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y of account, afterward a silver coin equal to 20 sous. It is not now in use, having been superseded by the franc.

The state or quality of being loyal; fidelity to a superior, or to duty, love, etc. He had such loyalty to the king as the law required. Clarendon. Not withstanding all the subtle bait With which those Amazons his love still craved, To his one love his loyalty he saved. Spenser.

A straight-edged piece of wood for striking off superfluous clay from mold.

To grow exuberantly; to grow to superfluous abundance. " Corn luxuriates in a better mold." Burton.

very long and, when spread, arranged in the form of a lyre. The common lyre bird (Menura superba), inhabiting New South Wales, is about the size of a grouse. Its general color is brown, with rufous color on the throat, wings, tail coverts and tail. Called also lyre pheasant and lyre-tail.

Supernatural agency in a poem, or a superhuman being introduced to perform some exploit. Addison. Elementary machine, a name sometimes given to one of the simple mechanical powers. See under Mechanical. -- Infernal machine. See under Infernal. -- Machine gun.See under Gun. -- Machine screw, a screw or bolt adapted f…

The supernatural means by which the action of a poetic or fictitious work is carried on and brought to a catastrophe; in an extended sense, the contrivances by which the crises and conclusion of a fictitious narrative, in prose or verse, are effected. The machinery, madam, is a term invented by the critics, to signify…

Long and tedious talk without much substance; superfluity of words.

ve name for all of the pretended arts which claim to produce effects by the assistance of supernatural beings, or departed spirits, or by a mastery of secret forces in nature attained by a study of occult science, including enchantment, conjuration, witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, incantation, etc. An appearance made…

Performed by, or proceeding from, occult and superhuman agencies; done by, or seemingly done by, enchantment or sorcery. Hence: Seemingly requiring more than human power; imposing or startling in performance; producing effects which seem supernatural or very extraordinary; having extraordinary properties; as, a magic l…

Mastery; superiority; art. See Mastery. [Obs.] Chaucer.

The quality or condition of being major or greater; superiority. Specifically:

A writ issued by a superior court and directed to some inferior tribunal, or to some corporation or person exercising authority, commanding the performance of some specified duty.

Homage or service rendered to a superior, as to a lord; vassalage. [Obs. or Scots Law] Jamieson.

A superior kind of rich silk formerly exported from Mantua in Italy. [Obs.] Beck (Draper's Dict.).

A Mohammedan saint; especially, one who claims to work cures supernaturally.

.] -- Martial law, the law administered by the military power of a government when it has superseded the civil authority in time of war, or when the civil authorities are unable to enforce the laws. It is distinguished from military law, the latter being the code of rules for the regulation of the army and navy alone,…

Partaking of the character of miracle, or superna The marvelous fable includes whatever is supernatural, and especially the machines of the gods. Pope. The marvelous, that which exceeds natural power, or is preternatural; that which is wonderful; -- opposed to the probable.

To cover or keep in check; as, to mask a body of troops or a fortess by a superior force, while some hostile evolution is being carried out.

ile brute, -- especially a dog or horse. (j) The controller of a familiar spirit or other supernatural being.