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Done in a moment; continuing only a moment; lasting a very short time; as, a momentary pang. This momentary joy breeds months of pain. Shak.

commencing of one or more tones of a chord with or during the chord preceding, forming a momentary discord.

A direct induced current, or momentary current of the same direction as the inducing current, produced by stopping or removing the latter; also, a similar current produced by removal of a magnet.

orth, as a sudden flood of light; to burst instantly and brightly on the sight; to show a momentary brilliancy; to come or pass like a flash. Names which have flashed and thundered as the watch words of unumbered struggles. Talfourd. The object is made to flash upon the eye of the mind. M. Arnold. A thought floashed th…

Dazzling for a moment; making a momentary show of brilliancy; transitorily bright. A little flashy and transient pleasure. Barrow.

To look with a sudden, rapid cast of the eye; to snatch a momentary or hasty view. The poet's eye, in a fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven. Shak.

A distortion of the countenance, whether habitual, from affectation, or momentary aad occasional, to express some feeling, as contempt, disapprobation, complacency, etc.; a smirk; a made-up face. Moving his face into such a hideons grimace, that every feature of it appeared under a different distortion. Addison.…

eenish, eel-like body, and is possessed of electric power. One fearful shock, fearful but momentary, like from the electric blow of the gymnotus. De Quincey.

The effect of an impelling force; motion produced by a sudden or momentary force.

The act of impelling or driving onward, or the state of being impelled; the sudden or momentary agency of a body in motion on another body; also, the impelling force, or impulse. "The impulsion of the air." Bacon.

insulated copper wire, surrounded by another coil of very fine insulated wire, in which a momentary current is induced, when a current (as from a voltaic battery), passing through the inner coil, is made, broken, or varied. The inner coil has within it a core of soft iron, and is connected at its terminals with a conde…

, to take the lead; to be under the lead of another. At the time I speak of, and having a momentary lead, . . . I am sure I did my country important service. Burke.

Momentary. [Obs.] Hooker. "Momentany as a sound." Shak.

The state or quality of being momentary; shortness of duration.

Evolving; being evolved or produced. Nascent state (Chem.), the supposed instantaneous or momentary state of an uncombined atom or radical just separated from one compound acid, and not yet united with another, -- a hypothetical condition implying peculiarly active chemical properties; as, hydrogen in the nascent state…

The mildest form of epilepsy, with momentary faintness or unconsciousness, but without convulsions; -- opposed to grand mal.

The momentary current between two alternating-current generators when juxtaposed in parallel and not agreeing exactly in phase or period.

onsisting of a large wheel with spokes, which when turning very rapidly is illuminated by momentary flashes of light passing through slits in a rotating disk. By properly timing the succession of flashes the wheel is made to appear to be motionless, or to rotate more or less slowly in either direction.…

(Min.), a crystal derived from one of the primary forms. -- Secondary current (Elec.), a momentary current induced in a closed circuit by a current of electricity passing through the same or a contiguous circuit at the beginning and also at the end of the passage of the primary current. -- Secondary evidence, that wh…

ost; as, the shades of departed heroes. Swift as thought the flitting shade Thro' air his momentary journey made. Dryden.