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placed over vowels to denote that they are to be pronounced with a long sound; as, a, in dame; e, in seam, etc.

My lady; -- a term of address in Italian formerly used as the equivalent of Madame, but for which Signora is now substituted. Sometimes introduced into English. Shak.

Hence, a fundamental constitution which guaranties rights and privileges.

The philosophical system of Malebranche, an eminent French metaphysician. The fundamental doctrine of his system is that the mind can not have knowledge of anything external to itself except in its relation to God.

Like a medusa; having the fundamental structure of a medusa, but without a locomotive disk; -- said of the sessile gonophores of hydroids. -- n.

the life as lively mocked as ever Still sleep mocked death. Shak. Mocking marriage with a dame of France. Shak.

ed in introducing the name of the family to which a married woman belongs by birth; as, Madame de Staël, née Necker.

n an organic manner; by means of organs or with reference to organic functions; hence, fundamentally. Gladstone.

duced by some aliquot portion of the vibrating sting or column of air which yields the fundamental tone; one of the natural harmonic scale of tones, as the octave, twelfth, fifteenth, etc.; an aliquot or "partial" tone; a harmonic. See Harmonic, and Tone. Tyndall.

the three crystallographic axes which determines the position of any plane; also, the fundamental axial ratio for a given species.

half; in part; partially. Shak. [Sometimes hyphened with the word following.] The worthy dame was parcel-blind. Sir W. Scott. One that . . . was parcel-bearded [partially bearded]. Tennyson. Parcel poet, a half poet; a poor poet. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

combination form an ordinary tone; the overtones, or harmonics, which, blending with a fundamental tone, cause its special quality of sound, or timbre, or tone color. See, also, Tone.

A hen; -- so called from the ruffing of her neck feathers. "Dame Partlett, the hen." Shak.

ring, worn to raise the feet from the wet or the mud. The patten now supports each frugal dame. Gay.

Truly. See Parde. [Obs.] Ah, dame! perdy ye have not done me right. Spenser.

A believer in the theory that the fundamental phenomena of life are to be explained upon purely chemical and physical principles; -- opposed to vitalist.

ch the red and white blood corpuscles are suspended. -- Muscle plasma (Physiol.), the fundamental part of muscle fibers, a thick, viscid, albuminous fluid contained within the sarcolemma, which on the death of the muscle coagulates to a semisolid mass.

A substance associated with nuclein in cell nuclei, and by some considered as the fundamental substance of the nucleus.

The property of crystallizing under two or more distinct fundamental forms, including dimorphism and trimorphism.

An exclusive or peculiar privilege; prior and indefeasible right; fundamental and essential possession; -- used generally of an official and hereditary right which may be asserted without question, and for the exercise of which there is no responsibility or accountability as to the fact and the manner of its exercise.…