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or excellences. The constellations of genius had already begun to show itself . . . which was to shed a glory over the meridian and close of Philip's reign. Prescott.

regate of mental qualities; temperament. He defended himself with . . . less passion than was expected from his constitution. Clarendon.

dance with the constitution or natural disposition of the mind or body; naturally; as, he was constitutionally timid. The English were constitutionally humane. Hallam.

to force; to necessiate; to oblige. The love of Christ constraineth us. 2. Cor. v. 14. I was constrained to appeal unto CActs xxviii. 19.

lves either from the ignorance or malice of our enemies. Bp. Stilingfleet. And to be dull was construed to be good. Pope.

ate upon; to take for. [Obs.] Manythings were there consulted for the future, yet nothing was positively resolved. Clarendon.

Capable of being consumed; that may be destroyed, dissipated, wasted, or spent. "Consumable commodities." Locke.

To destroy, as by decomposition, dissipation, waste, or fire; to use up; to expend; to waste; to burn up; to eat up; to devour. If he were putting to my house the brand That shall consume it. Shak. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume. Matt. vi. 20 (Rev. Ver. ). Let me alo…

The act or process of consuming by use, waste, etc.; decay; destruction. Every new advance of the price to the consumer is a new incentive to him to retrench the quality of his consumption. Burke.

pertaining to consumption; having the quality of consuming, or dissipating; destructive; wasting. It [prayer] is not consumptive or our time. Sharp. A long consumptive war. Addison.

Wasting away gradually. Darwin. - Con*ta*bes"cence, n.

time; done in, or belonging to, the same times; contemporaneous. This king [Henry VIII.] was contemporary with the greatest monarchs of Europe. Strype.

to be done; the contention is how the subject is to be divided and defined. Bagehot. This was my original contention, and I still maintain that you should abide by your former decision. Jowett.

ll in question; to controvert; to oppose; to dispute. The people . . . contested not what was done. Locke. Few philosophical aphorisms have been more frequenty repeated, few more contested than this. J. D. Morell.

ystem; constitution; texture. That wonderful contexture of all created beings. Dryden. He was not of any delicate contexture; his limbs rather sturdy than dainty. Sir H. Wotton.

vely, in the time of the Revolutionary War; as, Continental money. The army before Boston was designated as the Continental army, in contradistinction to that under General Gage, which was called the "Ministerial army." W. Irving. Continental Congress. See under Congress. -- Continental system (Hist.), the blockade of…

ves; as, Rome remains to this day; which includes, at least, two propositions, viz., Rome was, and Rome is. I. Watts.

A negro slave, during the Civil War, escaped to, or was brought within, the Union lines. Such slave was considered contraband of war. [U.S.] Contraband of war, that which, according to international law, cannot be supplied to a hostile belligerent except at the risk of seizure and condemnation by the aggrieved belliger…

A clay tablet on which was inscribed a contract, for safe keeping. Such tablets were inclosed in an outer case (often called the envelope), on which was inscribed a duplicate of the inscription on the inclosed tablet.

To contradict or oppose; to thwart. [Obs.] I was advised not to contrary the king. Bp. Latimer.