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genus Lutra, and related genera. Several species are described. They have large, flattish heads, short ears, and webbed toes. They are aquatic, and feed on fish. Their fur is soft and valuable. The common otter of Europe is Lutra vulgaris; the American otter is L. Canadensis; other species inhabit South America and Asi…

or position, with the idea of covering; -- opposed to Ant: under; as, clouds are over our heads; the smoke rises over the city. The mercy seat that is over the testimony. Ex. xxx. 6. Over them gleamed far off the crimson banners of morning. Longfellow.

e over, or sweep across, from end to end, as waves that break over a vessel anchored with head to the sea.

Literally, the head of an ox (emblem of cuckoldom); hence, a dolt; a blockhead. Dost make a mummer of me, oxhead Marston.

paint to; as, to paint a house, a signboard, etc. Jezebel painted her face and tired her head. 2 Kings ix. 30.

rdian of bees, and patron of fishing and hunting. He is usually represented as having the head and trunk of a man, with the legs, horns, and tail of a goat, and as playing on the shepherd's pipe, which he is said to have invented.

The narrow edge of a hammer head. See Peen.

iddle tail feathers extremely elongated. The adult male of T. paradisi is white, with the head glossy dark green, and crested. -- Paradise grackle (Zoöl.), a very beautiful bird of New Guinea, of the genus Astrapia, having dark velvety plumage with brilliant metallic tints. -- Paradise nut (Bot.), the sapucaia nut. S…

erence in position of an object as seen separately by one eye, and then by the other, the head remaining unmoved. -- Diurnal, or Geocentric, parallax, the parallax of a body with reference to the earth's center. This is the kind of parallax that is generally understood when the term is used without qualification. --…

One of the special scales, or plates, covering the back of the head in certain reptiles and fishes.

sharing among partners; joint possession or interest. Rome, that ne'er knew three lordly heads before, First fell by fatal partnership of power. Rowe. He does possession keep, And is too wise to hazard partnership. Dryden.

The head; the poll. [R.] "A rough pash." Shak.

posed of a color ground with gum water. [Sometimes incorrectly written pastil.] "Charming heads in pastel." W. Black.

of starling (Pastor roseus), native of the plains of Western Asia and Eastern Europe. Its head is crested and glossy greenish black, and its back is rosy. It feeds largely upon locusts.

The head of a person; the top, or crown, of the head. [Now generally used in contempt or ridicule.] His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate. Ps. vii. 16. Fat paunches have lean pate. Shak.

Having a surface dressed by cutting with a hammer the head of which consists of broad thin chisels clamped together.

The head of a family; in a large sense, the proprietor of an estate; one who is his own master.

The relation of a father to his child; fathership; fatherhood; family headship; as, the divine paternity. The world, while it had scarcity of people, underwent no other dominion than paternity and eldership. Sir W. Raleigh.

amily; one who governs his family or descendants by paternal right; -- usually applied to heads of families in ancient history, especially in Biblical and Jewish history to those who lived before the time of Moses.

Having an organization of society and government in which the head of the family exercises authority over all its generations. Patriarchal cross (Her.), a cross, the shaft of which is intersected by two transverse beams, the upper one being the smaller. See Illust.