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A night piece, or serenade. The name is now used for a certain graceful and expressive form of instrumental composition, as the nocturne for orchestra in Mendelsohn's "Midsummer-Night's Dream" music.

Expressive of opprobrium; attaching disgrace; reproachful; scurrilous; as, opprobrious language. They . . . vindicate themselves in terms no less opprobrious than those by which they are attacked. Addison.

Expressive of penitence; as, a penitentiary letter.

Expressive of sorrow or melancholy; mournful; sad. "The most plaintive ditty." Landor. -- Plain"tive*ly, adv. -- Plain"tive*ness, n.

Having no sign expressive of quantity; indefinite. See Predesignate.

To make a solemn declaration (often a written one) expressive of opposition; -- with against; as, he protest against your votes. Denham. The conscience has power . . . to protest againts the exorbitancies of the passions. Shak.

ng back. [Written also retorsion.] It was, however, necessary to possess some single term expressive of this intellectual retortion. Sir W. Hamilton.

Expressive of, or characterized by, impudence; impertinent; as, a saucy eye; saucy looks. We then have done you bold and sausy wrongs. Shak.

An exclamation expressive of impatience or anger. Shak.

ity. (Cf. Will, v. t.) Shall may be used elliptically; thus, with an adverb or other word expressive of motion go may be omitted. "He to England shall along with you." Shak.

signed to signify or make known somethingl having a meaning; standing as a sign or token; expressive or suggestive; as, a significant word or sound; a significant look. It was well said of Plotinus, that the stars were significant, but not efficient. Sir W. Raleigh.

Having signification or meaning; expressive of a meaning or purpose; significant. Neither in the degrees of kindred they were destitute of significative words. Camden. -- Sig*nif"i*ca*tive*ly, adv. -- Sig*nif"i*ca*tive*ness, n.

Manifesting entreaty; expressive of supplication. To bow and sue for grace With suppliant knee. Milton.

Slight degree; suggestion; hint. [Colloq.] The features are mild but expressive, with just a suspicion . . . of saturnine or sarcastic humor. A. W. Ward.

Produced by, or expressive of, sympathy. Ope the sacred source of sympathetic tears. Gray.

Adapted to excite feeling or sympathy; expressive of the softer passions; pathetic; as, tender expressions; tender expostulations; a tender strain.

A expression of gratitude; an acknowledgment expressive of a sense of favor or kindness received; obligation, claim, or desert, or gratitude; -- now generally used in the plural. "This ceremonial thanks." Massinger. If ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye for sinners also do even the same. Luke v…

A word of unknown origin and signification, formerly used as expressive of contempt, or when anything said was reject as trifling or impertinent. [Written also tille-vally, tilly-fally, tille-fally, and otherwise.] Shak.

Mournful; expressive of tragedy, the loss of life, or of sorrow. Why look you still so stern and tragical Shak. -- Trag"ic*al*ly, adv. -- Trag"ic*al*ness, n.

Celebrating victory; expressive of joy for success; as, a triumphant song or ode.