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eeks, and one of the five recognized by the Italian writers of the sixteenth century. Its distinguishing feature is a capital with spiral volutes. See Illust. of Capital. Ionic dialect (Gr. Gram.), a dialect of the Greek language, used in Ionia. The Homeric poems are written in what is designated old Ionic, as distingu…

A determining feature; a distinguishing characteristic a differentia.

A freeman of the city, in London, who, having paid certain fees, is entitled to wear the distinguishing dress or livery of the company to which he belongs, and also to enjoy certain other privileges, as the right of voting in an election for the lord mayor, sheriffs, chamberlain, etc.

fish of the genus Porichthys, allied to the toadfish. Cadet midshipman, formerly a title distinguishing a cadet line officer from a cadet engineer at the U. S. Naval Academy. See under Cadet. -- Cadet midshipman, formerly, a naval cadet who had served his time, passed his examinations, and was awaiting promotion; --…

Apprehending slight diffferences or delicate distinctions; distinguishing accurately or minutely; carefully discriminating; as, a nice taste or judgment. "Our author happy in a judge so nice." Pope. "Nice verbal criticism." Coleridge.

ever seen the slightest approach to opposability of the great toe, which is the essential distinguishing feature of apes. A. R. Wallace.

ps to make, anything such as it is; anything belonging to a subject, or predicable of it; distinguishing property, characteristic, or attribute; peculiar power, capacity, or virtue; distinctive trait; as, the tones of a flute differ from those of a violin in quality; the great quality of a statesman.…

e and supposed to be removed after the earliest proofs have been taken; also, any feature distinguishing a particular stage of the plate.

red cross on a white field with a union jack in the upper corner next the mast. It is the distinguishing badge of ships of the royal navy of England; -- called also the white ensign. Brande & C. -- Saint George's flag, a smaller flag resembling the ensign, but without the union jack; used as the sign of the presence a…

. They possessed power of life and death over the commoners, and wore two swords as their distinguishing mark. Their special rights and privileges were abolished with the fall of feudalism in 1871.

Specifically (Pros.), to go through with, as a verse, marking and distinguishing the feet of which it is composed; to show, in reading, the metrical structure of; to recite metrically.

The act of scanning; distinguishing the metrical feet of a verse by emphasis, pauses, or otherwise.

The distinguishing peculiarity of male or female in both animals and plants; the physical difference between male and female; the assemblage of properties or qualities by which male is distinguished from female.

Of or pertaining to sex, or the sexes; distinguishing sex; peculiar to the distinction and office of male or female; relating to the distinctive genital organs of the sexes; proceeding from, or based upon, sex; as, sexual characteristics; sexual intercourse, connection, or commerce; sexual desire; sexual diseases; sexu…

science. Coleridge. Specific character (Nat. Hist.), a characteristic or characteristics distinguishing one species from every other species of the same genus. -- Specific disease (Med.) (a) A disease which produces a determinate definite effect upon the blood and tissues or upon some special tissue. (b) A disease wh…

To show, mark, or designate the species, or the distinguishing particulars of; to specify. [Obs.] ir M. Hale.

eral when scratched or rubbed against a harder surface, the color of which is sometimes a distinguishing character.

Intensity or degree of the distinguishing and essential element; spirit; virtue; excellence; -- said of liquors, solutions, etc.; as, the strength of wine or of acids.

Color indicating a party or faction; hence, distinguishing characteristic; sign; likeness; sort; as, persons of the same political stripe. [Colloq. U.S.]

Applied to, or distinguishing, a speech element consisting of tone, or proper vocal sound, not pure as in the vowels, but dimmed and otherwise modified by some kind of obstruction in the oral or the nasal passage, and in some cases with a mixture of breath sound; -- a term introduced by Dr. James Rush in 1833. See Guid…