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e species Ecballium agreste (or Elaterium), the squirting cucumber. Its fruit, when ripe, bursts and violently ejects its seeds, together with a mucilaginous juice, from which elaterium, a powerful cathartic medicine, is prepared.

Having the radicle of the embryo sheathed by the cotyledon, through which the embryo bursts in germination, as in many monocotyledonous plants.

Breaking out; -- said of certain fungi which burst through the texture of leaves.

To cause to burst forth; to eject; as, to erupt lava. Huxley.

The act of breaking out or bursting forth; as: (a) A violent throwing out of flames, lava, etc., as from a volcano of a fissure in the earth's crust. (b) A sudden and overwhelming hostile movement of armed men from one country to another. Milton. (c) A violent commotion. All Paris was quiet . . . to gather fresh streng…

Breaking out or bursting forth. The sudden glance Appears far south eruptive through the cloud. Thomson.

To burst forth; to fly out with a blast. [Obs.] "The ponderous ball expires." Dryden.

To become suddenly expanded into a great volume of gas or vapor; to burst violently into flame; as gunpowder explodes.

A bursting with violence and loud noise, because of internal pressure; as, the explosion of a gun, a bomb, a steam boiler, etc.

Driving or bursting out with violence and noise; causing explosion; as, the explosive force of gunpowder.

To burst forth like flame; to break out in violence of passion; to be kindled with zeal or ardor. He flamed with indignation. Macaulay.

wl flare; the bows of a ship flare. To flare up, to become suddenly heated or excited; to burst into a passion. [Colloq.] Thackeray.

A sudden burst of anger or passion; an angry dispute. [Colloq.]

To burst or break forth with a sudden and transient flood of flame and light; as, the lighting flashes vividly; the powder flashed.

A sudden burst of noise and disorder; a tumult; uproar; a quarrel. [Obs.] And deluges of armies from the town Came pouring in; I heard the mighty flaw. Dryden.

A bursting into flower; a blossoming. Martyn.

To fly open, to open suddenly, or with violence. -- To fly out. (a) To rush out. (b) To burst into a passion; to break out into license. -- To let fly. (a) To throw or drive with violence; to discharge. "A man lets fly his arrow without taking any aim." Addison. (b) (Naut.) To let go suddenly and entirely; as, to le…

To cause a fracture or fractures in; to break; to burst asunder; to crack; to separate the continuous parts of; as, to fracture a bone; to fracture the skull.

A loud and sudden sound; the report of anything bursting; a crash. I. Watts.

The act of bursting into leaf. Milne. Martyn.