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To divide; to distribute; to apportion. [Obs.] To which God of his bounty would shift Crowns two of flowers well smelling. Chaucer.

ontrivance to size articles, or to determine their size by a standard, or to separate and distribute them according to size.

To distribute by sprinkling; to sprinkle around; as, to spatter blood. Pope.

the theory or practice of regarding public and their emoluments as so much plunder to be distributed among their active partisans by those who are chosen to responsible offices of administration.

One who promises or distributes public offices and their emoluments as the price of services to a party or its leaders.

A side channel or branch of the runner of a flask, made to distribute the metal in all parts of the mold.

A small quantity scattered, or sparsely distributed; a sprinkling.

Hence, a moderate number or quantity distributed like drops. Craik.

That portion of a pack of cards not distributed to the players at the beginning of certain games, as gleek, etc., but which might be drawn from afterward as occasion required; a bank. I must buy the stock; send me good cardings. Beau. & Fl.

Uniformly or evenly distributed or spread; even; smooth. See Suant. Thoreau.

To broach or enter upon; to taste, as a liquor; to divide; to distribute; to deal out. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] In the time of famine he is the Joseph of the country, and keeps the poor from starving. Then he tameth his stacks of corn, which not his covetousness, but providence, hath reserved for time of need. Fuller.…

Equal temperament (Mus.), that in which the variations from mathematically true pitch are distributed among all the keys alike. -- Unequal temperament (Mus.), that in which the variations are thrown into the keys least used.

short piece of timber, iron, or stone, placed in a wall under a girder or other beam, to distribute the weight or pressure.

r diseases; curative. "Therapeutic or curative physic." Sir T. Browne. Medicine is justly distributed into "prophylactic," or the art of preserving health, and therapeutic, or the art of restoring it. I. Watts.

A state in which honors are distributed according to a rating of property.

Insurance in which the benefits of the insurance are distributed upon the tontine principle. Under the old, or full tontine, plan, all benefits were forfeited on lapsed policies, on the policies of those who died within the tontine period only the face of the policy was paid without any share of the surplus, and the su…

To increase or distribute by propagation. [Obs.] From these only the race of perfect animals were propagated and traduced over the earth. Sir M. Hale.

To distribute into tribes or classes. [R.] Our fowl, fish, and quadruped are well tribed. Abp. Nicolson.

th pair of cranial nerves, which divide on each side of the head into three main branches distributed to the orbits, jaws, and parts of the mouth; trifacial.

An ornamented cake distributed among friends or visitors on the festival of Twelfth-night.