Chapter 1013

A murrain on you , may you be afflicted with a pestilent disease. Shak .

Murrain <Xpage=955>

Mur"rain , a. Having, or afflicted with, murrain.

Murrayin <Xpage=955>

Mur"ray*in (?) , n. (Chem.) A glucoside found in the flowers of a plant ( Murraya exotica ) of South Asia, and extracted as a white amorphous slightly bitter substance.

Murre <Xpage=955>

Murre (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) Any one of several species of sea birds of the genus Uria , or Catarractes ; a guillemot.

&hand; The murres are allied to the auks, and are abundant on the northern coasts of Europe and America. They often breed in large communities on the projecting ledges of precipituous cliffs, laying one or two large eggs on the bare rocks.

Murrelet <Xpage=955>

Murre"let (?) , n. [ Murre + -let .] (Zo\'94l.) One of several species of sea birds of the genera Synthliboramphus and Brachyramphus , inhabiting the North Pacific. They are closely related to the murres.

Murrey <Xpage=955>

Mur"rey (?) , n. [OF. mor\'82e a dark red color, mor blackish brown, fr. L. morum mulberry, blackberry, or fr. Maurus a Moor. Cf. Mulberry , Moor , Morelle .] A dark red color. -- a. Of a dark red color.

Bacon.

Murrhine <Xpage=955>

Mur"rhine (?) , a. [L. murrhinus , fr. murrha : cf. F. murrhin .] Made of the stone or material called by the Romans murrha ; -- applied to certain costly vases of great beauty and delicacy used by the luxurious in Rome as wine cups; as, murrhine vases, cups, vessels .

Murrhine glass , glassware made in imitation of murrhine vases and cups.

Murrion <Xpage=955>

Mur"ri*on (?) , a. [See Murrain .] Infected with or killed by murrain. [Obs.]

Shak.

Murrion <Xpage=955>

Mur"ri*on , n. A morion. See Morion .

Murry <Xpage=955>

Mur"ry (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) See Mur\'91na .

Murth <Xpage=955>

Murth (?) , n. [Etymol. uncertain.] Plenty; abundance. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Murther <Xpage=955>

Mur"ther (?) , n. & v. Murder, n. & v. [Obs. or Prov.] "The treason of the murthering ."

Chaucer.

Murtherer <Xpage=955>

Mur"ther*er (?) , n. A murderer. [Obs. or Prov.]

Murza <Xpage=955>

Mur"za (?) , n. One of the hereditary nobility among the Tatars, esp. one of the second class.

&hand; This word must not be confounded with the Persian Mirza , though perhaps of the same origin.

Mus <Xpage=955>

Mus (?) , n. ; pl. Mures (#) . [L., a mouse.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of small rodents, including the common mouse and rat.

Musa <Xpage=955>

Mu"sa (?) , n. ; pl. Mus\'91 (#) . [NL., fr. Ar. mauz , mauza , banana.] (Bot.) A genus of perennial, herbaceous, endogenous plants of great size, including the banana ( Musa sapientum ), the plantain ( M. paradisiaca of Linn\'91us, but probably not a distinct species), the Abyssinian ( M. Ensete ), the Philippine Island ( M. textilis , which yields Manila hemp), and about eighteen other species. See Illust . of Banana and Plantain .

Musaceous <Xpage=955>

Mu*sa"ceous (?) , a. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, plants of the genus Musa.

Musal <Xpage=955>

Mus"al (?) , a. Of or pertaining to the Muses, or to Poetry. [R.]

Musang <Xpage=955>

Mu*sang" (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A small animal of Java ( Paradoxirus fasciatus ), allied to the civets. It swallows, but does not digest, large quantities of ripe coffee berries, thus serving to disseminate the coffee plant; hence it is called also coffee rat .

Musar <Xpage=955>

Mu"sar (?) , n. An itinerant player on the musette, an instrument formerly common in Europe.

Musard <Xpage=955>

Mu"sard (?) , n. [F., fr. muser to loiter, trifle. See Muse , v. i. ] A dreamer; an absent-minded person. [Obs.]

Rom. of R.

Musca <Xpage=955>

Mus"ca (?) , n. ; pl. Musc\'91 (#) . [L., a fly.] 1. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of dipterous insects, including the common house fly, and numerous allied species.

&hand; Formerly, a large part of the Diptera were included under the genus Musca .

2. (Astron.) A small constellation situated between the Southern Cross and the Pole.

Musc\'91 volitantes (<?/) . [L., flying flies.] (Med.) Specks or filaments apparently seen moving or glinding about in the field of vision. Their appearance is often a symptom of disease of the eye, or of disorder of the nervous system.

Muscadel <Xpage=955>

Mus"ca*del` (?) , n. [It. moscadello , moscatello , LL. muscatellum or muscadellum (sc. vinum ), fr. muscatellus nutmeglike, dim. of muscatus smelling like musk, muscatum and muscata (sc. nux ) nutmeg: cf. F. muscadelle , fr. Italian. See Musk and cf. Moschatel , Muscardin , Muscat , Nutmeg .] See Muscatel , n.

Quaffed off the muscadel . Shak.

Muscadine <Xpage=955>

Mus"ca*dine (?) , n. [See Muscadel .] 1. (Bot.) A name given to several very different kinds of grapes, but in America used chiefly for the scuppernong, or southern fox grape, which is said to be the parent stock of the Catawba. See Grapevine .

2. (Bot.) A fragrant and delicious pear.

3. (Zo\'94l.) See Muscardin .

Northern muscadine (Bot.) , a derivative of the northern fox grape, and scarcely an improvement upon it. -- Royal muscadine (Bot.) , a European grape of great value. Its berries are large, round, and of a pale amber color. Called also golden chasselas .

Muscales <Xpage=955>

Mus*ca"les (?) , n. pl. [NL., fr. L. muscus moss.] (Bot.) An old name for mosses in the widest sense, including the true mosses and also hepatic\'91 and sphagna.

Muscallonge <Xpage=955>

Mus"cal*longe (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) See Muskellunge .

Muscardin <Xpage=955>

Mus"car*din (?) , n. [F., fr. muscadin a musk-scented lozenge, fr. muscade nutmeg, fr. L. muscus musk. See Muscadel .] (Zo\'94l.) The common European dormouse; -- so named from its odor. [Written also muscadine .]

Muscardine <Xpage=955>

Mus`car*dine" (?) , n. [F.] A disease which is very destructive to silkworms, and which sometimes extends to other insects. It is attended by the development of a fungus (provisionally called Botrytis bassiana ). Also, the fungus itself.

Muscariform <Xpage=955>

Mus*car"i*form (?) , a. [L. muscarium fly brush + -form .] Having the form of a brush.

Muscarin <Xpage=955>

Mus*ca"rin (?) , n. (Physiol. Chem.) A solid crystalline substance, C5H13NO2 , found in the toadstool ( Agaricus muscarius ), and in putrid fish. It is a typical ptomaine, and a violent poison.

Muscat <Xpage=955>

Mus"cat (?) , n. [F. See Muscadel .] (Bot.) A name given to several varieties of Old World grapes, differing in color, size, etc., but all having a somewhat musky flavor. The muscat of Alexandria is a large oval grape of a pale amber color. [Written also muskat .]

Muscatel <Xpage=955>

Mus"ca*tel` (?) , a. Of, pertaining to, or designating, or derived from, a muscat grapes or similar grapes; a muscatel grapes; muscatel wine, etc.

Muscatel <Xpage=955>

Mus"ca*tel` , n. 1. A common name for several varieties of rich sweet wine, made in Italy, Spain, and France.

2. pl. Finest raisins, dried on the vine; "sun raisins."

[Variously written moscatel , muscadel , etc.]

Muschelkalk <Xpage=955>

Musch"el*kalk` (?) , n. [G., from muschel shell + kalk limestone.] (Geol.) A kind of shell limestone, whose strata form the middle one of the three divisions of the Triassic formation in Germany. See Chart , under Geology .

Musci <Xpage=955>

Mus"ci (?) , n. pl. [L. muscus moss.] (Bot.) An order or subclass of cryptogamous plants; the mosses. See Moss , and Cryptogamia .

Muscicapine <Xpage=955>

Mus*cic"a*pine (?) , a. [L. musca a fly + capere to catch.] (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the Muscicapid\'91 , a family of birds that includes the true flycatchers.

Muscid <Xpage=955>

Mus"cid (?) , n. Any fly of the genus Musca, or family Muscid\'91 .

Musciform <Xpage=955>

Mus"ci*form (?) , a. [ Musca + -form .] (Zo\'94l.) Having the form or structure of flies of the genus Musca, or family Muscid\'91 .

Musciform <Xpage=955>

Mus"ci*form , a. [ Muscus + -form .] (Bot.) Having the appearance or form of a moss.

Muscle <Xpage=955>

Mus"cle (?) , n. [F., fr. L. musculus a muscle, a little mouse, dim. of mus a mouse. See Mouse , and cf. sense 3 (below).] 1. (Anat.) (a) An organ which, by its contraction, produces motion . See Illust . of Muscles of the Human Body, in Appendix. (b) The contractile tissue of which muscles are largely made up.

&hand; Muscles are of two kinds, striated and nonstriated . The striated muscles, which, in most of the higher animals, constitute the principal part of the flesh, exclusive of the fat, are mostly under the control of the will, or voluntary , and are made up of great numbers of elongated fibres bound together into bundles and inclosed in a sheath of connective tissue, the perimysium . Each fiber is inclosed in a delicate membrane (the sarcolemma ), is made up of alternate segments of lighter and darker material which give it a transversely striated appearance, and contains, scattered through its substance, protoplasmic nuclei, the so-called muscle corpuscles .

The nonstriated muscles are involuntary . They constitute a large part of the walls of the alimentary canal, blood vessels, uterus, and bladder, and are found also in the iris, skin, etc. They are made up of greatly elongated cells, usually grouped in bundles or sheets.

2. Muscular strength or development; as, to show one's muscle by lifting a heavy weight . [Colloq.]

3. [AS. muscle , L. musculus a muscle, mussel. See above.] (Zo\'94l.) See Mussel .

Muscle curve (Physiol.) , contraction curve of a muscle; a myogram; the curve inscribed, upon a prepared surface, by means of a myograph when acted upon by a contracting muscle. The character of the curve represents the extent of the contraction.

<page="956"> Page 956

Muscled <Xpage=956>

Mus"cled (?) , a. Furnished with muscles; having muscles; as, things well muscled .

Muscling <Xpage=956>

Mus"cling (?) , n. (Fine Arts) Exhibition or representation of the muscles. [R.]

A good piece, the painters say, must have good muscling , as well as coloring and drapery. Shaftesbury.

Muscogees <Xpage=956>

Mus*co"gees (?) , n. pl. See Muskogees .

Muscoid <Xpage=956>

Mus"coid (?) , a. [ Muscus + -oid : cf. F. muscoide .] (Bot.) Mosslike; resembling moss.

Muscoid <Xpage=956>

Mus"coid , n. (Bot.) A term formerly applied to any mosslike flowerless plant, with a distinct stem, and often with leaves, but without any vascular system.

Muscology <Xpage=956>

Mus*col"o*gy (?) , n. [ Muscus + -logy .] Bryology.

Muscosity <Xpage=956>

Mus*cos"i*ty (?) , n. [L. muscosus mossy, fr. muscus moss.] Mossiness.

Jonhson.

Muscovado <Xpage=956>

Mus`co*va"do (?) , a. [Corrupted fr. Sp. mascabado ; cf. Pg. mascavado , F. moscouade , n., formerly also mascovade , It. mascavato .] Pertaining to, or of the nature of, unrefined or raw sugar, obtained from the juice of the sugar cane by evaporating and draining off the molasses. Muscovado sugar contains impurities which render it dark colored and moist.

Muscovado <Xpage=956>

Mus`co*va"do , n. Unrefined or raw sugar.

Muscovite <Xpage=956>

Mus"co*vite (?) , n. [See Muscovy glass .] 1. A native or inhabitant of Muscovy or ancient Russia; hence, a Russian.

2. (Min.) Common potash mica. See Mica .

Muscovy duck <Xpage=956>

Mus"co*vy duck` (?) . [A corruption of musk duck.] (Zo\'94l.) A duck ( Cairina moschata ), larger than the common duck, often raised in poultry yards. Called also musk duck . It is native of tropical America, from Mexico to Southern Brazil.

Muscovy glass <Xpage=956>

Mus"co*vy glass` (?) . [From Muscovy , the old name of Russia: cf. F. verre de Moscovie .] Mica; muscovite. See Mica .

Muscular <Xpage=956>

Mus"cu*lar (?) , a. [Cf. F. musculaire . See Muscle .] 1. Of or pertaining to a muscle, or to a system of muscles; consisting of, or constituting, a muscle or muscles; as, muscular fiber .

Great muscular strength, accompanied by much awkwardness. Macaulay.

2. Performed by, or dependent on, a muscle or the muscles. "The muscular motion."

Arbuthnot.

3. Well furnished with muscles; having well-developed muscles; brawny; hence, strong; powerful; vigorous; as, a muscular body or arm .

Muscular Christian , one who believes in a part of religious duty to maintain a healthful and vigorous physical state. T. Hughes . -- Muscular CHristianity . (a) The practice and opinion of those Christians who believe that it is a part of religious duty to maintain a vigorous condition of the body, and who therefore approve of athletic sports and exercises as conductive to good health, good morals, and right feelings in religious matters. T. Hughes . (b) An active, robust, and cheerful Christian life, as opposed to a meditative and gloomy one. C. Kingsley . -- Muscular excitability (Physiol.) , that property in virtue of which a muscle shortens, when it is stimulated; irritability. -- Muscular sense (Physiol.) , muscular sensibility; the sense by which we obtain knowledge of the condition of our muscles and to what extent they are contracted, also of the position of the various parts of our bodies and the resistance offering by external objects.

Muscularity <Xpage=956>

Mus`cu*lar"i*ty (?) , n. The state or quality of being muscular.

Grew.

Muscularize <Xpage=956>

Mus"cu*lar*ize (?) , v. t. To make muscular.

Lowell.

Muscularly <Xpage=956>

Mus"cu*lar*ly , adv. In a muscular manner.

Musculation <Xpage=956>

Mus`cu*la"tion (?) , n. (Anat.) The muscular system of an animal, or of any of its parts.

Musculature <Xpage=956>

Mus"cu*la*ture (?) , n. [Cf. F. musculature .] (Anat.) Musculation.

Muscule <Xpage=956>

Mus"cule (?) , n. [L. musculus : cf. F. muscule .] (Mil.) A long movable shed used by besiegers in ancient times in attacking the walls of a fortified town.

Musculin <Xpage=956>

Mus"cu*lin (?) , n. [L. musculus a muscle.] (Physiol. Chem.) See Syntonin .

Musculocutaneous <Xpage=956>

Mus`cu*lo*cu*ta"ne*ous (?) , a. [L. musculus + E. cutaneous .] (Anat.) Pertaining both to muscles and skin; as, the musculocutaneous nerve .

Musculophrenic <Xpage=956>

Mus`cu*lo*phren"ic (?) , a. [L. musculus muscle + E. phrenic .] (Anat.) Pertaining to the muscles and the diaphragm; as, the musculophrenic artery .

Musculosity <Xpage=956>

Mus`cu*los"i*ty (?) , n. The quality or state of being musculous; muscularity. [Obs.]

Musculospiral <Xpage=956>

Mus`cu*lo*spi"ral (?) , a. [L. musculus muscle + E. spiral .] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the muscles, and taking a spiral course; -- applied esp. to a large nerve of the arm.

Musculous <Xpage=956>

Mus"cu*lous (?) , a. [L. musculosus : cf. F. musculeux .] Muscular. [Obs.]

Jonhson.

Muse <Xpage=956>

Muse (?) , n. [From F. musse . See Muset .] A gap or hole in a hedge, hence, wall, or the like, through which a wild animal is accustomed to pass; a muset.

Find a hare without a muse . Old Prov.

Muse <Xpage=956>

Muse , n. [F. Muse , L. Musa , Gr. <?/. Cf. Mosaic , n. , Music .] 1. (Class. Myth.) One of the nine goddesses who presided over song and the different kinds of poetry, and also the arts and sciences; -- often used in the plural.

Granville commands; your aid, O Muses, bring: What Muse for Granville can refuse to sing? Pope.

&hand; The names of the Muses were Calliope , Clio , Erato , Euterpe , Melpomene , Polymnia or Polyhymnia , Terpsichore , Thalia , and Urania .

2. A particular power and practice of poetry.

Shak.

3. A poet; a bard. [R.]

Milton.

Muse <Xpage=956>

Muse , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Mused (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Musing .] [F. muser to loiter or trifle, orig., to stand with open mouth, fr. LL. musus , morsus , muzzle, snout, fr. L. morsus a biting, bite, fr. mordere to bite. See Morsel , and cf. Amuse, Muzzle, n. ] 1. To think closely; to study in silence; to meditate. "Thereon mused he."

Chaucer.

He mused upon some dangerous plot. Sir P. Sidney.

2. To be absent in mind; to be so occupied in study or contemplation as not to observe passing scenes or things present; to be in a brown study.

Daniel.

3. To wonder. [Obs.]

Spenser. B. Jonson.

Syn. -- To consider; meditate; ruminate. See Ponder .

Muse <Xpage=956>

Muse , v. t. 1. To think on; to meditate on.

Come, then, expressive Silence, muse his praise. Thomson.

2. To wonder at. [Obs.]

Shak.

Muse <Xpage=956>

Muse , n. 1. Contemplation which abstracts the mind from passing scenes; absorbing thought; hence, absence of mind; a brown study.

Milton.

2. Wonder, or admiration. [Obs.]

Spenser.

Museful <Xpage=956>

Muse"ful (?) , a. Meditative; thoughtfully silent. " Museful mopings." Dryden . -- Muse"ful*ly , adv.

Museless <Xpage=956>