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One of several heraldic bearings somewhat less common than an ordinary. See Ordinary.

To place in a lower order or class; to make or consider as of less value or importance; as, to subordinate one creature to another.

An oxide containing a relatively small amount of oxygen, and less than the normal proportion; as, potassium suboxide, K4O.

A group somewhat lessdistinct than speciesusually are, but based on characters more important than those which characterize ordinary varieties; often, a geographical variety or race.

To make thin or fine; to make less gross or coarse.

The taking of a lesser number or quantity from a greater of the same kind or denomination; an operation for finding the difference between two numbers or quantities.

burbs of Paris. "In the suburbs of a town." Chaucer. [London] could hardly have contained less than thirty or forty thousand souls within its walls; and the suburbs were very populous. Hallam.

Having no success. Successless all her soft caresses prove. Pope. -- Suc*cess"less*ly, adv. -- Suc*cess"less*ness, n.

To draw in, or imbibe, by any process resembles sucking; to inhale; to absorb; as, to suck in air; the roots of plants suck water from the ground.

Treatment by commands or positive statements addressed to a more or less hypnotized patient.

An acid in which, to a greater or less extent, sulphur plays a part analogous to that of oxygen in an oxyacid; thus, thiosulphuric and sulpharsenic acids are sulphacids; -- called also sulphoacid. See the Note under Acid, n., 2.

Of or pertaining to a ratio when the excess of the greater term over the less is a unit, as the ratio of 1 to 2, or of 3 to 4. [Obs.] Hutton.

Of or pertaining to a ratio when the excess of the greater term over the less is more than a unit, as that of 3 to 5, or 7 to 10. [Obs.] Hutton.

Having the vertical height from springing line to crown less than the half span; -- said of an arch; as, a segmental arch is surbased.

To make sore or bruise, as the feet by travel. [Obs.] Lest they their fins should bruise, and surbate sore Their tender feet upon the stony ground. Spenser. Chalky land surbates and spoils oxen's feet. Mortimer.

e into a form having the least superficial area. The thickness of this film, amounting to less than a thousandth of a millimeter, is considered to equal the radius of the sphere of molecular action, that is, the greatest distance at which there is cohesion between two particles. Particles lying below this film, being e…

To make less painful or laborious; to relieve; as, to sweeten the cares of life. Dryden. And sweeten every secret tear. Keble.

ther fluid; not to sink; to float; as, any substance will swim, whose specific gravity is less than that of the fluid in which it is immersed.

nt to another circuit. Safety switch (Railways), a form of switch contrived to prevent or lessen the danger of derailment of trains. -- Switch back (Railways), an arrangement of tracks whereby elevations otherwise insurmountable are passed. The track ascends by a series of zigzags, the engine running alternately forwa…

The living together in more or less imitative association or even close union of two dissimilar organisms. In a broad sense the term includes parasitism, or antagonistic, or antipathetic, symbiosis, in which the association is disadvantageous or destructive to one of the organisms, but ordinarily it is used of cases wh…