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A superficial affection of the skin, characterized by irregular patches of thin scales which are shed in branlike particles. Pityriasis versicolor Etym: [NL.] (Med.), a parasitic disease of the skin, characterized by the development of reddish or brownish patches.

tory to a book or essay; a proem; an introduction, or series of preliminary remarks. This superficial tale Is but a preface of her worthy praise. Shak. Heaven's high behest no preface needs. Milton.

A superficial or narrow pretender to philosophy; a sham philosopher.

A cutaneous disease, characterized by imbricated silvery scales, affecting only the superficial layers of the skin.

A superficial growth of vascular tissue radiating in a fanlike manner from the cornea over the surface of the eye.

spend time in trifling employments, or to attend to useful subjects in an indifferent or superficial manner; to dawdle.

from; to leave; to forsake; as, to quit work; to quit the place; to quit jesting. Such a superficial way of examining is to quit truth for appearance. Locke. To quit cost, to pay; to reimburse. -- To quit scores, to make even; to clear mutually from demands. Does not the earth quit scores with all the elements in the…

ender, hairlike fibers found on the surface of fresh roots. They are prolongations of the superficial cells of the root into minute tubes. Gray. -- Root leaf (Bot.), a radical leaf. See Radical, a., 3 (b). -- Root louse (Zoöl.), any plant louse, or aphid, which lives on the roots of plants, as the Phylloxera of the g…

Manifest; -- applied to the two principal superficial veins of the lower limb of man.

Resembling a saurian superficially; as, a sauroid fish.

To perform in a hasty, neglectful, or imperfect manner; to do superficially. [Colloq.] A workman is said to scamp his work when he does it in a superficial, dishonest manner. Wedgwood. Much of the scamping and dawdling complained of is that of men in establishments of good repute. T. Hughes.

growth of a sporozoite or merozoite (in a cell or corpuscle of the host) which segment by superficial cleavage, without encystment or conjugation, into merozoites.

The knowledge of a sciolist; superficial knowledge.

One who knows many things superficially; a pretender to science; a smatterer. These passages in that book were enough to humble the presumption of our modern sciolists, if their pride were not as great as their ignorance. Sir W. Temple. A master were lauded and scolists shent. R. Browning.

Knowing superficially or imperfectly. Howell.

To burn superficially; to parch, or shrivel, the surface of, by heat; to subject to so much heat as changes color and texture without consuming; as, to scorch linen. Summer drouth or singed air never scorch thy tresses fair. Milton.

To cut superficially; to wound; to score. We have scotched the snake, not killed it. Shak. Scotched collops (Cookery), a dish made of pieces of beef or veal cut thin, or minced, beaten flat, and stewed with onion and other condiments; -- called also Scotch collops. [Written also scotcht collops.]

tually deep; not profound; not penetrating deeply; simple; not wise or knowing; ignorant; superficial; as, a shallow mind; shallow learning. The king was neither so shallow, nor so ill advertised, as not to perceive the intention of the French king. Bacon. Deep versed in books, and shallow in himself. Milton.…

To burn slightly or superficially; to burn the surface of; to burn the ends or outside of; as, to singe the hair or the skin. You sulphurous and thought-executing fires, . . . Singe my white head! Shak. I singed the toes of an ape through a burning glass. L'Estrange.

Fig.: To read or examine superficially and rapidly, in order to cull the principal facts or thoughts; as, to skim a book or a newspaper.