Search the Dictionary

A mace bearer; an officer of a court. P. Plowman.

cies which they use; as, the social machine. The whole machine of government ought not to bear upon the people with a weight so heavy and oppressive. Landor.

thority; having the manner of a magister; official; commanding; authoritative. Hence: Overbearing; dictatorial; dogmatic. When magisterial duties from his home Her father called. Glover. We are not magisterial in opinions, nor, dictator-like, obtrude our notions on any man. Sir T. Browne. Pretenses go a great way with…

To bear the expense of; to support; to keep up; to supply with what is needed. Glad, by his labor, to maintain his life. Stirling. What maintains one vice would bring up two children. Franklin.

awe or reverence; grandeur; exalted dignity, whether proceeding from rank, character, or bearing; imposing loftiness; stateliness; -- usually applied to the rank and dignity of sovereigns. The Lord reigneth; he is clothed with majesty. Ps. xciii. 1. No sovereign has ever represented the majesty of great state with mor…

Capable of producing fertilization, but not of bearing fruit; - - said of stamens and antheridia, and of the plants, or parts of plants, which bear them.

an order or injunction; a commission; a judicial precept. This dream all-powerful Juno; I bear Her mighty mandates, and her words you hear. Dryden.

of the genus Garcinia (G. Mangostana). The tree grows to the height of eighteen feet, and bears fruit also called mangosteen, of the size of a small apple, the pulp of which is very delicious food.

Characteristic mode of acting, conducting, carrying one's self, or the like; bearing; habitual style. Specifically:

Adherence to a peculiar style or manner; a characteristic mode of action, bearing, or treatment, carried to excess, especially in literature or art. Mannerism is pardonable,and is sometimes even agreeable, when the manner, though vicious, is natural . . . . But a mannerism which does not sit easy on the mannerist, whic…

One addicted to mannerism; a person who, in action, bearing, or treatment, carries characteristic peculiarities to excess. See citation under Mannerism.

a, Oregon, etc., with reddish smooth bark, ovate or oval coriaceous evergreen leaves, and bearing clusters of red berries, which are said to be a favorite food of the grizzly bear.

. (Bot.) A perennial plant of the genus Caltha (C. palustris), growing in wet places and bearing bright yellow flowers. In the United States it is used as a pot herb under the name of cowslip. See Cowslip.

Any one of several fur-bearing carnivores of the genus Mustela, closely allied to the sable. Among the more important species are the European beech, or stone, marten (Mustela foina); the pine marten (M. martes); and the American marten, or sable (M. Americana), which some zoölogists consider only a variety of the Russ…

Of or pertaining to Mars, the Roman god of war, or to the planet bearing his name; martial.

One who, by his death, bears witness to the truth of the gospel; one who is put to death for his religion; as, Stephen was the first Christian martyr. Chaucer. To be a martyr, signifies only to witness the truth of Christ; but the witnessing of the truth was then so generally attended with persecution, that martyrdom n…

Bearing no mast; as, a mastless oak or beech. Dryden.

The bearded tortoise (Chelys fimbriata) of South American rivers.

n officer in a merchant vessel ranking next below the captain. If there are more than one bearing the title, they are called, respectively, first mate, second mate, third mate, etc. In the navy, a subordinate officer or assistant; as, master's mate; surgeon's mate.

tum). Also, the plant itself (popularly called mandrake), which has two lobed leaves, and bears a single egg-shaped fruit at the forking. The root and leaves, used in medicine, are powerfully drastic. -- May beetle, May bug (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of large lamellicorn beetles that appear in the winged sta…