Chapter 103

Many a bitter kick and cuff. Hudibras.

Cuff, n. [Perh. from F. coiffe headdress, hood, or coif; as if the cuff were a cap for the hand. Cf. Coif.]

1. The fold at the end of a sleeve; the part of a sleeve turned back from the hand.

He would visit his mistress in a morning gown, band, short cuffs, and a peaked beard. Arbuthnot.

2. Any ornamental appendage at the wrist, whether attached to the sleeve of the garment or separate; especially, in modern times, such an appendage of starched linen, or a substitute for it of paper, or the like.

Cuf"fy (k&?;f`f&?;), n. A name for a negro. [Slang]

Cu"fic (k?`f?k), a. [So called from the town of Cufa, in the province of Bagdad.] Of or pertaining to the older characters of the Arabic language. [Written also Kufic.]

Cuin"age (kw?n`?j), n.[Corrupted fr. coinage.] The stamping of pigs of tin, by the proper officer, with the arms of the duchy of Cornwall.

Cui*rass" (kw&esl;*r&adot;s", or kwē"răs; 277), n.; pl. Cuirasses(-&ebreve;z). [F. cuirasse, orig., a breastplate of leather, for OF. cuirÚe, cuirie influenced by It. corazza, or Sp. coraza, fr. an assumed LL. coriacea, fr. L. coriaceus, adj., of leather, fr. corium leather, hide; akin to Gr. cho`rion intestinal membrane, OSlav. skora hide, Lith. skura hide, leather. Cf. Coriaceous.] 1. (a) A piece of defensive armor, covering the body from the neck to the girdle. (b) The breastplate taken by itself.

&fist; The cuirass covered the body before and behind. It consisted of two parts, a breast- and backpiece of iron fastened together by means of straps and buckles or other like contrivances. It was originally, as the name imports, made of leather, but afterward of metal. Grose.

2. (Zo÷l) An armor of bony plates, somewhat resembling a cuirass.

Cui*rassed" (kw&esl;*r&adot;st" or kwē"răst), a. 1. Wearing a cuirass.

2. (Zo÷l) Having a covering of bony plates, resembling a cuirass; -- said of certain fishes.

Cui`ras*sier" (kw?`r?s-s?r"), n. [F. cuirassier. See Curass.] A soldier armed with a cuirass. Milton.

Cuish (kw?s), n. [F. cuisse thigh, fr. L. coxa hip: cf. F. cuissard, OF, cuissot, armor for the thigh, cuish. Cf. Hough.] Defensive armor for the thighs. [ Written also cuisse, and quish.]

||Cui`sine" (kw?`z?n"), n. [F., fr. L. coquina kitchen, fr. coquere to cook. See Kitchen.] 1. The kitchen or cooking department.

2. Manner or style of cooking.

||Cu`lasse" (ku`l?s"), n. [F., fr. cul back.] The lower faceted portion of a brilliant- cut diamond.

Cul*dee" (k&?;l-d&?;" or k&?;l"d&?;), n. [ Prob. fr. Gael. cuilteach; cf. Ir. ceilede.] One of a class of anchorites who lived in various parts of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

The pure Culdees Were Albyn's earliest priests of God. Campbell.

||Cul`-de-sac" (ku`de-s?k" or kul`de-s?k"), n.; pl. Culs-de-sac (ku`- or kulz`-). [ F., lit., bottom of a bag.]

1. A passage with only one outlet, as a street closed at one end; a blind alley; hence, a trap.

2. (Mil.) a position in which an army finds itself with no way of exit but to the front.

3. (Anat.) Any bag-shaped or tubular cavity, vessel, or organ, open only at one end.

Cul"er*age (k?l"?r-?j), n. (Bot.) See Culrage.

||Cu"lex (k?"l?ks), n. [L., a gnat.] (Zo÷l.) A genus of dipterous insects, including the gnat and mosquito.

Cu*lic"i*form (k?-l?s"i-f?rm). a. [L. culex a gnat + -form:cf. F. culiciforme.] (Zo÷l.) Gnat- shaped.

Cu"li*na*ri*ly (k?`l?-n?-r?-l?), adv. In the manner of a kitchen; in connection with a kitchen or cooking.

Cu"li*na*ry (k?"l?-n?-r?), a. [L. culinarius, fr. culina kitchen, perh. akin to carbo coal: cf. F. culinare.] Relating to the kitchen, or to the art of cookery; used in kitchens; as, a culinary vessel; the culinary art.

Cull (k?l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Culled (k?ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Culling.] [OE. cullen, OF. cuillir, coillir, F. cueillir, to gather, pluck, pick, fr. L. colligere. See Coil, v. t., and cf. Collect.] To separate, select, or pick out; to choose and gather or collect; as, to cull flowers.

From his herd he culls, For slaughter, from the fairest of his bulls. Dryden.

Whitest honey in fairy gardens culled. Tennyson.

Cull, n. A cully; a dupe; a gull. See Cully.

Cul"len*der (k?l"l?n-d?r), n. A strainer. See Colander.

Cull"er (k?l"?r), n. One who picks or chooses; esp., an inspector who selects wares suitable for market.

Cul"let (kŭl"l&ebreve;t), n. [From Cull, v. t. ] Broken glass for remelting.

Cul"let, n. [A dim. from F. cul back.] A small central plane in the back of a cut gem. See Collet, 3 (b).

Cul`li*bil"i*ty (-l?-b?l"?-ty), n. [From cully to trick, cheat.] Gullibility. [R.] Swift.

Cul"li*ble (k?l"l?-b'l), a. Easily deceived; gullible.

Cull"ing (k?l"?ng), n. 1. The act of one who culls.

2. pl. Anything separated or selected from a mass.

Cul"lion (k?l"y?n), n. [OF. couillon, coillon, F. co&?;on, a vile fellow, coward, dupe, from OF. couillon, coillon, testicle, fr. il the scrotum, fr. L. coleus a leather bag, the scrotum.] A mean wretch; a base fellow; a poltroon; a scullion. "Away, base cullions." Shak.

Cul"lion*ly, a. Mean; base. Shak.

Cul"lis (k&?;l"l&?;s), n. [OF. cole´s, F. coulis, fr. OF. & F. couler to strain, to flow, fr. L. colare to filter, strain; cf. LL. coladicium. Cf. Colander.] A strong broth of meat, strained and made clear for invalids; also, a savory jelly. [Obs.]

When I am exellent at caudles And cullises . . . you shall be welcome to me. Beau. & Fl.

Cul"lis, n.; pl. Cullises (-&?;z). [F. coulisse groove, fr. the same source as E. cullis broth.] (Arch.) A gutter in a roof; a channel or groove.

Culls (k?lz), n. pl. [From Cull,, v. t.] 1. Refuse timber, from which the best part has been culled out.

2. Any refuse stuff, as rolls not properly baked.

Cul"ly (k?l"l?), n.; pl. Cullies (-l&?;z). [Abbrev. fr. cullion.] A person easily deceived, tricked, or imposed on; a mean dupe; a gull.

I have learned that . . . I am not the first cully whom she has passed upon for a countess. Addison.

Cul"ly, v. t. [See Cully,n., and cf. D. kullen to cheat, gull.] To trick, cheat, or impose on; to deceive. "Tricks to cully fools." Pomfret.

Cul"ly*ism (-?z'm), n. The state of being a cully.

Less frequent instances of eminent cullyism. Spectator.

Culm (kŭlm), n. [L. culmus stalk, stem; akin to calamus. SeeHalm.] (Bot.) The stalk or stem of grain and grasses (including the bamboo), jointed and usually hollow.

Culm, n. [Perh. from W. cwlm knot or tie, applied to this species of coal, which is much found in balls or knots in some parts of Wales: cf. OE. culme smoke, soot.] (Min.) (a) Mineral coal that is not bituminous; anthracite, especially when found in small masses. (b) The waste of the Pennsylvania anthracite mines, consisting of fine coal, dust, etc., and used as fuel. Raymond.

||Cul"men (k?l"m?n), n. [L., fr. cellere (in comp.) to impel; cf. celsus pushed upward, lofty.] 1. Top; summit; acme. R. North.

2. (Zo÷l.) The dorsal ridge of a bird's bill.

Cul*mif"er*ous (k?l-m?f"?r-?s), a. [L. culmus stalk or stem + -ferous: cf. F. culmifŔre.] Having jointed stems or culms.

Cul*mif"er*ous (kŭl*m&ibreve;f"&etilde;r*ŭs), a.[2d culm + -ferous.] (Min.) Containing, or abounding in, culm or glance coal.

Cul"mi*nal (kŭl"m&ibreve;*nal), a. Pertaining to a culmen.

Cul"mi*nant (-nant), a. Being vertical, or at the highest point of altitude; hence, predominant. [R.]

Cul"mi*nate (kŭl"m&ibreve;*nāt), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Culminated (-nā`t&eucr;d); p. pr. & vb. n. Culminating (-nā`t&ibreve;ng.] [L. cuimen top or ridge. See Column.] 1. To reach its highest point of altitude; to come to the meridian; to be vertical or directly overhead.

As when his beams at noon Culminate from the equator. Milton.

2. To reach the highest point, as of rank, size, power, numbers, etc.

The reptile race culminated in the secondary era. Dana.

The house of Burgundy was rapidly culminating. Motley.

Cul"mi*nate (kŭl"m&ibreve;*n&asl;t), a. Growing upward, as distinguished from a lateral growth; -- applied to the growth of corals. Dana.

Cul"mi*na"tion (kŭl`m?-n?"sh?n), n. [Cf. F. culmination] 1. The attainment of the highest point of altitude reached by a heavenly body; passage across the meridian; transit.

2. Attainment or arrival at the highest pitch of glory, power, etc.

||Cul"pa (kŭl"p&adot;), n. [L.] (Law) Negligence or fault, as distinguishable from dolus (deceit, fraud), which implies intent, culpa being imputable to defect of intellect, dolus to defect of heart. Wharton.

Cul`pa*bil"i*ty (k?l`p?-b?l`?-t?), n.; pl. Culpabilities (-t&?;z). [Cf. F. culpabilitÚ.] The state of being culpable.

Cul"pa*ble (k?l"p?-b'l), a. [OE. culpable, coulpable, coupable, F. coupable, formerly also coupable, formerly also coulpable, culpable, fr. L. culpabilis, fr. culpare to blame, fr. culpa fault.]

1. Deserving censure; worthy of blame; faulty; immoral; criminal. State Trials (1413).

If he acts according to the best reason he hath, he is not culpable, though he be mistaken in his measures. Sharp.

2. Guilty; as, culpable of a crime. [Obs.] Spenser.

-- Cul"pa*ble*ness, n. -- Cul"pa*bly, adv.

Cul"pa*to*ry (-t?-r?), a. Expressing blame; censuring; reprehensory; inculpating.

Adjectives . . . commonly used by Latian authors in a culpatory sense. Walpole.

Culpe (kŭlp), n. [F. coulpe, fr.L. culpa.] Blameworthiness. [Obs.]

Banished out of the realme . . . without culpe. E. Hall.

Cul"pon (kŭl"p&obreve;n), n. [See Coupon.] A shred; a fragment; a strip of wood. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Cul"prit (kŭl"pr&ibreve;t), n. [Prob. corrupted for culpate, fr. Law Latin culpatus the accused, p. p. of L. culpare to blame. See Culpable.] 1. One accused of, or arraigned for, a crime, as before a judge.

An author is in the condition of a culprit; the public are his judges. Prior.

2. One quilty of a fault; a criminal.

Cul"rage (kŭl"r&asl;j), n. [OE. culrage, culrache; prob. fr. F. cul the buttok + F. & E. rage; F. curage.] (Bot.) Smartweed (Polygonum Hydropiper).

Cult (kŭlt) n .[F. culte, L. cultus care, culture, fr. colere to cultivate. Cf. Cultus.] 1. Attentive care; homage; worship.

Every one is convinced of the reality of a better self, and of the cult or homage which is due to it. Shaftesbury.

2. A system of religious belief and worship.

That which was the religion of Moses is the ceremonial or cult of the religion of Christ. Coleridge.

Cultch (kŭlch; 224), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] Empty oyster shells and other substances laid down on oyster grounds to furnish points for the attachment of the spawn of the oyster. [Also written cutch.]

Cul"ter (kŭl"t&etilde;r), n. [L.] A colter. See Colter.

Cul`ti*ros"tral (-t&ibreve;*r&obreve;s"tral), a. [See Cultirostres.] (Zo÷l.) Having a bill shaped like the colter of a plow, or like a knife, as the heron, stork, etc.

||Cul`ti*ros"tres (-trēz), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. culter colter of a plow, knife + rostrum bill.] (Zo÷l.) A tribe of wading birds including the stork, heron, crane, etc.

Cul"ti*va*ble (k?l"t?-v?-b'l), a. [Cf. F. cultivable.] Capable of being cultivated or tilled. Todd.

Cul"ti*va`ta*ble (k?l"t?-v?`t?-b'l), a. Cultivable.

Cul"ti*vate (k?l"t?-v?t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cultivated (-v?`t?d); p. pr. & vb. n. Cultivating (-v?`- t?ng).] [LL. cultivatus, p. p. of cultivare to cultivate, fr. cultivus cultivated, fr. L. cultus, p. p. of colere to till, cultivate. Cf. Colony.] 1. To bestow attention, care, and labor upon, with a view to valuable returns; to till; to fertilize; as, to cultivate soil.

2. To direct special attention to; to devote time and thought to; to foster; to cherish.

Leisure . . . to cultivate general literature. Wordsworth.

3. To seek the society of; to court intimacy with.

I ever looked on Lord Keppel as one of the greatest and best men of his age; and I loved and cultivated him accordingly. Burke.

4. To improve by labor, care, or study; to impart culture to; to civilize; to refine.

To cultivate the wild, licentious savage. Addison.

The mind of man hath need to be prepared for piety and virtue; it must be cultivated to the end. Tillotson.

5. To raise or produce by tillage; to care for while growing; as, to cultivate corn or grass.

Cul`ti*va"tion (k?l`t?-v?"sh?n), n. [Cf. F. cultivation.] 1. The art or act of cultivating; improvement for agricultural purposes or by agricultural processes; tillage; production by tillage.

2. Bestowal of time or attention for self-improvement or for the benefit of others; fostering care.

3. The state of being cultivated; advancement in physical, intellectual, or moral condition; refinement; culture.

Italy . . . was but imperfectly reduced to cultivation before the irruption of the barbarians. Hallam.

Cul"ti*va`tor (k?l"t?-v?`t?r), n. [Cf. F. cultivateur.]

1. One who cultivates; as, a cultivator of the soil; a cultivator of literature. Whewell.

2. An agricultural implement used in the tillage of growing crops, to loosen the surface of the earth and kill the weeds; esp., a triangular frame set with small shares, drawn by a horse and by handles.

&fist; In a broader signification it includes any complex implement for pulverizing or stirring the surface of the soil, as harrows, grubbers, horse hoes, etc.

{ Cul"trate (k?l"tr?t), Cul"tra*ted (-tr?- t?d), } a. [L. cultratus knife-shaped, fromculter, cultri, knife.] (Bot. & Zo÷l.) Sharp-edged and pointed; shaped like a pruning knife, as the beak of certain birds.

Cul"tri*form (-tr?-f?rm), a. [L. culter, cultri, knife + -form.] (Bot. & Zo÷l.) Shaped like a pruning knife; cultrate.

Cul*triv"o*rous (k?l-tr?b"?-r?s), a. [L. culter, cultri, knife + vorare to devour.] Devouring knives; swallowing, or pretending to swallow, knives; -- applied to persons who have swallowed, or have seemed to swallow, knives with impunity. Dunglison.

Cul"tur*a*ble (k?l"t?r-?-b'l; 135), a. Capable of, or fit for, being cultivated; capable or becoming cultured. London Spectator.

Cul"tur*al (k?l"t?r-a]/>l), a. Of or pertaining to culture.

Cul"ture (k?l"t?r; 135), n. [F. culture, L. cultura, fr. colere to till, cultivate; of uncertain origin. Cf. Colony.] 1. The act or practice of cultivating, or of preparing the earth for seed and raising crops by tillage; as, the culture of the soil.

2. The act of, or any labor or means employed for, training, disciplining, or refining the moral and intellectual nature of man; as, the culture of the mind.

If vain our toil We ought to blame the culture, not the soil. Pepe.

3. The state of being cultivated; result of cultivation; physical improvement; enlightenment and discipline acquired by mental and moral training; civilization; refinement in manners and taste.

What the Greeks expressed by their paidei`a, the Romans by their humanitas, we less happily try to express by the more artificial word culture. J. C. Shairp.

The list of all the items of the general life of a people represents that whole which we call its culture. Tylor.

Culture fluid, a fluid in which the germs of microscopic organisms are made to develop, either for purposes of study or as a means of modifying their virulence.

Cul"ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cultured (-t?rd; 135); p. pr. & vb. n. Culturing.] To cultivate; to educate.

They came . . . into places well inhabited and cultured. Usher.

Cul"tured (k?l"t?rd), a. 1. Under culture; cultivated. "Cultured vales." Shenstone.

2. Characterized by mental and moral training; disciplined; refined; well-educated.

The sense of beauty in nature, even among cultured people, is less often met with than other mental endowments. I. Taylor.

The cunning hand and cultured brain. Whittier.

Cul"ture*less, a. Having no culture.

Cul"tur*ist, n. 1. A cultivator.

2. One who is an advocate of culture.

The culturists, by which term I mean not those who esteem culture (as what intelligent man does not&?;) but those its exclusive advocates who recommend it as the panacea for all the ills of humanity, for its effects in cultivating the whole man. J. C. Shairp

||Cul"tus (k?l"t?s), n. sing. & pl.; E. pl. Cultuses (-&?;z). [L., cultivation, culture. See Cult.] Established or accepted religious rites or usages of worship; state of religious development. Cf. Cult, 2.

Cul"tus cod` (k?d`). [Chinook cultus of little worth.] (Zo÷l.) See Cod, and Buffalo cod, under Buffalo.

Cul"ver (k?"v?r), n. [AS. culfre, perh. fr. L. columba.] A dove. "Culver in the falcon's fist." Spenser.

Cul"ver, n. [Abbrev. fr. Culverin.] A culverin.

Falcon and culver on each tower Stood prompt their deadly hail to shower. Sir W. Scott.

Cul"ver*house` (-hous`), n. A dovecote.

Cul"ver*in (k?l"v?r-?n), n.[F. coulevrine, prop. fem. of couleuvrin like a serpent, fr. couleuvre adder, fr. L. coluber, colubra.] A long cannon of the 16th century, usually an 18-pounder with serpent-shaped handles.

Trump, and drum, and roaring culverin. Macaulay.

Cul"ver*key` (-k?`), n. 1. A bunch of the keys or samaras of the ash tree. Wright.

2. An English meadow plant, perhaps the columbine or the bluebell squill (Scilla nutans). [Obs.]

A girl cropping culverkeys and cowslips to make garlands. Walton.

Cul"vert (k?l"v?rt), n. [Prob. from OF. coulouere, F. couloir, channel, gutter, gallery, fr. couler to flow. See Cullis.] A transverse drain or waterway of masonry under a road, railroad, canal, etc.; a small bridge.

Cul"ver*tail` (k?l"v?r-t?l`), n. (Carp.) Dovetail.

Cul"ver*tailed` (-t?ld`), a. United or fastened by a dovetailed joint.

||Cu*ma"ce*a (k?-m?"sh?-? or -s?-?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zo÷l.) An order of marine Crustacea, mostly of small size.

Cum"bent (k?m"bent), a. [Cf. Recumbent, Covey.] Lying down; recumbent. J. Dyer.

Cum"ber (k?m"b?r), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cumbered (-b?rd); p. pr. & vb. n. Cumbering.] [OE. combren, cumbren,OF. combrer to hinder, from LL. cumbrus a heap, fr. L. cumulus; cf. Skr. &?;&?; to increase, grow strong. Cf. Cumulate.] To rest upon as a troublesome or useless weight or load; to be burdensome or oppressive to; to hinder or embarrass in attaining an object, to obstruct or occupy uselessly; to embarrass; to trouble.

Why asks he what avails him not in fight, And would but cumber and retard his flight? Dryden.

Martha was cumbered about much serving. Luke x. 40.

Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? Luke xiii. 7.

The multiplying variety of arguments, especially frivolous ones, . . . but cumbers the memory. Locke.

Cum"ber (k?m"b?r), n. [Cf. encombre hindrance, impediment. See Cuber,v.] Trouble; embarrassment; distress. [Obs.] [Written also comber.]

A place of much distraction and cumber. Sir H. Wotton.

Sage counsel in cumber. Sir W. Scott.

Cum"ber*some (k&?;m"b&?;r-s&?;m), a. 1. Burdensome or hindering, as a weight or drag; embarrassing; vexatious; cumbrous.

To perform a cumbersome obedience. Sir. P. Sidney.

2. Not easily managed; as, a cumbersome contrivance or machine.

He holds them in utter contempt, as lumbering, cumbersome, circuitous. I. Taylor.

-- Cum"ber*some*ly, adv. -- Cum"ber*some*ness,n.

Cum"brance (k?m"brans), n. Encumbrance. [Obs.]

Extol not riches then, the toil of fools, The wise man's cumbrance, if not snare. Milton.

Cum"bri*an (k?m"br?-a]/>n), a. Pertaining to Cumberland, England, or to a system of rocks found there.

Cumbrian system (Geol.), the slate or graywacke system of rocks, now included in the Cambrian or Silurian system; -- so called because most prominent at Cumberland.

Cum"brous (k?m"br?s), a. 1. Rendering action or motion difficult or toilsome; serving to obstruct or hinder; burdensome; clogging.

He sunk beneath the cumbrous weight. Swift.

That cumbrousand unwieldy style which disfigures English composition so extensively. De Quincey.

2. Giving trouble; vexatious. [Obs.]

A clud of cumbrous gnats. Spenser.

-- Cum"brous*ly, adv. -- Cum"brous*ness, n.

Cu"mene (k?"m?n), n. [From Cumin.] (Chem.) A colorless oily hydrocarbon, C6H5.C3H7, obtained by the distillation of cuminic acid; -- called also cumol.

Cum"frey (k?m"fr?), n. (Bot.) See Comfrey.

Cu"mic (k?"m?k), a. (Chem.) See Cuming.

Cu"mi*dine (k?"m?-d?n or -d?n), n. [From Cumin.] (Chem.) A strong, liquid, organic base, C3H7. C6H4.NH2, homologous with aniline.

Cum"in (k?m"?n), n. [OE. comin, AS. cymen, fr. L. cuminum, Gr.&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;; of Semitic origin, cf. Ar. kamm&?;n, Heb. kamm&?;n; cf. OF. comin, F. cumin. Cf. Kummel.] (Bot.) A dwarf umbelliferous plant, somewhat resembling fennel (Cuminum Cyminum), cultivated for its seeds, which have a bitterish, warm taste, with an aromatic flavor, and are used like those of anise and caraway. [Written also cummin.]

Rank-smelling rue, and cumin good for eyes. Spenser.

Black cumin (Bot.), a plant (Nigella sativa) with pungent seeds, used by the Afghans, etc.

Cu*min"ic (k?-m?n"?k), a. Pertaining to, or derived from, cumin, or from oil of caraway; as, cuminic acid.

Cuminic acid (Chem.), white crystalline substance, C3H7. C6H4.CO2H, obtained from oil of caraway.

Cu"mi*nil (k?"m?-n?l), n . A substance, analogous to benzil, obtained from oil of caraway.

Cu"mi*nol (-n?l), n. [Cuminic + L. oleum.] A liquid, C3H7.C6H4.CHO, obtained from oil of caraway; -- called also cuminic aldehyde.

Cum"min (k?m"m?n), n. Same as Cumin.

Ye pay tithe of mint, and cummin. Matt. xxiii. 23.

Cum"shaw (k?m"sha), n. [Chin. kom-tsie.] A present or bonus; -- originally applied to that paid on ships which entered the port of Canton. S. Wells Williams.

Cum"shaw, v. t. To give or make a present to.

Cu"mu-cir`ro-stra"tus (k?`m?-s?r`r?-str?"t?s), n. (Meteor.) Nimbus, or rain cloud. See Nimbus, and Cloud.

Cu"mu*late (k?"m?-l?t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cumulated (-l?`t?d); p. pr. & vb. n. Cumulating (-l?`t?ng).] [L. cumulatus, p. p. of cumulare to heap up, fr. cumulus a heap. See Cumber.] To gather or throw into a heap; to heap together; to accumulate.

Shoals of shells, bedded and cumulated heap upon heap. Woodward.

Cu`mu*la"tion (k?`m?-l?"sh?n), n. [Cf. F. cumulation.] The act of heaping together; a heap. See Accumulation.

Cu"mu*la*tist (k?"m?-l?-t?st), n. One who accumulates; one who collects. [R.]

Cu"mu*la*tive (k?"m?-l?-t?v), a. [Cf. F. cumulatif.]

1. Composed of parts in a heap; forming a mass; aggregated. "As for knowledge which man receiveth by teaching, it is cumulative, not original." Bacon

2. Augmenting, gaining, or giving force, by successive additions; as, a cumulative argument, i. e., one whose force increases as the statement proceeds.

The argument . . . is in very truth not logical and single, but moral and cumulative. Trench.

3. (Law) (a) Tending to prove the same point to which other evidence has been offered; -- said of evidence. (b) Given by same testator to the same legatee; -- said of a legacy. Bouvier. Wharton.

Cumulative action (Med.), that action of certain drugs, by virtue of which they produce, when administered in small doses repeated at considerable intervals, the same effect as if given in a single large dose. -- Cumulative poison, a poison the action of which is cumulative. -- Cumulative vote or system of voting (Politics), that system which allows to each voter as many votes as there are persons to be voted for, and permits him to accumulate these votes upon one person, or to distribute them among the candidates as he pleases.

Cu"mu*lose` (k?"m?-l?s`), a. [From Cumulus.] Full of heaps.

Cu"mu*lo*stra"tus (k?"m?-l?-str?"t?s), n. (Meteor.) A form of cloud. See Cloud.

||Cu"mu*lus (k?"m?-l?s), n.; pl. Cumuli (-l&?;). [L., a heap. See Cumber.] (Meteor.) One of the four principal forms of clouds. SeeCloud.

Cun (k?n), v. t. [See Cond.] To con (a ship). [Obs.]

Cun, v. t. [See 1st Con.] To know. See Con. [Obs.]