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The gossamer-winged butterflies; a family of small butterflies, including the hairstreaks, violets, and theclas.

sually qualified by old. [Colloq.] Around the door are generally to be seen, laughing and gossiping, clusters of old salts. Hawthorne.

's-wool (Zoöl.), the highest grade of Florida commercial sponges (Spongia equina, variety gossypina). -- Sheep tick (Zoöl.), a wingless parasitic insect (Melophagus ovinus) belonging to the Diptera. It fixes its proboscis in the skin of the sheep and sucks the blood, leaving a swelling. Called also sheep pest, and she…

toward one side; laterally; sideways. I saw them mask their awful glance Sidewise meek in gossamer lids. Emerson.

nto ropes for convenient carriage on an expedition. -- To spin street yarn, to gad about gossiping. [Collog.]

y. -- Sheep's-wool sponge, a fine and durable commercial sponge (Spongia equina, variety gossypina) found in Florida and the West Indies. The surface is covered with larger and smaller tufts, having the oscula between them. -- Sponge cake, a kind of sweet cake which is light and spongy. -- Sponge lead, or Spongy lea…

white filaments which are seen floating in the air in summer, the production of spiders; gossamer. -- Thread and thrum, the good and bad together. [Obs.] Shak. -- Thread cell (Zoöl.), a lasso cell. See under Lasso. -- Thread herring (Zoöl.), the gizzard shad. See under Gizzard. -- Thread lace, lace made of linen t…

An idle, trifling talker; a gossip. [R.] Tatler.

The act or habit of parting idly or gossiping.

One who uses his tongue; a talker; a story-teller; a gossip. [Poetic.] Step by step we rose to greatness; through the tonguesters we may fall. Tennyson.

To prate; to talk much and idly; to gabble; to chatter; to twaddle; as, a twattling gossip. L'Estrange.

expectation, or suspense. A widow, who had a twittering towards a second husband, took a gossiping companion to manage the job. L'Estrange.

A group of butterflies including those known as virgins, or gossamer-winged butterflies.

ng as the third verse in each successive stanza and forming a couplet at the close. E. W. Gosse.

Any one of several species of gossamer-winged butterflies of the family Lycænidæ.

A gossat, or rockling; -- called also whistler, three-bearded rockling, sea loach, and sorghe.