Chapter 935

Mag*nif"i*cence (?) , n. [F. magnificence , L. magnificentia . See Magnific .] The act of doing what magnificent; the state or quality of being magnificent. Acts xix. 27 . "Then cometh magnificence ." Chaucer .

And, for the heaven's wide circuit, let it speak The Maker's high magnificence , who built so spacious. Milton.

The noblest monuments of Roman magnificence. Eustace.

Magnificent <Xpage=882>

Mag*nif"i*cent (?) , a. [See Magnificence .] 1. Doing grand things; admirable in action; displaying great power or opulence, especially in building, way of living, and munificence.

A prince is never so magnificent As when he's sparing to enrich a few With the injuries of many. Massinger.

2. Grand in appearance; exhibiting grandeur or splendor; splendid' pompous.

When Rome's exalted beauties I descry Magnificent in piles of ruin lie. Addison.

Syn. -- Glorious; majestic; sublime. See Grand .

Magnificently <Xpage=882>

Mag*nif"i*cent*ly , adv. In a Magnificent manner.

Magnifico <Xpage=882>

Mag*nif"i*co (?) , n. ; pl. Magnificoes (#) . [It. See Magnific.] 1. A grandee or nobleman of Venice; -- so called in courtesy.

Shak.

2. A rector of a German university.

Magnifier <Xpage=882>

Mag"ni*fi`er (?) , n. One who, or that which, magnifies.

Magnify <Xpage=882>

Mag"ni*fy (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Magnified (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Magnifying (?) .] [OE. magnifien , F. magnifier , L. magnificare . See Magnific .] 1. To make great, or greater; to increase the dimensions of; to amplify; to enlarge, either in fact or in appearance; as, the microscope magnifies the object by a thousand diameters .

The least error in a small quantity . . . will in a great one . . . be proportionately magnified . Grew.

2. To increase the importance of; to augment the esteem or respect in which one is held.

On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel. Joshua iv. 14.

3. To praise highly; to land; to extol. [Archaic]

O, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. Ps. xxxiv. 3.

4. To exaggerate; as, to magnify a loss or a difficulty .

To magnify one's self (Script.) , to exhibit pride and haughtiness; to boast. -- To magnify one's self against (Script.) , to oppose with pride.

Magnify <Xpage=882>

Mag"ni*fy , v. i. 1. To have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they really are; to increase the apparent dimensions of objects; as, some lenses magnify but little .

2. To have effect; to be of importance or significance. [Cant & Obs.]

Spectator.

Magnifying glass , a lens which magnifies the apparent dimensions of objects seen through it.

Magniloquence <Xpage=882>

Mag*nil"o*quence (?) , n. [L. magniloquentia .] The quality of being magniloquent; pompous discourse; grandiloquence.

Magniloquent <Xpage=882>

Mag*nil"o*quent (?) , a. [L. magnus great + loquens , -entis , p. pr. of loqui to speak. See Magnitude , Loquacious .] Speaking pompously; using swelling discourse; bombastic; tumid in style; grandiloquent. -- Mag*nil"o*quent*ly , adv.

Magniloquous <Xpage=882>

Mag*nil"o*quous (?) , a. [L. magniloquus .] Magniloquent. [Obs.]

Magnitude <Xpage=882>

Mag"ni*tude (?) , n. [L. magnitudo , from magnus great. See Master , and cf. Maxim .] 1. Extent of dimensions; size; -- applied to things that have length, breath, and thickness.

Conceive those particles of bodies to be so disposed amongst themselves, that the intervals of empty spaces between them may be equal in magnitude to them all. Sir I. Newton.

2. (Geom.) That which has one or more of the three dimensions, length, breadth, and thickness.

3. Anything of which greater or less can be predicated, as time, weight, force, and the like.

<page="883"> Page 883

4. Greatness; grandeur. "With plain, heroic magnitude of mind."

Milton.

5. Greatness, in reference to influence or effect; importance; as, an affair of magnitude .

The magnitude of his designs. Bp. Horsley.

Apparent magnitude (Opt.) , the angular breadth of an object viewed as measured by the angle which it subtends at the eye of the observer; -- called also apparent diameter . -- Magnitude of a star (Astron.) , the rank of a star with respect to brightness. About twenty very bright stars are said to be of first magnitude, the stars of the sixth magnitude being just visible to the naked eye. Telescopic stars are classified down to the twelfth magnitude or lower. The scale of the magnitudes is quite arbitrary, but by means of photometers, the classification has been made to tenths of a magnitude. <-- the difference in actual brightness between magnitudes is now specified as a factor of 2.512, i.e. the difference in brightness is 100 for stars differing by five magnitudes. -->

Magnolia <Xpage=883>

Mag*no"li*a (?) , n. [NL. Named after Pierre Magnol , professor of botany at Montpellier, France, in the 17th century.] (Bot.) A genus of American and Asiatic trees, with aromatic bark and large sweet-scented whitish or reddish flowers.

&hand; Magnolia grandiflora has coriaceous shining leaves and very fragrant blossoms. It is common from North Carolina to Florida and Texas, and is one of the most magnificent trees of the American forest. The sweet bay ( M. glauca )is a small tree found sparingly as far north as Cape Ann. Other American species are M. Umbrella , M. macrophylla , M. Fraseri , M. acuminata , and M. cordata . M. conspicua and M. purpurea are cultivated shrubs or trees from Eastern Asia. M. Campbellii , of India, has rose-colored or crimson flowers.

Magnolia warbler (Zo\'94l.) , a beautiful North American wood warbler ( Dendroica maculosa ). The rump and under parts are bright yellow; the breast and belly are spotted with black; the under tail coverts are white; the crown is ash.

Magnoliaceous <Xpage=883>

Mag*no`li*a"ceous (?) , a. (Bot.) Pertaining to a natural order ( Magnoliace\'91 ) of trees of which the magnolia, the tulip tree, and the star anise are examples.

Magnum <Xpage=883>

Mag"num (?) , n. [Neut. sing. of L. magnus great.] 1. A large wine bottle.

They passed the magnum to one another freely. Sir W. Scott .

2. (Anat.) A bone of the carpus at the base of the third metacarpal bone.

Magot <Xpage=883>

Mag"ot (?) , n. [F.] (Zo\'94l.) The Barbary ape.

Magot-pie <Xpage=883>

Mag"ot-pie` (?) , n. A magpie. [Obs.]

Shak.

Magpie <Xpage=883>

Mag"pie (?) , n. [OE. & Prov. E. magot pie , maggoty pie , fr. Mag , Maggot , equiv. to Margaret , and fr. F. Marquerite , and common name of the magpie. Marguerite is fr. L. margarita pearl, Gr. <?/, prob. of Eastern origin. See Pie magpie, and cf. the analogous names Tomtit , and Jackdaw .] (Zo\'94l.) Any one of numerous species of the genus Pica and related genera, allied to the jays, but having a long graduated tail.

&hand; The common European magpie ( Pica pica , or P. caudata ) is a black and white noisy and mischievous bird. It can be taught to speak. The American magpie ( P. Hudsonica ) is very similar. The yellow-belled magpie ( P. Nuttalli ) inhabits California. The blue magpie ( Cyanopolius Cooki ) inhabits Spain. Other allied species are found in Asia. The Tasmanian and Australian magpies are crow shrikes, as the white magpie ( Gymnorhina organicum ), the black magpie ( Strepera fuliginosa ), and the Australian magpie ( Cracticus picatus ).

Magpie lark (Zo\'94l.) , a common Australian bird ( Grallina picata ), conspicuously marked with black and white; -- called also little magpie . -- Magpie moth (Zo\'94l.) , a black and white European geometrid moth ( Abraxas grossulariata ); the harlequin moth. Its larva feeds on currant and gooseberry bushes.

Maguari <Xpage=883>

Ma`gua*ri" (?) , n. [From native name: cf. Pg. magoari .] (Zo\'94l.) A South American stork ( Euxenara maguari ), having a forked tail.

Maguey <Xpage=883>

Mag"uey (?) , n. [Sp. maguey , Mexican maguei and metl .] (Bot.) The century plant, a species of Agave ( A. Americana ). See Agave .

Magyar <Xpage=883>

Mag"yar (?) , n. [Hung.] 1. (Ethnol.) One of the dominant people of Hungary, allied to the Finns; a Hungarian.

2. The language of the Magyars.

Maha <Xpage=883>

Ma"ha (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A kind of baboon; the wanderoo.

Mahabarata, Mahabharatam <Xpage=883>

Ma*ha*ba"ra*ta (?) , Ma*ha*bha"ra*tam (?) , n. [Skr. mah\'bebh\'berata .] A celebrated epic poem of the Hindoos. It is of great length, and is chiefly devoted to the history of a civil war between two dynasties of ancient India.

Mahaled <Xpage=883>

Ma*ha"led (?) , n. [Ar. mahled .] (Bot.) A cherry tree ( Prunus Mahaleb ) of Southern Europe. The wood is prized by cabinetmakers, the twigs are used for pipe stems, the flowers and leaves yield a perfume, and from the fruit a violet dye and a fermented liquor (like kirschwasser) are prepared.

Maharajah <Xpage=883>

Ma*ha*ra"jah (?) , n. [Skr. mah\'ber\'beja ; mahat great + r\'beja king.] A sovereign prince in India; -- a title given also to other persons of high rank.

Maharif <Xpage=883>

Ma`ha*rif" (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) An African antelope ( Hippotragus Bakeri ). Its face is striped with black and white.

Maharmah <Xpage=883>

Ma*har"mah (?) , n. A muslin wrapper for the head and the lower part of the face, worn by Turkish and Armenian women when they go abroad.

Mahdi <Xpage=883>

Mah"di (?) , n. [Ar., guide, leader.] Among Mohammedans, the last imam or leader of the faithful. The Sunni, the largest sect of the Mohammedans, believe that he is yet to appear.

&hand; The title has been taken by several persons in countries where Mohammedanism prevails, -- notably by Mohammad Ahmed, who overran the Egyptian Sudan, and in 1885 captured Khartum, his soldiers killing General Gordon, an Englishman, who was then the Egyptian governor of the region.

Mahl-stick <Xpage=883>

Mahl"-stick` (?) , n. See Maul-stick .

Mahoe <Xpage=883>

Ma"hoe (?) , n. (Bot.) A name given to several malvaceous trees (species of Hibiscus , Ochroma , etc.), and to their strong fibrous inner bark, which is used for strings and cordage.

Mahogany <Xpage=883>

Ma*hog"a*ny (?) , n. [From the South American name.] 1. (Bot.) A large tree of the genus Swietenia ( S. Mahogoni ), found in tropical America.

&hand; Several other trees, with wood more or less like mahogany, are called by this name; as, African mahogany ( Khaya Senegalensis ), Australian mahogany ( Eucalyptus marginatus ), Bastard mahogany ( Batonia apetala of the West Indies), Indian mahogany ( Cedrela Toona of Bengal, and trees of the genera Soymida and Chukrassia ), Madeira mahogany ( Persea Indica ), Mountain mahogany, the black or cherry birch ( Betula lenta ), also the several species of Cercocarpus of California and the Rocky Mountains.

2. The wood of the Swietenia Mahogoni . It is of a reddish brown color, beautifully veined, very hard, and susceptible of a fine polish. It is used in the manufacture of furniture.

3. A table made of mahogany wood. [Colloq.]

To be under the mahogany , to be so drunk as to have fallen under the table. [Eng.] -- To put one's legs under some one's mahogany , to dine with him. [Slang]

Maholi <Xpage=883>

Ma*ho"li (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A South African lemur ( Galago maholi ), having very large ears. [Written also moholi .]

Mahomedan, Mahometan <Xpage=883>

Ma*hom"ed*an (?) , Ma*hom"et*an (?) , n. See Mohammedan .

Mahometanism <Xpage=883>

Ma*hom"et*an*ism (?) , n. See Mohammedanism .

Mahometanize <Xpage=883>

Ma*hom"et*an*ize (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Mahometanized (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Mahometanizing (?) .] To convert to the religion of Mohammed; to Mohammedanize.

Mahometism <Xpage=883>

Ma*hom"et*ism (?) , n. See Mohammedanism .

Mahometist <Xpage=883>

Ma*hom"et*ist , n. A Mohammedan. [R.]

Mahometry <Xpage=883>

Ma*hom"et*ry (?) , n. Mohammedanism. [Obs.]

Mahone <Xpage=883>

Ma*hone" (?) , n. A large Turkish ship.

Crabb.

Mahonia <Xpage=883>

Ma*ho"ni*a (?) , n. [Named after Bernard Mc Mahon .] (Bot.) The Oregon grape, a species of barberry ( Berberis Aquifolium ), often cultivated for its hollylike foliage.

Mahon stock <Xpage=883>

Ma*hon" stock` (?) . (Bot.) An annual cruciferous plant with reddish purple or white flowers ( Malcolmia maritima ). It is called in England Virginia stock , but the plant comes from the Mediterranean.

Mahoohoo <Xpage=883>

Ma*hoo"hoo (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) The African white two-horned rhinoceros ( Atelodus simus ).

Mahori <Xpage=883>

Ma"ho*ri (?) , n. [Native name. Cf. Maori .] (Ethnol.) One of the dark race inhabiting principally the islands of Eastern Polynesia. Also used adjectively.

Mahound <Xpage=883>

Ma`hound (?) , n. A contemptuous name for Mohammed; hence, an evil spirit; a devil. [Obs.]

Who's this, my mahound cousin ? Beau. & Fl.

Mahout <Xpage=883>

Ma*hout" (?) , n. [Hind. mah\'bewat , Skr. mah\'bem\'betra ; mahat great + m\'betr\'be measure.] The keeper and driver of an elephant. [East Indies]

Mahovo <Xpage=883>

Ma*ho"vo (?) , n. (Mach.) A device for saving power in stopping and starting a railroad car, by means of a heavy fly wheel.

Mahrati <Xpage=883>

Mah*rat"i (?) , n. The language of the Mahrattas; the language spoken in the Deccan and Concan. [Written also Marathi .]

Mahratta <Xpage=883>

Mah*rat"ta (?) , n. [Hind. Marhat\'be , Marh\'bett\'be , the name of a famous Hindoo race, from the old Skr. name Mah\'be-r\'beshtra .] One of a numerous people inhabiting the southwestern part of India. Also, the language of the Mahrattas; Mahrati. It is closely allied to Sanskrit. -- a. Of or pertaining to the Mahrattas. [Written also Maratha .]

Mahumetan, Mahumetanism <Xpage=883>

Ma*hu"met*an (?) , Ma*hu"met*an*ism (?) , n. See Mohammedan , Mohammedanism .

Mahwa tree <Xpage=883>

Mah"wa tree` (?) . (Bot.) An East Indian sapotaceous tree ( Bassia latifolia , and also B. butyracea ), whose timber is used for wagon wheels, and the flowers for food and in preparing an intoxicating drink. It is one of the butter trees. The oil, known as mahwa and yallah , is obtained from the kernels of the fruit.

Maia <Xpage=883>

Ma"i*a (?) , n. [From L. Maia , a goddess.] (Zo\'94l.) (a) A genus of spider crabs, including the common European species ( Maia squinado ). (b) A beautiful American bombycid moth ( Eucronia maia ).

Maian <Xpage=883>

Ma"ian (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) Any spider crab of the genus Maia, or family Maiad\'91 .

Maid <Xpage=883>

Maid (?) , n. [Shortened from maiden . <?/ . See Maiden .] 1. An unmarried woman; usually, a young unmarried woman; esp., a girl; a virgin; a maiden.

Would I had died a maid , And never seen thee, never borne thee son. Shak.

Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me. Jer. ii. 32.

2. A man who has not had sexual intercourse. [Obs.]

Christ was a maid and shapen as a man. Chaucer.

3. A female servant.

Spinning amongst her maids . Shak.

&hand; Maid is used either adjectively or in composition, signifying female , as in maid child, maid servant.

4. (Zo\'94l.) The female of a ray or skate, esp. of the gray skate ( Raia batis ), and of the thornback ( R. clavata ). [Prov. Eng.]

Fair maid . (Zo\'94l.) See under Fair , a. -- Maid of honor , a female attendant of a queen or royal princess; -- usually of noble family, and having to perform only nominal or honorary duties. -- Old maid . See under Old . <-- maid of honor. principal female attendant (if unmarried) of a bride at wedding. (If married, matron of honor.) -->

Maiden <Xpage=883>

Maid"en (?) , n. [OE. maiden , meiden , AS. m\'91gden , dim. of AS. m\'91g<?/ , fr. mago son, servant; akin to G. magd , m\'84dchen , maid, OHG. magad , Icel. m\'94gr son, Goth. magus boy, child, magaps virgin, and perh. to Zend. magu youth. Cf. Maid a virgin.] 1. An unmarried woman; a girl or woman who has not experienced sexual intercourse; a virgin; a maid.

She employed the residue of her life to repairing of highways, building of bridges, and endowing of maidens . Carew.

A maiden of our century, yet most meek. Tennyson.

2. A female servant. [Obs.]

3. An instrument resembling the guillotine, formerly used in Scotland for beheading criminals.

Wharton.

4. A machine for washing linen.

Maiden <Xpage=883>

Maid"en , a. 1. Of or pertaining to a maiden, or to maidens; suitable to, or characteristic of, a virgin; as, maiden innocence . "Amid the maiden throng."

Addison.

Have you no modesty, no maiden shame ? Shak.

2. Never having been married; not having had sexual intercourse; virgin; -- said usually of the woman, but sometimes of the man; as, a maiden aunt . "A surprising old maiden lady."

Thackeray.

3. Fresh; innocent; unpolluted; pure; hitherto unused. " Maiden flowers.'

Shak.

Full bravely hast thou fleshed Thy maiden sword. Shak.

4. Used of a fortress, signifying that it has never been captured, or violated.

T. Warton. Macaulay.