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The act of flexing or bending; a turning or curving; flexion; hence, obsequious bowing or bending. Will it give place to flexure and low bending Shak.

Shipbuilding), a half beam to support a deck, where hatchways occur. -- Fork chuck (Wood Turning), a lathe center having two prongs for driving the work. -- Fork head. (a) The barbed head of an arrow. (b) The forked end of a rod which forms part of a knuckle joint. -- In fork. (Mining) A mine is said to be in fork,…

The condition of returning frequently; occurrence often repeated; common occurence; as, the frequency of crimes; the frequency of miracles. The reasons that moved her to remove were, because Rome was a place of riot and luxury, her soul being almost stifled with, the frequencies of ladies' visits. Fuller.…

waiting room, usually at the west end of an abbey church, where the monks collected on returning from processions, where bodies were laid previous to interment, and where women were allowed to see the monks to whom they were related, or to hear divine service. Also, frequently applied to the porch of a church, as at E…

hat gap. Knolles. It would make a great gap in your own honor. Shak. Gap lathe (Mach.), a turning lathe with a deep notch in the bed to admit of turning a short object of large diameter. -- To stand in the gap, to expose one's self for the protection of something; to make defense against any assailing danger; to take…

Turning the head towards the spectator, but not the body; -- said of a lion or other beast.

-- Gauge glass, a glass tube for a water gauge. -- Gauge lathe, an automatic lathe for turning a round object having an irregular profile, as a baluster or chair round, to a templet or gauge. -- Gauge point, the diameter of a cylinder whose altitude is one inch, and contents equal to that of a unit of a given measu…

A salmon returning from the sea the second time. [Prov. Eng.]

Bewildering on account of rapid turning; running round with celerity; gyratory; whirling. The giddy motion of the whirling mill. Pope.

To turn round (an anchor) by the stock, with a motion like turning a gimlet.

, channels, or grooves, in wood, stone, etc.; a similar instrument, with curved edge, for turning wood.

The act of grazing; the cropping of grass. [Colloq.] Turning him out for a grace on the common. T. Hughes.

The act of turning or whirling, as around a fixed center; a circular or spiral motion; motion about an axis; rotation; revolution. The gyrations of an ascending balloon. De Quincey. If a burning coal be nimbly moved round in a circle, with gyrations continually repeated, the whole circle will appear like fire. Sir I. N…

Turning the plane of polarization circularly or spirally to the right or left.

A turning round. [R.]

An obstacle formed by turning an ordinary harrow upside down, the frame being buried. Bush harrow, a kind of light harrow made of bushes, for harrowing grass lands and covering seeds, or to finish the work of a toothed harrow. -- Drill harrow. See under 6th Drill. -- Under the harrow, subjected to actual torture with…

ted by boiling, used as food for cattle, etc. -- Hay tedder, a machine for spreading and turning newmown hay. See Tedder.

Manifesting heliotropism; turning toward the sun.

The phenomenon of turning toward the light, seen in many leaves and flowers.

An attachment to a sewing machine, for turning under the edge of a piece of fabric, preparatory to stitching it down.