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The act of one who, or that which, passes; the act of going by or away. Passing bell, a tolling of a bell to announce that a soul is passing, or has passed, from its body (formerly done to invoke prayers for the dying); also, a tolling during the passing of a funeral procession to the grave, or during funeral ceremonie…

Exceedingly. Wyclif.

Curved; bent; as, compassing timbers.

Eminently excellent; exceeding others. "With surpassing glory crowned." Milton. -- Sur*pass"ing*ly, adv. -- Sur*pass"ing*ness, n.

Grass and sprigs beaten or trampled down by a stag passing through them. Crabb.

Figuratively, higher than; superior to in any respect; surpassing; beyond; higher in measure or degree than; as, things above comprehension; above mean actions; conduct above reproach. "Thy worth . . . is actions above my gifts." Marlowe. I saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun. Acts xxxvi.…

Inattentive to what is passing; absent-minded; preoccupied; as, an absent air. What is commonly called an absent man is commonly either a very weak or a very affected man. Chesterfield.

A mode of arresting hemorrhage resulting from wounds or surgical operations, by passing under the divided vessel a needle, the ends of which are left exposed externally on the cutaneous surface. Simpson.

djunct notes (Mus.), short notes between those essential to the harmony; auxiliary notes; passing notes.

Moving; passing from place to place; in general circulation; as, a rumor is afloat.

Not forming an angle. Agonic line (Physics), an imaginary line on the earth's surface passing through those places where the magnetic needle points to the true north; the line of no magnetic variation. There is one such line in the Western hemisphere, and another in the Eastern hemisphere.

Encompassing on all sides; circumfused; investing. "Ambient air." Milton. "Ambient clouds." Pope.

rc of the horizon between the true east or west point and the foot of the vertical circle passing through any star or object.

A passing tone preceding an essential tone, and borrowing the time it occupies from that; a short auxiliary or grace note one degree above or below the principal note unless it be of the same harmony; -- generally indicated by a note of smaller size, as in the illustration above. It forms no essential part of the harmo…

grasping with the intellect; the contemplation of things, without affirming, denying, or passing any judgment; intellection; perception. Simple apprehension denotes no more than the soul's naked intellection of an object. Glanvill.

On all sides of; encircling; encompassing; so as to make the circuit of; about. A lambent flame arose, which gently spread Around his brows. Dryden.

Superior; surpassing; ruling. An ascendant spirit over him. South. The ascendant community obtained a surplus of wealth. J. S. Mill. Without some power of persuading or confuting, of defending himself against accusations, . . . no man could possibly hold an ascendent position. Grote.

An apparatus for passing air or gases through or over certain liquids or solids, or for exhausting a closed vessel, by means of suction.

Passing through all its stages on one host, as certain parasitic fungi; -- contrasted with heterocious.

gan; as, the axial bones. Axial line (Magnetism), the line taken by the magnetic force in passing from one pole of a horseshoe magnet to the other. Faraday.