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been purchased by Tarquin the Proud from a sibyl. (b) Certain Jewish and early Christian writings purporting to have been prophetic and of sibylline origin. They date from 100 b. c. to a. d. 500.

To affix a signature to; to ratify by hand or seal; to subscribe in one's own handwriting. Inquire the Jew's house out, give him this deed, And let him sign it. Shak.

pecially, the name of any person, written with his own hand, employed to signify that the writing which precedes accords with his wishes or intentions; a sign manual; an autograph.

Fig.: To leave matters unnoticed, as in reading, speaking, or writing; to pass by, or overlook, portions of a thing; -- often followed by over.

A tablet for writing upon.

ers, style, etc.; slovenly; shuffling; as, slipshod manners; a slipshod or loose style of writing. Thy wit shall ne'er go slipshod. Shak.

Weak, poor, or flat liquor; weak, profitless discourse or writing.

A contract or obligation under seal; a contract by deed; a writing, under seal, given as security for a debt particularly specified. Chitty. Bouvier. Wharton (Law Dict.). Let specialties be therefore drawn between us. Shak.

uality of the whole, or of what is not exhibited; a sample; as, a specimen of a man's handwriting; a specimen of painting; aspecimen of one's art.

To form words with letters, esp. with the proper letters, either orally or in writing. When what small knowledge was, in them did dwell, And he a god, who could but read or spell. Dryden.

The art of writing in cuneiform characters, or of deciphering inscriptions made in such characters.

To wipe out with a sponge, as letters or writing; to efface; to destroy all trace of. Hooker.

ity. If sometimes he appears too gray, yet a secret gracefulness of youth accompanies his writings, though the staidness and sobriety of age wanting. Dryden.

duty on all paper, vellum, and parchment used in the American colonies, and declaring all writings on unstamped materials to be null an void. -- Stamp collector, an officer who receives or collects stamp duties; one who collects postage or other stamps. -- Stamp duty, a duty, or tax, imposed on paper and parchment us…

Specifically, a radiated mark in writing or printing; an asterisk [thus, *]; -- used as a reference to a note, or to fill a blank where something is omitted, etc.

To deprive of force or vigor; to disable. The pens of historians, writing thereof, seemed starved for matter in an age so fruitful of memorable actions. Fuller. The powers of their minds are starved by disuse. Locke.

ho sells paper, pens, quills, inkstands, pencils, blank books, and other articles used in writing.

The art of writing in cipher, or in characters which are not intelligible except to persons who have the key; cryptography.

The art of writing or inscribing characters on pillars. [R.] Stackhouse.

The art of writing in shorthand, by using abbreviations or characters for whole words; shorthand.