Chapter 956

Mat"ta*more` (?) , n. [F. matamore , from Ar. matm<?/ra .] A subterranean repository for wheat.

Matte <Xpage=902>

Matte (?) , n. [F. matte ; cf. F. mat , masc., matte , fem., faint, dull, dim; -- said of metals. See Mate checkmate.] 1. (Metallurgy) A partly reduced copper sulphide, obtained by alternately roasting and melting copper ore in separating the metal from associated iron ores, and called coarse metal , fine metal , etc., according to the grade of fineness. On the exterior it is dark brown or black, but on a fresh surface is yellow or bronzy in color.

2. A dead or dull finish, as in gilding where the gold leaf is not burnished, or in painting where the surface is purposely deprived of gloss.

Matted <Xpage=902>

Mat"ted (?) , a. [See Matte .] Having a dull surface; unburnished; as, matted gold leaf or gilding .

Matted glass , glass ornamented with figures on a dull ground.

Matted <Xpage=902>

Mat"ted , a. [See 3d Mat .] 1. Covered with a mat or mats; as, a matted floor .

2. Tangled closely together; having its parts adhering closely together; as, matted hair .

Matter <Xpage=902>

Mat"ter (?) , n. [OE. matere , F. mati\'8are , fr. L. materia ; perh. akin to L. mater mother. Cf. Mother , Madeira , Material .] 1. That of which anything is composed; constituent substance; material; the material or substantial part of anything; the constituent elements of conception; that into which a notion may be analyzed; the essence; the pith; the embodiment.

He is the matter of virtue. B. Jonson.

2. That of which the sensible universe and all existent bodies are composed; anything which has extension, occupies space, or is perceptible by the senses; body; substance.

&hand; Matter is usually divided by philosophical writers into three kinds or classes: solid , liquid , and a\'89riform . Solid substances are those whose parts firmly cohere and resist impression, as wood or stone. Liquids have free motion among their parts, and easily yield to impression, as water and wine. A\'89riform substances are elastic fluids, called vapors and gases , as air and oxygen gas.

3. That with regard to, or about which, anything takes place or is done; the thing aimed at, treated of, or treated; subject of action, discussion, consideration, feeling, complaint, legal action, or the like; theme. "If the matter should be tried by duel."

Bacon.

Son of God, Savior of men ! Thy name Shall be the copious matter of my song. Milton.

Every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge. Ex. xviii. 22.

4. That which one has to treat, or with which one has to do; concern; affair; business.

To help the matter , the alchemists call in many vanities out of astrology. Bacon.

Some young female seems to have carried matters so far, that she is ripe for asking advice. Spectator.

5. Affair worthy of account; thing of consequence; importance; significance; moment; -- chiefly in the phrases what matter ? no matter , and the like.

A prophet some, and some a poet, cry; No matter which, so neither of them lie. Dryden.

6. Inducing cause or occasion, especially of anything disagreeable or distressing; difficulty; trouble.

And this is the matter why interpreters upon that passage in Hosea will not consent it to be a true story, that the prophet took a harlot to wife. Milton.

<page="903"> Page 903

7. Amount; quantity; portion; space; -- often indefinite.

Away he goes, . . . a matter of seven miles. L' Estrange.

I have thoughts to tarry a small matter . Congreve.

No small matter of British forces were commanded over sea the year before. Mi

lton.

8. Substance excreted from living animal bodies; that which is thrown out or discharged in a tumor, boil, or abscess; pus; purulent substance.

9. (Metaph.) That which is permanent, or is supposed to be given, and in or upon which changes are effected by psychological or physical processes and relations; -- opposed to form .

Mansel.

10. (Print.) Written manuscript, or anything to be set in type; copy; also, type set up and ready to be used, or which has been used, in printing.

Dead matter (Print.) , type which has been used, or which is not to be used, in printing, and is ready for distribution. -- Live matter (Print.) , type set up, but not yet printed from. -- Matter in bar , Matter of fact . See under Bar , and Fact . -- Matter of record , anything recorded. -- Upon the matter , &or; Upon the whole matter , considering the whole; taking all things into view.

Waller, with Sir William Balfour, exceeded in horse, but were, upon the whole matter , equal in foot. Clarendon.

Matter <Xpage=903>

Mat"ter (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Mattered (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Mattering .] 1. To be of importance; to import; to signify.

It matters not how they were called. Locke.

2. To form pus or matter, as an abscess; to maturate. [R.] "Each slight sore mattereth ."

Sir P. Sidney.

Matter <Xpage=903>

Mat"ter , v. t. To regard as important; to take account of; to care for. [Obs.]

He did not matter cold nor hunger. H. Brooke.

Matterless <Xpage=903>

Mat"ter*less , a. 1. Not being, or having, matter; as, matterless spirits .

Davies (Wit's Pilgr. ).

2. Unimportant; immaterial. [Obs.]

Matter-of-fact <Xpage=903>

Mat"ter-of-fact" (?) , a. Adhering to facts; not turning aside from absolute realities; not fanciful or imaginative; commonplace; dry.

Mattery <Xpage=903>

Mat"ter*y (?) , a. 1. Generating or containing pus; purulent.

2. Full of substance or matter; important.

B. Jonson.

Matting <Xpage=903>

Mat"ting (?) , n. [From Mat , v. t. & i. ] 1. The act of interweaving or tangling together so as to make a mat; the process of becoming matted.

2. Mats, in general, or collectively; mat work; a matlike fabric, for use in covering floors, packing articles, and the like; a kind of carpeting made of straw, etc.

3. Materials for mats.

4. An ornamental border. See 3d Mat , 4.

Matting <Xpage=903>

Mat"ting , n. [See Matte .] A dull, lusterless surface in certain of the arts, as gilding, metal work, glassmaking, etc.

Mattock <Xpage=903>

Mat"tock (?) , n. [AS. mattuc ; cf. W. matog .] An implement for digging and grubbing. The head has two long steel blades, one like an adz and the other like a narrow ax or the point of a pickax.

'T is you must dig with mattock and with spade. Shak.

Mattowacca <Xpage=903>

Mat`to*wac"ca (?) , n. [Indian name.] (Zo\'94l.) An American clupeoid fish ( Clupea mediocris ), similar to the shad in habits and appearance, but smaller and less esteemed for food; -- called also hickory shad , tailor shad , fall herring , and shad herring .

Mattress <Xpage=903>

Mat"tress (?) , n. [OF. materas , F. matelas , LL. matratium ; cf. Sp. & Pg. al madraque , Pr. al matrac ; all from Ar. ma&tsdot;rah a place where anything is thrown, what is thrown under something, fr. &tsdot;araha to throw.]

1. A quilted bed; a bed stuffed with hair, moss, or other suitable material, and quilted or otherwise fastened. [Written also matress .]

2. (Hydraulic Engin.) A mass of interwoven brush, poles, etc., to protect a bank from being worn away by currents or waves.

Maturant <Xpage=903>

Mat"u*rant (?) , n. [L. maturans , p. pr. See Maturate .] (Med.) A medicine, or application, which promotes suppuration.

Maturate <Xpage=903>

Mat"u*rate (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Maturated (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Maturating (?) .] [L. maturatus , p. p. of maturare to make ripe, fr. maturus ripe, mature. See Mature , v. & a. ] 1. To bring to ripeness or maturity; to ripen.

A tree may be maturated artificially. Fuller.

2. To promote the perfect suppuration of (an abscess).

Maturate <Xpage=903>

Mat"u*rate , v. i. To ripen; to become mature; specif<?/cally, to suppurate.

Maturation <Xpage=903>

Mat`u*ra"tion (?) , n. [L. maturatio a hastening: cf. F. maturation .] The process of bringing, or of coming, to maturity; hence, specifically, the process of suppurating perfectly; the formation of pus or matter.

Maturative <Xpage=903>

Mat"u*ra*tive (?) , a. [Cf. F. maturatif .] Conducing to ripeness or maturity; hence, conducing to suppuration.

Maturative <Xpage=903>

Mat"u*ra*tive , n. (Med.) A remedy promoting maturation; a maturant.

Mature <Xpage=903>

Ma*ture" (?) , a. [ Compar. Maturer (?) ; superl. Maturest .] [L. maturus ; prob. akin to E. matin .]

1. Brought by natural process to completeness of growth and development; fitted by growth and development for any function, action, or state, appropriate to its kind; full-grown; ripe.

Now is love mature in ear. Tennison.

How shall I meet, or how accost, the sage, Unskilled in speech, nor yet mature of age ? Pope.

2. Completely worked out; fully digested or prepared; ready for action; made ready for destined application or use; perfected; as, a mature plan .

This lies glowing, . . . and is almost mature for the violent breaking out. Shak.

3. Of or pertaining to a condition of full development; as, a man of mature years .

4. Come to, or in a state of, completed suppuration.

Syn. -- Ripe; perfect; completed; prepared; digested; ready. -- Mature , Ripe . Both words describe fullness of growth. Mature brings to view the progressiveness of the process; ripe indicates the result. We speak of a thing as mature when thinking of the successive stayes through which it has passed; as ripe , when our attention is directed merely to its state. A mature judgment; mature consideration; ripe fruit; a ripe scholar.

Mature <Xpage=903>

Ma*ture" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Matured (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Maturing .] [See Maturate , Mature .] To bring or hasten to maturity; to promote ripeness in; to ripen; to complete; as, to mature one's plans .

Bacon.

Mature <Xpage=903>

Ma*ture" , v. i. 1. To advance toward maturity; to become ripe; as, wine matures by age; the judgment matures by age and experience.

2. Hence, to become due, as a note.

Maturely <Xpage=903>

Ma*ture"ly , adv. 1. In a mature manner; with ripeness; completely.

2. With caution; deliberately.

Dryden.

3. Early; soon. [A Latinism, little used]

Bentley.

Matureness <Xpage=903>

Ma*ture"ness , n. The state or quality of being mature; maturity.

Maturer <Xpage=903>

Ma*tur"er (?) , n. One who brings to maturity.

Maturescent <Xpage=903>

Mat`u*res"cent (?) , a. [L. maturescens , p. pr. of maturescere to become ripe, v. incho. from maturus . See Mature , a. ] Approaching maturity.

Maturing <Xpage=903>

Ma*tur"ing (?) , a. Approaching maturity; as, maturing fruits; maturing notes of hand.

Maturity <Xpage=903>

Ma*tu"ri*ty (?) , n. [L. maturitas : cf. F. maturit\'82 .]

1. The state or quality of being mature; ripeness; full development; as, the maturity of corn or of grass; maturity of judgment; the maturity of a plan.

2. Arrival of the time fixed for payment; a becoming due; termination of the period a note, etc., has to run.

Matutinal <Xpage=903>

Mat`u*ti"nal (?) , a. [L. matutinalis , matutinus : cf. F. matutinal . See Matin .] Of or pertaining to the morning; early.

Matutinary <Xpage=903>

Ma*tu"ti*na*ry (?) , a. Matutinal. [R.]

Matutine <Xpage=903>

Mat"u*tine (?) , a. Matutinal. [R.]

Matweed <Xpage=903>

Mat"weed` (?) , n. (Bot.) A name of several maritime grasses, as the sea sand-reed ( Ammophila arundinacea ) which is used in Holland to bind the sand of the seacoast dikes (see Beach grass , under Beach ); also, the Lygeum Spartum , a Mediterranean grass of similar habit.

Maty <Xpage=903>

Mat"y (?) , n. [Etymology uncertain.] A native house servant in India.

Balfour (Cyc. of India).

Matzoth <Xpage=903>

Matz"oth (?) , n. [Heb. matsts&omac;th , pl. of matsts\'beh unleavened.] A cake of unleavened bread eaten by the Jews at the feast of the Passover. <-- this is pl. form. sing. is matzo or matzoh. Other plurals matzos and matzohs -->

Maucaco <Xpage=903>

Mau*ca"co (?) , n. [From the native name.] (Zo\'94l.) A lemur; -- applied to several species, as the White-fronted, the ruffed, and the ring-tailed lemurs.

Maud <Xpage=903>

Maud (?) , n. A gray plaid; -- used by shepherds in Scotland.

Maudle <Xpage=903>

Mau"dle (?) , v. t. To throw onto confusion or disorder; to render maudlin. [Obs.]

Maudlin <Xpage=903>

Maud"lin (?) , a. [From Maudlin , a contr. of Magdalen , OE. Maudeleyne , who is drawn by painters with eyes swelled and red with weeping.] 1. Tearful; easily moved to tears; exciting to tears; excessively sentimental; weak and silly. " Maudlin eyes." Dryden . " Maudlin eloquence." Roscommon . "A maudlin poetess." Pope . " Maudlin crowd." Southey .

2. Drunk, or somewhat drunk; fuddled; given to drunkenness.

Maudlin Clarence in his malmsey butt. Byron.

Maudlin, Maudeline <Xpage=903>

Maud"lin , Maude"line (?) , n. (Bot.) An aromatic composite herb, the costmary; also, the South European Achillea Ageratum , a kind of yarrow.

Muadlinism <Xpage=903>

Muad"lin*ism (?) , n. A maudlin state.

Dickens.

Maudlinwort <Xpage=903>

Maud"lin*wort` (?) , n. (Bot.) The oxeye daisy.

Mauger, Maugre <Xpage=903>

Mau"ger , Mau"gre (?) , prep. [OF. maugr\'82 , malgr\'82 , F. malgr\'82 . See Mal- , Malice , and Agree .] In spite of; in opposition to; notwithstanding.

A man must needs love maugre his heed. Chaucer.

This mauger all the world will I keep safe. Shak.

Maugre <Xpage=903>

Mau"gre , v. t. To defy. [Obs.]

J. Webster.

Maukin <Xpage=903>

Mau"kin (?) , n. 1. See Malkin .

2. (Zo\'94l.) A hare. [Scot.]

Maul <Xpage=903>

Maul (?) , n. [See Mall a hammer.] A heavy wooden hammer or beetle. [Written also mall .]

Maul <Xpage=903>

Maul , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Mauled (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Mauling .] 1. To beat and bruise with a heavy stick or cudgel; to wound in a coarse manner.

Meek modern faith to murder, hack, and maul . Pope.

2. To injure greatly; to do much harm to.

It mauls not only the person misrepreseted, but him also to whom he is misrepresented. South.

Maule <Xpage=903>

Maule (?) , n. (Bot.) The common mallow.

Mauling <Xpage=903>

Maul"ing (?) , n. A severe beating with a stick, cudgel, or the fist.

Maul-stick <Xpage=903>

Maul"-stick` (?) , n. [G. malerstock ; maler a painter + stock stick.] A stick used by painters as a rest for the hand while working. [Written also mahl-stick .]

Maumet <Xpage=903>

Mau"met (?) , n. See Mawmet . [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Maunch <Xpage=903>

Maunch (?) , v. t. To munch. [Obs.]

Maunch <Xpage=903>

Maunch (?) , n. See Manche .

Maund <Xpage=903>

Maund (?) , n. [AS. mand , mond .] A hand basket. [Obs.]

Herrick.

Maund <Xpage=903>

Maund , n. [Hind, & Per. man .] An East Indian weight, varying in different localities from 25 to about 82 pounds avoirdupois.

Maund, Maunder <Xpage=903>

Maund (?) , Maund"er (?) , v. i. [Cf. F. mendier to beg, E. mendicant .] 1. To beg. [Obs.]

B. Jonson. Beau. & Fl.

2. To mutter; to mumble; to grumble; to speak indistinctly or disconnectedly; to talk incoherently.

He was ever maundering by the how that he met a party of scarlet devils. Sir W. Scott.

Maunder <Xpage=903>

Maund"er , v. t. To utter in a grumbling manner; to mutter.

Maunder <Xpage=903>

Maund"er , n. A beggar. [Obs.]

Maunderer <Xpage=903>

Maund"er*er (?) , n. One who maunders.

Maundril <Xpage=903>

Maun"dril (?) , n. [Cf. Mandrel .] (Coa<?/ Mining) A pick with two prongs, to pry with.

Maundy Thursday <Xpage=903>

Maun"dy Thurs"day (?) . [OE. maunde a command, OF. mand\'82 , L. mandatum , from mandare to command. See called from the ancient custom of washing the feet of the poor on this day, which was taken to be the fulfillment of the "new commandment," John xiii. 5, 34 .] (Eccl.) The Thursday in Passion week, or next before Good Friday.

Maungy <Xpage=903>

Maun"gy (?) , a. Mangy. [Obs.]

Skelton.

Mauresque <Xpage=903>

Mau*resque" (?) , a. & n. See Moresque .

Maurist <Xpage=903>

Maur"ist (?) , n. [From Maurus , the favorite disciple of St. Benedict.] A member of the Congregation of Saint Maur, an offshoot of the Benedictines, originating in France in the early part of the seventeenth century. The Maurists have been distinguished for their interest in literature.

Mausolean <Xpage=903>

Mau`so*le"an (?) , a. [L. Mausoleus . See Mausoleum .] Pertaining to a mausoleum; monumental.

Mausoleum <Xpage=903>