Search the Dictionary

A large motile spore having four vibratile cilia; -- found in certain green algæ.

Mother-of-pearl.

ke a magnet; to move; to influence. Fascinated, magnetized, as it were, by his character. Motley.

A beautiful American bombycid moth (Eucronia maia).

her contrivance, attached to a railroad car for catching a mail bag while the train is in motion. -- Mail guard, an officer whose duty it is to guard the public mails. [Eng.] -- Mail train, a railroad train carrying the mail.

ock or the spring in a gunlock which impels the hammer. Hence: The chief or most powerful motive; the efficient cause of action.

d from a species of palm of the genus Calamus (C. Scipionum), and of a brown color, often mottled. The plant is a native of Cochin China, Sumatra, and Malays.

With wicked or mischievous intentions or motives; wrongful and done intentionally without just cause or excuse; as, a malicious act. Malicious abandonment, the desertion of a wife or husband without just cause. Burrill. -- Malicious mischief (Law), malicious injury to the property of another; -- an offense at common l…

A child born of a white father and Indian mother. [S. Amer.]

Mother; -- word of tenderness and familiarity. [Written also mama.] Tell tales papa and mamma. Swift.

ourished for a time by milk, or an analogous fluid, secreted by the mammary glands of the mother.

A child's name for mamma, mother.

by roller pressure. Mangle rack (Mach.), a contrivance for converting continuous circular motion into reciprocating rectilinear motion, by means of a rack and pinion, as in the mangle. The pinion is held to the rack by a groove in such a manner that it passes alternately from one side of the rack to the other, and thus…

her person claiming large powers, showing his intentions, or proclaiming his opinions and motives in reference to some act done or contemplated by him; as, a manifesto declaring the purpose of a prince to begin war, and explaining his motives. Bouvier. it was proposed to draw up a manifesto, setting forth the grounds a…

ith the engine cylinder. It is also moved at right angles to this direction by a reducing motion, called a reproducer, so as to copy accurately on a smaller scale the motion of the engine piston. The resultant of these two movements imparts to the reflected beam of light a motion similar to that of the pencil of the or…

ury or other liquid intervening, or in bending a metallic or other spring so as to set in motion an index; a pressure gauge. See Pressure, and Illust. of Air pump.

to hit or reach. France was a fairer mark to shoot at than Ireland. Davies. Whate'er the motive, pleasure is the mark. Young.

bees of the genus Osmia. They construct curious nests of hardened mud and sand. -- Mason moth (Zoöl.), any moth whose larva constructs an earthen cocoon under the soil. -- Mason shell (Zoöl.), a marine univalve shell of the genus Phorus; -- so called because it cements other shells and pebbles upon its own shell; a c…

an important manner or degree; essentaily; as, it materially concern us to know the real motives of our actions.

Of or pertaining to a mother; becoming to a mother; motherly; as, maternal love; maternal tenderness.