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Webster’s Dictionary (1828)



328 words match “FIGURATIVE”

FOLD n.
A flock of sheep; figuratively, the Church or a church; as, Christ's fold. There shall be one fold and one shepherd. John x. 16. The very whitest lamb in all my fold. Tennyson.
FOUND v.
ace, as on something solid, for support; to ground; to establish upon a basis, literal or figurative; to fix firmly. I had else been perfect, Whole as the marble, founded as the rock. Shak. A man that all his time Hath founded his good fortunes on your love. Shak. It fell not, for it was founded on a rock. Matt. vii. 2…
FRAZZLE v.
To fray; to wear or pull into tatters or tag ends; to tatter; - -used literally and figuratively. [Prov. Eng. & U. S.]
GATE n.
all, fence, or barrier; or the suspended framework which closes or opens a passage. Also, figuratively, a means or way of entrance or of exit. Knowest thou the way to Dover Both stile and gate, horse way and footpath. Shak. Opening a gate for a long war. Knolles.
GLAMOUR n.
Glamour gift, Glamour might, the gift or power of producing a glamour. The former is used figuratively, of the gift of fascination peculiar to women. It had much of glamour might To make a lady seem a knight. Sir W. Scott.
GO v. 2 definitions
mate and inanimate beings, by whatever means, and also of the movements of the mind; also figuratively applied.
GOD n.
Figuratively applied to one who wields great or despotic power. [R.] Shak. Act of God. (Law) See under Act. -- Gallery gods, the occupants of the highest and cheapest gallery of a theater. [Colloq.] -- God's acre, God's field, a burial place; a churchyard. See under Acre. -- God's house. (a) An almshouse. [Obs.] (b)…
GOLD n.
Figuratively, something precious or pure; as, hearts of gold. Shak. Age of gold. See Golden age, under Golden. -- Dutch gold, Fool's gold, Gold dust, etc. See under Dutch, Dust, etc. -- Gold amalgam, a mineral, found in Columbia and California, composed of gold and mercury. -- Gold beater, one whose occupation is to…
HALL-MARK n.
es, in the United Kingdom, on gold and silver articles, attesting their purity. Also used figuratively; -- as, a word or phrase lacks the hall-mark of the best writers.
HAMMER v.
To strike repeated blows, literally or figuratively. Blood and revenge are hammering in my head. Shak.
HARD a.
er. [Local, U. S.] - - Hard pan, the hard stratum of earth lying beneath the soil; hence, figuratively, the firm, substantial, fundamental part or quality of anything; as, the hard pan of character, of a matter in dispute, etc. See Pan. -- Hard rubber. See under Rubber. -- Hard solder. See under Solder. -- Hard wate…
HARDNESS n.
The quality or state of being hard, literally or figuratively. The habit of authority also had given his manners some peremptory hardness. Sir W. Scott.
HARNESS v.
To make ready for draught; to equip with harness, as a horse. Also used figuratively. Harnessed to some regular profession. J. C. Shairp. Harnessed antelope. (Zoöl.) See Guib. -- Harnessed moth (Zoöl.), an American bombycid moth (Arctia phalerata of Harris), having, on the fore wings, stripes and bands of buff on a bl…
HAZE n.
ess impedes vision, with little or no dampness; a lack of transparency in the air; hence, figuratively, obscurity; dimness. O'er the sky The silvery haze of summer drawn. Tennyson. Above the world's uncertain haze. Keble.
HIEROGLYPH; HIEROGLYPHIC n.
of three, or, as some say, four classes of characters: first, the hieroglyphic proper, or figurative, in which the representation of the object conveys the idea of the object itself; second, the ideographic, consisting of symbols representing ideas, not sounds, as an ostrich feather is a symbol of truth; third, the pho…
HIGH a.
shed; remarkable; conspicuous; superior; -- used indefinitely or relatively, and often in figurative senses, which are understood from the connection; as -
HORSE n.
Anything, actual or figurative, on which one rides as on a horse; a hobby.
HURRICANE n.
n, thunder, and lightning; -- especially prevalent in the East and West Indies. Also used figuratively. Like the smoke in a hurricane whirl'd. Tennyson. Each guilty thought to me is A dreadful hurricane. Massinger. Hurricane bird (Zoöl.), the frigate bird. -- Hurricane deck. (Naut.) See under Deck.
HYPERBATON n.
A figurative construction, changing or inverting the natural order of words or clauses; as, "echoed the hills" for "the hills echoed." With a violent hyperbaton to transpose the text. Milton.
IDIOM n.
liar to any language; the genius or cast of a language. Idiom may be employed loosely and figuratively as a synonym of language or dialect, but in its proper sense it signifies the totality of the general rules of construction which characterize the syntax of a particular language and distinguish it from other tongues.…
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