ITALIC a.
; -- so called because dedicated to the States of Italy by the inventor, Aldus Manutius, about the year 1500. Italic languages, the group or family of languages of ancient Italy. -- Italic order (Arch.), the composite order. See Composite. -- Italic school, a term given to the Pythagorean and Eleatic philosophers, fr…
JAPAN a.
riata) from Eastern Asia, useful for fodder, first noticed in the Southern United States about 1860, but now become very common. During the Civil War it was called variously Yankee clover and Rebel clover. -- Japan earth. See Catechu. -- Japan ink, a kind of writing ink, of a deep, glossy black when dry. -- Japan va…
JEWISH CALENDAR n.
traditionally given for the Creation. It received its present fixed form from Hillel II. about 360 a. d. The present names of the months, which are Babylonian- Assyrian in origin, replaced older ones, Abib, Bul, etc., at the time of the Babylonian Exile. Nineteen years constitute a lunar cycle, of which the 3d, 6th, 8t…
JOHN n.
A proper name of a man. John-apple, a sort of apple ripe about St. John's Day. Same as Apple-john. -- John Bull, an ideal personification of the typical characteristics of an Englishman, or of the English people. -- John Bullism, English character. W. Irving. -- John Doe (Law), the name formerly given to the fictiti…
JUMPING p.
a saltitans). The larva by its sudden movements causes the seed to roll to roll and jump about. -- Jumping deer (Zoöl.), a South African rodent (Pedetes Caffer), allied to the jerboa. -- Jumping jack, a toy figure of a man, jointed and made to jump or dance by means of strings. -- Jumping louse (Zoöl.), any of the n…
JUPITER n.
, being the brightest except Venus, and the largest of them all, its mean diameter being about 85,000 miles. It revolves about the sun in 4,332.6 days, at a mean distance of 5.2028 from the sun, the earth's mean distance being taken as unity. Jupiter's beard. (Bot.) (a) A South European herb, with cymes of small red bl…