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In truth; in fact; certainly; very well; -- formerly used as an expression of deference or respect, especially to woman; now used ironically or contemptuously. A fit man, forsooth, to govern a realm! Hayward. Our old English word forsooth has been changed for the French madam. Guardian.

person whose views and opinions are extremely antiquated; one whose sympathies are with a former time rather than with the present. [Colloq.]

A name formerly given in New England to the Spanish half real, a silver coin worth six and a quarter cents.

re passages in the plug, by which the adjacent pipes or ports may be made to communicate; formerly used as a valve in the steam engine, and now for various other purposes. In the illustration, a leads to the upper end of a steam engine cylinder, and b to the lower end; c is the steam pipe, and d the exhaust pipe.…

A tribe of Indians which, with the Sacs, formerly occupied the region about Green Bay, Wisconsin; -- called also Outagamies. Fox and geese. (a) A boy's game, in which one boy tries to catch others as they run one goal to another. (b) A game with sixteen checkers, or some substitute for them, one of which is called the…

s Francolinus and allied genera, of Asia and Africa. The common species (F. vulgaris) was formerly common in southern Europe, but is now nearly restricted to Asia.

Free city, or Free town, a city or town independent in its government and franchises, as formerly those of the Hanseatic league. -- Free cost, freedom from charges or expenses. South. -- Free and easy, unconventional; unrestrained; regardless of formalities. [Colloq.] "Sal and her free and easy ways." W. Black. --…

reedom of the city, the possession of the rights and privileges of a freeman of the city; formerly often, and now occasionally, conferred on one not a resident, as a mark of honorary distinction for public services.

A seat in churches near the altar, to which offenders formerly fled for sanctuary. [Written variously fridstool, freedstool, etc.] [Obs.]

The language of the Frisians, a Teutonic people formerly occupying a large part of the coast of Holland and Northwestern Germany. The modern dialects of Friesic are spoken chiefly in the province of Friesland, and on some of the islands near the coast of Germany and Denmark.

of steam to navigation steam frigates of largely increased size and power were built, and formed the main part of the navies of the world till about 1870, when the introduction of ironclads superseded them. [Formerly spelled frigat and friggot.]

A genus of birds, with a short, conical, pointed bill. It formerly included all the sparrows and finches, but is now restricted to certain European finches, like the chaffinch and brambling.

The organ formed by the combination or union into one body of stem and leaf, and often bearing the fructification; as, the frond of a fern or of a lichen or seaweed; also, the peculiar leaf of a palm tree.

Formed with a front; drawn up in line. "Fronted brigades." Milton.

An ornamental figure or illustration fronting the first page, or titlepage, of a book; formerly, the titlepage itself.

A white arc or circle in the sky attending frosty weather and formed by reflection of sunlight from ice crystals floating in the air; the parhelic circle whose center is at the zenith.

The part of a solid next the base, formed by cutting off the, top; or the part of any solid, as of a cone, pyramid, etc., between two planes, which may be either parallel or inclined to each other.

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 used by fullers in dressing cloth. See Teasel.

Full in form or shape; rounded out with flesh. The full-formed maids of Afric. Thomson.

and small flowers in dense racemes or spikes. F. officinalis is a common species, and was formerly used as an antiscorbutic. Climbing fumitory (Bot.), the Alleghany vine (Adlumia cirrhosa); a biennial climbing plant with elegant feathery leaves and large clusters of pretty white or pinkish flowers looking like grains o…