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Presenting a pleasing appearance; pleasing in form or look; showy. Some [serpents] specious and beautiful to the eye. Bp. Richardson. The rest, far greater part, Will deem in outward rites and specious forms Religion satisfied. Milton.

Showy; magnificent; sumptuous; pompous; as, a splendid palace; a splendid procession or pageant.

Showy; excellent; grand; as, a superb exhibition. Superb paradise bird (Zoöl.), a bird of paradise (Paradisæa, or Lophorina, superba) having the scapulars erectile, and forming a large ornamental tuft on each shoulder, and a large gorget of brilliant feathers on the breast. The color is deep violet, or nearly black, wi…

A showy, dashing person; a dandy. [Slang] Ground swell. See under Ground. -- Organ swell (Mus.), a certain number of pipes inclosed in a box, the uncovering of which by means of a pedal produces increased sound. -- Swell shark (Zoöl.), a small shark (Scyllium ventricosum) of the west coast of North America, which tak…

Very fine and showy in colors, without taste or elegance; having an excess of showy ornaments without grace; cheap and gaudy; as, a tawdry dress; tawdry feathers; tawdry colors. He rails from morning to night at essenced fops and tawdry courtiers. Spectator.

n iridaceous plant of the genus Tigridia (as T. conchiflora, T. grandiflora, etc.) having showy flowers, spotted or streaked somewhat like the skin of a tiger. -- Tiger grass (Bot.), a low East Indian fan palm (Chamærops Ritchieana). It is used in many ways by the natives. J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants). -- Tiger lily…

Something shining and gaudy; something superficially shining and showy, or having a false luster, and more gay than valuable. O happy peasant! O unhappy bard! His the mere tinsel, hers the rich reward. Cowper.

Like tinsel; gaudy; showy, but cheap.

An herb (Linaria vulgaris) of the Figwort family, having narrow leaves and showy orange and yellow flowers; -- called also butter and eggs, flaxweed, and ramsted.

Something serving to deceive by false show or pretense; falsehood; deceit; worthless but showy matter; hence, things worn out and of no value; rubbish. The trumpery in my house, go bring it hither, for state to catch these thieves. Shak. Upon the coming of Christ, very much, though not all, of this idolatrous trumpery…

t which is prominently brought forward or exhibited; hence, an equipage; as, a man with a showy carriage and horses is said to have a fine turn-out.

Showy; ostentatious. Load some vain church with old theatric state. Pope.

Spectacular; pleasing to the eye or the imagination. A government intent on showy absurdities and viewy enterprises rather than solid work. London Spectator.

p teeth. -- Viper's bugloss (Bot.), a rough-leaved biennial herb (Echium vulgare) having showy purplish blue flowers. It is sometimes cultivated, but has become a pestilent weed in fields from New York to Virginia. Also called blue weed. -- Viper's grass (Bot.), a perennial composite herb (Scorzonera Hispanica) with…

The water violet (Hottonia palustris); also, the less showy American plant H. inflata.

A perennial herb (Epilobium spicatum) with narrow willowlike leaves and showy rose-purple flowers. The name is sometimes made to include other species of the same genus. Spiked willow-herb, a perennial herb (Lythrum Salicaria) with willowy leaves and spiked purplish flowers.

A genus of ferns, one species of which (Woodwardia radicans) is a showy plant in California, the Azores, etc.

ten rigid, leaves at the top of a more or less woody stem, and bearing a large panicle of showy white blossoms.

A genus of flowering plants. Zauschneria Californica is a suffrutescent perennial, with showy red flowers much resembling those of the garden fuchsia.