INDEFINITE a.
Too numerous or variable to make a particular enumeration important; -- said of the parts of a flower, and the like. Also, indeterminate. Indefinite article (Gram.), the word a or an, used with nouns to denote any one of a common or general class. -- Indefinite inflorescence. (Bot.) See Indeterminate inflorescence, un…
INFINITIVE n.
e verb which merely names the action, and performs the office of a verbal noun. Some grammarians make two forms in English: (a) The simple form, as, speak, go, hear, before which to is commonly placed, as, to speak; to go; to hear. (b) The form of the imperfect participle, called the infinitive in -ing; as, going is as…
INFLECTION n.
The variation or change which words undergo to mark case, gender, number, comparison, tense, person, mood, voice, etc.
INFLECTIVE a.
Inflectional; characterized by variation, or change in form, to mark case, tense, etc.; subject to inflection. Inflective language (Philol.), a language like the Greek or Latin, consisting largely of stems with variable terminations or suffixes which were once independent words. English is both agglutinative, as, manli…
IRON n.
iron (Chem.), iron forming a large, and often the chief, ingredient of meteorites. It invariably contains a small amount of nickel and cobalt. Cf. Meteorite. -- Pig iron, the form in which cast iron is made at the blast furnace, being run into molds, called pigs. -- Reduced iron. See under Reduced. -- Specular iron…
ISODIABATIC a.
ines or curves, a pair of lines or curves exhibiting, on a diagram of energy, the law of variation of the pressure and density of a fluid, the one during the lowering, and the other during the raising, of its temperature, when the quantity of heat given out by the fluid during any given stage of the one process is equa…
ISSUE n.
d. Blount. Cowell. At issue, in controversy; disputed; opposing or contesting; hence, at variance; disagreeing; inconsistent. As much at issue with the summer day As if you brought a candle out of doors. Mrs. Browning. -- Bank of issue, Collateral issue, etc. See under Bank, Collateral, etc. -- Issue pea, a pea, or a…