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claration; a statement, especially a proverbial one; an aphorism; a proverb. Many are the sayings of the wise, In ancient and in modern books enrolled. Milton.

The act or process of testing, esp. of analyzing or examining metals and ores, to determine the proportion of pure metal.

A true saying; truth. [Obs.]

To lower or depress; to throw or cast down; as, to abase the eye. [Archaic] Bacon. Saying so, he abased his lance. Shelton.

ance; reception; favorable reception or regard; state of being acceptable. [Obs.] This is saying worthy of all acceptation. 1 Tim. i. 15. Some things . . . are notwithstanding of so great dignity and acceptation with God. Hooker.

thing to him; as, Mr. Clay was accredited with these views; they accredit him with a wise saying.

An old saying, which has obtained credit by long use; a proverb. Letting "I dare not" wait upon "I would," Like the poor cat i' the adage. Shak.

most solemn or impressive manner; to entreat earnestly. Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho. Josh. vi. 26. The high priest . . . said . . . I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ. Matt. xxvi. 63…

o God. See Hallelujah, the commoner form. I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia. Rev. xix. 1.

head, but now about the neck and shoulders, by priests of the Roman Catholic Church while saying Mass.

A suffix to names of persons or places, used to denote a collection of notable sayings, literary gossip, anecdotes, etc. Thus, Scaligerana is a book containing the sayings of Scaliger, Johnsoniana of Johnson, etc.

A priest employed in saying annuals, or anniversary Masses. [Obs.] Chaucer.

A short, pithy, and instructive saying; a terse remark, conveying some important truth; a sententious precept or maxim.

To utter apothegms, or short and sententious sayings.

A soothsaying; a foretelling. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

A small standard weight used in assaying bullion, etc., sometimes equaling 0.5 gram, but varying with the assayer.

A weight of 29.166 + grams used in assaying, for convenience. Since it bears the same relation to the milligram that a ton of 2000 avoirdupois pounds does to the troy ounce, the weight in milligrams of precious metal obtained from an assay ton of ore gives directly the number of ounces to the ton.

, concurrence, or concession. Who informed the governor . . . And the Jews also assented, saying that these things were so. Acts xxiv. 9. The princess assented to all that was suggested. Macaulay.

Soothsaying, or prediction of events, from observation of the winds.

A precedent; a decision of a court, an official declaration, or an opinion, saying, or statement worthy to be taken as a precedent.