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retirement, or of secusion from ordinary temporal concerns, especially for monks; -- more rarely applied to such a house for females.

To eat or prey upon, as a moth eats a garment. [Rarely used except in the form moth-eaten, p.p. or a.] Ruin and neglect have so moth-eaten her. Sir T. Herbert.

A composition for nine instruments, rarely for nine voices.

Often; frequently; not rarely; many times. [Poetic] Chaucer. Oft she rejects, but never once offends. Pope.

f the moon which is nearest to the earth; -- opposed to Ant: apogee. It is sometimes, but rarely, used of the nearest points of other orbits, as of a comet, a planet, etc. Called also epigee, epigeum.

ther space, or appropriated to some definite object or use; position; ground; site; spot; rarely, unbounded space. Here is the place appointed. Shak. What place can be for us Within heaven's bound Milton. The word place has sometimes a more confused sense, and stands for that space which any body takes up; and so the u…

ribed melody of the Roman Catholic service, sung in unison, in tones of equal length, and rarely extending beyond the compass of an octave. (b) A simple melody. -- Plain speaking, plainness or bluntness of speech.

nce to strong chemical reagents. It is used for crucibles, for stills for sulphuric acid, rarely for coin, and in the form of foil and wire for many purposes. Specific gravity 21.5. Atomic weight 194.3. Symbol Pt. Formerly called platina. Platinum black (Chem.), a soft, dull black powder, consisting of finely divided m…

A network; a plait; a fold; rarely a garment. [Obs.] "Many a folded plight." Spenser.

eriority in prominence or in excellence; distinction above others in quality, rank, etc.; rarely, in a bad sense, superiority or notoriety in evil; as, preëminence in honor. The preëminence of Christianity to any other religious scheme. Addison. Painful preëminence! yourself to view Above life's weakness, and its comfo…

ose who are eminent; superior in excellence; surpassing, or taking precedence of, others; rarely, surpassing others in evil, or in bad qualities; as, preëminent in guilt. In goodness and in power preëminent. Milton.

eral occurring in crystalline aggregates having a botryoidal or mammillary structure, and rarely in distinct crystals. It is a hydrous silicate of alumina and lime.

sents," that is, by the writing itself, " per has literas praesentes; " -- in this sense, rarely used in the singular.

place and authority; a sovereign; a monarch; -- originally applied to either sex, but now rarely applied to a female. Wyclif (Rev. i. 5). Go, Michael, of celestial armies prince. Milton. Queen Elizabeth, a prince admirable above her sex. Camden.

unnecessarily long; minute in narration or argument; excessively particular in detail; -- rarely used except with reference to discourse written or spoken; as, a prolix oration; a prolix poem; a prolix sermon. With wig prolix, down flowing to his waist. Cowper.

To afford hopes or expectation; to give ground to expect good; rarely, to give reason to expect evil. Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion I fear it, I promise you. Shak.

ly; to utter, as words or syllables; to speak with the proper sound and accent as, adults rarely learn to pronounce a foreign language correctly.

To draw out or lengthen in time or (rarely) in space; to continue; to prolong; as, to protract an argument; to protract a war.

In Great Britain and Europe used, rarely, as synonymous with quick-fire.

y; disobedient; also, distasteful in a high degree; offensive; -- usually followed by to, rarely and less properly by with; as, all rudeness was repugnant to her nature. [His sword] repugnant to command. Shak. There is no breach of a divine law but is more or less repugnant unto the will of the Lawgiver, God himself. P…