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A composition for infernal purposes; a magical preparation. Shak.

The leaves of the henna plant, or a preparation or dyestuff made from them.

To bring about, arrange, or make, on a sudden, or without previous preparation. Charles attempted to improvise a peace. Motley.

A fluid, or a viscous material or preparation of various kinds (commonly black or colored), used in writing or printing. Make there a prick with ink. Chaucer. Deformed monsters, foul and black as ink. Spenser.

An agent or preparation for destroying insects; an insect powder. -- In*sec"ti*ci`dal, a.

n Ireland. Irish elk. (Zoöl.) See under Elk. -- Irish moss. (a) (Bot.) Carrageen. (b) A preparation of the same made into a blanc mange. -- Irish poplin. See Poplin. -- Irish potato, the ordinary white potato, so called because it is a favorite article of food in Ireland. -- Irish reef, or Irishman's reef (Naut.),…

A preparation of casein from milk, used in printing calico.

The act of legislating; preparation and enactment of laws; the laws enacted. Pythagoras joined legislation to his philosophy. Lyttelton.

A liquid or semiliquid preparation of a consistence thinner than an ointment, applied to the skin by friction, esp. one used as a sedative or a stimulant.

A liquid preparation for bathing the skin, or an injured or diseased part, either for a medicinal purpose, or for improving its appearance.

e fermentative principle of malt; malt diastase; also, a name given to various medicinal preparations made from or containing malt.

Pertaining to, or containing, iron; chalybeate; as, martial preparations. [Archaic] Martial flowers (Med.), a reddish crystalline salt of iron; the ammonio-chloride of iron. [Obs.] -- Martial law, the law administered by the military power of a government when it has superseded the civil authority in time of war, or wh…

The act or operation of masticating; chewing, as of food. Mastication is a necessary preparation of solid aliment, without which there can be no good digestion. Arbuthnot.

t of wood dipped at one end in a substance which can be easily ignited by friction, as a preparation of phosphorus or chlorate of potassium. Match box, a box for holding matches. -- Match tub, a tub with a perforated cover for holding slow matches for firing cannon, esp. on board ship. The tub contains a little water…

eted out to one; to be harshly or oppressively dealt with. -- To take measures, to make preparations; to provide means. -- To take one's measure, to measure one, as for a garment; hence, to form an opinion of one's disposition, character, ability, etc. -- To tread a measure, to dance in the style so called. See 9 (a…

Of or pertaining to, or containing, mercury; as, mercurial preparations, barometer. See Mercury, 2.

To wash with a preparation of mercury. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

d of liquid medicine made up of many ingredients; esp., as opposed to solution, a liquid preparation in which the solid ingredients are not completely dissolved.

A preparation of eggs for food. [Obs.]

fraudulently used by brewers in order to economize malt and hops. Craig. Hard multum, a preparation made from Cocculus Indicus, etc., used to impart an intoxicating quality to beer.