Search the Dictionary

er of electing or appointing. A question of right arises between the constituent and representative body. Junius.

Tending or assisting to constitute or compose; elemental; essential. An ingredient and constitutive part of every virtue. Barrow.

The arrangement and connection of words in a sentence; syntactical arrangement. Some particles . . . in certain constructions have the sense of a whole sentence contained in them. Locke.

To apply the rules of syntax to (a sentence or clause) so as to exhibit the structure, arrangement, or connection of, or to discover the sense; to explain the construction of; to interpret; to translate.

Of the same kind or nature; having the same substance or essence; coessential. Christ Jesus . . . coeternal and consubstantial with the Father and with the Holy Ghost. Foxe.

Rest or quietness of the mind in one's present condition; freedom from discontent; satisfaction; contentment; moderate happiness. Such is the fullness of my heart's content. Shak.

f something written or printed, as of Scripture, which precede or follow a text or quoted sentence, or are so intimately associated with it as to throw light upon its meaning. According to all the light that the contexts afford. Sharp.

A word that continues the connection of sentences or subjects; a connective; a conjunction. Continuatives . . . consolidate sentences into one continuous whole. Harris.

h bass or figured bass; basso continuo. [It.] -- Continued fever (Med.), a fever which presents no interruption in its course. -- Continued fraction (Math.), a fraction whose numerator is 1, and whose denominator is a whole number plus a fraction whose numerator is 1 and whose denominator is a whole number, plus a fra…

The outline of a figure or body, or the line or lines representing such an outline; the line that bounds; periphery. Titian's coloring and contours. A. Drummond.

defects of; to compare by difference or contrariety of qualities; as, to contrast the present with the past.

sp., such an assembly held privately, as in times of persecution, by Nonconformists or Dissenters in England, or by Covenanters in Scotland; -- often used opprobriously, as if those assembled were heretics or schismatics. The first Christians could never have had recourse to nocturnal or clandestine conventicles till d…

A meeting or an assembly of persons, esp. of delegates or representatives, to accomplish some specific object, -- civil, social, political, or ecclesiastical. He set himself to the making of good laws in a grand convention of his nobles. Sir R. Baker. A convention of delegates from all the States, to meet in Philadelph…

Abstracted; removed from close representation of nature by the deliberate selection of what is to be represented and what is to be rejected; as, a conventional flower; a conventional shell. Cf. Conventionalize, v. t.

To represent by selecting the important features and those which are expressible in the medium employed, and omitting the others.

Colloqual discourse; oral interchange of sentiments and observations; informal dialogue. The influence exercised by his [Johnson's] conversation was altogether without a parallel. Macaulay.

A person proved guilty of a crime alleged against him; one legally convicted or sentenced to punishment for some crime.

il, and evil good, against the conviction of their own consciences. Swift. And did you presently fall under the power of this conviction Bunyan.

To overcome by argument; to force to yield assent to truth; to satisfy by proof. Such convincing proofs and assurances of it as might enable them to convince others. Atterbury.

in a convincing manner; in a manner to compel assent.