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present usage, since all of the supposed permanent gases have been liquified by cold and pressure, the term has resumed nearly its original signification, and is applied to any substance in the elastic or aëriform state.

, in which it is made to rise or fall, according to the volume of gas it contains, or the pressure required.

a. -- Siphon gauge, a glass siphon tube, partly filled with mercury, -- used to indicate pressure, as of steam, or the degree of rarefaction produced in the receiver of an air pump or other vacuum; a manometer. -- Sliding gauge. (Mach.) (a) A templet or pattern for gauging the commonly accepted dimensions or shape of…

Relating to the pressure exerted by earth or similar substance. Geostatic arch, an arch having a form adapted to sustain pressure similar to that exerted by earth. Rankine.

To yield to force or pressure; to relax; to become less rigid; as, the earth gives under the feet.

A device, as a loosely fitted plug, which is driven through a pipe by the pressure of the contents behind the plug to clear away obstructions.

To obey the law of gravitation; to exert a force Or pressure, or tend to move, under the influence of gravitation; to tend in any direction or toward any object. Why does this apple fall to the ground Because all bodies gravitate toward each other. Sir W. Hamilton. Politicians who naturally gravitate towards the strong…

A breaking up of the blood corpuscles, as by pressure, in distinction from solution of the corpuscles, or hæmcytolysis.

Not easily penetrated, cut, or separated into parts; not yielding to pressure; firm; solid; compact; -- applied to material bodies, and opposed to soft; as, hard wood; hard flesh; a hard apple.

a piece of low carbon steel by subjecting it to the action of carbon under long-continued pressure at a very high heat, and then to a violent chilling, as by a spray of cold water. This process gives an armor plate a thick surface of extreme hardness supported by material gradually decreasing in hardness to the unalter…

urface, as of water, above a given place, as above an orifice at which it issues, and the pressure resulting from the height or from motion; sometimes also, the quantity in reserve; as, a mill or reservoir has a good head of water, or ten feet head; also, that part of a gulf or bay most remote from the outlet or the se…

An instrument by which the pressure of the blood in the arteries, or veins, is measured by the height to which it will raise a column of mercury; -- called also a hæmomanometer.

r, a cavity from which the air can be withdrawn by an air pump; -- used to illustrate the pressure of the air. So called because invented by Otto von Guericke at Magdeburg.

ant three miles or more from the coast line. Wharton. -- High steam, steam having a high pressure. -- High steward, the chief steward. -- High tea, tea with meats and extra relishes. -- High tide, the greatest flow of the tide; high water. -- High time. (a) Quite time; full time for the occasion. (b) A time of gre…

said of a barometer constructed of solid materials to show the variations of atmospheric pressure without the use of liquids, as the aneroid.

To apply to, in conjunction with mechanical pressure, for the purpose of giving a smooth and glosay surface, or to express oil, etc.; as, to hotpress paper, linen, etc.

The act of hurrying in motion or business; pressure; urgency; bustle; confusion. Ambition raises a tumult in the soul, it inflames the mind, and puts into a violent hurry of thought. Addison.

, which will harden under water. -- Hydraulic elevator, a lift operated by the weight or pressure of water. -- Hydraulic jack. See under Jack. -- Hydraulic lime, quicklime obtained from hydraulic limestone, and used for cementing under water, etc. -- Hydraulic limestone, a limestone which contains some clay, and wh…

nted by Sir William Armstrong of England for generating electricity by the escape of high-pressure steam from a series of jets connected with a strong boiler, in which the steam is produced.

An instrument for determining the depth of the sea water by its pressure.