Chapter 18

Cruis"er (?), n. Specif.: (Nav.) A man-of-war less heavily armed and armored than a battle ship, having great speed, and generally of from two thousand to twelve thousand tons displacement.

||Crux an*sa"ta (?). [L., cross with a handle.] A cross in the shape of the ankh.

Cry*om"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. &?; cold, frost + -meter.] (Physics) A thermometer for the measurement of low temperatures, esp. such an instrument containing alcohol or some other liquid of a lower freezing point than mercury.

Cu"bism (k"bz'm), n. (Painting) A movement or phase in post-impressionism (which see, below). -- Cu"bist (#), n.

||Cu*cul"lus (?), n.; pl. Cuculli (#). [L., a hood.] 1. (Bot.) A hood-shaped organ, resembling a cowl or monk's hood, as certain concave and arched sepals or petals.

2. (Zoöl.) A color marking or structure on the head somewhat resembling a hood.

||Cues"ta (?), n. [Sp.] A sloping plain, esp. one with the upper end at the crest of a cliff; a hill or ridge with one face steep and the opposite face gently sloping. [Southwestern U. S.]

||Cui` bo"no (?). [L.] Lit., for whose benefit; incorrectly understood, it came to be used in the sense, of what good or use; and hence, (what) purpose; object; specif., the ultimate object of life.

Cui`ras*sier" (?), n. (Mil.) In modern armies, a soldier of the heaviest cavalry, wearing a cuirass only when in full dress.

||Cuir" bou`illi" (?). [F.] In decorative art, boiled leather, fitted by the process to receive impressed patterns, like those produced by chasing metal, and to retain the impression permanently.

Cu"lex (?), n. [L., a gnat.] (Zoöl.) A genus of mosquitoes to which most of the North American species belong. Some members of this genus are exceedingly annoying, as C. sollicitans, which breeds in enormous numbers in the salt marshes of the Atlantic coast, and C. pipiens, breeding very widely in the fresh waters of North America. (For characters distinguishing these from the malaria mosquitoes, see Anopheles, above.) The yellow-fever mosquito is now placed in another genus, Stegomyia.

Cu"li*cid (?), a. [L. culex, - icis, gnat.] (Zoöl.) Like or pertaining to the Mosquito family (Culicidæ). -- n. A culicid insect.

Cultch (?), n. 1. Young or seed oysters together with the shells and other objects to which they are usually attached.

2. Rubbish; débris; refuse.

Cul"ture (?), n. 1. (Biol.) (a) The cultivation of bacteria or other organisms in artificial media or under artificial conditions. (b) The collection of organisms resulting from such a cultivation.

The word is used adjectively with the above senses in many phrases, such as: culture medium, any one of the various mixtures of gelatin, meat extracts, etc., in which organisms cultivated; culture flask, culture oven, culture tube, gelatin culture, plate culture, etc.

2. (Cartography) Those details of a map, collectively, which do not represent natural features of the area delineated, as names and the symbols for towns, roads, houses, bridges, meridians, and parallels.

Culture features. (Surv.) The artificial features of a district as distinguished from the natural.

Culture myth. A myth accounting for the discovery of arts and sciences or the advent of a higher civilization, as in the Prometheus myth.

Cul"tus (?), a. [See Cultus cod.] Bad, worth less; no good. [Northwestern U. S.]

"A bad horse, cultus [no good] !" he said, beating it with his whip.

F. H. Balch.

{ Cul"ver's phys"ic (?), or Cul"ver's root` (?) }. [So called after a Dr. Culver, who used it.] (Bot.) The root of a handsome erect herb (Leptandra, syn. Veronica, Virginica) common in most moist woods of North America , used as an active cathartic and emetic; also, the plant itself.

Cum"mer*bund` (?), n. [Written also kummerbund, cummerband, etc.] [Hind. kamarband, fr. Per. Kamar loins + band fastening.] A sash for the waist; a girdle. [India]

Cum"quat (?), n. (Bot.) See Kumquat.

Cup"py (?), a. 1. Hollow; cuplike; also, full of cups, or small depressions.

2. Characterized by cup shakes; -- said of timber.

Cup shake. (Forestry) A shake or fissure between the annual rings of a tree, found oftenest near the roots.

Cu*rette" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Curetted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Curetting.] (Med.) To scrape with a curette.

Cu"ri*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to the papal curia; as, the curial etiquette of the Vatican. -- n. A member of a curia, esp. of that of Rome or the later Italian sovereignties.

Cus"cus (?), n. [The same word as Couscous, fr. F. couscous couscous, Ar. kuskus.] (Bot.) A soft grass (Pennisetum typhoideum) found in all tropical regions, used as food for men and cattle in Central Africa.

Cuscus oil. Same as Vetiver oil.

Cushion tire. A thick solid-rubber tire, as for a bicycle, with a hollow groove running lengthwise on the inside.

Cuss"ed*ness (?), n. [Cussed (for cursed) + -ness.] Disposition to willful wrongdoing; malignity; perversity; cantankerousness; obstinacy. [Slang or Colloq., U. S.]

In her opinion it was all pure "cussedness."

Mrs. Humphry Ward.

Disputatiousness and perversity (what the Americans call "cussedness").

James Bryce.

Cut, v. t. 1. (Cricket) To deflect (a bowled ball) to the off, with a chopping movement of the bat.

2. (Billiards, etc.) To drive (an object ball) to either side by hitting it fine on the other side with the cue ball or another object ball.

3. (Lawn Tennis, etc.) To strike (a ball) with the racket inclined or struck across the ball so as to put a certain spin on the ball.

4. (Croqu&?;t) To drive (a ball) to one side by hitting with another ball.

Cut, v. t. -- To cut out, to separate from the midst of a number; as, to cut out a steer from a herd; to cut out a car from a train.

Cut, n. 1. (Lawn Tennis, etc.) A slanting stroke causing the ball to spin and bound irregularly; also, the spin so given to the ball.

2. (Cricket) A stroke on the off side between point and the wicket; also, one who plays this stroke.

Cu"tin (k"tn), n. [L. cutis skin, outside.] (PLant Physiol.) A waxy substance which, combined with cellulose, forms a substance nearly impervious to water and constituting the cuticle in plants.

Cy"cle, n. (a) (Thermodynamics) A series of operations in which heat is imparted to (or taken away from) a working substance which by its expansion gives up a part of its internal energy in the form of mechanical work (or being compressed increases its internal energy) and is again brought back to its original state. (b) (Elec.) A complete positive and negative wave of an alternating current; one period. The number of cycles (per second) is a measure of the frequency of an alternating current.

Cy"clone, n. 1. (Meteor.) In general, a condition of the atmosphere characterized by a central area of pressure much lower than that of surrounding areas, and a system of winds blowing inward and around (clockwise in the southern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the northern); -- called also a low-area storm. It is attended by high temperature, moist air, abundant precipitation, and clouded sky. The term includes the hurricane, typhoon, and tropical storms; it should not be applied to the moderate disturbances attending ordinary areas of low pressure nor to tornadoes, waterspouts, or "twisters," in which the vertical motion is more important than the horizontal.

2. A tornado. See above, and Tornado. [Middle U. S.]

{ Cyclone cellar or pit }. A cellar or excavation used for refuge from a cyclone, or tornado. [Middle U. S.]

Cy*clo"no*scope (?), n. [Cyclone + -scope.] An apparatus to assist in locating the center of a cyclone.

Cy"mo*graph (?), n. [Cyma + - graph.] (a) An instrument for making tracings of the outline or contour of profiles, moldings, etc. (b) Var. of Kymograph. -- Cy`mo*graph"ic (#), a.

Cy"mo*graph, v. t. To trace or copy with a cymograph.

Cy*mom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. &?; wave - meter.] An instrument for exhibiting and measuring wave motion; specif. (Elec.), an instrument for determining the frequency of electic wave oscillations, esp. in connection with wireless telegraphy.

Cy"mo*scope (?), n. [Gr. &?; wave + - scope.] (Elec.) Any device for detecting the presence of electric waves. The influence of electric waves on the resistance of a particular kind of electric circuit, on the magnetization of steel, on the polarization of an electrolytic cell, or on the electric condition of a vacuum has been applied in the various cymoscopes.

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D.

Da*hoon" (d*hn"), [Origin unknown.] An evergreen shrub or small tree (Ilex cassine) of the southern United States, bearing red drupes and having soft, white, close- grained wood; -- called also dahoon holly.

||Da"ï*ra (?), n. [Turk. daire circuit department, fr. Ar. daïrah circle.] Any of several valuable estates of the Egyptian khedive or his family. The most important are the Da"i*ra Sa"ni*eh (&?;), or Sa"ni*yeh, and the Da"i*ra Khas"sa, administered by the khedive's European bondholders, and known collectively as the Daira, or the Daira estates.

Dalles (dlz), n. pl. [F. dalle a tube, gutter, trough.] A rapid, esp. one where the channel is narrowed between rock walls. [Northwestern U. S. & Canada]

The place below, where the compressed river wound like a silver thread among the flat black rocks, was the far-famed Dalles of the Columbia.

F. H. Balch.

Da*ma"ra (?), n. [The name is supposed to be from Hottentot dama vanquished.] A native of Damaraland, German Southwest Africa. The Damaras include an important and warlike Bantu tribe, and the Hill Damaras, who are Hottentots and mixed breeds hostile to the Bantus.

Da*mas"cus steel. See Damask steel, under Damask.

{ Dan"die Din"mont (?), or Dan"die }, n. 1. In Scott's "Guy Mannering", a Border farmer of eccentric but fine character, who owns two terriers claimed to be the progenitors of the Dandie Dinmont terriers.

2. One of a breed of terriers with short legs, long body, and rough coat, originating in the country about the English and Scotch border.

Da`ri*ole" (?), n. [F.] 1. A crustade. [Obs.]

2. A shell or cup of pastry filled with custard, whipped cream, crushed macaroons, etc.

Dash`een" (?), n. A tropical aroid (of the genus Caladium, syn. Colocasia) having an edible farinaceous root. It is related to the taro and to the tanier, but is much superior to it in quality and is as easily cooked as the potato. It is a staple food plant of the tropics, being prepared like potatoes, and has been introduced into the Southern United States.

Date line. The hypothetical line on the surface of the earth fixed by international or general agreement as a boundary on one side of which the same day shall have a different name and date in the calendar from its name and date on the other side.

Speaking generally, the date line coincides with the meridian 180° from Greenwich. It deflects between north latitudes 80° and 45°, so that all Asia lies to the west, all North America, including the Aleutian Islands, to the east of the line; and between south latitudes 12° and 56°, so that Chatham Island and the Tonga group lie to the west of it. A vessel crossing this line to the westward sets the date forward by one day, as from Sunday to Monday. A vessel crossing the line to the eastward sets the date back by one day, as from Monday to Sunday. Hawaii has the same day name as San Francisco; Manila, the same day name as Australia, and this is one day later than the day of Hawaii. Thus when it is Monday May 1st at San Francisco it is Tuesday may 2d at Manila.

Dea"con (?), v. t. With humorous reference to hypocritical posing: To pack (fruit or vegetables) with the finest specimens on top; to alter slyly the boundaries of (land); to adulterate or doctor (an article to be sold), etc. [Colloq., U. S.]

Dead, a. 1. (Elec.) Carrying no current, or producing no useful effect; -- said of a conductor in a dynamo or motor, also of a telegraph wire which has no instrument attached and, therefore, is not in use.

2. Out of play; regarded as out of the game; -- said of a ball, a piece, or a player under certain conditions in cricket, baseball, checkers, and some other games.

[In golf], a ball is said to lie dead when it lies so near the hole that the player is certain to hole it in the next stroke.

Encyc. of Sport.

Dead"en, v. t. To render impervious to sound, as a wall or floor; to deafen.

De*ba"cle (?), n. A sudden breaking up or breaking loose; a violent dispersion or disruption; impetuous rush; outburst.

De*ben"ture, n. Any of various instruments issued, esp. by corporations, as evidences of debt. Such instruments (often called debenture bonds) are generally, through not necessarily, under seal, and are usually secured by a mortgage or other charge upon property; they may be registered or unregistered. A debenture secured by a mortgage on specific property is called a mortgage debenture; one secured by a floating charge (which see), a floating debenture; one not secured by any charge a naked debenture. In general the term debenture in British usage designates any security issued by companies other than their shares, including, therefore, what are in the United States commonly called bonds. When used in the United States debenture generally designates an instrument secured by a floating charge junior to other charges secured by fixed mortgages, or, specif., one of a series of securities secured by a group of securities held in trust for the benefit of the debenture holders.

Debenture stock. (Finance) The debt or series of debts, collectively, represented by a series of debentures; a debt secured by a trust deed of property for the benefit of the holders of shares in the debt or of a series of debentures. By the terms of much debenture stock the holders are not entitled to demand payment until the winding up of the company or default in payment; in the winding up of the company or default in payment; in the case of railway debentures, they cannot demand payment of the principal, and the debtor company cannot redeem the stock, except by authority of an act of Parliament. [Eng.]

De*bouch" (?), v. i. (Geog.) To issue; -- said of a stream passing from a gorge out into an open valley or a plain.

De*ca"dent (?), n. One that is decadent, or deteriorating; esp., one characterized by, or exhibiting, the qualities of those who are degenerating to a lower type; -- specif. applied to a certain school of modern French writers.

The decadents and æsthetes, and certain types of realists.

C. L. Dana.

The business men of a great State allow their State to be represented in Congress by "decadents".

The Century.

De*cath"lon (?), n. [See Deca-; Pentathlon.] In the modern Olympic Games, a composite contest consisting of a 100-meter run, a broad jump, putting the shot, a running high-jump, a 400-meter run, throwing the discus, a 100-meter hurdle race, pole vaulting, throwing the javelin, and a 1500-meter run.

De*cem"brist (?), n. (Russian Hist.) One of those who conspired for constitutional government against the Emperor Nicholas on his accession to the throne at the death of Alexander I., in December, 1825; -- called also Dekabrist.

He recalls the history of the decembrists . . . that gallant band of revolutionists.

G. Kennan.

Dec"i*are` (?), n. [F. déciare; pref. déci- tenth (fr. L. decimus) + are. See 2d Are.] (Metric System) A measure of area, the tenth part of an are; ten square meters.

Deck, n. (Aëronautics) A main aëroplane surface, esp. of a biplane or multiplane.

Dec"kle edge`. The rough, untrimmed edge of paper left by the deckle; also, a rough edge in imitation of this.

Dec"kle-edged` (?), a. Having a deckle edge; as, deckle-edged paper; a deckle-edged book.

De*class" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Declassed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Declassing.] [Cf. F. déclasser.] To remove from a class; to separate or degrade from one's class. North Am. Rev.

De`co*her"er (?), n. [Pref. de- + coherer.] (Elec.) A device for restoring a coherer to its normal condition after it has been affected by an electric wave, a process usually accomplished by some method of tapping or shaking, or by rotation of the coherer.

||Dé`col`le*tage" (d`k`l'*tzh), n. [F. See Décolleté.] (Costume) The upper border or part of a décolleté corsage.

||Dé`col`le*té" (d`kl`le*t"), a. Wearing a décolleté gown.

Decoration Day. = Memorial Day. [U. S.]

||Dé`cu`lasse`ment" (?), n. [F.] Also, sometimes, Anglicized Dec`u*lass"ment (&?;). (Ordnance) An accidental blowing off of, or other serious damage to, the breechblock of a gun; also, a removal of the breechblock for the purpose of disabling the gun.

Deer"stalk`er (?), n. A close- fitting hat, with a low crown, such as is worn in deerstalking; also, any stiff, round hat. [Eng.]

De*fect"ive (?), n. 1. Anything that is defective or lacking in some respect.

2. (Med.) One who is lacking physically or mentally.

Under the term defectives are included deaf-mutes, the blind, the feeble-minded, the insane, and sometimes, esp. in criminology, criminals and paupers.

||Dé`ga`gé" (?), a. [F., p. p. of dégager to disengage. See De-, lst Gage, and cf. Disgage.] Unconstrained; easy; free. Vanbrugh.

A graceful and dégagé manner.

Poe.

De*germ" (?), v. t. (Milling) To extract the germs from, as from wheat grains.

De*ger"mi*na`tor (?), n. (Milling) A machine for breaking open the kernels of wheat or other grain and removing the germs.

De*glaze" (?), v. t. To remove the glaze from, as pottery or porcelain, so as to give a dull finish.

||Dé`gras" (?), Deg"ras (&?;), n. [F.; cf. F. gras, a. & n., fat.] A semisolid emulsion produced by the treatment of certain skins with oxidized fish oil, which extracts their soluble albuminoids. It was formerly solely a by-product of chamois leather manufacture, but is now made for its own sake, being valuable as a dressing for hides.

De*grease" (?), v. t. To remove grease or fatty matter from, as wool or silk.

De*gum" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Degummed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Degumming.] To deprive of, or free from, gum; as, to degum ramie.

Dek"a*brist (?), n. A Decembrist.

Del`i*ca*tes"sen (?), n. pl. [G., fr. F. délicatesse.] Relishes for the table; dainties; delicacies. "A dealer in delicatessen". G. H. Putnam.

De*lig"nate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Delignated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Delignating.] [Pref. de- + L. lignum wood.] 1. To clear or strip of wood (by cutting down trees). [R.] Fuller.

2. To strip or remove the wood from; as, to delignate ramie, in the preparation of ribbons of the fiber for further working.

Del*sarte" (?), n., or Delsarte system. A system of calisthenics patterned on the theories of François Delsarte (1811 -- 71), a French teacher of dramatic and musical expression.

Del"ta, n. 1. The fourth letter of the Greek alphabet ( &delta;), answering to D. Hence, an object having the shape of the capital .

2. (Elec.) The closed figure produced by connecting three coils or circuits successively, end for end, esp. in a three-phase system; -- often used attributively, as delta winding, delta connection (which see), etc.

Delta connection. (Elec.) One of the usual forms or methods for connecting apparatus to a three-phase circuit, the three corners of the delta or triangle, as diagrammatically represented, being connected to the three wires of the supply circuit.

Delta current. (Elec.) The current flowing through a delta connection.

De*mit" (?), v. i. [F. démettre to remove, se démettre to resign; dé- (L. dis-) + mettre to put, fr. L. mittere to send. Cf. Dismiss.] To lay down or relinquish an office, membership, authority, or the like; to resign, as from a Masonic lodge; -- generally used with an implication that the act is voluntary.

De*mit", n. The act of demitting; also, a letter, certificate, or the like, certifying that a person has (honorably) demitted, as from a Masonic lodge.

||De*mi"-tasse" (?), n. [F., half cup.] A small cup for, or of, black coffee.

Dem"o*crat, n. A large light uncovered wagon with two or more seats. [U. S.]

De*mote" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Demoted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Demoting (?).] [Pref. de- + mote, as in promote; cf. L. demovere to remove.] To reduce to a lower grade, as in school.

De*mot"ics (?), n. The department of knowledge relative to the care and culture of the people; sociology in its broadest sense; -- in library cataloguing.

De*mount"a*ble (?), [See De-; Mount.] Capable of being dismounted; -- said of a form of rim, for an automobile wheel, which can be removed with its tire from the wheel.

De*na"ture (?), v. t. [De- + nature.] To deprive of its natural qualities; change the nature of.

De*part"ment store. A store keeping a great variety of goods which are arranged in several departments, esp. one with dry goods as the principal stock.

De*phase" (?), v. t. (Elec.) To put out of phase, as two parts of a single alternating current.

Depth, n. (Aëronautics) The perpendicular distance from the chord to the farthest point of an arched surface.

De*queen" (?), v. t. (Apiculture) To remove the queen from (a hive of bees).

De*re"cho (?), n. [Sp. derecho straight.] A straight wind without apparent cyclonic tendency, usually accompanied with rain and often destructive, common in the prairie regions of the United States.

||De ri`gueur" (?). [F. See 2d Rigor.] According to strictness (of etiquette, rule, or the like); obligatory; strictly required.

Der`iva"tion, n. The formation of a word from its more original or radical elements; also, a statement of the origin and history of a word.

Der"rick, n. (Mining) The pyramidal structure or tower over a deep drill hole, such as that of an oil well.

Der"vish, n. One of the fanatical followers of the Mahdi, in the Sudan.

Des"ic*ca`tor (?), n. One that desiccates; specif.: (a) (Chem., etc.) A short glass jar fitted with an air-tight cover, and containing some desiccating agent, as calcium chloride, above which is placed the material to be dried or preserved from moisture. (b) A machine or apparatus for drying fruit, milk, etc., usually by the aid of heat; an evaporator.

De*stroy"er, n. = Torpedo-boat destroyer.

De*struct"or, n. A furnace or oven for the burning or carbonizing of refuse; specif. (Sewage Disposal), a furnace (called in full refuse destructor) in which the more solid constituents of sewage are burnt. Destructors are often so constructed as to utilize refuse as fuel.

De*tail", n. (Arch. & Mach.) (a) A minor part, as, in a building, the cornice, caps of the buttresses, capitals of the columns, etc., or (called larger details) a porch, a gable with its windows, a pavilion, or an attached tower. (b) A detail drawing.

In detail, in subdivisions; part by part; item by item; circumstantially; with particularity.

De*tect"or, n. Specifically: (a) An indicator showing the depth of the water in a boiler. (b) (Elec.) A galvanometer, usually portable, for indicating the direction of a current. (c) (Elec.) Any of various devices for detecting the presence of electric waves.

De*tect"or bar. (Railroads) A bar, connected with a switch, longer than the distance between any two consecutive wheels of a train (45 to 50 feet), laid inside a rail and operated by the wheels so that the switch cannot be thrown until all the train is past the switch.

Det"o*na`tor (?), n. One that detonates; specif.: (a) An explosive whose action is practically instantaneous. (b) Something used to detonate a charge, as a detonating fuse. (c) A case containing detonating powder, the explosion of which serves as a signal, as on railroads. (d) A gun fired by a percussion cap. [Obs.]

De*vel"op*er, n. One that develops; specif.: (a) (Photog.) A chemical bath or reagent used in developing photographs. (b) (Dyeing) A reagent used to produce an ingrain color by its action upon some substance on the fiber.

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