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Of or pertaining to Sothis, the Egyptian name for the Dog Star; taking its name from the Dog Star; canicular. Sothiac, or Sothic, year (Chronol.), the Egyptian year of 365 days and 6 hours, as distinguished from the Egyptian vague year, which contained 365 days. The Sothic period consists of 1,460 Sothic years, being e…

oul, or without greatness or nobleness of mind; mean; spiritless. Slave, souless villain, dog! Shak.

One of a breed of small dogs having long and thick hair and large drooping ears. The legs are usually strongly feathered, and the tail bushy. See Illust. under Clumber, and Cocker.

An American endogenous plant (Tradescantia Virginica), with long linear leaves and ephemeral blue flowers. The name is sometimes extended to other species of the same genus.

carding machine which work with the large cylinder. Barking squirrel (Zoöl.), the prairie dog. -- Federation squirrel (Zoöl.), the striped gopher. See Gopher, 2. -- Flying squirrel (Zoöl.). See Flying squirrel, in the Vocabulary. -- Java squirrel (Zoöl.). See Jelerang. -- Squirrel corn (Bot.), a North American herb…

To watch; to dog, or keep track of. [Prov. Eng. or Slang] H. Kingsley.

To kennel, as dogs. Johnson.

A dog that rouses game.

tave) to interpose with the staff, doubtless to stop the bear; (to tail) to hold back the dog by the tail. Nares.

The tail of an animal; -- now used only of the tail of a dog. By the stern. (Naut.) See By the head, under By.

The depression in the face of a dog between the skull and the nasal bones. It is conspicuous in the bulldog, pug, and some other breeds.

slender American tree (Acer Pennsylvanicum) with finely striped bark. Called also striped dogwood, and moosewood. -- Striped mullet. (Zoöl.) See under Mullet, 2. -- Striped snake (Zoöl.), the garter snake. -- Striped squirrel (Zoöl.), the chipmunk.

brupt, and rude; severe; sour; crabbed; rough; sullen; gloomy; as, a surly groom; a surly dog; surly language; a surly look. "That surly spirit, melancholy." Shak.

lan and description of any portion of country, or of a road or line through it. Survey of dogs. See Court of regard, under Regard. -- Trigonometrical survey, a survey of a portion of country by measuring a single base, and connecting it with various points in the tract surveyed by a series of triangles, the angles of…

Gloomy; malignant. [Obs.] Milton. Swart star, the Dog Star; -- so called from its appearing during the hot weather of summer, which makes swart the countenance. [R.] Milton.

To seize; to lay hold of; to grapple; as, a wrestler tackles his antagonist; a dog tackles the game. The greatest poetess of our day has wasted her time and strength in tackling windmills under conditions the most fitted to insure her defeat. Dublin Univ. Mag.

A sort of dog, noted for quick scent and eager pursuit of game. [Obs.] Wase (1654).

An Asiatic wild dog (Canis procyonoides), native of Japan and adjacent countries. It has a short, bushy tail. Called also raccoon dog.

To set on, as a dog; to incite. [Obs.] Shak.

Any opinion, principle, dogma, belief, or doctrine, which a person holds or maintains as true; as, the tenets of Plato or of Cicero. That al animals of the land are in their kind in the sea, . . . is a tenet very questionable. Sir T. Browne. The religious tenets of his family he had early renounced with contempt. Macau…