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A private alphabet, system of characters, or other mode of writing, contrived for the safe transmission of secrets; also, a writing in such characters. His father . . . engaged him when he was very young to write all his letters to England in cipher. Bp. Burnet. Cipher key, a key to assist in reading writings in cipher…

An alphabetical verbal index showing the places in the text of a book where each principal word may be found, with its immediate context in each place. His knowledge of the Bible was such, that he might have been called a living concordance. Macaulay.

sually combined and sounded with an open sound called a vowel; a member of the spoken alphabet other than a vowel; also, a letter or character representing such a sound.

Expressing reproach; abusive; railing; taunting. [Obs.] "Convicious words." Queen Elizabeth (1559).

To encourage; to favor; to approve; to aid; to abet. This conceit, though countenanced by learned men, is not made out either by experience or reason. Sir T. Browne. Error supports custom, custom countenances error. Milton.

The alphabet; -- called also Christcross-row. And from the crossrow plucks the letter G. Shak.

e-shaped characters used in ancient Persian and Assyrian inscriptions. I. Taylor (The Alphabet).

d liberal arts and sciences); circle of human knowledge. Hence, a work containing, in alphabetical order, information in all departments of knowledge, or on a particular department or branch; as, a cyclopedia of the physical sciences, or of mechanics. See Encyclopedia.

The fourth letter of the English alphabet, and a vocal consonent. The English letter is from Latin, which is from Greek, which took it from Phoenician, the probable ultimate origin being Egyptian. It is related most nearly to t and th; as, Eng. deep, G. tief; Eng. daughter, G. tochter, Gr. duhitr. See Guide to Pronunci…

To injure; to damage. "None can my life defect." [R.] Troubles of Q. Elizabeth (1639).

ficacy, or value; degeneration; deterioration. The development and degradation of the alphabetic forms can be traced. I. Taylor (The Alphabet).

Of or pertaining to the people; popular; common. Demotic alphabet or character, a form of writing used in Egypt after six or seven centuries before Christ, for books, deeds, and other such writings; a simplified form of the hieratic character; -- called also epistolographic character, and enchorial character. See Encho…

in order to serve as an aid to the reader in determining the meaning. I. Taylor (The Alphabet).

ss long-continued detrition have reached a step of extreme simplicity. I. Taylor (The Alphabet).

A book containing the words of a language, arranged alphabetically, with explanations of their meanings; a lexicon; a vocabulary; a wordbook. I applied myself to the perusal of our writers; and noting whatever might be of use to ascertain or illustrate any word or phrase, accumulated in time the materials of a dictiona…

sleep. Shak. To dine with Duke Humphrey, to go without dinner; -- a phrase common in Elizabethan literature, said to be from the practice of the poor gentry, who beguiled the dinner hour by a promenade near the tomb of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, in Old Saint Paul's.

the tones in respect to absolute pitch are named from the first seven letters of the alphabet.

nacs, denotes Sunday, or the Lord's day (dies Domini). The first seven letters of the alphabet are used for this purpose, the same letter standing for Sunday during a whole year (except in leap year, when the letter is changed at the end of February). After twenty-eight years the same letters return in the same order.…

The fifth letter of the English alphabet.

which the various branches of science or art are discussed separately, and usually in alphabetical order; a cyclopedia.