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Flashing; brilliant; transient; like a meteor; as, meteoric fame. "Meteoric politician." Craik. Meteoric iron, Meteoric stone. (Min.) See Meteorite. -- Meteoric paper, a substance of confervoid origin found floating in the air, and resembling bits of coarse paper; -- so called because formerly supposed to fall from me…

Italian pottery of the epoch and general character of majolica, but less brilliantly decorated, esp. such pottery without tin enamel, but painted and glazed.

e cabinet and their supporters; -- also, the persons occupying them. "Very solid and very brilliant talents distinguish the ministerial benches." Burke.

A heavy, brilliant red pigment, consisting of an oxide of lead, Pb3O4, obtained by exposing lead or massicot to a gentle and continued heat in the air. It is used as a cement, as a paint, and in the manufacture of flint glass. Called also red lead.

handsome, tropical American butterflies, of the genus Morpho. They are noted for the very brilliant metallic luster and bright colors (often blue) of the upper surface of the wings. The lower surface is usually brown or gray, with eyelike spots.

s with a phenol (carbolic) odor. Naphthol blue, Naphthol orange, Naphthol yellow (Chem.), brilliant dyestuffs produced from certain complex nitrogenous derivatives of naphthol or naphthoquinone.

eir unusually large size and complex structure, as well as for their phosphorescence. The brilliant diffuse phosphorescence of the sea is often due to myriads of Noctilucæ.

Hence, the highest point; culmination. In the very noon of that brilliant life which was destined to be so soon, and so fatally, overshadowed. Motley. High noon, the exact meridian; midday. -- Noon of night, midnight. [Poetic] Dryden.

A beautiful bird (Moho nobilis) of the Hawaiian Islands. It yields the brilliant yellow feathers formerly used in making the royal robes. Called also yellow-tufted honeysucker.

oceanic fish (Lampris quttatus), inhabiting the Atlantic Ocean. It is remarkable for its brilliant colors, which are red, green, and blue, with tints of purple and gold, covered with round silvery spots. Called also king of the herrings.

racts are usually bright-colored and more showy than the flowers. Castilleia coccinea has brilliantly scarlet bracts, and is common in meadows. -- Painted finch. See Nonpareil. -- Painted lady (Zoöl.), a bright-colored butterfly. See Thistle butterfly. -- Painted turtle (Zoöl.), a common American freshwater tortoise…

Not bright or brilliant; of a faint luster or hue; dim; as, the pale light of the moon. The night, methinks, is but the daylight sick; It looks a little paler. Shak.

One of the eight facets surrounding the table of a brilliant cut diamond.

ery beautiful bird of New Guinea, of the genus Astrapia, having dark velvety plumage with brilliant metallic tints. -- Paradise nut (Bot.), the sapucaia nut. See Sapucaia nut. [Local, U. S.] -- Paradise whidah bird. (Zoöl.) See Whidah.

That part of a brilliant which lies between the girdle and collet. See Illust. of Brilliant.

l.), the European blue-striped wrasse (Labrus variegatus); -- so called on account of its brilliant colors. Called also cook wrasse and cook. -- Peacock pheasant (Zoöl.), any one of several species of handsome Asiatic pheasants of the genus Polyplectron. They resemble the peacock in color.

A shelly concretion, usually rounded, and having a brilliant luster, with varying tints, found in the mantle, or between the mantle and shell, of certain bivalve mollusks, especially in the pearl oysters and river mussels, and sometimes in certain univalves. It is usually due to a secretion of shelly substance around s…

by condensation of the anhydride of phthalic acid and phenol. Its solution in alkalies is brilliant red, but is decolorized by acids. This reaction, being very delicate, is used as an indicator.

ite crystalline substance made from phthalic acid and phenol. Its solution in alkalies is brilliant red, but is decolorized by acids, and as this reaction is exceedingly delicate it is used as an indicator.

white crystalline substance, C6H4.(CO2H)2, analogous to benzoic acid, and employed in the brilliant dyestuffs called the phthaleins.