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A short communication between adits in a mine.

Of or pertaining to Tiro, or a system of shorthand said to have been introduced by him into ancient Rome.

A short or simple toccata.

To walk with short, tottering steps, as a child.

Impeded motion of the tongue because of the shortness of the frænum, or of the adhesion of its margins to the gums. Dunglison.

power of distinct articulation; having an impediment in the speech, esp. when caused by a short frænum.

Over; more than enough; -- noting excess; as, a thing is too long, too short, or too wide; too high; too many; too much. His will, too strong to bend, too proud to learn. Cowley.

usually accompaned with severe thunder, lightning, and torrents of rain, and commonly of short duration and small breadth; a small cyclone.

A genus of tropical short-tailed snakes, which are not venomous. One species (Tortrix scytalæ) is handsomely banded with black, and is sometimes worn alive by the natives of Brazil for a necklace.

tarrying; as, the ship touched at Lisbon. -- To touch on or upon, to come or go to for a short time. [R.] I made a little voyage round the lake, and touched on the several towns that lie on its coasts. Addison.

A written discourse or dissertation, generally of short extent; a short treatise, especially on practical religion. The church clergy at that writ the best collection of tracts against popery that ever appeared. Swift. Tracts for the Times. See Tractarian.

it were, moving over or across a space or scene viewed, and then disappearing; hence, of short duration; not permanent; not lasting or durable; not stationary; passing; fleeting; brief; transitory; as, transient pleasure. "Measured this transient world." Milton.

Continuing only for a short time; not enduring; fleeting; evanescent. Comfort and succor all those who, in this transitory life, are in trouble. Bk. of Com. Prayer. It was not the transitory light of a comet, which shines and glows for a wile, and then . . . vanishes into nothing. South. Transitory action (Law), an act…

method or process of finding the resulting course and distance from a series of different shorter courses and distances actually passed over by a ship. -- Traverse table. (a) (Naut. & Surv.) A table by means of which the difference of latitude and departure corresponding to any given course and distance may be found b…

Disguised by dress so as to be ridiculous; travestied; -- applied to a book or shorter composition. [R.]

A fishing line, often extending a mile or more, having many short lines bearing hooks attached to it. It is used for catching cod, halibut, etc.; a boulter. [U. S. & Canada]

to make discussion; -- usually with of; as, Cicero treats of old age and of duties. And, shortly of this story for to treat. Chaucer. Now of love they treat. Milton.

Middle Ages for throwing stones, etc. It acted by means of a great weight fastened to the short arm of a lever, which, being let fall, raised the end of the long arm with great velocity, hurling stones with much force.

ed and somewhat prehensile tail, only four toes on the hind feet, and a body covered with short spines mixed with bristles. One South American species (S. villosus) is called also couiy; another (S. prehensilis) is called also coendou. -- Tree rat (Zoöl.), any one of several species of large ratlike West Indian rodent…

from some particular female progenitor, through the female line; as, the Duchess tribe of shorthorns.