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That which engages; engrossing occupation; employment of the attention; obligation by pledge, promise, or contract; an enterprise embarked in; as, his engagements prevented his acceptance of any office. Religion, which is the chief engagement of our league. Milton.

he mechanical properties of matter are made useful to man in structures and machines; the occupation and work of an engineer.

employment in the proper mode of activity; exertion; application; use; habitual activity; occupation, in general; practice. exercise of the important function confided by the constitution to the legislature. Jefferson. O we will walk this world, Yoked in all exercise of noble end. Tennyson.

Pertaining to that which is out of doors. "Extr occupations." Cowper.

iginator; a producer, author, or contriver; the first to practice any art, profession, or occupation; a distinguished example or teacher. The father of all such as handle the harp and organ. Gen. iv. 21. Might be the father, Harry, to that thought. Shak. The father of good news. Shak.

One whose occupation is to catch fish.

the latter; to get ahead of; to preoccupy; also, to exclude, hinder, or prevent, by prior occupation, or by measures taken in advance.

The act of one who forwards; the act or occupation of transmitting merchandise or other property for others.

Men of the same class, profession, occupation, character, or tastes. With what terms of respect knaves and sots will speak of their own fraternity! South.

To associate or hold fellowship as brothers, or as men of like occupation or character; to have brotherly feelings.

One whose occupation is to full cloth. Fuller's earth, a variety of clay, used in scouring and cleansing cloth, to imbibe grease. -- Fuller's herb (Bot.), the soapwort (Saponaria officinalis), formerly used to remove stains from cloth. -- Fuller's thistle or weed (Bot.), the teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) whose burs are…

The art of occupation of laying out and cultivating gardens; horticulture.

One who gilds; one whose occupation is to overlay with gold.

ound in Columbia and California, composed of gold and mercury. -- Gold beater, one whose occupation is to beat gold into gold leaf. -- Gold beater's skin, the prepared outside membrane of the large intestine of the ox, used for separating the leaves of metal during the process of gold-beating. -- Gold beetle (Zoöl.)…

One who graves; an engraver or a sculptor; one whose occupation is te cut letters or figures in stone or other hard material.

Any severe continuous work or occupation; esp., hard and uninteresting study. [Colloq.] T. Hughes.

One whose occupation is to make or repair small firearms; an armorer.

A trade requiring skill of hand; manual occupation; handcraft. Addison.

esp. with reference to the so-called doctrine of the hinterland, sometimes advanced, that occupation of the coast supports a claim to an exclusive right to occupy, from time to time, the territory lying inland of the coast.

One whose occupation is to adorn books, especially manuscripts, with miniatures, borders, etc. See Illuminate, v. t., 3.