The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
Chapter 1037
Nob"bi*ly (?) , adv. In a nobby manner. [Slang]
Nobbler <Xpage=978>
Nob"bler (?) , n. A dram of spirits. [Australia]
Nobby <Xpage=978>
Nob"by (?) , a. [From 2d Nob .] Stylish; modish; elegant; showy; aristocratic; fashionable. [Slang]
Nobiliary <Xpage=978>
No*bil"ia*ry (?) , a. [F. nobiliare . See Noble .] Of or pertaining to the nobility.
Fitzed. Hall.
Nobiliary <Xpage=978>
No*bil"ia*ry , n. A history of noble families.
Nobilify <Xpage=978>
No*bil"i*fy (?) , v. t. [L. nobilis noble + -fy .] To make noble; to nobiliate. [Obs.]
Nobilitate <Xpage=978>
No*bil"i*tate (?) , v. t. [L. nobilitatus , p.p. of nobilitare .] To make noble; to ennoble; to exalt. [Obs.]
Nobilitation <Xpage=978>
No*bil`i*ta"tion (?) , n. [Cf. OF. nobilitation .] The act of making noble. [Obs.]
Dr. H. More.
Nobility <Xpage=978>
No*bil"i*ty (?) , n. [L. nobilitas : cf. OF. nobilit\'82 . See Noble .] 1. The quality or state of being noble; superiority of mind or of character; commanding excellence; eminence.
Though she hated Amphialus, yet the nobility of her courage prevailed over it. Sir P. Sidney.
They thought it great their sovereign to control, And named their pride nobility of soul. Dryden.
2. The state of being of high rank or noble birth; patrician dignity; antiquity of family; distinction by rank, station, or title, whether inherited or conferred.
I fell on the same argument of preferring virtue to nobility of blood and titles, in the story of Sigismunda. Dryden.
3. Those who are noble; the collictive body of nobles or titled persons in a stste; the aristocratic and patrician class; the peerage; as, the English nobility .
Noble <Xpage=978>
No"ble (?) , a. [ Compar. Nobler (?) ; superl. Noblest (?) .] [F. noble , fr. L. nobilis that can be or is known, well known, famous, highborn, noble, fr. noscere to know. See know .] 1. Possessing eminence, elevation, dignity, etc.; above whatever is low, mean, degrading, or dishonorable; magnanimous; as, a noble nature or action; a noble heart.
Statues, with winding ivy crowned, belong To nobler poets for a nobler song. Dryden.
2. Grand; stately; magnificent; splendid; as, a noble edifice .
3. Of exalted rank; of or pertaining to the nobility; distinguished from the masses by birth, station, or title; highborn; as, noble blood; a noble personage.
&hand; Noble is used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, noble -born, noble -hearted, noble -minded.
Noble metals (Chem.) , silver, gold, and platinum; -- so called from their freedom from oxidation and permanence in air. Copper, mercury, aluminium, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and osmium are sometimes included.
Syn. -- Honorable; worthy; dignified; elevated; exalted; superior; sublime; great; eminent; illustrious; renowned; stately; splendid; magnificent; grand; magnanimous; generous; liberal; free.
Noble <Xpage=978>
No"ble , n. 1. A person of rank above a commoner; a nobleman; a peer.
2. An English money of account, and, formerly, a gold coin, of the value of 6 s. 8 d. sterling, or about $1.61.
3. (Zo\'94l.) A European fish; the lyrie.
Noble <Xpage=978>
No"ble , v. t. To make noble; to ennoble. [Obs.]
Thou nobledest so far forth our nature. Chaucer.
Nobleman <Xpage=978>
No"ble*man (?) , n. ; pl. Noblemen (<?/) . One of the nobility; a noble; a peer; one who enjoys rank above a commoner, either by virtue of birth, by office, or by patent.
Noble-minded <Xpage=978>
No"ble-mind`ed (?) , a. Having a noble mind; honorable; magnanimous. -- No"ble-mind`ed*ness , n.
Nobleness <Xpage=978>
No"ble*ness , n. The quality or state of being noble; greatness; dignity; magnanimity; elevation of mind, character, or station; nobility; grandeur; stateliness.
His purposes are full honesty, nobleness , and integrity. Jer. Taylor.
Nobless, Noblesse <Xpage=978>
No*bless" , No*blesse" (?; 277) , n. [F. noblesse . See Noble .] 1. Dignity; greatness; noble birth or condition. [Obs.]
Chaucer. Spenser. B. Jonson.
2. The nobility; persons of noble rank collectively, including males and females.
Dryden.
Noblewoman <Xpage=978>
No"ble*wom`an (?) , n. ; pl. Noblewomen (<?/) . A female of noble rank; a peeress.
Nobley <Xpage=978>
No"bley (?) , n. [OF. nobleie .] 1. The body of nobles; the nobility. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
2. Noble birth; nobility; dignity. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Nobly <Xpage=978>
No"bly (?) , adv. 1. Of noble extraction; as, nobly born or descended .
2. In a noble manner; with greatness of soul; heroically; with magnanimity; as, a deed nobly done .
3. Splendidly; magnificently.
Syn. -- Illustriously; honorably; magnanimously; heroically; worthly; eminently; grandly.
Nobody <Xpage=978>
No"bod*y (?) , n. ; pl. Nobodies (#) . [ No , a. + body .] 1. No person; no one; not anybody.
2. Hence: A person of no influence or importance; an insignificant or contemptible person. [Colloq.]
Nocake <Xpage=978>
No"cake (?) , n. [Corrupted fr. Indian nookhik meal. Palfrey .] Indian corn parched, and beaten to powder, -- used for food by the Northern American Indians.
Nocent <Xpage=978>
No"cent (?) , a. [L. nocens , p.pr. of nocere to hurt. See Nuisance , Noxious .] 1. Doing hurt, or having a tendency to hurt; hurtful; mischievous; noxious; as, nocent qualities .
I. Watts.
2. Guilty; -- the opposite of innocent . [Obs.]
Foxe.
Nocent <Xpage=978>
No"cent , n. A criminal. [Obs.]
Sir T. Browne.
Nocently <Xpage=978>
No"cent*ly , adv. Hurtfully; injuriosly. [R.]
Nocive <Xpage=978>
No"cive (?) , a. [L. nocivus , fr. nocere to hurt.] Hurtful; injurious. [R.]
Hooker.
Nock <Xpage=978>
Nock (?) , n. [See Notch .] 1. A notch.
He took his arrow by the nock . Chapman.
2. (Naut.) The upper fore corner of a boom sail or of a trysail.
Nock <Xpage=978>
Nock , v. t. To notch; to fit to the string, as an arrow; to string, as a bow.
Chapman.
Noctambulation <Xpage=978>
Noc*tam`bu*la"tion (?) , n. [L. nox , noctis , night + ambulare to walk: cf. F. noctambulation .] Somnambulism; walking in sleep.
Quain.
Noctambulism <Xpage=978>
Noc*tam"bu*lism (?) , n. Somnambulism.
Noctambulist <Xpage=978>
Noc*tam"bu*list (?) , n. A somnambulist.
Noctambulo <Xpage=978>
Noc*tam"bu*lo (?) , n. A noctambulist. [Obs.]
Noctidial <Xpage=978>
Noc*tid"i*al (?) , a. [L. nox , noctos , night + dies day.] Comprising a night and a day; a noctidial day. [R.]
Holder.
Noctiferous <Xpage=978>
Noc*tif"er*ous (?) , a. [L. noctifer ; nox , noctis + ferre to bring.] Bringing night. [Obs.]
Johnson.
Noctilionid <Xpage=978>
Noc*til"i*o*nid (?) , n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zo\'94l.) A South American bat of the genus Noctilio , having cheek pouches and large incisor teeth.
Noctiluca <Xpage=978>
Noc`ti*lu"ca (?) , n. ; pl. Noctiluc\'92 (#) . [L. noctiluca something that shines by night, fr. nox , noctis , night + lucere to shine, lux light.] 1. (Old Chem.) That which shines at night; -- a fanciful name for phosphorus.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of marine flagellate Infusoria, remarkable for their unusually large size and complex structure, as well as for their phosphorescence. The brilliant diffuse phosphorescence of the sea is often due to myriads of Noctiluc\'91.
Noctilucin <Xpage=978>
Noc*ti*lu"cin (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A fatlike substance in certain marine animals, to which they owe their phosphorescent properties.
Noctilucine <Xpage=978>
Noc`ti*lu"cine (?) , a. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to Noctiluca.
Noctilucous <Xpage=978>
Noc`ti*lu"cous (?) , a. Shining in the night.
Noctivagant <Xpage=978>
Noc*tiv"a*gant (?) , a. [L. nox , noctis , night + vagans , p.pr. of vagari to wander about.] (Zo\'94l.) Going about in the night; night-wandering.
Noctivagation <Xpage=978>
Noc*tiv`a*ga"tion (?) , n. A roving or going about in the night.
Gayton.
Noctivagous <Xpage=978>
Noc*tiv"a*gous (?) , a. [L. noctivagus ; nox , noctis + vagus wandering.] Noctivagant.
Noctograph <Xpage=978>
Noc"to*graph (?) , n. [L. nox , noctis , night + -graph .] 1. A kind of writing frame for the blind.
2. An instrument or register which records the presence of watchmen on their beats.
Knight.
Noctuary <Xpage=978>
Noc"tu*a*ry (?; 135) , n. [L. noctu by night.] A record of what passes in the night; a nightly journal; -- distinguished from diary . [R.]
Addison.
Noctuid <Xpage=978>
Noc"tu*id (?) , n. [From L. nox , noctis , night.] (Zo\'94l.) Any one of numerous moths of the family Noctuid\'91 , or Noctu\'91lit\'91 , as the cutworm moths, and armyworm moths; -- so called because they fly at night. -- a. Of or pertaining to the noctuids, or family Noctuid\'91 .
Noctule <Xpage=978>
Noc"tule (?; 135) , n. [F., fr. L. noctua a night owl, fr. nox , noctis , night.] (Zo\'94l.) A large European bat ( Vespertilio, ∨ Noctulina, altivolans ).
Nocturn <Xpage=978>
Noc"turn (?) , n. [F. nocturne , fr. L. nocturnus . See Nocturnal , and cf. Nocturne .] 1. An office of devotion, or act of religious service, by night.
2. One of the portions into which the Psalter was divided, each consisting of nine psalms, designed to be used at a night service.
Hook.
Nocturnal <Xpage=978>
Noc*tur"nal (?) , a. [L. nocturnalis , nocturnus , fr. nox , noctis , night. See Night , and cf. Nocturn .] 1. Of, pertaining to, done or occuring in, the night; as, nocturnal darkness, cries, expedition, etc. ; -- opposed to diurnal .
Dryden.
2. Having a habit of seeking food or moving about at night; as, nocturnal birds and insects .
Nocturnal <Xpage=978>
Noc*tur"nal , n. An instrument formerly used for taking the altitude of the stars, etc., at sea.
I. Watts.
Nocturnally <Xpage=978>
Noc*tur"nal*ly , adv. By night; nightly.
Nocturne <Xpage=978>
Noc*turne" (?) , n. [F. See Nocturn .] (Mus.) A night piece, or serenade. The name is now used for a certain graceful and expressive form of instrumental composition, as the nocturne for orchestra in Mendelsohn's "Midsummer-Night's Dream" music.
Nocument <Xpage=978>
Noc"u*ment (?) , n. [LL. nocumentum , fr. L. nocere to hurt.] Harm; injury; detriment. [Obs.]
Nocuous <Xpage=978>
Noc"u*ous (?) , a. [L. nocuus , fr. nocere to hurt.] Hurtful; noxious. [R.] -- Noc"u*ous*ly , adv. [R.]
Nod <Xpage=978>
Nod (?) , v. i. [OE. nodden ; cf. OHG. kn<?/t<?/n , ge nuot<?/n , to shake, and E. nudge .] 1. To bend or incline the upper part, with a quick motion; as, nodding plumes .
2. To incline the head with a quick motion; to make a slight bow; to make a motion of assent, of salutation, or of drowsiness, with the head; as, to nod at one .
3. To be drowsy or dull; to be careless.
Nor is it Homer nods , but we that dream. Pope.
Nod <Xpage=978>
Nod , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Nodded (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Nodding .] 1. To incline or bend, as the head or top; to make a motion of assent, of salutation, or of drowsiness with; as, to nod the head .
2. To signify by a nod; as, to nod approbation .
3. To cause to bend. [Poetic]
By every wind that nods the mountain pine. Keats.
Nod <Xpage=978>
Nod (?) , n. 1. A dropping or bending forward of the upper oart or top of anything.
Like a drunken sailor on a mast, Ready with every nod to tumble down. Shak.
2. A quick or slight downward or forward motion of the head, in assent, in familiar salutation, in drowsiness, or in giving a signal, or a command.
A look or a nod only ought to correct them [the children] when they do amiss. Locke.
Nations obey my word and wait my nod . Prior.
The land of Nod , sleep.
Nodal <Xpage=978>
Nod"al (?) , a. Of the nature of, or relating to, a node; as, a nodal point .
Nodal line , Nodal point , in a vibrating plate or cord, that line or point which remains at rest while the other parts of the body are in a state of vibration.
Nodated <Xpage=978>
No"da*ted (?) , a. [L. nodatus , p.p. of nodare to make knotty, fr. nodus knot. See Node .] Knotted.
Nodated hyperbola (Geom.) , a certain curve of the third order having two branches which cross each other, forming a node.
Nodation <Xpage=978>
No*da"tion (?) , n. [L. nodatio knottiness.] Act of making a knot, or state of being knotted. [R.]
Nodder <Xpage=978>
Nod"der (?) , n. One who nods; a drowsy person.
Nodding <Xpage=978>
Nod"ding (?) , a. Curved so that the apex hangs down; having the top bent downward.
Noddle <Xpage=978>
Nod"dle (?) , n. [OE. nodil , nodle ; perh. fr. nod , because the head is the nodding part of the body, or perh. akin to E. knot ; cf. Prov. E. nod the nape of the neck.] 1. The head; -- used jocosely or contemptuously. <-- now usu. noodle (not in W1913) or noggin -->
Come, master, I have a project in my noddle . L'Estrange.
2. The back part of the head or neck. [Obs.]
For occasion ... turneth a bald noddle , after she hath presented her locks in front, and no hold taken. Bacon.
Noddy <Xpage=978>
Nod"dy (?) , n. ; pl. Noddies (#) . [Prob. fr. nod to incline the head, either as in assent, or from drowsiness.] 1. A simpleton; a fool.
L'Estrange.
2. (Zo\'94l.) (a) Any tern of the genus Anous , as A. stolidus . (b) The arctic fulmar ( Fulmarus glacialis ). Sometimes also applied to other sea birds.
3. An old game at cards.
Halliwell.
4. A small two-wheeled one-horse vehicle.
5. An inverted pendulum consisting of a short vertical flat spring which supports a rod having a bob at the top; -- used for detecting and measuring slight horizontal vibrations of a body to which it is attached.
Node <Xpage=978>
Node (?) , n. [L. nodus ; perh. akin to E. knot . Cf. Noose , Nowed .] 1. A knot, a knob; a protuberance; a swelling.
2. Specifically: (a) (Astron.) One of the two points where the orbit of a planet, or comet, intersects the ecliptic, or the orbit of a satellite intersects the plane of the orbit of its primary. (b) (Bot.) The joint of a stem, or the part where a leaf or several leaves are inserted. (c) (Dialing) A hole in the gnomon of a dial, through which passes the ray of light which marks the hour of the day, the parallels of the sun's declination, his place in the ecliptic, etc. (d) (Geom.) The point at which a curve crosses itself, being a double point of the curve. See Crunode , and Acnode . (e) (Mech.) The point at which the lines of a funicular machine meet from different angular directions; -- called also knot . W. R. Johnson. (f) (poet.) The knot, intrigue, or plot of a piece . (g) (Med.) A hard concretion or incrustation which forms upon bones attacked with rheumatism, gout, or syphilis; sometimes also, a swelling in the neighborhood of a joint . Dunglison. (h) (Mus) One of the fixed points of a sonorous string, when it vibrates by aliquot parts, and produces the harmonic tones; nodal line or point . (i) (Zo\'94l.) A swelling .
Ascending node (Astron.) , the node at which the body is passing northerly, marked with the symbol &astascending;, called the Dragon's head . Called also northern node . -- Descending node , the node at which the body is moving southwardly, marked thus &astdescending;, called Dragon's tail . -- Line of nodes , a straight line joining the two nodes of an orbit.
Nodical <Xpage=978>
Nod"ic*al (?) , a. Of or pertaining to the nodes; from a node to the same node again; as, the nodical revolutions of the moon .
Nodical month . See Lunar month , under Month .
Nodosarine <Xpage=978>
No`do*sa"rine (?) , a. (Zo\'94l.) Resembling in form or structure a foraminiferous shell of the genus Nodosaria . -- n. (Zo\'94l.) A foraminifer of the genus Nodosaria or of an allied genus.
Nodose <Xpage=978>
No*dose" (?) , a. [L. nodosus , fr. nodus knot.] 1. Knotty; having numerous or conspicuous nodes.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Having nodes or prominences; having the alternate joints enlarged, as the antenn\'91 of certain insects.
Nodosity <Xpage=978>
No*dos"i*ty (<?/) , n. [L. nodositas .] 1. The quality of being knotty or nodose; resemblance to a node or swelling; knottiness.
Holland.
2. A knot; a node.
Nodosous, Nodous <Xpage=978>
No*do"sous (?) , No"dous (?) , a. Nodose; knotty; knotted. [Obs.]
Nodular <Xpage=978>