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Webster’s Dictionary (1828)



150 words match “WHENCE”

MANGO n.
the pectoral fins. It appears about the same time with the mango fruit, in April and May, whence the name. -- Mango tree (Bot.), an East Indian tree of the genus Mangifera (M. Indica), related to the cashew and the sumac. It grows to a large size, and produces the mango of commerce. It is now cultivated in tropical Am…
MARSEILLAIS; MARSEILLAISE a.
by the band of men who came from Marseilles to aid in the revolution of August 10, 1792; whence the name.
MECHOACAN n.
root of a species of Convolvulus (C. Mechoacan); -- so called from Michoacan, in Mexico, whence it is obtained.
MONTH n.
art of a year, corresponding nearly to the length of a synodic revolution of the moon, -- whence the name. In popular use, a period of four weeks is often called a month.
MOUSE-EAR n.
s herb (Sisymbrium Thaliana). All these are low herbs with soft, oval, or obovate leaves, whence the name.
NARWHAL n.
twisted, pointed canine tooth, or tusk projecting forward from the upper jaw like a horn, whence it is called also sea unicorn, unicorn fish, and unicorn whale. Sometimes two horns are developed, side by side.
NEISHOUT n.
of the South African tree Pteroxylon utile, the sawdust of which causes violent sneezing (whence the name). Also called sneezewood.
NEPENTHES n.
the leaves prolonged into a kind of stout tendril terminating in a pitcherlike appendage, whence the plants are often called pitcher plants and monkey-cups. There are about thirty species, of which the best known is Nepenthes distillatoria. See Pitcher plant.
NEPHRITE n.
ct mineral, of a dark green color, formerly worn as a remedy for diseases of the kidneys, whence its name; kidney stone; a kind of jade. See Jade.
NINE-BARK n.
lifolia), common in the Northern United States. The bark separates into many thin layers, whence the name.
NITER; NITRE n.
cent salt, sodium nitrate, found as a native incrustation, like niter, in Peru and Chili, whence it is known also as Chili saltpeter. -- Niter bush (Bot.), a genus (Nitraria) of thorny shrubs bearing edible berries, and growing in the saline plains of Asia and Northern Africa.
NUN n.
Gray nuns (R. C. Ch.), the members of a religious order established in Montreal in 1745, whence branches were introduced into the United States in 1853; -- so called from the color or their robe, and known in religion as Sisters of Charity of Montreal. -- Nun buoy. See under Buoy.
OBLIQUE a.
t perpendicular to the line fired at. -- Oblique flank (Fort.), that part of the curtain whence the fire of the opposite bastion may be discovered. Wilhelm. -- Oblique leaf. (Bot.) (a) A leaf twisted or inclined from the normal position. (b) A leaf having one half different from the other. -- Oblique line (Geom.), a…
OBSERVATORY n.
A lookout on a flank of a battery whence an officer can note the range and effect of the fire. Farrow.
OCYPODIAN n.
ibe of crabs which live in holes in the sand along the seashore, and run very rapidly, -- whence the name.
OPERA n.
seen in hothouses. It has curious flowers which have some resemblance to a ballet dancer, whence the popular name. Called also dancing girls. -- Opera glass, a short telescope with concave eye lenses of low power, usually made double, that is, with a tube and set of glasses for each eye; a lorgnette; -- so called beca…
ORDERLY a.
he regiment are tried. (b) The office of the commanding officer, usually in the barracks, whence orders emanate. Farrow. -- Orderly sergeant, the first sergeant of a company.
PASQUE n.
herbs with rather large purplish blossoms, which appear in early spring, or about Easter, whence the common name. Called also campana.
PENNYWEIGHT n.
; as, a pennyweight of gold or of arsenic. It was anciently the weight of a silver penny, whence the name.
PETROLEUM n.
flammable liquid, which, at certain points, exists in the upper strata of the earth, from whence it is pumped, or forced by pressure of the gas attending it. It consists of a complex mixture of various hydrocarbons, largely of the methane series, but may vary much in appearance, composition, and properties. It is refin…
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