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That form of delusion which leads to extravagant and absurd undertakings or sacrifices in obedience to a morbidly romantic ideal of duty or honor, as illustrated by the exploits of Don Quixote in knight-errantry.

An odd or absurd fellow. Smart. Thackeray.

y, a quantity which is not a perfect power of the degree indicated by the radical sign; a surd. -- Radical sign (Math.), the sign sq. root (originally the letter r, the initial of radix, root), placed before any quantity, denoting that its root is to be extracted; thus, sq. roota, or sq. root(a + b). To indicate any o…

and figuratively, (in the sense) to espouse a cause, to join a party, etc. It would be absurd in me to range myself on the side of the Duke of Bedford and the corresponding society. Burke.

Agreeable to reason; not absurd, preposterous, extravagant, foolish, fanciful, or the like; wise; judicious; as, rational conduct; a rational man.

Void of reason; not warranted or supported by reason; unreasonable. This proffer is absurd and reasonless. Shak.

Fitted to excite ridicule; absurd and laughable; unworthy of serious consideration; as, a ridiculous dress or behavior. Agricola, discerning that those little targets and unwieldy glaives ill pointed would soon become ridiculous against the thrust and close, commanded three Batavian cohorts . . . to draw up and come to…

Exciting laughter; worthy to be laughed at; amusing. "Risible absurdities." Johnson. I hope you find nothing risible in my complaisance. Sir W. Scott.

romantic undertaking. Can anything in nature be imagined more profane and impious, more absurd, and undeed romantic, than such a persuasion South. Zeal for the good of one's country a party of men have represented as chimerical and romantic. Addison.

press importunately. (c) To banter severely. -- To run into the ground, to carry to an absurd extreme; to overdo. [Slang, U.S.] -- To run off, to cause to flow away, as a charge of molten metal from a furnace. -- To run on (Print.), to carry on or continue, as the type for a new sentence, without making a break or co…

To reject with contempt, as something absurd; to treat with ridicule; to flout; as, to scout an idea or an apology. "Flout 'em and scout 'em." Shak.

w indecency or abuse; mean; foul; vile; obscenely jocular; as, scurrilous language. The absurd and scurrilous sermon which had very unwisely been honored with impeachment. Macaulay.

sper, or with the breath alone, without voice, as certain consonants, such as p, k, t, f; surd; nonvocal; aspirated.

m want of understanding or common judgment; characterized by weakness or folly; unwise; absurd; stupid; as, silly conduct; a silly question.

Wrong; absurd; perverse. A knave or fool can do no harm, even by the most sinistrous and absurd choice. Bentley.

Belonging to the class of sonant elements as distinguished from the surd, and considered as involving less force in utterance; as, b, d, g, z, v, etc., in contrast with p, t, k, s, f, etc. Soft clam (Zoöl.), the common or long clam (Mya arenaria). See Mya. -- Soft coal, bituminous coal, as distinguished from anthracit…

Any inconsistency, unfitness, absurdity, or impropriety, as in deeds or manners. Cæsar, by dismissing his guards and retaining his power, committed a dangerous solecism in politics. C. Middleton. The idea of having committed the slightest solecism in politeness was agony to him. Sir W. Scott.

or involving, a solecism; incorrect. "He thought it made the language solecistical and absurd." Blackwall.

tinguished from mere breath sound; intonated; voiced; tonic; the opposite of nonvocal, or surd; -- sid of the vowels, semivowels, liquids, and nasals, and particularly of the consonants b, d, g hard, v, etc., as compared with their cognates p, t, k, f, etc., which are called nonvocal, surd, or aspirate. -- n.…

have received a miraculous calling, preached and prophesied, and committed many impious absurdities.