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Owing; ascribable, as to a cause. This effect is due to the attraction of the sun. J. D. Forbes.

e; . . . for such are the conditions of an elective kingdom. Dryden. Elective affinity or attraction (Chem.), a tendency to unite with certain things; chemism.

in which involves polarity, or opposition of properties in opposite directions; also, by attraction for many substances, by a law involving attraction between surfaces of unlike polarity, and repulsion between those of like; by exhibiting accumulated polar tension when the circuit is broken; and by producing heat, lig…

Having the property of being attracted by an electro-positive body, or a tendency to pass to the positive pole in electrolysis, by the law that opposite electricities attract each other.

That which is elegant; that which is tasteful and highly attractive. The beautiful wildness of nature, without the nicer elegancies of art. Spectator.

symmetry, completeness, freedom from blemish, and the like; graceful; tasteful and highly attractive; as, elegant manners; elegant style of composition; an elegant speaker; an elegant structure. A more diligent cultivation of elegant literature. Prescott.

Striking the sense; attracting special attention; impressive; forcible. "Emphatical colors." Boyle. "Emphatical evils." Bp. Reynolds.

To gain over; to win and attach; to attract and hold; to draw. Good nature engages everybody to him. Addison.

Tending to draw the attention or affections; attractive; as, engaging manners or address. -- En*ga"ging*ly, adv. -- En*ga"ging*ness, n. Engaging and disengaging gear or machinery, that in which, or by means of which, one part is alternately brought into gear or out of gear with another part, as occasion may require.…

To advance; to augment; to increase; to heighten; to make more costly or attractive; as, to enhance the price of commodities; to enhance beauty or kindness; hence, also, to render more heinous; to aggravate; as, to enhance crime. The reputation of ferocity enhanced the value of their services, in making them feared as…

To draw on, by exciting hope or desire; to allure; to attract; as, the bait enticed the fishes. Often in a bad sense: To lead astray; to induce to evil; to tempt; as, the sirens enticed them to listen. Roses blushing as they blow, And enticing men to pull. Beau. & Fl. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. P…

Attracting the humors to the skin; exciting action in the skin; blistering.

anquillity of the commonwealth. Burke. Our little lives are kept in equipoise By opposite attractions and desires. Longfellow.

An inequality of the moon's motion is its orbit to the attraction of the sun, by which the equation of the center is diminished at the syzygies, and increased at the quadratures by about 1º 20'.

or present to view; to produce publicly, for inspection; to show, especially in order to attract notice to what is interesting; to display; as, to exhibit commodities in a warehouse, a picture in a gallery. Exhibiting a miserable example of the weakness of mind and body. Pope.

en figuratively. "Those who have but half an eye. " B. Jonson. -- To catch one's eye, to attract one's notice. -- To find favor in the eyes (of), to be graciously received and treated. -- To have an eye to, to pay particular attention to; to watch. "Have an eye to Cinna." Shak. -- To keep an eye on, to watch. -- T…

To run and dart about; to act with giddiness, or from a desire to attract notice; especially, to play the coquette; to play at courtship; to coquet; as, they flirt with the young men.

Showy; dazzling; ostentatious; attracting or exciting attention. "The garish sun." "A garish flag." Shak. "In . . . garish colors." Asham. "The garish day." J. H. Newman. Garish like the laughters of drunkenness. Jer. Taylor.

To make attractive; to adorn; to brighten. Let oft good humor, mild and gay, Gild the calm evening of your day. Trumbull.

To be showy, specious, or striking, and hence attractive; as, the glittering scenes of a court.