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A name given to any species of the genus Helianthemum, low shrubs or herbs with yellow flowers, especially the European H. vulgare and the American frostweed, H. Canadense. Cretan rockrose, a related shrub (Cistus Creticus), one of the plants yielding the fragrant gum called ladanum.

A fleshy, suffrutescent, umbelliferous European plant (Crithmum maritimum). It grows among rocks and on cliffs along the seacoast, and is used for pickles. Hangs one that gathers samphire, dreadful trade! Scak.

A mummy; a skeleton. [Obs.] olland.

A European amarylidaceous plant (Pancratium maritimum).

An evergeen seashore plant (Eryngium maritimum). See Eryngium.

close; to make fast; to keep secure or secret. Seal up your lips, and give no words but "mum". Shak.

Either of two annual herbaceous plants of the genus Sesamum (S. Indicum, and S. orientale), from the seeds of which an oil is expressed; also, the small obovate, flattish seeds of these plants, sometimes used as food. See Benne. Open Sesame, the magical command which opened the door of the robber's den in the Arabian N…

An African sapotaceous tree (Bassia, or Butyrospermum, Parkii), from the seeds of which a substance resembling butter is obtained; the African butter tree.

ountry where sheep range and graze. -- Sheep's beard (Bot.), a cichoraceous herb (Urospermum Dalechampii) of Southern Europe; -- so called from the conspicuous pappus of the achenes. -- Sheep's bit (Bot.), a European herb (Jasione montana) having much the appearance of scabious. -- Sheep pox (Med.), a contagious dis…

; especially, to inclose in a winding sheet; to dress for the grave. The ancient Egyptian mummies were shrouded in a number of folds of linen besmeared with gums. Bacon.

A kind of spice used in the East Indies, consisting of the bark of a species of Cinnamomum. [Written also sindoc.]

by the old Lord Lafeu. Shak. Upon that . . . I began to smoke that they were a parcel of mummers. Addison.

ercuric iodide in potassium iodide (called the Sonstadt or Thoulet solution) having a maximum specific gravity of 3.2, or of borotungstate of cadium (Klein solution, specific gravity 3.6), and the like. Such solutions are much used in determining the specific gravities of minerals, and in separating them when mechanica…

ical effects, as in photography. These, in the usual photogrophic methods, have their maximum influence at and beyond the violet rays, but are not limited to this region. -- Chromatic spectrum, the visible colored rays of the solar spectrum, exhibiting the seven principal colors in their order, and covering the centra…

A plant (Echinospermum Lappula) of the Borage family, with small blue flowers and prickly nutlets.

Any plant of the genus Lithospermum, herbs having a fruit composed of four stony nutlets.

uicy leaves or stems, as the houseleek, the live forever, and the species of Mesembryanthemum.

A wage paid by the day, or some fixed period, on condition that a minimum task be performed. When the workman is paid in proportion for excess over the minimum, the wage is one for piece-work.

The line of continuous maximum descent from any point on a land surface, or that cutting all contours and angles.

A self-registering thermometer, especially one that registers the maximum and minimum during long periods. Nichol.