Search the Dictionary

Employed in, or designed for, exploration. "Exploring parties." Bancroft.

ped up as a landmark, or to arrest attention, as in surveying, or in leaving traces of an exploring party, etc. C. Kingsley. Kane.

Exploring; spying. B. Jonson.

Prone to make excursions; wandering; roving; exploring; as, an excursive fancy. The course of excursive . . . understandings. I. Taylor. -- Ex*cur"sive*ly, adv. -- Ex*cur"sive*ness, , n.

intentions; an excursion by a body of persons for a valuable end; as, a military, naval, exploring, or scientific expedition; also, the body of persons making such excursion. The expedition miserably failed. Prescott. Narrative of the exploring expedition to the Rocky Mountains. J. C. Fremont.

The act of exploring, penetrating, or ranging over for purposes of discovery, especially of geographical discovery; examination; as, the exploration of unknown countries; (Med.)

The act of exploring; exploration. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

Searching; exploring; investigating. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

conduct or direct with authority; to have direction or charge of; as, to lead an army, an exploring party, or a search; to lead a political party. Christ took not upon him flesh and blood that he might conquer and rule nations, lead armies, or possess places. South.

or other circumstances of a wound, ulcer, or cavity, or the direction of a sinus, of for exploring for bullets, for stones in the bladder, etc. Parr. Probe, or Probe-pointed, scissors (Surg.), scissors used to open wounds, the blade of which, to be thrust into the orifice, has a button at the end. Wiseman.…

Exploring thoroughly; scrutinizing; penetrating; trying; as, a searching discourse; a searching eye. "Piercing, searching, biting, cold." Dickens. -- Search"ing*ly, adv. -- Search"ing*ness, n.

A stylet, usually with a triangular point, used for exploring tissues or for inserting drainage tubes, as in dropsy. [Written also trochar.]