Chapter 46

16. Accurate; careful; precise; also, attentive; undeviating; strict; not wandering; as, a close observer.

17. (Phon.) Uttered with a relatively contracted opening of the mouth, as certain sounds of e and o in French, Italian, and German; -- opposed to open.

Close borough. See under Borough. -- Close breeding. See under Breeding. -- Close communion, communion in the Lord's supper, restricted to those who have received baptism by immersion. -- Close corporation, a body or corporation which fills its own vacancies. -- Close fertilization. (Bot.) See Fertilization. -- Close harmony (Mus.), compact harmony, in which the tones composing each chord are not widely distributed over several octaves. -- Close time, a fixed period during which killing game or catching certain fish is prohibited by law. -- Close vowel (Pron.), a vowel which is pronounced with a diminished aperture of the lips, or with contraction of the cavity of the mouth. -- Close to the wind (Naut.), directed as nearly to the point from which the wind blows as it is possible to sail; closehauled; -- said of a vessel.

Close (?), adv. 1. In a close manner.

2. Secretly; darkly. [Obs.]

A wondrous vision which did close imply The course of all her fortune and posterity. Spenser.

Close"-band`ed (?), a. Closely united.

Close"-barred` (?), a. Firmly barred or closed.

Close"-bod`ied (?), a. Fitting the body exactly; setting close, as a garment. Ayliffe.

Close"-fights` (?), n. pl. (Naut.) Barriers with loopholes, formerly erected on the deck of a vessel to shelter the men in a close engagement with an enemy's boarders; -- called also close quarters. [Obs.]

Close"fist`ed (?), a. Covetous; niggardly. Bp. Berkeley. "Closefisted contractors." Hawthorne.

Close"hand`ed (?), a. Covetous; penurious; stingy; closefisted. -- Close"hand`ed*ness, n.

Close"hauled` (?), a. (Naut.) Under way and moving as nearly as possible toward the direction from which the wind blows; -- said of a sailing vessel.

Close"ly, adv. 1. In a close manner.

2. Secretly; privately. [Obs.]

That nought she did but wayle, and often steepe Her dainty couch with tears which closely she did weepe. Spenser.

Close"mouthed` (?), a. Cautious in speaking; secret; wary; uncommunicative.

Clos"en (?), v. t. To make close. [R.]

Close"ness, n. The state of being close.

Half stifled by the closeness of the room. Swift.

We rise not against the piercing judgment of Augustus, nor the extreme caution or closeness of Tiberius. Bacon.

An affectation of closeness and covetousness. Addison.

Syn. -- Narrowness; oppressiveness; strictness; secrecy; compactness; conciseness; nearness; intimacy; tightness; stinginess; literalness.

Clos"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, closes; specifically, a boot closer. See under Boot.

2. A finisher; that which finishes or terminates.

3. (Masonry) The last stone in a horizontal course, if of a less size than the others, or a piece of brick finishing a course. Gwilt.

Close"reefed` (?), a. (Naut.) Having all the reefs taken in; -- said of a sail.

Close"-stool` (?), n. A utensil to hold a chamber vessel, for the use of the sick and infirm. It is usually in the form of a box, with a seat and tight cover.

Clos"et (?), n. [OF. closet little inclosure, dim. of clos. See Close an inclosure.] 1. A small room or apartment for retirement; a room for privacy.

A chair-lumbered closet, just twelve feet by nine. Goldsmith.

When thou prayest, enter into thy closet. Matt. vi. 6.

2. A small apartment, or recess in the side of a room, for household utensils, clothing, etc. Dryden.

Closet sin, sin commited in privacy. Bp. Hall.

Clos"et, v. t. [imp. & p. pr. & vb. n. Closeting.] 1. To shut up in, or as in, a closet; to conceal. [R.]

Bedlam's closeted and handcuffed charge. Cowper.

2. To make into a closet for a secret interview.

He was to call a new legislature, to closet its members. Bancroft.

He had been closeted with De Quadra. Froude.

Close"-tongued` (&?;), a. Closemouthed; silent. "Close-tongued treason." Shak.

Closh (?), n. [CF. F. clocher to limp, halt.] A disease in the feet of cattle; laminitis. Crabb.

Closh, n. [CF. D. klossen to play at bowls.] The game of ninepins. [Obs.] Halliwell.

Clo"sure (?, 135), n. [Of. closure, L. clausura, fr. clauedere to shut. See Close, v. t.] 1. The act of shutting; a closing; as, the closure of a chink.

2. That which closes or shuts; that by which separate parts are fastened or closed.

Without a seal, wafer, or any closure whatever. Pope.

3. That which incloses or confines; an inclosure.

O thou bloody prison . . . Within the guilty closure of thy walls Richard the Second here was hacked to death. Shak.

4. A conclusion; an end. [Obs.] Shak.

5. (Parliamentary Practice) A method of putting an end to debate and securing an immediate vote upon a measure before a legislative body. It is similar in effect to the previous question. It was first introduced into the British House of Commons in 1882. The French word cl˘ture was originally applied to this proceeding.

Clot (?), n. [OE. clot, clodde, clod; akin to D. kloot ball, G. kloss clod, dumpling, klotz block, Dan. klods, Sw. klot bowl, globe, klots block; cf. AS. clāte bur. Cf. Clod, n., Clutter to clot.] A concretion or coagulation; esp. a soft, slimy, coagulated mass, as of blood; a coagulum. "Clots of pory gore." Addison.

Doth bake the egg into clots as if it began to poach. Bacon.

&fist; Clod and clot appear to be radically the same word, and are so used by early writers; but in present use clod is applied to a mass of earth or the like, and clot to a concretion or coagulation of soft matter.

Clot, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Clotted; p. pr. & vb. n. Clotting.] To concrete, coagulate, or thicken, as soft or fluid matter by evaporation; to become a cot or clod.

Clot, v. t. To form into a slimy mass.

Clot"bur` (?), n. [Cf. Clote.] 1. The burdock. [Prov. Engl.] Prior.

2. Same as Cocklebur.

Clote (?), n. [AS. cl&?;te: cf. G. klette.] The common burdock; the clotbur. [Obs.] Wyclif.

Cloth (?; 115), n.; pl. Cloths (#; 115), except in the sense of garments, when it is Clothes (klōthz or klōz). [OE. clath cloth, AS. clā■ cloth, garment; akin to D. kleed, Icel. klŠ­i, Dan. klŠde, cloth, Sw. klńde, G. kleid garment, dress.] 1. A fabric made of fibrous material (or sometimes of wire, as in wire cloth); commonly, a woven fabric of cotton, woolen, or linen, adapted to be made into garments; specifically, woolen fabrics, as distinguished from all others.

2. The dress; raiment. [Obs.] See Clothes.

I'll ne'er distust my God for cloth and bread. Quarles.

3. The distinctive dress of any profession, especially of the clergy; hence, the clerical profession.

Appeals were made to the priesthood. Would they tamely permit so gross an insult to be offered to their cloth? Macaulay.

The cloth, the clergy, are constituted for administering and for giving the best possible effect to . . . every axiom. I. Taylor.

Body cloth. See under Body. -- Cloth of gold, a fabric woven wholly or partially of threads of gold. -- Cloth measure, the measure of length and surface by which cloth is measured and sold. For this object the standard yard is usually divided into quarters and nails. -- Cloth paper, a coarse kind of paper used in pressing and finishing woolen cloth. -- Cloth shearer, one who shears cloth and frees it from superfluous nap.

Clothe (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clothed (&?;) or Clad (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Clothing.] [OE. clathen, clothen, clethen, AS. clā­ian, clŠ­an. See Cloth.] 1. To put garments on; to cover with clothing; to dress.

Go with me, to clothe you as becomes you. Shak.

2. To provide with clothes; as, to feed and clothe a family; to clothe one's self extravagantly.

Drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. Prov. xxiii. 21.

The naked every day he clad, When he put on his clothes. Goldsmith.

3. Fig.: To cover or invest, as with a garment; as, to clothe one with authority or power.

Language in which they can clothe their thoughts. Watts.

His sides are clothed with waving wood. J. Dyer.

Thus Belial, with with words clothed in reason's garb. Milton.

Clothe (?), v. i. To wear clothes. [Poetic]

Care no more to clothe eat. Shak.

Clothes (? or ?; 277), n. pl. [From Cloth.] 1. Covering for the human body; dress; vestments; vesture; -- a general term for whatever covering is worn, or is made to be worn, for decency or comfort.

She . . . speaks well, and has excellent good clothes. Shak.

If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. Mark. v. 28.

2. The covering of a bed; bedclothes.

She turned each way her frighted head, Then sunk it deep beneath the clothes. Prior.

Body clothes. See under Body. -- Clothes moth (Zo÷l.), a small moth of the genus Tinea. The most common species (T. flavifrontella) is yellowish white. The larvŠ eat woolen goods, furs, feathers, etc. They live in tubular cases made of the material upon which they feed, fastened together with silk.

Syn. -- Garments; dress; clothing; apparel; attire; vesture; raiment; garb; costume; habit; habiliments.

Clothes"horse` (-h˘rs`), n. A frame to hang clothes on.

Clothes"line` (?), n. A rope or wire on which clothes are hung to dry.

Clothes"pin` (? or ?), n. A forked piece of wood, or a small spring clamp, used for fastening clothes on a line.

Clothes"press` (?), n. A receptacle for clothes.

Cloth"ier (?), n. 1. One who makes cloths; one who dresses or fulls cloth. Hayward.

2. One who sells cloth or clothes, or who makes and sells clothes.

Cloth"ing (?), n. 1. Garments in general; clothes; dress; raiment; covering.

From others he shall stand in need of nothing, Yet on his brothers shall depend for clothing. Milton.

As for me, . . . my clothing was sackloth. Ps. xxxv. 13

2. The art of process of making cloth. [R.]

Instructing [refugees] in the art of clothing. Ray.

3. A covering of non-conducting material on the outside of a boiler, or steam chamber, to prevent radiation of heat. Knight.

4. (Mach.) See Card clothing, under 3d Card.

Clot"hred (?), p. p. Clottered. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Clot"poll` (?), n. See Clodpoll. [Obs.] Shak.

Clot"ted (?), a. Composed of clots or clods; having the quality or form of a clot; sticky; slimy; foul. "The clotted glebe." J. Philips.

When lust . . . Lets in defilement to the inward parts, The soul grows clotted by contagion. Milton.

Clot"ter (?), v. i. [From Clot.] To concrete into lumps; to clot. [Obs.] "Clottered blood." Chapman.

Clot"ty (?), a. [From Clot, n.] Full of clots, or clods. "Clotty matter." Harvey.

||Cl˘`ture" (?), n. [F.] (Parliamentary Practice) See Closure, 5.

Clot"weed` (?), n. [See Clote.] Cocklebur.

Cloud (kloud), n. [Prob. fr. AS. clūd a rock or hillock, the application arising from the frequent resemblance of clouds to rocks or hillocks in the sky or air.] 1. A collection of visible vapor, or watery particles, suspended in the upper atmosphere.

I do set my bow in the cloud. Gen. ix. 13.

&fist; A classification of clouds according to their chief forms was first proposed by the meteorologist Howard, and this is still substantially employed. The following varieties and subvarieties are recognized: (a) Cirrus. This is the most elevated of all the forms of clouds; is thin, long-drawn, sometimes looking like carded wool or hair, sometimes like a brush or room, sometimes in curl-like or fleecelike patches. It is the cat's-tail of the sailor, and the mare's-tail of the landsman. (b) Cumulus. This form appears in large masses of a hemispherical form, or nearly so, above, but flat below, one often piled above another, forming great clouds, common in the summer, and presenting the appearance of gigantic mountains crowned with snow. It often affords rain and thunder gusts. (c) Stratus. This form appears in layers or bands extending horizontally. (d) Nimbus. This form is characterized by its uniform gray tint and ragged edges; it covers the sky in seasons of continued rain, as in easterly storms, and is the proper rain cloud. The name is sometimes used to denote a raining cumulus, or cumulostratus. (e) Cirro-cumulus. This form consists, like the cirrus, of thin, broken, fleecelice clouds, but the parts are more or less rounded and regulary grouped. It is popularly called mackerel sky. (f) Cirro-stratus. In this form the patches of cirrus coalesce in long strata, between cirrus and stratus. (g) Cumulo-stratus. A form between cumulus and stratus, often assuming at the horizon a black or bluish tint. -- Fog, cloud, motionless, or nearly so, lying near or in contact with the earth's surface. -- Storm scud, cloud lying quite low, without form, and driven rapidly with the wind.

2. A mass or volume of smoke, or flying dust, resembling vapor. "A thick cloud of incense." Ezek. viii. 11.

3. A dark vein or spot on a lighter material, as in marble; hence, a blemish or defect; as, a cloud upon one's reputation; a cloud on a title.

4. That which has a dark, lowering, or threatening aspect; that which temporarily overshadows, obscures, or depresses; as, a cloud of sorrow; a cloud of war; a cloud upon the intellect.

5. A great crowd or multitude; a vast collection. "So great a cloud of witnesses." Heb. xii. 1.

6. A large, loosely-knitted scarf, worn by women about the head.

Cloud on a (or the) title (Law), a defect of title, usually superficial and capable of removal by release, decision in equity, or legislation. -- To be under a cloud, to be under suspicion or in disgrace; to be in disfavor. -- In the clouds, in the realm of facy and imagination; beyond reason; visionary.

Cloud (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clouded; p. pr. & vb. n. Clouding.] 1. To overspread or hide with a cloud or clouds; as, the sky is clouded.

2. To darken or obscure, as if by hiding or enveloping with a cloud; hence, to render gloomy or sullen.

One day too late, I fear me, noble lord, Hath clouded all thy happy days on earth. Shak.

Be not disheartened, then, nor cloud those looks. Milton.

Nothing clouds men's minds and impairs their honesty like prejudice. M. Arnold.

3. To blacken; to sully; to stain; to tarnish; to damage; -- esp. used of reputation or character.

I would not be a stander-by to hear My sovereign mistress clouded so, without My present vengeance taken. Shak.

4. To mark with, or darken in, veins or sports; to variegate with colors; as, to cloud yarn.

And the nice conduct of a clouded cane. Pope.

Cloud, v. i. To grow cloudy; to become obscure with clouds; -- often used with up.

Worthies, away! The scene begins to cloud. Shak.

Cloud"age (?), n. Mass of clouds; cloudiness. [R.]

A scudding cloudage of shapes. Coleridge.

Cloud"ber`ry (?), n. (Bot.) A species of raspberry (Rubus ChamŠmerous) growing in the northern regions, and bearing edible, amber- colored fruit.

Cloud"-built (?), a. Built of, or in, the clouds; airy; unsubstantial; imaginary. Cowper.

So vanished my cloud-built palace. Goldsmith.

Cloud"-burst` (?), n. A sudden copious rainfall, as if the whole cloud had been precipitated at once.

Cloud"-capped` (?), a. Having clouds resting on the top or head; reaching to the clouds; as, cloud-capped mountains.

Cloud"-com*pel`ler (?), n. Cloud-gatherer; -- an epithet applied to Zeus. [Poetic.] Pope.

Cloud"i*ly (?), adv. In a cloudy manner; darkly; obscurely. Dryden.

Cloud"i*ness, n. The state of being cloudy.

Cloud"ing, n. 1. A mottled appearance given to ribbons and silks in the process of dyeing.

2. A diversity of colors in yarn, recurring at regular intervals. Knight.

Cloud"land` (?), n. Dreamland.

Cloud"less, a. Without a cloud; clear; bright.

A cloudless winter sky. Bankroft.

-- Cloud"less*ly, adv. -- Cloud"less*ness, n.

Cloud"let (?), n. A little cloud. R. Browning.

Eve's first star through fleecy cloudlet peeping. Coleridge.

Cloud"y (&?;), a. [Compar. Cloudier (&?;); superl. Cloudiest.] [From Cloud, n.] 1. Overcast or obscured with clouds; clouded; as, a cloudy sky.

2. Consisting of a cloud or clouds.

As Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended. Ex. xxxiii. 9

3. Indicating gloom, anxiety, sullenness, or ill-nature; not open or cheerful. "A cloudy countenance." Shak.

4. Confused; indistinct; obscure; dark.

Cloudy and confused notions of things. Watts.

5. Lacking clearness, brightness, or luster. "A cloudy diamond." Boyle.

6. Marked with veins or sports of dark or various hues, as marble.

Clough (?), n. [OE. clough, cloghe, clou, clewch, AS. (assumed) clōh, akin to G. klinge ravine.] 1. A cleft in a hill; a ravine; a narrow valley. Nares.

2. A sluice used in returning water to a channel after depositing its sediment on the flooded land. Knight.

Clough (?; 115), n. (Com.) An allowance in weighing. See Cloff.

Clout (?), n. [AS. clūt a little cloth, piece of metal; cf. Sw. klut, Icel. klūtr a kerchief, or W. clwt a clout, Gael. clud.] 1. A cloth; a piece of cloth or leather; a patch; a rag.

His garments, nought but many ragged clouts, With thorns together pinned and patched was. Spenser.

A clout upon that head where late the diadem stood. Shak.

2. A swadding cloth.

3. A piece; a fragment. [Obs.] Chaucer.

4. The center of the butt at which archers shoot; -- probably once a piece of white cloth or a nail head.

A'must shoot nearer or he'll ne'er hit the clout. Shak.

5. An iron plate on an axletree or other wood to keep it from wearing; a washer.

6. A blow with the hand. [Low]

Clout nail, a kind of wrought-iron nail heaving a large flat head; -- used for fastening clouts to axletrees, plowshares, etc., also for studding timber, and for various purposes.

Clout, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clouted; p. pr. & vb. n. Clouting.] [OE. clutien. clouten, to patch. See Clout, n.] 1. To cover with cloth, leather, or other material; to bandage; patch, or mend, with a clout.

And old shoes and clouted upon their feet. Josh. ix. 5.

Paul, yea, and Peter, too, had more skill in . . . clouting an old tent than to teach lawyers. Latimer.

2. To join or patch clumsily.

If fond Bavius vent his clouted song. P. Fletcher

3. To quard with an iron plate, as an axletree.

4. To give a blow to; to strike. [Low]

The . . . queen of Spain took off one of her chopines and clouted Olivarez about the noddle with it. Howell.

5. To stud with nails, as a timber, or a boot sole.

Clouted cream, clotted cream, i. e., cream obtained by warming new milk. A. Philips.

&fist; "Clouted brogues" in Shakespeare and "clouted shoon" in Milton have been understood by some to mean shoes armed with nails; by others, patched shoes.

Clout"er*ly (?), a. [From Clout, n.] Clumsy; awkward. [Obs.]

Rough-hewn, cloutery verses. E. Phillips.

Clove (?), imp. of Cleave. Cleft. Spenser.

Clove hitch (Naut.) See under Hitch. -- Clove hook (Naut.), an iron two-part hook, with jaws overlapping, used in bending chain sheets to the clews of sails; -- called also clip hook. Knight.

Clove, n. [D. kloof. See Cleave, v. t.] A cleft; a gap; a ravine; -- rarely used except as part of a proper name; as, Kaaterskill Clove; Stone Clove.

Clove, n. [OE. clow, fr. F. clou nail, clou de girofle a clove, lit. nail of clove, fr. L. clavus nail, perh. akin to clavis key, E. clavicle. The clove was so called from its resemblance to a nail. So in D. kruidnagel clove, lit. herb-nail or spice-nail. Cf. Cloy.] A very pungent aromatic spice, the unexpanded flower bud of the clove tree (Eugenia, or Caryophullus, aromatica), a native of the Molucca Isles.

Clove camphor. (Chem.) See Eugenin. -- Clove gillyflower, Clove pink (Bot.), any fragrant self-colored carnation.

Clove, n. [AS. clufe an ear of corn, a clove of garlic; cf. cleˇfan to split, E. cleave.] 1. (Bot.) One of the small bulbs developed in the axils of the scales of a large bulb, as in the case of garlic.

Developing, in the axils of its skales, new bulbs, of what gardeners call cloves. Lindley.

2. A weight. A clove of cheese is about eight pounds, of wool, about seven pounds. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Clo"ven (?), p. p. & a. from Cleave, v. t.

To show the cloven foot or hoof, to reveal a devilish character, or betray an evil purpose, notwithstanding disguises, -- Satan being represented dramatically and symbolically as having cloven hoofs.

{ Clo"ven-foot`ed (?), Clo"ven-hoofed` (?) }, a. Having the foot or hoof divided into two parts, as the ox.

Clo"ver (klō"v&etilde;r), n. [OE. claver, clover, AS. cl&aemacr;fre; akin to LG. & Dan. klever, D. klaver, G. klee, Sw. kl÷fver.] (Bot.) A plant of different species of the genus Trifolium; as the common red clover, T. pratense, the white, T. repens, and the hare's foot, T. arvense.

Clover weevil (Zo÷l.) a small weevil (Apion apricans), that destroys the seeds of clover. -- Clover worm (Zo÷l.), the larva of a small moth (Asopia costalis), often very destructive to clover hay. -- In clover, in very pleasant circumstances; fortunate. [Colloq.] -- Sweet clover. See Meliot.

Clo"vered (?), a. Covered with growing clover.

Flocks thick nibbling through the clovered vale. Thomson.

Clowe"-gi*lof`re (?), n. [See 3d Clove, and Gillyflower.] Spice clove. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Clown (kloun), n. [Cf. Icel. klunni a clumsy, boorish fellow, North Fries. kl÷nne clown, dial. Sw. klunn log, Dan. klunt log, block, and E. clump, n.] 1. A man of coarse nature and manners; an awkward fellow; an ill-bred person; a boor. Sir P. Sidney.

2. One who works upon the soil; a rustic; a churl.

The clown, the child of nature, without guile. Cowper.

3. The fool or buffoon in a play, circus, etc.

The clown shall make those laugh whose lungs are tickle o'the sere. Shak.

Clown, v. i. To act as a clown; -- with it. [Obs.]

Beshrew me, he clowns it properly indeed. B. Jonson.

Clown"age (?), n. Behavior or manners of a clown; clownery. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Clown"er*y (-&etilde;r*&ybreve;), n. Clownishness. L'Estrange.

Clown"ish, a. Of or resembling a clown, or characteristic of a clown; ungainly; awkward. "Clownish hands." Spenser. "Clownish mimic." Prior.

-- Clown"ish*ly, adv.

Syn. -- Coarse; rough; clumsy; awkward; ungainly; rude; uncivil; ill-bred; boorish; rustic; untutored.

Clown"ish*ness, n. The manners of a clown; coarseness or rudeness of behavior.

That plainness which the alamode people call clownishness. Locke.

Cloy (kloi), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cloyed (kloid); p. pr. & vb. n. Cloying.] [OE. cloer to nail up, F. clouer, fr. OF. clo nail, F. clou, fr. L. clavus nail. Cf. 3d Clove.] 1. To fill or choke up; to stop up; to clog. [Obs.]

The duke's purpose was to have cloyed the harbor by sinking ships, laden with stones. Speed.

2. To glut, or satisfy, as the appetite; to satiate; to fill to loathing; to surfeit.

[Who can] cloy the hungry edge of appetite By bare imagination of a feast? Shak.

He sometimes cloys his readers instead of satisfying. Dryden.

3. To penetrate or pierce; to wound.

Which, with his cruel tusk, him deadly cloyed. Spenser.

He never shod horse but he cloyed him. Bacon.

4. To spike, as a cannon. [Obs.] Johnson.

5. To stroke with a claw. [Obs.] Shak.

Cloy"less, a. That does not cloy. Shak.

Cloy"ment (?), n. Satiety. [Obs.] Shak.

Club (klŭb), n. [Cf. Icel. klubba, klumba, club, klumbufōir a clubfoot, SW. klubba club, Dan. klump lump, klub a club, G. klumpen clump, kolben club, and E. clump.] 1. A heavy staff of wood, usually tapering, and wielded with the hand; a weapon; a cudgel.

But make you ready your stiff bats and clubs; Rome and her rats are at the point of battle. Shak.

2. [Cf. the Spanish name bastos, and Sp. baston staff, club.] Any card of the suit of cards having a figure like the trefoil or clover leaf. (pl.) The suit of cards having such figure.