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THick set with bristles, or with hairs resembling bristles; rough. The leaves of the black mulberry are somewhat bristly. Bacon.

An instrument composed of bristles, or other like material, set in a suitable back or handle, as of wood, bone, or ivory, and used for various purposes, as in removing dust from clothes, laying on colors, etc. Brushes have different shapes and names according to their use; as, clothes brush, paint brush, tooth brush, e…

A wheel without teeth, used to turn a similar one by the friction of bristles or something brushlike or soft attached to the circumference.

To make a show of fireceness or defiance; to bristle. [Obs.] To brustle up, to bristle up. [Obs.] Otway.

into the water, before letting go the anchor. -- Whistling buoy, a buoy fitted with a whistle that is blown by the action of the waves.

as of the chestnut and burdock. Also, any weed which bears burs. Amongst rude burs and thistles. Milton. Bur and brake and brier. Tennyson.

A whistle or pipe, used by the boatswain and his mate, to summon the sailors to duty.

A musical instrument consisting of series of steam whistles, toned to the notes of the scale, and played by keys arranged like those of an organ. It is sometimes attached to steamboat boilers.

holds as canonical several books which Protestants reject as apocryphal. -- Canonical epistles, an appellation given to the epistles called also general or catholic. See Catholic epistles, under Canholic. -- Canonical form (Math.), the simples or most symmetrical form to which all functions of the same class can be…

A translucent, elastic tissue; gristle.

ining to, or affecting the Roman Catholics; as, the Catholic emancipation act. Catholic epistles, the espistles of the apostles which are addressed to all the faithful, and not to a particular church; being those of James, Peter, Jude, and John.

A large genus of composite plants, related to the thistles and including the cornflower or bluebottle (Centaurea Cyanus) and the star thistle (C. Calcitrapa).

The arrangement of bristles on an insect.

A decretal epistle. Ayliffe.

Any small decorative object worn on the person, as a seal, a key, a silver whistle, or the like. Bunches of charms are often worn at the watch chain.

The backbone or spine of an animal; the back. "And chine with rising bristles roughly spread." Dryden.

The group of Thysanura which includes Lepisma and allied forms; the bristletails. See Bristletail, and Lepisma.

A species of Galium (G. Aparine), having a fruit set with hooked bristles, which adhere to whatever they come in contact with; -- called also, goose grass, catchweed, etc.

of commending; praise; favorable representation in words; recommendation. Need we . . . epistles of commendatiom 2 Cor. iii. 1. By the commendation of the great officers. Bacon.

to the order Compositæ; bearing involucrate heads of many small florets, as the daisy, thistle, and dandelion. Composite carriage, a railroad car having compartments of different classes. [Eng.] -- Composite number (Math.), one which can be divided exactly by a number exceeding unity, as 6 by 2 or 3.prime number. --…