Chapter 1624

Stan"nel (?) , n. [AS. st\'bengella , stangilla ; properly, stone yeller, i . e ., a bird that yells from the rocks. See Stone , and Yell , and cf. Stonegall .] (Zo\'94l.) The kestrel; -- called also standgale , standgall , stanchel , stand hawk , stannel hawk , steingale , stonegall . [Written also staniel , stannyel , and stanyel .]

With what wing the staniel checks at it. Shak.

Stannic <Xpage=1403>

Stan"nic (?) , a. [L. stannum tin: cf. F. stannique .] (Chem.) Of or pertaining to tin; derived from or containing tin; specifically, designating those compounds in which the element has a higher valence as contrasted with stannous compounds.

Stannic acid . (a) A hypothetical substance, Sn(OH)4 , analogous to silic acid, and called also normal stannic acid . (b) Metastannic acid. -- Stannic chloride , a thin, colorless, fuming liquid, SnCl4, used as a mordant in calico printing and dyeing; -- formerly called spirit of tin , or fuming liquor of Libavius . -- Stannic oxide , tin oxide, SnO2 , produced artificially as a white amorphous powder, and occurring naturally in the mineral cassiterite. It is used in the manufacture of white enamels, and, under the name of putty powder , for polishing glass, etc.

Stanniferous <Xpage=1403>

Stan*nif"er*ous (?) , a. [L. stannum tin + -ferous .] Containing or affording tin.

Stannine, Stannite <Xpage=1403>

Stan"nine (?) , Stan"nite (?) , n. (Min.) A mineral of a steel<?/gray or iron-black color; tin pyrites. It is a sulphide of tin, copper, and iron.

Stanno- <Xpage=1403>

Stan"no- (?) . [L. stannum tin.] (Chem.) A combining form (also used adjectively) denoting relation to , or connection with , tin , or including tin as an ingredient .

Stannofluoride <Xpage=1403>

Stan`no*flu"or*ide (?) , n. (Chem.) Any one of a series of double fluorides of tin ( stannum ) and some other element.

Stannoso- <Xpage=1403>

Stan*no"so- (?) , a. (Chem.) A combining form (also used adjectively) denoting relation to , or connection with , certain stannnous compounds .

Stannotype <Xpage=1403>

Stan"no*type (?) , n. [ Stanno- + -type .] (Photog.) A photograph taken upon a tin plate; a tintype.

Stannous <Xpage=1403>

Stan"nous (?) , a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or containing, tin; specifically, designating those compounds in which the element has a lower valence as contrasted with stannic compounds.

Stannous chloride (Chem.) , a white crystalline substance, SnCl2.(H2O)2 , obtained by dissolving tin in hydrochloric acid. It is used as a mordant in dyeing.

Stannum <Xpage=1403>

Stan"num (?) , n. [L., alloy of silver and lead; later, tin.] (Chem.) The technical name of tin. See Tin .

Stannyel, Stanyel <Xpage=1403>

Stann"yel , Stan"yel (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) See Stannel .

Stant, Stont <Xpage=1403>

Stant (?) , Stont (?) , obs. 3d pers. sing. pres. of Stand , for standeth . Stands.

Chaucer.

Stanza <Xpage=1403>

Stan"za (?) , n. ; pl. Stanzas (#) . [It. stanza a room, habitation, a stanza, i. e. , a stop, fr. L. stans , p.pr. of stare to stand. See Stand , and cf. Estancia , Stance , Stanchion .] 1. A number of lines or verses forming a division of a song or poem, and agreeing in meter, rhyme, number of lines, etc., with other divisions; a part of a poem, ordinarily containing every variation of measure in that poem; a combination or arrangement of lines usually recurring; whether like or unlike, in measure.

Horace confines himself strictly to one sort of verse, or stanza , in every ode. Dryden.

2. (Arch.) An apartment or division in a building; a room or chamber.

Stanzaic <Xpage=1403>

Stan*za"ic (?) , a. Pertaining to, or consisting of, stanzas; as, a couplet in stanzaic form .

Stapedial <Xpage=1403>

Sta*pe"di*al (?) , a. [LL. stapes stirrup.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to stapes.

Stapelia <Xpage=1403>

Sta*pe"li*a (?) , n. [NL. So named after John Bod\'91us a Stapel , a physician of Amsterdam.] (Bot.) An extensive and curious genus of African plants of the natural order Asclepiadace\'91 (Milkweed family). They are succulent plants without leaves, frequently covered with dark tubercles giving them a very grotesque appearance. The odor of the blossoms is like that of carrion.

Stapes <Xpage=1403>

Sta"pes (?) , n. [LL., a stirrup.] (Anat.) The innermost of the ossicles of the ear; the stirrup, or stirrup bone; -- so called from its form. See Illust . of Ear .

Staphyline <Xpage=1403>

Staph"y*line (?) , a. [Gr. <?/ botryodial, from <?/ a bunch of grapes.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the uvula or the palate.

Staphylinid <Xpage=1403>

Staph`y*li"nid (?) , n. [Gr. <?/ a kind of insect.] (Zo\'94l.) Any rove beetle.

Staphyloma <Xpage=1403>

Staph`y*lo"ma (?) , n. [L., fr. Gr. <?/, fr. <?/ a bunch of grapes.] (Med.) A protrusion of any part of the globe of the eye; as, a staphyloma of the cornea .

Staphylomatous <Xpage=1403>

Staph`y*lo"ma*tous (?) , a. (Med.) Of or pertaining to staphyloma; affected with staphyloma.

Staphyloplasty <Xpage=1403>

Staph"y*lo*plas`ty (?) , n. [Gr. <?/ a bunch of grapes, also, the uvula when swollen at the lower end + -plasty .] (Surg.) The operation for restoring or replacing the soft palate when it has been lost. Dunglison . -- Staph`y*lo*plas"tic (#) , a.

Staphyloraphy, Staphylorrhaphy <Xpage=1403>

Staph`y*lor"a*phy , Staph`y*lor"rha*phy (?) , n. [Gr. <?/ the uvula when swollen + <?/ to sew: cf. F. staphylorraphie .] The operation of uniting a cleft palate, consisting in paring and bringing together the edges of the cleft. -- Staph`y*lo*raph"ic (#) , Staph`y*lor*rhaph"ic (#) , a.

Staphylotomy <Xpage=1403>

Staph`y*lot"o*my (?) , n. [Gr. <?/ the uvula when swollen + <?/ to cut.] (Surg.) The operation of removing a staphyloma by cutting.

Staple <Xpage=1403>

Sta"ple (?) , n. [AS. stapul , stapol , stapel , a step, a prop, post, table, fr. stapan to step, go, raise; akin to D. stapel a pile, stocks, emporium, G. stapel a heap, mart, stake, staffel step of a ladder, Sw. stapel , Dan. stabel , and E. step cf. OF. estaple a mart, F. \'82tape . See Step .] 1. A settled mart; an emporium; a city or town to which merchants brought commodities for sale or exportation in bulk; a place for wholesale traffic.

The customs of Alexandria were very great, it having been the staple of the Indian trade. Arbuthnot.

For the increase of trade and the encouragement of the worthy burgesses of Woodstock, her majesty was minded to erect the town into a staple for wool. Sir W. Scott.

&hand; In England, formerly, the king's staple was established in certain ports or towns, and certain goods could not be exported without being first brought to these places to be rated and charged with the duty payable of the king or the public. The principal commodities on which customs were lived were wool, skins, and leather; and these were originally the staple commodities.

2. Hence: Place of supply; source; fountain head.

Whitehall naturally became the chief staple of news. Whenever there was a rumor that any thing important had happened or was about to happen, people hastened thither to obtain intelligence from the fountain head. Macaulay.

3. The principal commodity of traffic in a market; a principal commodity or production of a country or district; as, wheat, maize, and cotton are great staples of the United States .

We should now say, Cotton is the great staple , that is, the established merchandize, of Manchester. Trench.

4. The principal constituent in anything; chief item.

5. Unmanufactured material; raw material.

6. The fiber of wool, cotton, flax, or the like; as, a coarse staple ; a fine staple ; a long or short staple .

7. A loop of iron, or a bar or wire, bent and formed with two points to be driven into wood, to hold a hook, pin, or the like.

8. (Mining) (a) A shaft, smaller and shorter than the principal one, joining different levels. (b) A small pit.

9. A district granted to an abbey. [Obs.]

Camden.

Staple <Xpage=1403>

Sta"ple , a. 1. Pertaining to, or being market of staple for, commodities; as, a staple town . [R.]

2. Established in commerce; occupying the markets; settled; as, a staple trade .

Dryden.

3. Fit to be sold; marketable. [R.]

Swift.

4. Regularly produced or manufactured in large quantities; belonging to wholesale traffic; principal; chief.

Wool, the great staple commodity of England. H<?/<?/<?/om.

Staple <Xpage=1403>

Sta"ple , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. stapled (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. stapling .] To sort according to its staple; as, to staple cotton .

Stapler <Xpage=1403>

Sta"pler (?) , n. 1. A dealer in staple goods.

2. One employed to assort wool according to its staple.

Star <Xpage=1403>

Star (?) , n. [OE. sterre , AS. steorra ; akin to OFries. stera , OS. sterro , D. ster , OHG. sterno , sterro , G. stern , Icel. stjarna , Sw. stjerna , Dan. stierne , Goth. sta\'a1rn\'d3 , Armor. & Corn. stern , L. stella , Gr. <?/, <?/, Skr. star ; perhaps from a root meaning, to seater, Skr. st<?/ , L. sternere (cf. Stratum ), and originally applied to the stars as beingstrewn over the sky, or as beingscatterers or spreaders of light. \'fb296. Cf. Aster , Asteroid , Constellation , Disaster , Stellar .] 1. One of the innumerable luminous bodies seen in the heavens; any heavenly body other than the sun, moon, comets, and nebul\'91.

His eyen twinkled in his head aright, As do the stars in the frosty night. Chaucer.

&hand; The stars are distinguished as planets , and fixed stars . See Planet , Fixed stars under Fixed , and Magnitude of a star under Magnitude .

2. The polestar; the north star.

Shak.

3. (Astrol.) A planet supposed to influence one's destiny; (usually pl. ) a configuration of the planets, supposed to influence fortune.

O malignant and ill-brooding stars . Shak.

Blesses his stars , and thinks it luxury. Addison.

4. That which resembles the figure of a star, as an ornament worn on the breast to indicate rank or honor.

On whom . . . Lavish Honor showered all her stars . Tennyson.

5. Specifically, a radiated mark in writing or printing; an asterisk [thus, *]; -- used as a reference to a note, or to fill a blank where something is omitted, etc.

6. (Pyrotechny) A composition of combustible matter used in the heading of rockets, in mines, etc., which, exploding of a air, presents a starlike appearance.

7. A person of brilliant and attractive qualities, especially on public occasions, as a distinguished orator, a leading theatrical performer, etc.

&hand; Star is used in the formation of compound words generally or obvious signification: as, star -aspiring, star -bespangled, star -bestudded, star -blasting, star -bright, star -crowned, star -directed, star -eyed, star -headed, star -paved, star -roofed; star -sprinkled, star -wreathed.

<page="1404"> Page 1404

Blazing star , Double star , Multiple star , Shooting star , etc. See under Blazing , Double , etc. -- Nebulous star (Astron.) , a small well-defined circular nebula, having a bright nucleus at its center like a star. -- Star anise (Bot.) , any plant of the genus Illicium; -- so called from its star-shaped capsules. -- Star apple (Bot.) , a tropical American tree ( Chrysophyllum Cainito ), having a milky juice and oblong leaves with a silky-golden pubescence beneath. It bears an applelike fruit, the carpels of which present a starlike figure when cut across. The name is extended to the whole genus of about sixty species, and the natural order ( Sapotace\'91 ) to which it belongs is called the Star-apple family . -- Star conner , one who cons, or studies, the stars; an astronomer or an astrologer. Gascoigne . -- Star coral (Zo\'94l.) , any one of numerous species of stony corals belonging to Astr\'91a , Orbicella , and allied genera, in which the calicles are round or polygonal and contain conspicuous radiating septa. -- Star cucumber . (Bot.) See under Cucumber . -- Star flower . (Bot.) (a) A plant of the genus Ornithogalum ; star-of-Bethlehem . (b) See Starwort (b) . (c) An American plant of the genus Trientalis ( Trientalis Americana ) . Gray . -- Star fort (Fort.) , a fort surrounded on the exterior with projecting angles; -- whence the name. -- Star gauge (Ordnance) , a long rod, with adjustable points projecting radially at its end, for measuring the size of different parts of the bore of a gun. -- Star grass . (Bot.) (a) A small grasslike plant ( Hypoxis erecta ) having star-shaped yellow flowers . (b) The colicroot . See Colicroot . -- Star hyacinth (Bot.) , a bulbous plant of the genus Scilla ( S. autumnalis ); -- called also star-headed hyacinth . -- Star jelly (Bot.) , any one of several gelatinous plants ( Nostoc commune , N. edule , etc.). See Nostoc . -- Star lizard . (Zo\'94l.) Same as Stellion . -- Star-of-Bethlehem (Bot.) , a bulbous liliaceous plant ( Ornithogalum umbellatum ) having a small white starlike flower. -- Star-of-the-earth ( Bot .), a plant of the genus Plantago ( P. coronopus ), growing upon the seashore. -- Star polygon (Geom.) , a polygon whose sides cut each other so as to form a star-shaped figure. -- Stars and Stripes , a popular name for the flag of the United States, which consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, alternately red and white, and a union having, in a blue field, white stars to represent the several States, one for each.

With the old flag, the true American flag, the Eagle, and the Stars and Stripes , waving over the chamber in which we sit. D. Webster.

-- Star showers . See Shooting star , under Shooting . -- Star thistle (Bot.) , an annual composite plant ( Centaurea solstitialis ) having the involucre armed with radiating spines. -- Star wheel (Mach.) , a star-shaped disk, used as a kind of ratchet wheel, in repeating watches and the feed motions of some machines. -- Star worm (Zo\'94l.) , a gephyrean. -- Temporary star (Astron.) , a star which appears suddenly, shines for a period, and then nearly or quite disappears. These stars are supposed by some astronometers to be variable stars of long and undetermined periods. -- Variable star (Astron.) , a star whose brilliancy varies periodically, generally with regularity, but sometimes irregularly; -- called periodical star when its changes occur at fixed periods. -- Water star grass (Bot.) , an aquatic plant ( Schollera graminea ) with small yellow starlike blossoms.

Star <Xpage=1404>

Star (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Starred (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Starring .] To set or adorn with stars, or bright, radiating bodies; to bespangle; as, a robe starred with gems . "A sable curtain starred with gold."

Young.

Star <Xpage=1404>

Star , v. i. To be bright, or attract attention, as a star; to shine like a star; to be brilliant or prominent; to play a part as a theatrical star. <-- i.e., to be the most prominent or one of the two most prominent actors in the cast of a drama or film. -->

W. Irving.

Star-blind <Xpage=1404>

Star"-blind` (?) , a. Half blind.

Starboard <Xpage=1404>

Star"board` (?) , n. [OE. sterbord , AS. ste\'a2rbord , i.e., steer board. See Steer , v. t. , Board of a vessel, and cf. Larboard .] (Naut.) That side of a vessel which is one of the right hand of a person who stands on board facing the bow; -- opposed to larboard , or port .

Starboard <Xpage=1404>

Star"board` , a. (Naut.) Pertaining to the right-hand side of a ship; being or lying on the right side; as, the starboard quarter; starboard tack.

Starboard <Xpage=1404>

Star"board` , v. t. (Naut.) To put to the right, or starboard, side of a vessel; as, to starboard the helm .

Starblowlines <Xpage=1404>

Star"blow`lines (?) , n. pl. (Naut.) The men in the starboard watch. [Obs.]

R. H. Dana, Jr.

Starch <Xpage=1404>

Starch (?) , a. [AS. stearc stark, strong, rough. See Stark .] Stiff; precise; rigid. [R.]

Killingbeck.

Starch <Xpage=1404>

Starch , n. [From starch stiff, cf. G. st\'84rke , fr. stark strong.] 1. (Chem.) A widely diffused vegetable substance found especially in seeds, bulbs, and tubers, and extracted (as from potatoes, corn, rice, etc.) as a white, glistening, granular or powdery substance, without taste or smell, and giving a very peculiar creaking sound when rubbed between the fingers. It is used as a food, in the production of commercial grape sugar, for stiffening linen in laundries, in making paste, etc.

&hand; Starch is a carbohydrate, being the typical amylose, C6H10O5 , and is detected by the fine blue color given to it by free iodine. It is not fermentable as such, but is changed by diastase into dextrin and maltose, and by heating with dilute acids into dextrose. Cf. Sugar , Inulin , and Lichenin .

2. Fig.: A stiff, formal manner; formality.

Addison.

Starch hyacinth (Bot.) , the grape hyacinth; -- so called because the flowers have the smell of boiled starch. See under Grape .

Starch <Xpage=1404>

Starch , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Starched (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Starching .] To stiffen with starch.

Star-chamber <Xpage=1404>