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The class in society who are, or are expected to be, genteel; the gentry. [R.] Sir J. Davies.

A shoot of light; a small stream of light; a beam; a ray; a glimpse. Transient unexpected gleams of joi. Addison. At last a gleam Of dawning light turned thitherward in haste His [Satan's] traveled steps. Milton. A glimmer, and then a gleam of light. Longfellow.

A transient glance; an unexpected view of something that startles one; a sudden fear. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Halliwell.

Something sent by God; an unexpected acquisiton or piece of good fortune.

To linger in expectation or with desire. Thackeray.

That which happens or comes suddenly or unexpectedly; also, the manner of occurrence or taking place; chance; fortune; accident; casual event; fate; luck; lot. Chaucer. Whether art it was or heedless hap. Spenser. Cursed be good haps, and cursed be they that build Their hopes on haps. Sir P. Sidney. Loving goes by haps…

To come by chance; to come without previous expectation; to fall out. There shall no evil happen to the just. Prov. xii. 21.

The expectoration of blood, due usually to hemorrhage from the mucous membrane of the lungs.

Locke. -- To held in, to restrain; to curd. -- To hold in hand, to toy with; to keep in expectation; to have in one's power. [Obs.] O, fie! to receive favors, return falsehoods, And hold a lady in hand. Beaw. & Fl. --To hold in play, to keep under control; to dally with. Macaulay. -- To hold off, to keep at a distan…

A desire of some good, accompanied with an expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable; an expectation of something which is thought to be desirable; confidence; pleasing expectancy. The hypocrite's hope shall perish. Job vii. 13. He wished, but not with hope. Milton. New thoughts of God, new hopes o…

Full of hope, or agreeable expectation; inclined to hope; expectant. Men of their own natural inclination hopeful and strongly conceited. Hooker.

Destitute of hope; having no expectation of good; despairing. I am a woman, friendless, hopeless. Shak.

urring hour by hour; frequent; often repeated; renewed hour by hour; continual. In hourly expectation of a martyrdom. Sharp.

One who idealizes; one who forms picturesque fancies; one given to romantic expectations.

tain associations in Modern Europe, who combined to promote social reforms, by which they expected to raise men and society to perfection, esp. of one originated in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt, professor of canon law at Ingolstadt, which spread rapidly for a time, but ceased after a few years.

ndurance of pain, suffering, opposition, or delay; eagerness for change, or for something expected; restlessness; chafing of spirit; fretfulness; passion; as, the impatience of a child or an invalid. I then, . . . Out of my grief and my impatience, Answered neglectingly. Shak. With huge impatience he inly swelt More fo…

tful; restless, because of pain, delay, or opposition; eager for change, or for something expected; hasty; passionate; -- often followed by at, for, of, and under. A violent, sudden, and impatient necessity. Jer. Taylor. Fame, impatient of extremes, decays Not more by envy than excess of praise. Pope. The impatient man…

Not probable; unlikely to be true; not to be expected under the circumstances or in the usual course of events; as, an improbable story or event. He . . . sent to Elutherius, then bishop of Rome, an improbable letter, as some of the contents discover. Milton. -- Im*prob"a*ble*ness, n. -- Im*prob"a*bly, adv.…

Unforeseen; unexpected; not provided against; unprepared. [Obs.] All improvided for dread of death. E. Hall.

Influence acting unexpectedly or temporarily on the mind; sudden motive or influence; impulse. "The impulsion of conscience." Clarendon. "Divine impulsion prompting." Milton.