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To kiss with a close compression of the lips, so as to make a sound when they separate; to kiss with a sharp noise; to buss.

destroy the life of by suffocation; to deprive of the air necessary for life; to cover up closely so as to prevent breathing; to suffocate; as, to smother a child.

To kiss closely. [Obs.] P. Stubbes.

A small catch or fastening held or closed by means of a spring, or one which closes with a snapping sound, as the catch of a bracelet, necklace, clasp of a book, etc.

A square-rigged vessel, differing from a brig only in that she has a trysail mast close abaft the mainmast, on which a large trysail is hoisted.

Close and warm; as, an infant lies snug.

To move one way and the other so as to get a close place; to lie close for comfort; to cuddle; to nestle.

In a snug manner; closely; safely.

A series of short, convulsive inspirations, the glottis being suddenly closed so that little or no air enters into the lungs.

A combination of two hooks which close upon each other, by means of a spring, as soon as the fish bites. [U. S.]

Applied to a compound word whose parts are closely united and form an unbroken word; -- opposed to hyphened.

d fruit of a small tree (Anona muricata) of the West Indies; also, the tree itself. It is closely allied to the custard apple.

A close garnment with straight sleeves, and skirts reaching to the ankles, and buttoned in front from top to bottom; especially, the black garment of this shape worn by the clergy in France and Italy as their daily dress; a cassock.

eretto, a rich reddish brown pigment obtained by calcining copper and sulphur together in closed crucibles. -- Spanish flag (Zoöl.), the California rockfish (Sebastichthys rubrivinctus). It is conspicuously colored with bands of red and white. -- Spanish fly (Zoöl.), a brilliant green beetle, common in the south of E…

Thinly scattered; set or planted here and there; not being dense or close together; as, a sparse population. Carlyle.

A muscle which surrounds, and by its contraction tends to close, a natural opening; as, the sphincter of the bladder.

abdomen, a pair to a segment. These openings are usually elliptical, and capable of being closed. See Illust. under Coleoptera.

A closed body or conceptacle containing one or more masses of spores or sporangia.

o asperse. My virgin life no spotted thoughts shall stain. Sir P. Sidney. If ever I shall close these eyes but once, May I live spotted for my perjury. Beau. & Fl. To spot timber, to cut or chip it, in preparation for hewing.

A small European herring (Clupea sprattus) closely allied to the common herring and the pilchard; -- called also garvie. The name is also applied to small herring of different kinds.