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That which portends, or foretoken; esp., that which portends evil; a sign of coming calamity; an omen; a sign. Shak. My loss by dire portents the god foretold. Dryden.

A river tortoise; one of a group of tortoises (Potamites, or Trionychoidea) having a soft shell, webbed feet, and a sharp beak. See Trionyx.

Mischief; hurt; damage; injury; detriment. Locke. England and France might, through their amity, Breed him some prejudice. Shak.

ially, an antecedent impression or conviction of something unpleasant, distressing, or calamitous, about to happen; anticipation of evil; foreboding.

A breach of concord, amity, or obligation; a falling out; a difference; a disagreement; an antagonism in opinion, feeling, or conduct; esp., an angry dispute, contest, or strife; a brawl; an altercation; as, he had a quarrel with his father about expenses. I will bring a sword upon you that shall avenge the quarrel of…

Friendship; amity; concord. [Obs.] To keep quarter, to keep one's proper place, and so be on good terms with another. [Obs.] In quarter, and in terms like bride and groom. Shak. I knew two that were competitors for the secretary's place, . . . and yet kept good quarter between themselves. Bacon. False quarter, a cleft…

ng the sufferings of the sick and wounded war, also giving aid and relief during great calamities; also, a member or worker of such a society; -- so called from the badge of neutrality; the Geneva cross.

That which shelters or protects from danger, or from distress or calamity; a stronghold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; a place inaccessible to an enemy. The high hills are a refuger the wild goats. Ps. civ. 18. The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed. Ps.…

A kind of dynamite used in blasting. [U.S.]

es." Shak. In never ridded myself of an overmastering and brooding sense of some great calamity traveling toward me. De Quincey.

who made their arrangements in the first run of misadventure . . . put a seal on their calamities. Burke.

Afflictive; calamitous; causing sorrow; as, a sad accident; a sad misfortune.

The act of saving; preservation or deliverance from destruction, danger, or great calamity.

See Samite. [Obs.]

when heaven's fire Hath scathed the forest oaks or mountain pines. Milton. Strokes of calamity that scathe and scorch the soul. W. Irwing.

relation; sequence; order; course; a succession of things; as, a continuous series of calamitous events. During some years his life a series of triumphs. Macaulay.

asure, extent, or time; as, to shorten distance; to shorten a road; to shorten days of calamity.

. Gives signal of a goodly day to-morrow. Shak. There was not the least signal of the calamity to be seen. De Foc.

bear; to press or weigh; -- with on; as, a weight or burden sits lightly upon him. The calamity sits heavy on us. Jer. Taylor.

To cheer in grief or under calamity; to comfort; to relieve in affliction, solitude, or discomfort; to console; -- applied to persons; as, to solace one with the hope of future reward.