Search the Dictionary

The act of commensurating; the state of being commensurate. All fitness lies in a particular commensuration, or proportion of one thing to another. South.

To reduce to minute particles, or to a fine powder; to pulverize; to triturate; to grind; as, to comminute chalk or bones; to comminute food with the teeth. Pennant. Comminuted fracture. See under Fracture.

In a conscientious manner; as a matter of conscience; hence; faithfully; accurately; completely.

into contact with each other; -- used in precise determinations of lengths and in the accurate graduation of instruments.

In a correct manner; exactly; acurately; without fault or error.

To saturate or impregnate with creosote, as timber, for the prevention of decay.

Pertaining to criticism or the critic's art; of the nature of a criticism; accurate; as, critical knowledge; a critical dissertation.

In a critical manner; with nice discernment; accurately; exactly. Critically to discern good writers from bad. Dryden.

colorless, volatile, pungent liquid, C4H6, produced artificially, and regarded as an unsaturated hydrocarbon of the acetylene series, and analogous to crotonic acid.

The office or employment of a curate.

Spiritual charge; care of soul; the office of a parish priest or of a curate; hence, that which is committed to the charge of a parish priest or of a curate; a curacy; as, to resign a cure; to obtain a cure. The appropriator was the incumbent parson, and had the cure of the souls of the parishioners. Spelman.…

t in thy gilt and thy perfume, they mocked thee for too much curiosity. Shak. A screen accurately cut in tapiary work . . . with great curiosity. Evelin.

To determine the precise signification of; to fix the meaning of; to describe accurately; to explain; to expound or interpret; as, to define a word, a phrase, or a scientific term. They define virtue to be life ordered according to nature. Robynson (More's Utopia).

The act of defining; determination of the limits; as, the telescope accurate in definition.

tion by means of lines, as distinguished from representation by means of tints shades; accurate and minute representation, as distinguished from art that is careless of details, or subordinates them excessively.

Depurating; tending to depurate or cleanse; depurative.

To depurate; to purify. [Obs.] He shall first be depured and cleansed before that he shall be laid up for pure gold in the treasures of God. Sir T. More.

To desulphurate; to deprive of sulphur. -- De*sul`phur*i*za"tion, n.

ed; immethodical; aimless; as, desultory minds. Atterbury. He [Goldsmith] knew nothing accurately; his reading had been desultory. Macaulay.

The act, process, or result of any accurate measurement, as of length, volume, weight, intensify, etc.; as, the determination of the ohm or of the wave length of light; the determination of the salt in sea water, or the oxygen in the air.