The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
Chapter 348
2. Reserved; formal; close; cold. [Obs.] "A costive brain." Prior . " Costive of laughter." B. Jonson .
You must be frank, but without indiscretion; and close, but without being costive . Lord Chesterfield.
3. Dry and hard; impermeable; unyielding. [Obs.]
Clay in dry seasons is costive , hardening with the sun and wind. Mortimer.
Costively <Xpage=329>
Cos"tive*ly , adv. In a costive manner.
Costiveness <Xpage=329>
Cos"tive*ness , n. 1. An unnatural retention of the fecal matter of the bowels; constipation.
2. Inability to express one's self; stiffness. [Obs.]
A reverend disputant of the same costiveness in public elocution with myself. Wakefield.
Costless <Xpage=329>
Cost"less (k?st"l?s; 115) , a. Costing nothing.
Costlewe <Xpage=329>
Cost"lewe (-l?) , a. Costly. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Costliness <Xpage=329>
Cost"li*ness (-l?-n?s) , n. The quality of being costy; expensiveness; sumptuousness.
Costly <Xpage=329>
Cost"ly (k?st"l?; 115) , a. [From Cost expense.]
1. Of great cost; expensive; dear.
He had fitted up his palace in the most costly and sumptuous style, for the accomodation of the princess. Prescott.
2. Gorgeous; sumptuous. [Poetic.]
To show how costly summer was at hand. Shak.
Costmary <Xpage=329>
Cost"ma*ry (k?st"m?-r?) , n. [L. costum an Oriental aromatic plant (Gr. <?/<?/<?/, cf. Ar. kost , kust ) + Maria Mary. Cf. Alecost .] (Bot.) A garden plant ( Chrysanthemum Balsamita ) having a strong balsamic smell, and nearly allied to tansy. It is used as a pot herb and salad plant and in flavoring ale and beer. Called also alecost .
Costotome <Xpage=329>
Cos"to*tome (k?s"t?-t?m) , n. [ Costa + Gr. <?/<?/<?/<?/ to cut.] An instrument (chisel or shears) to cut the ribs and open the thoracic cavity, in post-mortem examinations and dissections.
Knight.
Costrel <Xpage=329>
Cos"trel (k?s"tr?l) , n. [CF.W. costrel , OF. costrel , LL. costrellum , a liquid measure, costrellus a wine cup.] A bottle of leather, earthenware, or wood, having ears by which it was suspended at the side. [Archaic]
A youth, that, following with a costrel , bore The means of goodly welcome, flesh and wine. Tennyson.
Costume <Xpage=329>
Cos"tume` (k?s"t?m` ∨ k?s-t?m") , n. [F. costume , It. costume custom, dress, fr. L. consuetumen (not found), for consuetudo custom. See Custom , and cf. Consuetude .] 1. Dress in general; esp., the distinctive style of dress of a people, class, or period.
2. Such an arrangement of accessories, as in a picture, statue, poem, or play, as is appropriate to the time, place, or other circumstances represented or described.
I began last night to read Walter Scott's Lay of the Last Minstrel . . . .I was extremely delighted with the poetical beauty of some parts . . . .The costume , too, is admirable. Sir J. Mackintosh.
3. A character dress, used at fancy balls or for dramatic purposes.
Costumer <Xpage=329>
Cos"tum`er (-t?m`?r) , n. One who makes or deals in costumes, as for theaters, fancy balls, etc.
Co-sufferer <Xpage=329>
Co-suf"fer*er (k?-s?f"f?r-?r) , n. One who suffers with another.
Wycherley.
Cosupreme <Xpage=329>
Co`su*preme" (k?`s?-pr?m") , n. A partaker of supremacy; one jointly supreme.
Shak.
Cosurety <Xpage=329>
Co*sure"ty (k?-sh?r"t?; 136) , n. ; pl. Cosureties (-t<?/z) . One who is surety with another.
Cosy <Xpage=329>
Co"sy (k?"z?) , a. See Cozy .
Cot <Xpage=329>
Cot (k?t) , n. [OE. cot , cote , AS. cot , cote , cottage; akin to D. & Icel. kot , G. koth , kot , kothe . Cf. Coat .]
1. A small house; a cottage or hut.
The sheltered cot , the cultivated farm. Goldsmith.
2. A pen, coop, or like shelter for small domestic animals, as for sheep or pigeons; a cote.
3. A cover or sheath; as, a roller cot (the clothing of a drawing roller in a spinning frame); a cot for a sore finger.
4. [Cf. Ir. cot .] A small, rudely-formed boat.
Bell cot . (Arch.) See under Bell .
Cot <Xpage=329>
Cot (k?t) , n. [AS. cot cottage, bedchamber; or cf. OF. coite , F. couette (E. quilt ), LL. cottum , cottus , mattress. See Cot a cottage.] A sleeping place of limited size; a little bed; a cradle; a piece of canvas extended by a frame, used as a bed. [Written also cott .]
Cotangent <Xpage=329>
Co*tan"gent (k?-t?n"j e nt) , n. [For co . tangens , an abbrev. of L. complementi tangens . See Tangent .] (Trig.) The tangent of the complement of an arc or angle. See Illust . of Functions .
Cotarnine <Xpage=329>
Co*tar"nine (k?-t?r"n?n ∨ -n?n) , n. [F., fr. narcotine , by transposition of letters.] (Chem.) A white, crystalline substance, C12H13NO3 , obtained as a product of the decomposition of narcotine. It has weak basic properties, and is usually regarded as an alkaloid.
Cote <Xpage=329>
Cote (k?t) , n. [See 1st Cot .] 1. A cottage or hut. [Obs.]
2. A shed, shelter, or inclosure for small domestic animals, as for sheep or doves.
Watching where shepherds pen their flocks, at eve, In hurdled cotes . Milton.
Cote <Xpage=329>
Cote , v. t. [Prob. from F. c<?/t<?/ sode, OF. costet , LL. costatus , costatum , fr. L. costu rib, side: cf. F. c<?/toyer to go or keep at the side of. See Coast .] To go side by side with; hence, to pass by; to outrun and get before; as, a dog cotes a hare . [Obs.]
Drayton.
We coted them on the way, and hither are they coming. Shak.
Cote <Xpage=329>
Cote , v. t. [See Quote .] To quote. [Obs.]
Udall.
Cotemporaneous <Xpage=329>
Co*tem`po*ra"ne*ous (k?-t?m`p?-r?"n?-?s) , a. [See Contemporaneous .] Living or being at the same time; contemporaneous. -- Co*tem`po*ra"ne*ous*ly , adv. -- Co*tem`po*ra"ne*ous*ness , n.
Cotemporary <Xpage=329>
Co*tem"po*ra*ry (k?-t?m"p?-r?-r?) , a. Living or being at the same time; contemporary.
Cotemporary <Xpage=329>
Co*tem"po*ra*ry , n. ; pl. Cotemporaries (-r<?/z) . One who lives at the same time with another; a contemporary.
Cotenant <Xpage=329>
Co*ten"ant (k?-t?n" a nt) , n. A tenant in common, or a joint tenant.
Coterie <Xpage=329>
Co`te*rie" (k?`T e -r?"; 277) , n. [F., prob. from OF. coterie servile tenure, fr. colier cotter; of German origin. See 1st Cot .] A set or circle of persons who meet familiarly, as for social, literary, or other purposes; a clique. "The queen of your coterie ."
Thackeray.
Coterminous <Xpage=329>
Co*ter"mi*nous (k?-t?r"m?-n?s) , a. [Cf. Conterminous .] Bordering; conterminous; -- followed by with .
Cotgare <Xpage=329>
Cot"gare` (k?t"g?r`) , n. Refuse wool. [Obs. or Prov.]
Cothurn <Xpage=329>
Co"thurn (k?"th?rn) , n. [L. cothurnus , Gr. <?/<?/<?/<?/. Cf. Cothurnus .] A buskin anciently used by tragic actors on the stage; hence, tragedy in general.
The moment had arrived when it was thought that the mask and the cothurn might be assumed with effect. Motley.
Cothurnate k-thrnt, Cothurnated <Xpage=329>
Co*thur"nate (k?-th?r"n?t) , Co*thur"na*ted (-n?-t?d) , a. 1. Wearing a cothurn.
2. Relating to tragedy; solemn; grave.
Cothurnus <Xpage=329>
Co*thur"nus (-n?s) , n. [L.] Same as Cothurn .
Coticular <Xpage=329>
Co*tic"u*lar (k?-t?k"?-l?r) , a. [L. coticula a small touchstone, dim. cos , cotis , whetstone.] Pertaining to whetstones; like or suitable for whetstones.
Cotidal <Xpage=329>
Co*tid"al (k?-t?d" a l) , a. Marking an equality in the tides; having high tide at the same time.
Cotidal lines (Phys. Geog.) , lines on a map passing through places that have high tide at the same time.
Cotillon kt yn ∨ ktl-;277, Cotillion <Xpage=329>
Co`til`lon" (k?`t?` y?n " ∨ k?`t?l`-;277) , Co*til"lion (k?-t?l"y?n) , n. [F. cotillon , fr. OF. cote coat, LL. cotta tunic. See Coat .] 1. A brisk dance, performed by eight persons; a quadrille.
2. A tune which regulates the dance.
3. A kind of woolen material for women's skrits.
Cotinga <Xpage=329>
Co*tin"ga (k?-t?n"g?) , n. [Native South American name.] (Zo\'94l.) A bird of the family Cotingid\'91 , including numerous bright-colored South American species; -- called also chatterers .
Cotise <Xpage=329>
Cot"ise (k?t"?s) , n. (Her.) See Cottise .
Cotised <Xpage=329>
Cot"ised (-?st) , a. (Her.) See Cottised .
Cotland <Xpage=329>
Cot"land (k?t"l?nd) , n. Land appendant to a cot or cottage, or held by a cottager or cotter.
Cotquean <Xpage=329>
Cot"quean` (k?t"kw?n`) , n. [ Cot a cottage + quean .]
1. A man who busies himself with affairs which properly belong to women.
Addison.
2. A she-cuckold; a cucquean; a henhussy. [Obs.]
What, shall a husband be afraid of his wife's face? We are a king, cotquean , and we will reign in our pleasures. B. Jonson.
Cotqueanity <Xpage=329>
Cot*quean"i*ty (k?t-kw?n"?-t?) , n. The condition, character, or conduct of a cotquean. [Obs.]
B. Jonson.
Cotrustee <Xpage=329>
Co`trus*tee" (k?`tr?s-t?") , n. A joint trustee.
Cotswold <Xpage=329>
Cots"wold` (k?ts"w?ld`) , n. [ Cot a cottage or hut + wold an open country.] An open country abounding in sheepcotes, as in the Cotswold hills, in Gloucestershire, England.
Cotswold sheep , a long-wooled breed of sheep, formerly common in the counties of Gloucester, Hereford, and Worcester, Eng.; -- so called from the Cotswold Hills. The breed is now chiefly amalgamated with others.
Cottage <Xpage=329>
Cot"tage (k?t"t?j; 48) , n. [From Cot a cotttage.] A small house; a cot; a hut.
&hand; The term was formerly limited to a habitation for the poor, but is now applied to any small tasteful dwelling; and at places of summer resort, to any residence or lodging house of rustic architecture, irrespective of size.
Cottage allotment . See under Alloment . [Eng.] -- Cottage cheese , the thick part of clabbered milk strained, salted, and pressed into a ball.
Cottaged <Xpage=329>
Cot"taged (-t?jd) , a. Set or covered with cottages.
Even humble Harting's cottaged vale. Collins.
Cottagely <Xpage=329>
Cot"tage*ly (-t?j-l?) , a. Cottagelike; suitable for a cottage; rustic. [Obs.]
Jer. Taylor.
Cottager <Xpage=329>
Cot"ta*ger (k?t"t?-j?r) , n. 1. One who lives in a cottage.
2. (Law) One who lives on the common, without paying any rent, or having land of his own.
Cotter, Cottar <Xpage=329>
Cot"ter , Cot"tar (k?t"t?r) , n. [LL. cotarius , cottarius , coterius . See Cot .] A cottager; a cottier.
Burns.
Through Sandwich Notch the West Wind sang Good morrow to the cotter . Whittier.
<page="330"> Page 330
Cotter <Xpage=330>
Cot"ter (k?t"t?r) , n. 1. A piece of wood or metal, commonly wedge-shaped, used for fastening together parts of a machine or structure. It is driven into an opening through one or all of the parts. [See Illust .] In the United States a cotter is commonly called a key .
2. A toggle.
Cotter <Xpage=330>
Cot"ter , v. t. To fasten with a cotter.
Cottier <Xpage=330>
Cot"ti*er (-t?-?r) , n. [OF. cotier . See Coterie , and cf. Cotter .] In Great Britain and Ireland, a person who hires a small cottage, with or without a plot of land. Cottiers commonly aid in the work of the landlord's farm. [Written also cottar and cotter .]
Cottise <Xpage=330>
Cot"tise (k?t"t?s) , n. [Cf. F. c<?/t<?/ side, L. costa rib.] (Her.) A diminutive of the bendlet, containing one half its area or one quarter the area of the bend. When a single cottise is used alone it is often called a cost . See also Couple-close .
Cottised <Xpage=330>
Cot"tised (-t?st) , a. (Her.) Set between two cottises, -- said of a bend; or between two barrulets, -- said of a bar or fess.
Cottoid <Xpage=330>
Cot"toid (k?t"toid) , a. [NL. cottus sculpin + -oid .] (Zo\'94l.) Like a fish of the genus Cottus . -- n. A fish belonging to, or resembling, the genus Cottus . See Sculpin .
Cottelene <Xpage=330>
Cot"te*lene` (k?t"t?-l?n`) , n. A product from cottonseed, used as lard.
Cotton <Xpage=330>
Cot"ton (k?t"t'n) , n. [F. coton , Sp. algodon the cotton plant and its wool, coton printed cotton, cloth, fr. Ar. qutun , alqutun , cotton wool. Cf. Acton , Hacqueton .] 1. A soft, downy substance, resembling fine wool, consisting of the unicellular twisted hairs which grow on the seeds of the cotton plant. Long-staple cotton has a fiber sometimes almost two inches long; short-staple, from two thirds of an inch to an inch and a half.
2. The cotton plant. See Cotten plant , below.
3. Cloth made of cotton.
&hand; Cotton is used as an adjective before many nouns in a sense which commonly needs no explanation; as, cottton bagging; cotton clotch; cotton goods; cotton industry; cotton mill; cotton spinning; cotton tick.
Cotton cambric . See Cambric , n. , 2. -- Cotton flannel , the manufactures' name for a heavy cotton fabric, twilled, and with a long plush nap. In England it is called swan's-down cotton , or Canton flannel . -- Cotton gin , a machine to separate the seeds from cotton, invented by Eli Whitney. -- Cotton grass (Bot.) , a genus of plants ( Eriphorum ) of the Sedge family, having delicate capillary bristles surrounding the fruit (seedlike achenia), which elongate at maturity and resemble tufts of cotton. -- Cotton mouse (Zool.) , a field mouse ( Hesperomys gossypinus ), injurious to cotton crops. -- Cotton plant (Bot.) , a plant of the genus Gossypium , of several species, all growing in warm climates, and bearing the cotton of commerce. The common species, originally Asiatic, is G. herbaceum . -- Cotton press , a building and machinery in which cotton bales are compressed into smaller bulk for shipment; a press for baling cotton. -- Cotton rose (Bot.) , a genus of composite herbs ( Filago ), covered with a white substance resembling cotton. -- Cotton scale (Zo\'94l.) , a species of bark louse ( Pulvinaria innumerabilis ), which does great damage to the cotton plant. -- Cotton shrub . Same as Cotton plant . -- Cotton stainer (Zo\'94l.) , a species of hemipterous insect ( Dysdercus suturellus ), which seriously damages growing cotton by staining it; -- called also redbug . -- Cotton thistle (Bot.) , the Scotch thistle. See under Thistle . -- Cotton velvet , velvet in which the warp and woof are both of cotton, and the pile is of silk; also, velvet made wholly of cotton. -- Cotton waste , the refuse of cotton mills. -- Cotton wool , cotton in its raw or woolly state. -- Cotton worm (Zool.) , a lepidopterous insect ( Aletia argillacea ), which in the larval state does great damage to the cotton plant by eating the leaves. It also feeds on corn, etc., and hence is often called corn worm , and Southern army worm .
Cotton <Xpage=330>
Cot"ton , v. i. 1. To rise with a regular nap, as cloth does. [Obs.]
It cottons well; it can not choose but bear A pretty nap. Family of Love.
2. To go on prosperously; to succeed. [Obs.]
New, Hephestion, does not this matter cotton as I would? Lyly.
3. To unite; to agree; to make friends; -- usually followed by with . [Colloq.]
A quarrel will end in one of you being turned off, in which case it will not be easy to cotton with another. Swift.
Didst see, Frank, how the old goldsmith cottoned in with his beggarly companion? Sir W. Scott.
4. To take a liking to; to stick to one as cotton; -- used with to . [Slang]
Cottonade <Xpage=330>
Cot"ton*ade` (k?t"t'n-?d`) , n. [F. cottonade .] A somewhat stoun and thick fabric of cotton.
Cottonary <Xpage=330>
Cot"ton*a*ry (-?-r?) , a. Relating to, or composed of, cotton; cottony. [Obs.]
Cottomary and woolly pillows. Sir T. Browne.
Cottonous <Xpage=330>
Cot"ton*ous (-?s) , a. Resembling cotton. [R.]
Evelyn.
Cottontail <Xpage=330>
Cot"ton*tail` (k?t"t'n-t?l`) , n. (Zo\'94l.) The American wood rabbit ( Lepus sylvaticus ); -- also called Molly cottontail .
Cottonweed <Xpage=330>
Cot"ton*weed` (-w?d`) , n. (Bot.) See Cudweed .
Cottonwood <Xpage=330>
Cot"ton*wood` (-w??d`) , n. (Bot.) An American tree of the genus Populus or polar, having the seeds covered with abundant cottonlike hairs; esp., the P. monilifera and P. angustifolia of the Western United States.
Cottony <Xpage=330>
Cot"ton*y (-?) , a. 1. Covered with hairs or pubescence, like cotton; downy; nappy; woolly.
2. Of or pertaining to cotton; resembling cotton in appearance or character; soft, like cotton.
Cottrel <Xpage=330>
Cot"trel (k?t"tr?l) , n. A trammel, or hook to support a pot over a fire.
Knight.
Cotyla kt-l, Cotyle <Xpage=330>
Cot"y*la (k?t"?-l?) , Cot"y*le (k?t"?-l?) , n. [Gr. <?/<?/<?/ anything hollow, cup of a joint, small meassure: cf. L. cotyla a measure.] (Anat.) A cuplike cavity or organ. Same as Acetabulum .
Cotyledon <Xpage=330>