ; to employ ineffectually; to throw away; to waste; to squander; as, to lose a day; to lose the benefits of instruction. The unhappy have but hours, and these they lose. Dryden.

Not employed or enjoyed; thrown away; employed ineffectually; wasted; squandered; as, a lost day; a lost opportunity or benefit.

achine, and transmit, modify, and apply them to the production of some desired mechanical effect or work, as weaving by a loom, or the excitation of electricity by an electrical machine.

nces by which the crises and conclusion of a fictitious narrative, in prose or verse, are effected. The machinery, madam, is a term invented by the critics, to signify that part which the deities, angels, or demons, are made to act in a poem. Pope.

A comprehensive name for all of the pretended arts which claim to produce effects by the assistance of supernatural beings, or departed spirits, or by a mastery of secret forces in nature attained by a study of occult science, including enchantment, conjuration, witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, incantation, etc. An app…

o be possessed by the Magi; relating to the occult powers of nature, and the producing of effects by their agency.

Commanded or prescribed by a magister, esp. by a doctor; hence, effectual; sovereign; as, a magistral sirup. "Some magistral opiate." Bacon.

sator, a contrivance connected with a ship's compass for compensating or neutralizing the effect of the iron of the ship upon the needle. -- Magnetic curves, curves indicating lines of magnetic force, as in the arrangement of iron filings between the poles of a powerful magnet. -- Magnetic elements. (a) (Chem. Physic…

-- Terrestrial magnetism, the magnetic force exerted by the earth, and recognized by its effect upon magnetized needles and bars.

To have effect; to be of importance or significance. [Cant & Obs.] Spectator. Magnifying glass, a lens which magnifies the apparent dimensions of objects seen through it.

Greatness, in reference to influence or effect; importance; as, an affair of magnitude. The magnitude of his designs. Bp. Horsley. Apparent magnitude (Opt.), the angular breadth of an object viewed as measured by the angle which it subtends at the eye of the observer; - - called also apparent diameter. -- Magnitude of…

To bring about; to bring forward; to be the cause or agent of; to effect, do, perform, or execute; -- often used with a noun to form a phrase equivalent to the simple verb that corresponds to such noun; as, to make complaint, for to complain; to make record of, for to record; to make abode, for to abide, etc. Call for…

Mode of action; way of performing or effecting anything; method; style; form; fashion. The nations which thou hast removed, and placed in the cities of Samaria, know not the manner of the God of the land. 2 Kings xvii. 26. The temptations of prosperity insinuate themselves after a gentle, but very powerful,manner. Atte…