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heavy guns. -- Heavy cavalry. See under Cavalry. -- Heavy fire (Mil.), a continuous or destructive cannonading, or discharge of small arms. -- Heavy metal (Mil.), large guns carrying balls of a large size; also, large balls for such guns. -- Heavy metals. (Chem.) See under Metal. -- Heavy weight, in wrestling, bo…

Its larvæ live between the base of the lower leaves and the stalk of wheat, and are very destructive to young wheat; -- so called from the erroneous idea that it was brought into America by the Hessian troops, during the Revolution.

organize; as, to institute a court, or a society. Whenever any from of government becomes destructive of these ends it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government. Jefferson (Decl. of Indep. ).

Involving, or accompanied by, mutual slaughter; mutually destructive. Internecine quarrels, horrible tumults, stain the streets with blood. Motley.

Destructive or downward metabolism; regressive metamorphism; -- opposed to anabolism. See Disassimilation.

Any species of a family (Liparidæ) of destructive bombycid moths, as the tussock moths.

larval state, bore into the wood or beneath the bark of trees, and some species are very destructive to fruit and shade trees. See Apple borer, under Apple, and Locust beetle, under Locust.

An explosive of great destructive power; -- so called from its color, which resembles honey.

e of the digestive ferments. Hence, metabolism may be either constructive (anabolism), or destructive (katabolism).

Any agent detrimental to, or destructive of, the life of microbes or bacterial organisms.

Destructive to life; causing or occasioning death; terminating life; exposing to or deserving death; deadly; as, a mortal wound; a mortal sin.

Bringing or producing death; deadly; destructive; as, a mortiferous herb. Gov. of Tongue.

A disease which is very destructive to silkworms, and which sometimes extends to other insects. It is attended by the development of a fungus (provisionally called Botrytis bassiana). Also, the fungus itself.

Biting; pinching; painful; destructive; as, a nipping frost; a nipping wind.

Noxious to health; hurtful; mischievous; unwholesome; insalubrious; destructive; as, noisome effluvia. "Noisome pestilence." Ps. xci. 3.

Hurtful; harmful; baneful; pernicious; injurious; destructive; unwholesome; insalubrious; as, noxious air, food, or climate; pernicious; corrupting to morals; as, noxious practices or examples. Too frequent an appearance in places of public resort is noxious to spiritual promotions. Swift.

of a clearwing moth (Ægeria, or Sannina, exitiosa) of the family Ægeriidæ, which is very destructive to peach trees by boring in the wood, usually near the ground; also, the moth itself. See Illust. under Borer.

Having the quality of injuring or killing; destructive; very mischievous; baleful; malicious; wicked. Let this pernicious hour Stand aye accursed in the calendar. Shak. Pernicious to his health. Prescott.

which resembles a pest; one who, or that which, is troublesome, noxious, mischievous, or destructive; a nuisance. "A pest and public enemy." South.

Noxious to peace, to morals, or to society; vicious; hurtful; destructive; as, a pestiferous demagogue. Pestiferous reports of men very nobly held. Shak.