Chapter 5

Syn. -- Falsehood; lie; deceit. -- Falsity, Falsehood, Lie. Falsity denotes the state or quality of being false. A falsehood is a false declaration designedly made. A lie is a gross, unblushing falsehood. The falsity of a person's assertion may be proved by the evidence of others and thus the charge of falsehood be fastened upon him.

Fal"ter (?), v. t. To thrash in the chaff; also, to cleanse or sift, as barley. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Fal"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Faltered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Faltering.] [OE. falteren, faltren, prob. from fault. See Fault, v. & n.] 1. To hesitate; to speak brokenly or weakly; to stammer; as, his tongue falters.

With faltering speech and visage incomposed.

Milton.

2. To tremble; to totter; to be unsteady. "He found his legs falter." Wiseman.

3. To hesitate in purpose or action.

Ere her native king Shall falter under foul rebellion's arms.

Shak.

4. To fail in distinctness or regularity of exercise; -- said of the mind or of thought.

Here indeed the power of disinct conception of space and distance falters.

I. Taylor.

Fal"ter, v. t. To utter with hesitation, or in a broken, trembling, or weak manner.

And here he faltered forth his last farewell.

Byron.

Mde me most happy, faltering "I am thine."

Tennyson.

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Fal"ter (?), n. [See Falter, v. i.] Hesitation; trembling; feebleness; an uncertain or broken sound; as, a slight falter in her voice.

The falter of an idle shepherd's pipe.

Lowell.

Fal"ter*ing, a. Hesitating; trembling. "With faltering speech." Milton. -- n. Falter; halting; hesitation. -- Fal"ter*ing*ly, adv.

||Fa`luns" (?), n. [F.] (Geol.) A series of strata, of the Middle ||Tertiary period, of France, abounding in shells, and used by Lyell as ||the type of his Miocene subdivision.

Fal"we (?), a. & n. Fallow. [Obs.] Chaucer.

||Falx (?), n. [L., a sickle.] (Anat.) A curved fold or process of the ||dura mater or the peritoneum; esp., one of the partitionlike folds of ||the dura mater which extend into the great fissures of the brain.

Fam"ble (?), v. i. [OE. falmelen; cf. SW. famla to grope, Dan. famle to grope, falter, hesitate, Icel. flma to grope. Cf. Famble.] To stammer. [Obs.] Nares.

Fam"ble, n. [Cf. Famble, v.] A hand. [Slang & Obs.] "We clap our fambles." Beau. & Fl.

Fame (?), n. [OF. fame, L. fama, fr. fari to speak, akin to Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?; a saying, report, &?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to speak. See Ban, and cf. Fable, Fate, Euphony, Blame.] 1. Public report or rumor.

The fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house.

Gen. xlv. 16.

2. Report or opinion generally diffused; renown; public estimation; celebrity, either favorable or unfavorable; as, the fame of Washington.

I find thou art no less than fame hath bruited.

Shak.

Syn. -- Notoriety; celebrity; renown; reputation.

Fame, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Famed (?),; p. pr. & vb. n. Faming.] 1. To report widely or honorably.

The field where thou art famed To have wrought such wonders.

Milton.

2. To make famous or renowned.

Those Hesperian gardens famed of old.

Milton.

Fame"less, a. Without fame or renown. -- Fame"less*ly, adv.

Fa*mil`iar (?), a. [OE. familer, familier, F. familier, fr. L. familiaris, fr. familia family. See Family.] 1. Of or pertaining to a family; domestic. "Familiar feuds." Byron.

2. Closely acquainted or intimate, as a friend or companion; well versed in, as any subject of study; as, familiar with the Scriptures.

3. Characterized by, or exhibiting, the manner of an intimate friend; not formal; unconstrained; easy; accessible. "In loose, familiar strains." Addison.

Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.

Shak.

4. Well known; well understood; common; frequent; as, a familiar illustration.

That war, or peace, or both at once, may be As things acquainted and familiar to us.

Shak.

There is nothing more familiar than this.

Locke.

5. Improperly acquainted; wrongly intimate. Camden.

Familiar spirit, a demon or evil spirit supposed to attend at call. 1 Sam. xxviii. 3, 7-9.

Fa*mil"iar, n. 1. An intimate; a companion.

All my familiars watched for my halting.

Jer. xx. 10.

2. An attendant demon or evil spirit. Shak.

3. (Court of Inquisition) A confidential officer employed in the service of the tribunal, especially in apprehending and imprisoning the accused.

Fa*mil`iar"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Familiarities (#). [OE. familarite, F. familiaritÈfr. L. faniliaritas. See Familiar.] 1. The state of being familiar; intimate and frequent converse, or association; unconstrained intercourse; freedom from ceremony and constraint; intimacy; as, to live in remarkable familiarity.

2. Anything said or done by one person to another unceremoniously and without constraint; esp., in the pl., such actions and words as propriety and courtesy do not warrant; liberties.

Syn. -- Acquaintance; fellowship; affability; intimacy. See Acquaintance.

Fa*mil`iar*i*za"tion (?), n. The act or process of making familiar; the result of becoming familiar; as, familiarization with scenes of blood.

Fa*mil"iar*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Familiarized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Familiarizing (?).] [Cf. F. familiariser.] 1. To make familiar or intimate; to habituate; to accustom; to make well known by practice or converse; as, to familiarize one's self with scenes of distress.

2. To make acquainted, or skilled, by practice or study; as, to familiarize one's self with a business, a book, or a science.

Fa"mil"iar*ly, adv. In a familiar manner.

Fa*mil"iar*ness, n. Familiarity. [R.]

Fa*mil"ia*ry (?), a. [L. familiaris. See Familiar.] Of or pertaining to a family or household; domestic. [Obs.] Milton.

Fam"i*lism (?), n. The tenets of the Familists. Milton.

Fam"i*list (?), n. [From Family.] (Eccl. Hist.) One of afanatical Antinomian sect originating in Holland, and existing in England about 1580, called the Family of Love, who held that religion consists wholly in love.

Fam"i*lis*ter*y (?), n.; pl. Familisteries (&?;). [F. familistËre.] A community in which many persons unite as in one family, and are regulated by certain communistic laws and customs.

{ Fam`i*listic (?), Fam`i*lis"tic*al (?), } a. Pertaining to Familists. Baxter.

Fam"i*ly (?), n.; pl. Families (#). [L. familia, fr. famulus servant; akin to Oscan famel servant, cf. faamat he dwells, Skr. dhman house, fr. dhto set, make, do: cf. F. famille. Cf. Do, v. t., Doom, Fact, Feat.] 1. The collective body of persons who live in one house, and under one head or manager; a household, including parents, children, and servants, and, as the case may be, lodgers or boarders.

2. The group comprising a husband and wife and their dependent children, constituting a fundamental unit in the organization of society.

The welfare of the family underlies the welfare of society.

H. Spencer.

3. Those who descend from one common progenitor; a tribe, clan, or race; kindred; house; as, the human family; the family of Abraham; the father of a family.

Go ! and pretend your family is young.

Pope.

4. Course of descent; genealogy; line of ancestors; lineage.

5. Honorable descent; noble or respectable stock; as, a man of family.

6. A group of kindred or closely related individuals; as, a family of languages; a family of States; the chlorine family.

7. (Biol.) A group of organisms, either animal or vegetable, related by certain points of resemblance in structure or development, more comprehensive than a genus, because it is usually based on fewer or less pronounced points of likeness. In zoˆlogy a family is less comprehesive than an order; in botany it is often considered the same thing as an order.

Family circle. See under Circle. -- Family man. (a) A man who has a family; esp., one who has a wife and children living with him andd dependent upon him. (b) A man of domestic habits. "The Jews are generally, when married, most exemplary family men." Mayhew. -- Family of curves or surfaces (Geom.), a group of curves or surfaces derived from a single equation. -- In a family way, like one belonging to the family. "Why don't we ask him and his ladies to come over in a family way, and dine with some other plain country gentlefolks?" Thackeray. -- In the family way, pregnant. [Colloq.]

Fam"ine (?), n. [F. famine, fr. L. fames hunger; cf. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?; want, need, Skr. hni loss, lack, h to leave.] General scarcity of food; dearth; a want of provisions; destitution. "Worn with famine." Milton.

There was a famine in the land.

Gen. xxvi. 1.

Famine fever (Med.), typhus fever.

Fam"ish (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Famished (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Famishing.] [OE. famen; cf. OF. afamer, L. fames. See Famine, and cf. Affamish.] 1. To starve, kill, or destroy with hunger. Shak.

2. To exhaust the strength or endurance of, by hunger; to distress with hanger.

And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread.

Cen. xli. 55.

The pains of famished Tantalus he'll feel.

Dryden.

3. To kill, or to cause to suffer extremity, by deprivation or denial of anything necessary.

And famish him of breath, if not of bread.

Milton.

4. To force or constrain by famine.

He had famished Paris into a surrender.

Burke.

Fam"ish, v. i. 1. To die of hunger; to starve.

2. To suffer extreme hunger or thirst, so as to be exhausted in strength, or to come near to perish.

You are all resolved rather to die than to famish?

Shak.

3. To suffer extremity from deprivation of anything essential or necessary.

The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish.

Prov. x. 3.

Fam"ish*ment (?), n. State of being famished.

Fa*mos"i*ty (?), n. [L. famositas infamy: cf. F. famositÈ. See Famous.] The state or quality of being famous. [Obs.] Johnson.

Fa"mous (?), a. [L. famosus, fr. fama fame: cf. F. fameux. See Fame.] Celebrated in fame or public report; renowned; mach talked of; distinguished in story; -- used in either a good or a bad sense, chiefly the former; often followed by for; as, famous for erudition, for eloquence, for military skill; a famous pirate.

Famous for a scolding tongue.

Shak.

Syn. -- Noted; remarkable; signal; conspicuous; celebrated; renowned; illustrious; eminent; transcendent; excellent. -- Famous, Renowned, Illustrious. Famous is applied to a person or thing widely spoken of as extraordinary; renowned is applied to those who are named again and again with honor; illustrious, to those who have dazzled the world by the splendor of their deeds or their virtues. See Distinguished.

Fa"moused (?), a. Renowned. [Obs.] Shak.

Fa"mous*ly (?), adv. In a famous manner; in a distinguished degree; greatly; splendidly.

Then this land was famously enriched With politic grave counsel.

Shak.

Fa"mous*ness, n. The state of being famous.

Fam"u*lar (?), n. [Cf. L. famularis of servants.] Domestic; familiar. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fam"u*late (?), v. i. [L. famulatus, p. p. of famulari to serve, fr. famulus servant.] To serve. [Obs.]

Fam"u*list (?), n. [L. famulus servant.] A collegian of inferior rank or position, corresponding to the sizar at Cambridge. [Oxford Univ., Eng.]

Fan (?), n. [AS. fann, fr. L. vannus fan, van for winnowing grain; cf. F. van. Cf. Van a winnowing machine, Winnow.] 1. An instrument used for producing artificial currents of air, by the wafting or revolving motion of a broad surface; as: (a) An instrument for cooling the person, made of feathers, paper, silk, etc., and often mounted on sticks all turning about the same pivot, so as when opened to radiate from the center and assume the figure of a section of a circle. (b) (Mach.) Any revolving vane or vanes used for producing currents of air, in winnowing grain, blowing a fire, ventilation, etc., or for checking rapid motion by the resistance of the air; a fan blower; a fan wheel. (c) An instrument for winnowing grain, by moving which the grain is tossed and agitated, and the chaff is separated and blown away. (d) Something in the form of a fan when spread, as a peacock's tail, a window, etc. (e) A small vane or sail, used to keep the large sails of a smock windmill always in the direction of the wind.

Clean provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan.

Is. xxx. 24.

2. That which produces effects analogous to those of a fan, as in exciting a flame, etc.; that which inflames, heightens, or strengthens; as, it served as a fan to the flame of his passion.

3. A quintain; -- from its form. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Fan blower, a wheel with vanes fixed on a rotating shaft inclosed in a case or chamber, to create a blast of air (fan blast) for forge purposes, or a current for draft and ventilation; a fanner. -- Fan cricket (Zoˆl.), a mole cricket. -- Fan light (Arch.), a window over a door; -- so called from the semicircular form and radiating sash bars of those windows which are set in the circular heads of arched doorways. -- Fan shell (Zoˆl.), any shell of the family PectinidÊ. See Scallop, n., 1. -- Fan tracery (Arch.), the decorative tracery on the surface of fan vaulting. -- Fan vaulting (Arch.), an elaborate system of vaulting, in which the ribs diverge somewhat like the rays of a fan, as in Henry VII.'s chapel in Westminster Abbey. It is peculiar to English Gothic. -- Fan wheel, the wheel of a fan blower. -- Fan window. Same as Fan light (above).

Fan (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fanned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fanning (?).] [Cf. OF. vanner, L. vannere. See Fan, n., Van a winnowing machine.] 1. To move as with a fan.

The air . . . fanned with unnumbered plumes.

Milton.

2. To cool and refresh, by moving the air with a fan; to blow the air on the face of with a fan.

3. To ventilate; to blow on; to affect by air put in motion.

Calm as the breath which fans our eastern groves.

Dryden.

4. To winnow; to separate chaff from, and drive it away by a current of air; as, to fan wheat. Jer. li. 2.

5. To excite or stir up to activity, as a fan excites a flame; to stimulate; as, this conduct fanned the excitement of the populace.

Fanning machine, or Fanning mill, a machine for separating seed from chaff, etc., by a blast of air; a fanner.

||Fa`nal" (?), n. [F.] A lighthouse, or the apparatus placed in it for ||giving light.

Fa*nat"ic (?), a. [L. fanaticus inspired by divinity, enthusiastic, frantic, fr. fanum fane: cf. F. fanatique. See Fane.] Pertaining to, or indicating, fanaticism; extravagant in opinions; ultra; unreasonable; excessively enthusiastic, especially on religious subjects; as, fanatic zeal; fanatic notions.

But Faith, fanatic Faith, once wedded fast To some dear falsehood, hugs it to the last.

T. Moore.

Fa*nat"ic, n. A person affected by excessive enthusiasm, particularly on religious subjects; one who indulges wild and extravagant notions of religion.

There is a new word, coined within few months, called fanatics, which, by the close stickling thereof, seemeth well cut out and proportioned to signify what is meant thereby, even the sectaries of our age.

Fuller (1660).

Fanatics are governed rather by imagination than by judgment.

Stowe.

Fa*nat"ic*al (?), a. Characteristic of, or relating to, fanaticism; fanatic. - Fa*nat"ic*al*ly, adv. -- Fa*nat"ic*al*ness, n.

Fa*nat"i*cism (?), n. [Cf. Fanatism.] Excessive enthusiasm, unreasoning zeal, or wild and extravagant notions, on any subject, especially religion; religious frenzy.

Syn. -- See Superstition.

Fa*nat"i*cize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fanaticized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fanaticizing (?).] To cause to become a fanatic.

Fan"a*tism (?), n. [Cf. F. fanatisme. Cf. Fanaticism.] Fanaticism. [R.] Gibbon.

Fan"cied (?), a. [From Fancy, v. t.] Formed or conceived by the fancy; unreal; as, a fancied wrong.

Fan"ci*er (?), n. 1. One who is governed by fancy. "Not reasoners, but fanciers." Macaulay.

2. One who fancies or has a special liking for, or interest in, a particular object or class or objects; hence, one who breeds and keeps for sale birds and animals; as, bird fancier, dog fancier, etc.

Fan"ci*ful (?), a. 1. Full of fancy; guided by fancy, rather than by reason and experience; whimsical; as, a fanciful man forms visionary projects.

2. Conceived in the fancy; not consistent with facts or reason; abounding in ideal qualities or figures; as, a fanciful scheme; a fanciful theory.

3. Curiously shaped or constructed; as, she wore a fanciful headdress.

Gather up all fancifullest shells.

Keats.

Syn. -- Imaginative; ideal; visionary; capricious; chimerical; whimsical; fantastical; wild. -- Fanciful, Fantastical, Visionary. We speak of that as fanciful which is irregular in taste and judgment; we speak of it as fantastical when it becomes grotesque and extravagant as well as irregular; we speak of it as visionary when it is wholly unfounded in the nature of things. Fanciful notions are the product of a heated fancy, without any tems are made up of oddly assorted fancies, aften of the most whimsical kind; visionary expectations are those which can never be realized in fact.

-- Fan"ci*ful*ly, adv. - Fan"ci*ful*ness, n.

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Fan"ci*less (?), a. Having no fancy; without ideas or imagination. [R.]

A pert or bluff important wight, Whose brain is fanciless, whose blood is white.

Armstrong.

Fan"cy (?), n.; pl. Fancies (#). [Contr. fr. fantasy, OF. fantasie, fantaisie, F. fantaisie, L. phantasia, fr. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; appearance, imagination, the power of perception and presentation in the mind, fr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to make visible, to place before one's mind, fr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; to show; akin to &?;&?;&?;&?;, &?;&?;&?;, light, Skr. bhto shine. Cf. Fantasy, Fantasia, Epiphany, Phantom.] 1. The faculty by which the mind forms an image or a representation of anything perceived before; the power of combining and modifying such objects into new pictures or images; the power of readily and happily creating and recalling such objects for the purpose of amusement, wit, or embellishment; imagination.

In the soul Are many lesser faculties, that serve Reason as chief. Among these fancy next Her office holds.

Milton.

2. An image or representation of anything formed in the mind; conception; thought; idea; conceit.

How now, my lord ! why do you keep alone, Of sorriest fancies your companoins making ?

Shak.

3. An opinion or notion formed without much reflection; caprice; whim; impression.

I have always had a fancy that learning might be made a play and recreation to children.

Locke.

4. Inclination; liking, formed by caprice rather than reason; as, to strike one's fancy; hence, the object of inclination or liking.

To fit your fancies to your father's will.

Shak.

5. That which pleases or entertains the taste or caprice without much use or value.

London pride is a pretty fancy for borders.

Mortimer.

6. A sort of love song or light impromptu ballad. [Obs.] Shak.

The fancy, all of a class who exhibit and cultivate any peculiar taste or fancy; hence, especially, sporting characters taken collectively, or any specific class of them, as jockeys, gamblers, prize fighters, etc.

At a great book sale in London, which had congregated all the fancy.

De Quincey.

Syn. -- Imagination; conceit; taste; humor; inclination; whim; liking. See Imagination.

Fan"cy, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fancied (?), p. pr. & vb. n. Fancying (&?;).] 1. To figure to one's self; to believe or imagine something without proof.

If our search has reached no farther than simile and metaphor, we rather fancy than know.

Locke.

2. To love. [Obs.] Shak.

Fan"cy, v. t. 1. To form a conception of; to portray in the mind; to imagine.

He whom I fancy, but can ne'er express.

Dryden.

2. To have a fancy for; to like; to be pleased with, particularly on account of external appearance or manners. "We fancy not the cardinal." Shak.

3. To believe without sufficient evidence; to imagine (something which is unreal).

He fancied he was welcome, because those arounde him were his kinsmen.

Thackeray.

Fan"cy, a. 1. Adapted to please the fancy or taste; ornamental; as, fancy goods.

2. Extravagant; above real value.

This anxiety never degenerated into a monomania, like that which led his [Frederick the Great's] father to pay fancy prices for giants.

Macaulay.

Fancy ball, a ball in which porsons appear in fanciful dresses in imitation of the costumes of different persons and nations. -- Fancy fair, a fair at which articles of fancy and ornament are sold, generally for some charitable purpose. -- Fancy goods, fabrics of various colors, patterns, etc., as ribbons, silks, laces, etc., in distinction from those of a simple or plain color or make. -- Fancy line (Naut.), a line rove through a block at the jaws of a gaff; -- used to haul it down. -- Fancy roller (Carding Machine), a clothed cylinder (usually having straight teeth) in front of the doffer. -- Fancy stocks, a species of stocks which afford great opportunity for stock gambling, since they have no intrinsic value, and the fluctuations in their prices are artificial. -- Fancy store, one where articles of fancy and ornament are sold. -- Fancy woods, the more rare and expensive furniture woods, as mahogany, satinwood, rosewood, etc.

Fan"cy-free` (?), a. Free from the power of love. "In maiden meditation, fancy-free." Shak.

Fan"cy*mon`ger (?), n. A lovemonger; a whimsical lover. [Obs.] Shak.

Fan"cy-sick` (?), a. Love- sick. Shak.

Fan"cy*work` (?), n. Ornamental work with a needle or hook, as embroidery, crocheting, netting, etc.

Fand (?), obs. imp. of Find. Spenser.

Fan*dan"go (?), n.; pl. Fandangoes (#). [Sp. A name brought, together with the dance, from the West Indies to Spain.] 1. A lively dance, in 3-8 or 6-8 time, much practiced in Spain and Spanish America. Also, the tune to which it is danced.

2. A ball or general dance, as in Mexico. [Colloq.]

Fane (?), n. [L. fanum a place dedicated to some deity, a sanctuary, fr. fari to speak. See Fame.] A temple; a place consecrated to religion; a church. [Poet.]

Such to this British Isle, her Christian fanes.

Wordsworth.

Fane, n. [See Vane.] A weathercock. [Obs.]

||Fa*ne"ga (?), n. [Sp.] A dry measure in Spain and Spanish America, ||varying from 1&?; to 2&?; bushels; also, a measure of land. De ||Colange.

Fan"fare` (?), n. [F. Cf. Fanfaron.] A flourish of trumpets, as in coming into the lists, etc.; also, a short and lively air performed on hunting horns during the chase.

The fanfare announcing the arrival of the various Christian princes.

Sir W. Scott.

||Fan"fa*ron (?), n. [F., fr. Sp. fanfarron; cf. It. fanfano, and OSp. ||fanfa swaggering, boasting, also Ar. farfr talkative.] A bully; a ||hector; a swaggerer; an empty boaster. [R.] Dryden.

Fan*far`on*ade" (?), n. [F. fanfaronnade, fr. Sp. fanfarronada. See Fanfaron.] A swaggering; vain boasting; ostentation; a bluster. Swift.

Fan"foot` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) (a) A species of gecko having the toes expanded into large lobes for adhesion. The Egyptian fanfoot (Phyodactylus gecko) is believed, by the natives, to have venomous toes. (b) Any moth of the genus Polypogon.

Fang (fng), v. t. [OE. fangen, fongen, fon (g orig. only in p. p. and imp. tense), AS. fn; akin to D. vangen, OHG. fhan, G. fahen, fangen, Icel. f, Sw. fÂ, fÂnga, Dan. fange, faae, Goth. fahan, and prob. to E. fair, peace, pact. Cf. Fair, a.] 1. To catch; to seize, as with the teeth; to lay hold of; to gripe; to clutch. [Obs.] Shak.

He's in the law's clutches; you see he's fanged.

J. Webster.

2. To enable to catch or tear; to furnish with fangs. "Chariots fanged with scythes." Philips.

Fang, n. [From Fang, v. t.; cf. AS. fang a taking, booty, G. fang.] 1. (Zoˆl.) The tusk of an animal, by which the prey is seized and held or torn; a long pointed tooth; esp., one of the usually erectile, venomous teeth of serpents. Also, one of the falcers of a spider.

Since I am a dog, beware my fangs.

Shak.

2. Any shoot or other thing by which hold is taken.

The protuberant fangs of the yucca.

Evelyn.