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to be higher than; to overtop. The mountains of Olympus, Athos, and Atlas, overreach and surmount all winds and clouds. Sir W. Raleigh.

Capable of being surmounted or overcome; superable. -- Sur*mount"a*ble*ness, n.

Having its vertical height greater than the half span; -- said of an arch.

One who, or that which, surmounts.

The state or quality of being insurmountable.

Incapable of being passed over, surmounted, or overcome; insuperable; as, insurmountable difficulty or obstacle. Locke. Hope thinks nothing difficult; despair tells us that difficulty is insurmountable. I. Watts.

The state or quality of being insurmountable; insurmountability.

In a manner or to a degree not to be overcome.

Insurmountable. Locke.

Fig.: Something lofty, or massive, or very hard to be surmounted.

A vertical cleated drum or cylinder, revolving on an upright spindle, and surmounted by a drumhead with sockets for bars or levers. It is much used, especially on shipboard, for moving or raising heavy weights or exerting great power by traction upon a rope or cable, passing around the drum. It is operated either by st…

To subdue or overcome by mental or moral power; to surmount; as, to conquer difficulties, temptatin, etc. By winning words to conquer hearts, And make persuasion do the work of fear. Milton.

The ornamental finishing which surmounts the ridge of a roof, canopy, etc. The finials of gables and pinnacles are sometimes called crest. Parker.

A monument in the form of a cross, or surmounted bu a cross, set up in a public place; as, a market cross; a boundary cross; Charing Cross in London. Dun-Edin's Cross, a pillared stone, Rose on a turret octagon. Sir W. Scott.

representation of two of the leg bones or arm bones of a skeleton, laid crosswise, often surmounted with a skull, and serving as a symbol of death. Crossbones, scythes, hourglasses, and other lugubrios emblems of mortality. Hawthorne.

the Lily family, having at the top of the stalk a cluster of pendent bell- shaped flowers surmounted with a tuft of green leaves.

Having or wearing a crown; surmounted, invested, or adorned, with a crown, wreath, garland, etc.; honored; rewarded; completed; consummated; perfected. "Crowned with one crest." Shak. "Crowned with conquest." Milton. With surpassing glory crowned. Milton.

Surmounted by an ordinary; as, a lion is debruised when a bend or other ordinary is placed over it, as in the cut. The lion of England and the lilies of France without the baton sinister, under which, according to the laws of heraldry, they where debruised in token of his illegitimate birth. Macaulay.…

with the lower slope of the roof. -- Deck roof (Arch.), a nearly flat roof which is not surmounted by parapet walls. -- Deck transom (Shipbuilding), the transom into which the deck is framed. -- To clear the decks (Naut.), to remove every unnecessary incumbrance in preparation for battle; to prepare for action. --…

Surmountable; superable. [Obs.] Johnson.