F.
F (&ebreve;f). 1. F is the sixth
letter of the English alphabet, and a nonvocal consonant. Its form
and sound are from the Latin. The Latin borrowed the form from the
Greek digamma &?;, which probably had the value of English w
consonant. The form and value of Greek letter came from the
Phœnician, the ultimate source being probably Egyptian.
Etymologically f is most closely related to p,
k, v, and b; as in E. five, Gr.
pe`nte; E. wolf, L. lupus, Gr.
ly`kos; E. fox, vixen ; fragile,
break; fruit, brook, v. t.; E.
bear, L. ferre. See Guide to Pronunciation,
§§ 178, 179, 188, 198, 230.
2. (Mus.) The name of the fourth tone
of the model scale, or scale of C. F sharp (F ♯) is a tone
intermediate between F and G.
F clef, the bass clef. See under
Clef.
Fa (fä), n. [It.] (Mus.)
(a) A syllable applied to the fourth tone of the
diatonic scale in solmization. (b) The
tone F.
Fa*ba"ceous (f&adot;*bā"shŭs),
a. [L. fabaceus, fr. faba bean.]
Having the nature of a bean; like a bean.
||Fa*bel"la (?), n.; pl.
Fabellae (-l&?;). [NL., dim. of L. faba a
bean.] (Anat.) One of the small sesamoid bones situated
behind the condyles of the femur, in some mammals.
Fa"bi*an (?), a. [L. Fabianus,
Fabius, belonging to Fabius.] Of, pertaining to, or in
the manner of, the Roman general, Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus;
cautious; dilatory; avoiding a decisive contest.
Fabian policy, a policy like that of Fabius
Maximus, who, by carefully avoiding decisive contests, foiled
Hannibal, harassing his army by marches, countermarches, and
ambuscades; a policy of delays and cautions.
Fa"ble (fā"b'l), n. [F., fr. L.
fabula, fr. fari to speak, say. See Ban, and cf.
Fabulous, Fame.] 1. A Feigned
story or tale, intended to instruct or amuse; a fictitious narration
intended to enforce some useful truth or precept; an apologue. See
the Note under Apologue.
Jotham's fable of the trees is the oldest
extant.
Addison.
2. The plot, story, or connected series of
events, forming the subject of an epic or dramatic poem.
The moral is the first business of the poet; this
being formed, he contrives such a design or fable as may be
most suitable to the moral.
Dryden.
3. Any story told to excite wonder; common
talk; the theme of talk. "Old wives' fables. " 1
Tim. iv. 7.
We grew
The fable of the city where we dwelt.
Tennyson.
4. Fiction; untruth; falsehood.
It would look like a fable to report that this
gentleman gives away a great fortune by secret methods.
Addison.
Fa"ble, v. i. [imp. & p.
p. Fabled (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Fabling (?).] To compose fables; hence, to write or speak
fiction ; to write or utter what is not true. "He Fables
not." Shak.
Vain now the tales which fabling poets
tell.
Prior.
He fables, yet speaks truth.
M.
Arnold.
Fa"ble, v. t. To feign; to invent;
to devise, and speak of, as true or real; to tell of
falsely.
The hell thou fablest.
Milton.
Fa"bler (fā"bl&etilde;r), n.
A writer of fables; a fabulist; a dealer in untruths or
falsehoods. Bp. Hall.
||Fa`bli`au" (?), n.; pl.
Fabliaux (-&osl;"). [F., fr. OF. fablel,
dim. of fable a fable.] (Fr. Lit.) One of the
metrical tales of the Trouvères, or early poets of the north
of France.
Fab"ric (?), n. [L. fabrica
fabric, workshop: cf. F. fabrique fabric. See Forge.]
1. The structure of anything; the manner in
which the parts of a thing are united; workmanship; texture; make; as
cloth of a beautiful fabric.
2. That which is fabricated; as:
(a) Framework; structure; edifice;
building.
Anon out of the earth a fabric huge
Rose like an exhalation.
Milton.
(b) Cloth of any kind that is woven or knit
from fibers, either vegetable or animal; manufactured cloth; as,
silks or other fabrics.
3. The act of constructing;
construction. [R.]
Tithe was received by the bishop, . . . for the
fabric of the churches for the poor.
Milman.
4. Any system or structure consisting of
connected parts; as, the fabric of the universe.
The whole vast fabric of society.
Macaulay.
Fab"ric, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Fabricked (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Fabricking.] To frame; to build; to construct.
[Obs.] "Fabric their mansions." J. Philips.
Fab"ri*cant (?), n. [F.] One who
fabricates; a manufacturer. Simmonds.
Fab"ri*cate (?), v. t. [imp. &
p. p. Fabricated (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Fabricating (?).] [L. fabricatus, p. p. of
fabricari, fabricare, to frame, build, forge, fr.
fabrica. See Fabric, Farge.] 1.
To form into a whole by uniting its parts; to frame; to
construct; to build; as, to fabricate a bridge or
ship.
2. To form by art and labor; to manufacture;
to produce; as, to fabricate woolens.
3. To invent and form; to forge; to devise
falsely; as, to fabricate a lie or story.
Our books were not fabricated with an
accomodation to prevailing usages.
Paley.
Fab`ri*ca"tion (?), n. [L.
fabricatio; cf. F. fabrication.] 1.
The act of fabricating, framing, or constructing; construction;
manufacture; as, the fabrication of a bridge, a church, or a
government. Burke.
2. That which is fabricated; a falsehood; as,
the story is doubtless a fabrication.
Syn. -- See Fiction.
Fab"ri*ca`tor (?), n. [L.] One who
fabricates; one who constructs or makes.
The fabricator of the works of
Ossian.
Mason.
Fab"ri*ca`tress (?), n. A woman
who fabricates.
Fab"rile (?), a. [L. fabrilis,
fr. faber workman. See Forge.] Pertaining to a
workman, or to work in stone, metal, wood etc.; as, fabrile
skill.
Fab"u*list (?), n. [Cf. F.
fabuliste, fr. L. fabula. See Fable.] One
who invents or writes fables.
Fab"u*lize (?), v. i. [imp. &
p. p. Fabulized (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Fabulizing (?).] [Cf. F. fabuliser. See
Fable.] To invent, compose, or relate fables or
fictions. G. S. Faber.
Fab`u*los"i*ty (?), n. [L.
fabulositas: cf. F. fabulosité.]
1. Fabulousness. [R.] Abp.
Abbot.
2. A fabulous or fictitious story. [R.]
Sir T. Browne.
Fab"u*lous (făb"&usl;*lŭs),
a. [L. fabulosus; cf. F. fabuleux.
See Fable.] 1. Feigned, as a story or
fable; related in fable; devised; invented; not real; fictitious; as,
a fabulous description; a fabulous hero.
The fabulous birth of Minerva.
Chesterfield.
2. Passing belief; exceedingly great; as, a
fabulous price. Macaulay.
Fabulous age, that period in the history of
a nation of which the only accounts are myths and unverified legends;
as, the fabulous age of Greece and Rome.
-- Fab"u*lous*ly (#), adv. --
Fab"u*lous*ness, n.
Fab"ur*den (făb"ŭr*den),
n. [F. faux bourdon. See False, and
Burden a verse.] 1. (Mus.)
(a) A species of counterpoint with a drone
bass. (b) A succession of chords of the
sixth. [Obs.]
2. A monotonous refrain. [Obs.]
Holland.
Fac (făk), n. [Abbrev. of
facsimile.] A large ornamental letter used, esp. by the
early printers, at the commencement of the chapters and other
divisions of a book. Brande & C.
||Fa`çade" (f&adot;`s&adot;d" or
f&adot;`sād"), n. [F., fr. It.
facciata, fr. faccia face, L. facies. See
Face.] (Arch.) The front of a building; esp., the
principal front, having some architectural pretensions. Thus a church
is said to have its façade unfinished, though the
interior may be in use.
Face (?), n. [F., from L. facies
form, shape, face, perh. from facere to make (see
Fact); or perh. orig. meaning appearance, and from a
root meaning to shine, and akin to E. fancy. Cf.
Facetious.] 1. The exterior form or
appearance of anything; that part which presents itself to the view;
especially, the front or upper part or surface; that which
particularly offers itself to the view of a spectator.
A mist . . . watered the whole face of the
ground.
Gen. ii. 6.
Lake Leman wooes me with its crystal
face.
Byron.
2. That part of a body, having several sides,
which may be seen from one point, or which is presented toward a
certain direction; one of the bounding planes of a solid; as, a cube
has six faces.
3. (Mach.) (a) The
principal dressed surface of a plate, disk, or pulley; the principal
flat surface of a part or object. (b) That
part of the acting surface of a cog in a cog wheel, which projects
beyond the pitch line. (c) The width of a
pulley, or the length of a cog from end to end; as, a pulley or cog
wheel of ten inches face.
4. (Print.) (a) The
upper surface, or the character upon the surface, of a type, plate,
etc. (b) The style or cut of a type or
font of type.
5. Outside appearance; surface show; look;
external aspect, whether natural, assumed, or acquired.
To set a face upon their own malignant
design.
Milton.
This would produce a new face of things in
Europe.
Addison.
We wear a face of joy, because
We have been glad of yore.
Wordsworth.
6. That part of the head, esp. of man, in
which the eyes, cheeks, nose, and mouth are situated; visage;
countenance.
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread.
Gen. iii. 19.
7. Cast of features; expression of
countenance; look; air; appearance.
We set the best faceon it we
could.
Dryden.
8. (Astrol.) Ten degrees in extent of
a sign of the zodiac. Chaucer.
9. Maintenance of the countenance free from
abashment or confusion; confidence; boldness; shamelessness;
effrontery.
This is the man that has the face to charge
others with false citations.
Tillotson.
10. Presence; sight; front; as in the
phrases, before the face of, in the immediate presence of;
in the face of, before, in, or against the front of; as, to
fly in the face of danger; to the face of, directly to;
from the face of, from the presence of.
11. Mode of regard, whether favorable or
unfavorable; favor or anger; mostly in Scriptural phrases.
The Lord make his face to shine upon
thee.
Num. vi. 25.
My face [favor] will I turn also from
them.
Ezek. vii. 22.
12. (Mining) The end or wall of the
tunnel, drift, or excavation, at which work is progressing or was
last done.
13. (Com.) The exact amount expressed
on a bill, note, bond, or other mercantile paper, without any
addition for interest or reduction for discount.
McElrath.
&fist; Face is used either adjectively or as part of a
compound; as, face guard or face-guard; face
cloth; face plan or face-plan; face hammer.
Face ague (Med.), a form of
neuralgia, characterized by acute lancinating pains returning at
intervals, and by twinges in certain parts of the face, producing
convulsive twitches in the corresponding muscles; -- called also
tic douloureux. -- Face card, one
of a pack of playing cards on which a human face is represented; the
king, queen, or jack. -- Face cloth, a
cloth laid over the face of a corpse. -- Face
guard, a mask with windows for the eyes, worn by
workman exposed to great heat, or to flying particles of metal,
stone, etc., as in glass works, foundries, etc. -- Face
hammer, a hammer having a flat face. --
Face joint (Arch.), a joint in the face
of a wall or other structure. -- Face mite
(Zoöll.), a small, elongated mite (Demdex
folliculorum), parasitic in the hair follicles of the face.
-- Face mold, the templet or pattern by which
carpenters, ect., outline the forms which are to be cut out from
boards, sheet metal, ect. -- Face plate.
(a) (Turning) A plate attached to the
spindle of a lathe, to which the work to be turned may be
attached. (b) A covering plate for an
object, to receive wear or shock. (c) A true
plane for testing a dressed surface. Knight. --
Face wheel. (Mach.) (a)
A crown wheel. (b) A Wheel whose disk
face is adapted for grinding and polishing; a lap.
Cylinder face (Steam Engine), the
flat part of a steam cylinder on which a slide valve moves. --
Face of an anvil, its flat upper surface.
-- Face of a bastion (Fort.), the part
between the salient and the shoulder angle. -- Face of
coal (Mining), the principal cleavage plane, at
right angles to the stratification. -- Face of a
gun, the surface of metal at the muzzle. --
Face of a place (Fort.), the front
comprehended between the flanked angles of two neighboring
bastions. Wilhelm. -- Face of a square
(Mil.), one of the sides of a battalion when formed in a
square. -- Face of a watch, clock,
compass, card etc., the dial or graduated surface on
which a pointer indicates the time of day, point of the compass,
etc. -- Face to face. (a)
In the presence of each other; as, to bring the accuser and the
accused face to face. (b) Without the
interposition of any body or substance. "Now we see through a
glass darkly; but then face to face." 1 Cor. xiii. 12.
(c) With the faces or finished surfaces turned
inward or toward one another; vis à vis; -- opposed to
back to back. -- To fly in the face of,
to defy; to brave; to withstand. -- To make a
face, to distort the countenance; to make a
grimace. Shak.
Face (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Faced (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Facing (?).] 1. To meet in front; to
oppose with firmness; to resist, or to meet for the purpose of
stopping or opposing; to confront; to encounter; as, to face
an enemy in the field of battle.
I'll face
This tempest, and deserve the name of king.
Dryden.
2. To Confront impudently; to
bully.
I will neither be facednor braved.
Shak.
3. To stand opposite to; to stand with the
face or front toward; to front upon; as, the apartments of the
general faced the park.
He gained also with his forces that part of Britain
which faces Ireland.
Milton.
4. To cover in front, for ornament,
protection, etc.; to put a facing upon; as, a building faced
with marble.
5. To line near the edge, esp. with a
different material; as, to face the front of a coat, or the
bottom of a dress.
6. To cover with better, or better appearing,
material than the mass consists of, for purpose of deception, as the
surface of a box of tea, a barrel of sugar, etc.
7. (Mach.) To make the surface of
(anything) flat or smooth; to dress the face of (a stone, a casting,
etc.); esp., in turning, to shape or smooth the flat surface of, as
distinguished from the cylindrical surface.
8. To cause to turn or present a face or
front, as in a particular direction.
To face down, to put down by bold or
impudent opposition. "He faced men down."
Prior. -- To face (a thing) out, to
persist boldly or impudently in an assertion or in a line of
conduct. "That thinks with oaths to face the matter
out." Shak.
Face, v. i. 1. To
carry a false appearance; to play the hypocrite. "To lie, to
face, to forge." Spenser.
2. To turn the face; as, to face to
the right or left.
Face about, man; a soldier, and
afraid!
Dryden.
3. To present a face or front.
Faced (fāst), a. Having
(such) a face, or (so many) faces; as, smooth-faced, two-
faced.
Fa"cer (fā"s&etilde;r), n.
1. One who faces; one who puts on a false show;
a bold-faced person. [Obs.]
There be no greater talkers, nor boasters, nor
fasers.
Latimer.
2. A blow in the face, as in boxing; hence,
any severe or stunning check or defeat, as in controversy.
[Collog.]
I should have been a stercoraceous mendicant if I had
hollowed when I got a facer.
C.
Kingsley.
Fac"et (?), n. [F. facette, dim.
of face face. See Face.] 1. A
little face; a small, plane surface; as, the facets of a
diamond. [Written also facette.]
2. (Anat.) A smooth circumscribed
surface; as, the articular facet of a bone.
3. (Arch.) The narrow plane surface
between flutings of a column.
4. (Zoöl.) One of the numerous
small eyes which make up the compound eyes of insects and
crustaceans.
Fac"et, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Faceted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Faceting.] To cut facets or small faces upon; as, to
facet a diamond.
Fa*cete" (?), a. [L. facetus
elegant, fine, facetious; akin to facies. See Face, and
cf. Facetious.] Facetious; witty; humorous.
[Archaic] "A facete discourse." Jer. Taylor.
"How to interpose" with a small, smart remark,
sentiment facete, or unctuous anecdote.
Prof.
Wilson.
-- Fa*cete"ly, adv. --
Fa*cete"ness, n.
Fac"et*ed (?), a. Having
facets.
||Fa*ce"ti*æ (&?;), n. pl. [L.,
fr. facetus. See Facete.] Witty or humorous
writings or saying; witticisms; merry conceits.
Fa*ce"tious (?), a. [Cf. F.
facétieux. See Facetiæ.]
1. Given to wit and good humor; merry; sportive;
jocular; as, a facetious companion.
2. Characterized by wit and pleasantry;
exciting laughter; as, a facetious story or reply.
-- Fa*ce"tious*ly, adv. --
Fa*ce"tious*ness, n.
Fa*cette" (?), n. [F.] See
Facet, n.
Face"work` (?), n. The material of
the outside or front side, as of a wall or building;
facing.
Fa"ci*a (?), n. (Arch.) See
Fascia.
Fa"cial (?), a. [LL. facialis,
fr. L. facies face : cf. F. facial.] Of or
pertaining to the face; as, the facial artery, vein, or
nerve. -- Fa"cial*ly, adv.
Facial angle (Anat.), the angle, in a
skull, included between a straight line (ab, in the
illustrations), from the most prominent part of the forehead to the
front efge of the upper jaw bone, and another (cd) from this
point to the center of the external auditory opening. See Gnathic
index, under Gnathic.
Fa"ci*end (?), n. [From neut. of L.
faciendus, gerundive of facere to do.] (Mach.)
The multiplicand. See Facient, 2.
Fa"cient (?), n. [L. faciens, --
entis, p. pr. of facere to make, do. See Fact.]
1. One who does anything, good or bad; a doer;
an agent. [Obs.] Bp. Hacket.
2. (Mach.) (a) One of
the variables of a quantic as distinguished from a coefficient.
(b) The multiplier.
&fist; The terms facient, faciend, and
factum, may imply that the multiplication involved is not
ordinary multiplication, but is either some specified operation, or,
in general, any mathematical operation. See
Multiplication.
||Fa"ci*es (?), n. [L., from, face. See
Face.]
1. The anterior part of the head; the
face.
2. (Biol.) The general aspect or habit
of a species, or group of species, esp. with reference to its
adaptation to its environment.
3. (Zoöl.) The face of a bird, or
the front of the head, excluding the bill.
Facies Hippocratica. (Med.) See
Hippocratic.
Fac"ile (?) a. [L. facilis,
prop., capable of being done or made, hence, facile, easy, fr.
facere to make, do: cf. F. facile. Srr Fact, and
cf. Faculty.] 1. Easy to be done or
performed: not difficult; performable or attainable with little
labor.
Order . . . will render the work facile and
delightful.
Evelyn.
2. Easy to be surmounted or removed; easily
conquerable; readily mastered.
The facile gates of hell too slightly
barred.
Milton.
3. Easy of access or converse; mild;
courteous; not haughty, austere, or distant; affable;
complaisant.
I meant she should be courteous, facile,
sweet.
B. Jonson.
4. Easily persuaded to good or bad; yielding;
ductile to a fault; pliant; flexible.
Since Adam, and his facile consort Eve,
Lost Paradise, deceived by me.
Milton.
This is treating Burns like a child, a person of so
facile a disposition as not to be trusted without a keeper on
the king's highway.
Prof. Wilson.
5. Ready; quick; expert; as, he is
facile in expedients; he wields a facile pen.
-- Fac"ile*ly, adv. --
Fac"ile*ness, n.
Fa*cil"i*tate (f&adot;*s&ibreve;l"&ibreve;*tāt),
v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Facilitated (-tā`t&ebreve;d); p. pr. & vb.
n. Facilitating (-tā`t&ibreve;ng).] [Cf. F.
faciliter. See Facility.] To make easy or less
difficult; to free from difficulty or impediment; to lessen the labor
of; as, to facilitate the execution of a task.
To invite and facilitate that line of
proceeding which the times call for.
I.
Taylor.
Fa*cil`i*ta"tion (?), n. The act
of facilitating or making easy.
Fa*cil"i*ty (f&adot;*s&ibreve;l"&ibreve;*t&ybreve;),
n.; pl. Facilities (-
t&ibreve;z). [L. facilitas, fr. facilis easy: cf. F.
facilité. See Facile.] 1.
The quality of being easily performed; freedom from difficulty;
ease; as, the facility of an operation.
The facility with which government has been
overturned in France.
Burke.
2. Ease in performance; readiness proceeding
from skill or use; dexterity; as, practice gives a wonderful
facility in executing works of art.
3. Easiness to be persuaded; readiness or
compliance; -- usually in a bad sense; pliancy.
It is a great error to take facility for good
nature.
L'Estrange.
4. Easiness of access; complaisance;
affability.
Offers himself to the visits of a friend with
facility.
South.
5. That which promotes the ease of any action
or course of conduct; advantage; aid; assistance; -- usually in the
plural; as, special facilities for study.
Syn. -- Ease; expertness; readiness; dexterity;
complaisance; condescension; affability. -- Facility,
Expertness, Readiness. These words have in common the
idea of performing any act with ease and promptitude. Facility
supposes a natural or acquired power of dispatching a task with
lightness and ease. Expertness is the kind of facility
acquired by long practice. Readiness marks the promptitude
with which anything is done. A merchant needs great facility
in dispatching business; a banker, great expertness in casting
accounts; both need great readiness in passing from one
employment to another. "The facility which we get of doing
things by a custom of doing, makes them often pass in us without our
notice." Locke. "The army was celebrated for the
expertness and valor of the soldiers." "A readiness to
obey the known will of God is the surest means to enlighten the mind
in respect to duty."
Fa"cing (?), n. 1.
A covering in front, for ornament or other purpose; an exterior
covering or sheathing; as, the facing of an earthen slope, sea
wall, etc. , to strengthen it or to protect or adorn the exposed
surface.
2. A lining placed near the edge of a garment
for ornament or protection.
3. (Arch.) The finishing of any face
of a wall with material different from that of which it is chiefly
composed, or the coating or material so used.
4. (Founding) A powdered substance, as
charcoal, bituminous coal, ect., applied to the face of a mold, or
mixed with the sand that forms it, to give a fine smooth surface to
the casting.
5. (Mil.) (a) pl.
The collar and cuffs of a military coat; -- commonly of a color
different from that of the coat. (b) The
movement of soldiers by turning on their heels to the right, left, or
about; -- chiefly in the pl.
Facing brick, front or pressed
brick.
Fa"cing*ly, adv. In a facing
manner or position.
Fa*cin"o*rous (?), a. [L.
facinorous, from facinus deed, bad deed, from
facere to make, do.] Atrociously wicked. [Obs.]
Jer. Taylor.
-- Fa*cin"o*rous*ness, n. [Obs.]
Fac"ound (?), n. [F. faconde, L.
facundia. See Facund.] Speech; eloquence.
[Obs.]
Her facound eke full womanly and
plain.
Chaucer.
Fac*sim"i*le (?), n.; pl.
Facsimiles (-l&?;z). [L. fac simile make
like; or an abbreviation of factum simile made like;
facere to make + similes like. See Fact, and
Simile.] A copy of anything made, either so as to be
deceptive or so as to give every part and detail of the original; an
exact copy or likeness.
Facsimile telegraph, a telegraphic apparatus
reproducing messages in autograph.
Fac*sim"i*le, (&?;), v. t. To make
a facsimile of.
Fact (făkt), n. [L.
factum, fr. facere to make or do. Cf. Feat,
Affair, Benefit, Defect, Fashion, and
-fy.] 1. A doing, making, or
preparing. [Obs.]
A project for the fact and vending
Of a new kind of fucus, paint for ladies.
B.
Jonson.
2. An effect produced or achieved; anything
done or that comes to pass; an act; an event; a
circumstance.
What might instigate him to this devilish fact,
I am not able to conjecture.
Evelyn.
He who most excels in fact of
arms.
Milton.
3. Reality; actuality; truth; as, he, in
fact, excelled all the rest; the fact is, he was
beaten.
4. The assertion or statement of a thing done
or existing; sometimes, even when false, improperly put, by a
transfer of meaning, for the thing done, or supposed to be done; a
thing supposed or asserted to be done; as, history abounds with false
facts.
I do not grant the fact.
De
Foe.
This reasoning is founded upon a fact which is
not true.
Roger Long.
&fist; The term fact has in jurisprudence peculiar uses in
contrast with law; as, attorney at law, and attorney in
fact; issue in law, and issue in fact. There is
also a grand distinction between law and fact with
reference to the province of the judge and that of the jury, the
latter generally determining the fact, the former the
law. Burrill Bouvier.
[1913 Webster]
Accessary before, or after,
the fact. See under Accessary. --
Matter of fact, an actual occurrence; a verity;
used adjectively: of or pertaining to facts; prosaic; unimaginative;
as, a matter-of-fact narration.
Syn. -- Act; deed; performance; event; incident;
occurrence; circumstance.
Fac"tion (făk"shŭn), n.
[L. factio a doing, a company of persons acting together, a
faction: cf. F. faction See Fashion.]
1. (Anc. Hist.) One of the divisions or
parties of charioteers (distinguished by their colors) in the games
of the circus.
2. A party, in political society, combined or
acting in union, in opposition to the government, or state; --
usually applied to a minority, but it may be applied to a majority; a
combination or clique of partisans of any kind, acting for their own
interests, especially if greedy, clamorous, and reckless of the
common good.
3. Tumult; discord; dissension.
They remained at Newbury in great faction among
themselves.
Clarendon.
Syn. -- Combination; clique; junto. See Cabal.
Fac"tion*a*ry (?), a. [Cf. F.
factionnaire, L. factionarius the head of a company of
charioteers.] Belonging to a faction; being a partisan; taking
sides. [Obs.]
Always factionary on the party of your
general.
Shak.
Fac"tion*er (-?r), n. One of a
faction. Abp. Bancroft.
Fac"tion*ist, n. One who promotes
faction.
Fac"tious (?). a. [L. factiosus:
cf. F. factieux.] 1. Given to faction;
addicted to form parties and raise dissensions, in opposition to
government or the common good; turbulent; seditious; prone to clamor
against public measures or men; -- said of persons.
Factious for the house of
Lancaster.
Shak.
2. Pertaining to faction; proceeding from
faction; indicating, or characterized by, faction; -- said of acts or
expressions; as, factious quarrels.
Headlong zeal or factious fury.
Burke.
-- Fac"tious*ly, adv. -- Fac"tious-
ness, n.
Fac*ti"tious (?), a. [L.
factitius, fr. facere to make. See Fact, and cf.
Fetich.] Made by art, in distinction from what is
produced by nature; artificial; sham; formed by, or adapted to, an
artificial or conventional, in distinction from a natural, standard
or rule; not natural; as, factitious cinnabar or jewels; a
factitious taste. -- Fac-ti"tious*ly,
adv. -- Fac*ti"tious-ness,
n.
He acquires a factitious propensity, he forms
an incorrigible habit, of desultory reading.
De
Quincey.
Syn. -- Unnatural. -- Factitious, Unnatural.
Anything is unnatural when it departs in any way from its
simple or normal state; it is factitious when it is wrought
out or wrought up by labor and effort, as, a factitious
excitement. An unnatural demand for any article of merchandise
is one which exceeds the ordinary rate of consumption; a factitious
demand is one created by active exertions for the purpose. An
unnatural alarm is one greater than the occasion requires; a
factitious alarm is one wrought up with care and effort.
Fac"ti*tive (?). a. [See Fact.]
1. Causing; causative.
2. (Gram.) Pertaining to that relation
which is proper when the act, as of a transitive verb, is not merely
received by an object, but produces some change in the object, as
when we say, He made the water wine.
Sometimes the idea of activity in a verb or adjective
involves in it a reference to an effect, in the way of causality, in
the active voice on the immediate objects, and in the passive voice
on the subject of such activity. This second object is called the
factitive object.
J. W. Gibbs.
Fac"tive (?), a. Making; having
power to make. [Obs.] "You are . . . factive, not
destructive." Bacon.
||Fac"to (?), adv. [L., ablative of
factum deed, fact.] (Law) In fact; by the act or
fact.
De facto. (Law) See De
facto.
Fac"tor (?), n. [L. factor a
doer: cf. F. facteur a factor. See Fact.]
1. (Law) One who transacts business for
another; an agent; a substitute; especially, a mercantile agent who
buys and sells goods and transacts business for others in commission;
a commission merchant or consignee. He may be a home factor or a
foreign factor. He may buy and sell in his own name, and he is
intrusted with the possession and control of the goods; and in these
respects he differs from a broker. Story.
Wharton.
My factor sends me word, a merchant's fled
That owes me for a hundred tun of wine.
Marlowe.
2. A steward or bailiff of an estate.
[Scot.] Sir W. Scott.
3. (Math.) One of the elements or
quantities which, when multiplied together, form a product.
4. One of the elements, circumstances, or
influences which contribute to produce a result; a
constituent.
The materal and dynamical factors of
nutrition.
H. Spencer.
Fac"tor, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Factored (-t?rd); p. pr. & vb.
n. Factoring.] (Mach.) To resolve (a
quantity) into its factors.
Fac"tor*age (?), n. [Cf. F.
factorage.] The allowance given to a factor, as a
compensation for his services; -- called also a
commission.
Fac"tor*ess (?), n. A factor who
is a woman. [R.]
Fac*to"ri*al (?), a. 1.
Of or pertaining to a factory. Buchanan.
2. (Math.) Related to
factorials.
Fac*to"ri*al, n. (Math.)
(a) pl. A name given to the factors of a
continued product when the former are derivable from one and the same
function F(x) by successively imparting a constant increment or
decrement h to the independent variable. Thus the product
F(x).F(x + h).F(x + 2h) . . . F[x + (n-1)h] is called a
factorial term, and its several factors take the name of
factorials. Brande & C.
(b) The product of the consecutive numbers
from unity up to any given number.
Fac"tor*ing (?), n. (Math.)
The act of resolving into factors.
Fac"tor*ize (?), v. t. [imp. &
p. p. Factorized (-?zd); p. pr. & vb.
n. Factorizing (-?"z?ng).] (Law)
(a) To give warning to; -- said of a person in
whose hands the effects of another are attached, the warning being to
the effect that he shall not pay the money or deliver the property of
the defendant in his hands to him, but appear and answer the suit of
the plaintiff. (b) To attach (the effects
of a debtor) in the hands of a third person ; to garnish. See
Garnish. [Vt. & Conn.]
Fac"tor*ship, n. The business of a
factor.
Fac"to*ry (?), n.; pl.
Factories (-r&?;z). [Cf. F. factorerie.]
1. A house or place where factors, or commercial
agents, reside, to transact business for their employers. "The
Company's factory at Madras." Burke.
2. The body of factors in any place; as, a
chaplain to a British factory. W. Guthrie.
3. A building, or collection of buildings,
appropriated to the manufacture of goods; the place where workmen are
employed in fabricating goods, wares, or utensils; a manufactory; as,
a cotton factory.
Factory leg (Med.), a variety of
bandy leg, associated with partial dislocation of the tibia, produced
in young children by working in factories.
Fac*to"tum (făk*tō"tŭm),
n.; pl. Factotums (-
tŭmz). [L., do everything; facere to do + totus
all : cf. F. factotum. See Fact, and Total.]
A person employed to do all kinds of work or business.
B. Jonson.
Fac"tu*al (făk*t&usl;"al),
a. Relating to, or containing, facts.
[R.]
||Fac"tum (făk"tŭm), n.;
pl. Facta (#). [L. See Fact.]
1. (Law) A man's own act and deed;
particularly: (a) (Civil Law) Anything
stated and made certain. (b) (Testamentary
Law) The due execution of a will, including everything
necessary to its validity.
2. (Mach.) The product. See
Facient, 2.
Fac"ture (?), n. [F. facture a
making, invoice, L. factura a making. See Fact.]
1. The act or manner of making or doing
anything; -- now used of a literary, musical, or pictorial
production. Bacon.
2. (Com.) An invoice or bill of
parcels.
||Fac"u*læ (?), n. pl. [L., pl.
of facula a little torch.] (Astron.) Groups of
small shining spots on the surface of the sun which are brighter than
the other parts of the photosphere. They are generally seen in the
neighborhood of the dark spots, and are supposed to be elevated
portions of the photosphere. Newcomb.
Fac"u*lar (?) a. (Astron.)
Of or pertaining to the faculæ. R. A.
Proctor.
Fac"ul*ty (?), n.; pl.
Faculties (#). [F. facult&?;, L.
facultas, fr. facilis easy (cf. facul easily),
fr. fecere to make. See Fact, and cf. Facility.]
1. Ability to act or perform, whether inborn or
cultivated; capacity for any natural function; especially, an
original mental power or capacity for any of the well-known classes
of mental activity; psychical or soul capacity; capacity for any of
the leading kinds of soul activity, as knowledge, feeling, volition;
intellectual endowment or gift; power; as, faculties of the
mind or the soul.
But know that in the soul
Are many lesser faculties that serve
Reason as chief.
Milton.
What a piece of work is a man ! how noble in reason !
how infinite in faculty !
Shak.
2. Special mental endowment; characteristic
knack.
He had a ready faculty, indeed, of escaping
from any topic that agitated his too sensitive and nervous
temperament.
Hawthorne.
3. Power; prerogative or attribute of
office. [R.]
This Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek.
Shak.
4. Privilege or permission, granted by favor
or indulgence, to do a particular thing; authority; license;
dispensation.
The pope . . . granted him a faculty to set him
free from his promise.
Fuller.
It had not only faculty to inspect all bishops'
dioceses, but to change what laws and statutes they should think fit
to alter among the colleges.
Evelyn.
5. A body of a men to whom any specific right
or privilege is granted; formerly, the graduates in any of the four
departments of a university or college (Philosophy, Law, Medicine, or
Theology), to whom was granted the right of teaching
(profitendi or docendi) in the department in which they
had studied; at present, the members of a profession itself; as, the
medical faculty; the legal faculty, ect.
6. (Amer. Colleges) The body of person
to whom are intrusted the government and instruction of a college or
university, or of one of its departments; the president, professors,
and tutors in a college.
Dean of faculty. See under Dean.
-- Faculty of advocates. (Scot.) See
under Advocate.
Syn. -- Talent; gift; endowment; dexterity; expertness;
cleverness; readiness; ability; knack.
Fac"und (?), a. [L. facundus,
fr. fari to speak.] Eloquent. [Archaic]
Fa*cun"di*ous (?), a. [L.
facundiosus.] Eloquement; full of words.
[Archaic]
Fa*cun"di*ty (?), n. [L.
facunditas.] Eloquence; readiness of speech.
[Archaic]
Fad (?), n. [Cf. Faddle.] A
hobby ; freak; whim. -- Fad"dist,
n.
It is your favorite fad to draw
plans.
G. Eliot.
Fad"dle (?), v. i. [Cf. Fiddle,
Fiddle-faddle.] To trifle; to toy. -- v.
t. To fondle; to dandle. [Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.
Fade (?) a. [F., prob. fr. L.
vapidus vapid, or possibly fr,fatuus foolish, insipid.]
Weak; insipid; tasteless; commonplace. [R.] "Passages that
are somewhat fade." Jeffrey.
His masculine taste gave him a sense of something
fade and ludicrous.
De Quincey.
Fade (?), v. i. [imp. & p.
p. Faded; p. pr. & vb. n.
Fading.] [OE. faden, vaden, prob. fr.
fade, a.; cf. Prov. D. vadden to
fade, wither, vaddigh languid, torpid. Cf.
Fade, a., Vade.] 1.
To become fade; to grow weak; to lose strength; to decay; to
perish gradually; to wither, as a plant.
The earth mourneth and fadeth
away.
Is. xxiv. 4.
2. To lose freshness, color, or brightness;
to become faint in hue or tint; hence, to be wanting in color.
"Flowers that never fade." Milton.
3. To sink away; to disappear gradually; to
grow dim; to vanish.
The stars shall fade away.
Addison
He makes a swanlike end,
Fading in music.
Shak.
Fade, v. t. To cause to wither; to
deprive of freshness or vigor; to wear away.
No winter could his laurels fade.
Dryden.
Fad"ed (?), a. That has lost
freshness, color, or brightness; grown dim. "His faded
cheek." Milton.
Where the faded moon
Made a dim silver twilight.
Keats.
Fad"ed*ly, adv. In a faded
manner.
A dull room fadedly furnished.
Dickens.
Fade"less, a. Not liable to fade;
unfading.
Fa"der (?), n. Father.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
Fadge (?), v. i. [Cf. OE. faden
to flatter, and AS. f&?;gan to join, unit, G.
fügen, or AS. āfægian to depict; all
perh. form the same root as E. fair. Cf. Fair,
a., Fay to fit.] To fit; to suit; to
agree.
They shall be made, spite of antipathy, to
fadge together.
Milton.
Well, Sir, how fadges the new design
?
Wycherley.
Fadge (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.]
A small flat loaf or thick cake; also, a fagot. [Prov.
Eng.] Halliwell.
Fad"ing (?), a. Losing freshness,
color, brightness, or vigor. -- n. Loss
of color, freshness, or vigor. -- Fad"ing*ly,
adv. -- Fad"ing*ness,
n.
Fad"ing, n. An Irish dance; also,
the burden of a song. "Fading is a fine jig." [Obs.]
Beau. & Fl.
Fad"me (?), n. A fathom.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
Fad"y (?), a. Faded. [R.]
Shenstone.
Fæ"cal (?), a. See
Fecal.
||Fæ"ces (?), n. pl. [L.
faex, pl. faeces, dregs.] Excrement; ordure; also,
settlings; sediment after infusion or distillation. [Written
also feces.]
||Fæc"u*la (?), n. [L.] See
Fecula.
Fa"ër*y (?), n. & a.
Fairy. [Archaic] Spenser.
Faf"fle (?), v. i. [Cf. Famble,
Maffle.] To stammer. [Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.
Fag (făg) n. A knot or
coarse part in cloth. [Obs.]
Fag, v. i. [imp. & p.
p. Fagged (făgd); p. pr. & vb.
n. Fagging (făg"g&ibreve;ng).] [Cf. LG.
fakk wearied, weary, vaak slumber, drowsiness, OFries.
fai, equiv. to fāch devoted to death, OS.
fēgi, OHG. feigi, G. feig, feige,
cowardly, Icel. feigr fated to die, AS. f&aemacr;ge,
Scot. faik, to fail, stop, lower the price; or perh. the same
word as E. flag to droop.] 1. To become
weary; to tire.
[1913 Webster]
Creighton withheld his force till the Italian began to
fag.
G. Mackenzie.
2. To labor to wearness; to work hard; to
drudge.
Read, fag, and subdue this
chapter.
Coleridge.
3. To act as a fag, or perform menial
services or drudgery, for another, as in some English
schools.
To fag out, to become untwisted or frayed,
as the end of a rope, or the edge of canvas.
Fag, v. t. 1. To
tire by labor; to exhaust; as, he was almost fagged
out.
2. Anything that fatigues. [R.]
It is such a fag, I came back tired to
death.
Miss Austen.
Brain fag. (Med.) See
Cerebropathy.
Fag"-end" (?), n. 1.
An end of poorer quality, or in a spoiled condition, as the
coarser end of a web of cloth, the untwisted end of a rope,
ect.
2. The refuse or meaner part of
anything.
The fag-end of business.
Collier.
Fag"ging (făg"g&ibreve;ng), n.
Laborious drudgery; esp., the acting as a drudge for another at
an English school.
Fag"ot (făg"ŭt) n. [F.,
prob. aug. of L. fax, facis, torch, perh. orig., a
bundle of sticks; cf. Gr. fa`kelos bundle, fagot. Cf.
Fagotto.] 1. A bundle of sticks, twigs,
or small branches of trees, used for fuel, for raising batteries,
filling ditches, or other purposes in fortification; a fascine.
Shak.
2. A bundle of pieces of wrought iron to be
worked over into bars or other shapes by rolling or hammering at a
welding heat; a pile.
3. (Mus.) A bassoon. See
Fagotto.
4. A person hired to take the place of
another at the muster of a company. [Eng.] Addison.
5. An old shriveled woman. [Slang,
Eng.]
Fagot iron, iron, in bars or masses,
manufactured from fagots. -- Fagot vote,
the vote of a person who has been constituted a voter by being
made a landholder, for party purposes. [Political cant,
Eng.]
Fag"ot (?) v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Fagoted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Fagoting.] To make a fagot of; to bind together in a
fagot or bundle; also, to collect promiscuously.
Dryden.
||Fa*got"to (?), n. [It. See
Fagot.] (Mus.) The bassoon; -- so called from
being divided into parts for ease of carriage, making, as it were, a
small fagot.
||Fa"ham (?), n. The leaves of an
orchid (Angraecum fragrans), of the islands of Bourbon and
Mauritius, used (in France) as a substitute for Chinese
tea.
||Fahl"band` (?), n. [G., fr.
fahl dun-colored + band a band.] (Mining) A
stratum in crystalline rock, containing metallic sulphides.
Raymond.
{ Fahl"erz (?), Fahl"band (?), }
n. [G. fahlerz; fahl dun-colored,
fallow + erz ore.] (Min.) Same as
Tetrahedrite.
Fah"lun*ite (fä"lŭn*īt),
n. [From Fahlun, a place in Sweden.]
(Min.) A hydrated silica of alumina, resulting from the
alteration of iolite.
[1913 Webster]
Fah"ren*heit (?) a. [G.]
Conforming to the scale used by Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit
in the graduation of his thermometer; of or relating to Fahrenheit's
thermometric scale. -- n. The Fahrenheit
thermometer or scale.
&fist; The Fahrenheit thermometer is so graduated that the
freezing point of water is at 32 degrees above the zero of its scale,
and the boiling point at 212 degrees above. It is commonly used in
the United States and in England.
||Fa`ï*ence" (?), n. [F., fr.
Faenza, a town in Italy, the original place of manufacture.]
Glazed earthenware; esp., that which is decorated in
color.
Fail (fāl) v. i. [imp. &
p. p. Failed (fāld); p. pr. & vb.
n. Failing.] [F. failir, fr. L.
fallere, falsum, to deceive, akin to E. fall.
See Fail, and cf. Fallacy, False, Fault.]
1. To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become
deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence; to cease to
be furnished in the usual or expected manner, or to be altogether cut
off from supply; to be lacking; as, streams fail; crops
fail.
As the waters fail from the sea.
Job xiv. 11.
Till Lionel's issue fails, his should not
reign.
Shak.
2. To be affected with want; to come short;
to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; -- used with
of.
If ever they fail of beauty, this failure is
not be attributed to their size.
Berke.
3. To fall away; to become diminished; to
decline; to decay; to sink.
When earnestly they seek
Such proof, conclude they then begin to fail.
Milton.
4. To deteriorate in respect to vigor,
activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker; as, a sick man
fails.
5. To perish; to die; -- used of a
person. [Obs.]
Had the king in his last sickness
failed.
Shak.
6. To be found wanting with respect to an
action or a duty to be performed, a result to be secured, etc.; to
miss; not to fulfill expectation.
Take heed now that ye fail not to do
this.
Ezra iv. 22.
Either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st
pale.
Shak.
7. To come short of a result or object aimed
at or desired ; to be baffled or frusrated.
Our envious foe hath failed.
Milton.
8. To err in judgment; to be
mistaken.
Which ofttimes may succeed, so as perhaps
Shall grieve him, if I fail not.
Milton.
9. To become unable to meet one's
engagements; especially, to be unable to pay one's debts or discharge
one's business obligation; to become bankrupt or insolvent.
Fail (?), v. t. 1.
To be wanting to ; to be insufficient for; to disappoint; to
desert.
There shall not fail thee a man on the
throne.
1 Kings ii. 4.
2. To miss of attaining; to lose.
[R.]
Though that seat of earthly bliss be
failed.
Milton.
Fail, n. [OF. faille, from
failir. See Fail, v. i.]
1. Miscarriage; failure; deficiency; fault; --
mostly superseded by failure or failing, except in the
phrase without fail. "His highness' fail of
issue." Shak.
2. Death; decease. [Obs.]
Shak.
Fail"ance (?), n. [Of.
faillance, fr. faillir.] Fault; failure;
omission. [Obs.] Bp. Fell.
Fail"ing, n. 1. A
failing short; a becoming deficient; failure; deficiency;
imperfection; weakness; lapse; fault; infirmity; as, a mental
failing.
And ever in her mind she cast about
For that unnoticed failing in herself.
Tennyson.
2. The act of becoming insolvent of
bankrupt.
Syn. -- See Fault.
||Faille (?), n. [F.] A soft silk,
heavier than a foulard and not glossy.
Fail"ure (?), n. [From Fail.]
1. Cessation of supply, or total defect; a
failing; deficiency; as, failure of rain; failure of
crops.
2. Omission; nonperformance; as, the
failure to keep a promise.
3. Want of success; the state of having
failed.
4. Decay, or defect from decay;
deterioration; as, the failure of memory or of
sight.
5. A becoming insolvent; bankruptcy;
suspension of payment; as, failure in business.
6. A failing; a slight fault. [Obs.]
Johnson.
Fain (?), a. [OE. fain,
fagen, AS. fægen; akin to OS. fagan, Icel.
faginn glad; AS. fægnian to rejoice, OS.
faganōn, Icel. fagna, Goth. faginōn,
cf. Goth. fahēds joy; and fr. the same root as E.
fair. Srr Fair, a., and cf.
Fawn to court favor.] 1. Well-pleased;
glad; apt; wont; fond; inclined.
Men and birds are fain of climbing
high.
Shak.
To a busy man, temptation is fainto climb up
together with his business.
Jer. Taylor.
2. Satisfied; contented; also,
constrained. Shak.
The learned Castalio was fain to make trechers
at Basle to keep himself from starving.
Locke.
Fain, adv. With joy; gladly; --
with wold.
He would fain have filled his belly with the
husks that the swine did eat.
Luke xv. 16.
Fain Would I woo her, yet I dare
not.
Shak.
Fain, v. t. & i. To be glad ; to
wish or desire. [Obs.]
Whoso fair thing does fain to see.
Spencer.
||Fai`né`ant" (f&asl;`n&asl;`äN"),
a. [F.; fait he does + néant
nothing.] Doing nothing; shiftless. --
n. A do-nothing; an idle fellow; a
sluggard. Sir W. Scott.
Faint (fānt), a.
[Compar. Fainter (-&etilde;r);
superl. Faintest.] [OE. feint,
faint, false, faint, F. feint, p. p. of feindre
to feign, suppose, hesitate. See Feign, and cf. Feint.]
1. Lacking strength; weak; languid; inclined to
swoon; as, faint with fatigue, hunger, or thirst.
2. Wanting in courage, spirit, or energy;
timorous; cowardly; dejected; depressed; as, "Faint heart
ne'er won fair lady." Old Proverb.
3. Lacking distinctness; hardly perceptible;
striking the senses feebly; not bright, or loud, or sharp, or
forcible; weak; as, a faint color, or sound.
4. Performed, done, or acted, in a weak or
feeble manner; not exhibiting vigor, strength, or energy; slight; as,
faint efforts; faint resistance.
The faint prosecution of the war.
Sir J. Davies.
Faint, n. The act of fainting, or
the state of one who has fainted; a swoon. [R.] See Fainting,
n.
The saint,
Who propped the Virgin in her faint.
Sir W.
Scott.
Faint, v. i. [imp. & p.
p. Fainted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Fainting.] 1. To become weak or wanting
in vigor; to grow feeble; to lose strength and color, and the control
of the bodily or mental functions; to swoon; -- sometimes with
away. See Fainting, n.
Hearing the honor intended her, she fainted
away.
Guardian.
If I send them away fasting . . . they will
faint by the way.
Mark viii. 8.
2. To sink into dejection; to lose courage or
spirit; to become depressed or despondent.
If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy
strength is small.
Prov. xxiv. 10.
3. To decay; to disappear; to
vanish.
Gilded clouds, while we gaze upon them, faint
before the eye.
Pope.
Faint (?), v. t. To cause to faint
or become dispirited; to depress; to weaken. [Obs.]
It faints me to think what
follows.
Shak.
Faint"-heart`ed (?), a. Wanting in
courage; depressed by fear; easily discouraged or frightened;
cowardly; timorous; dejected.
Fear not, neither be faint-
hearted.
Is. vii. 4.
-- Faint"-heart`ed*ly, adv. --
Faint"-heart`ed*ness, n.
Faint"ing (?), n. Syncope, or loss
of consciousness owing to a sudden arrest of the blood supply to the
brain, the face becoming pallid, the respiration feeble, and the
heat's beat weak.
Fainting fit, a fainting or swoon;
syncope. [Colloq.]
Faint"ish, a. Slightly faint;
somewhat faint. -- Faint"ish*ness,
n.
Faint"ling (?), a. Timorous;
feeble-minded. [Obs.] "A fainting, silly creature."
Arbuthnot.
Faint"ly, adv. In a faint, weak,
or timidmanner.
Faint"ness, n. 1.
The state of being faint; loss of strength, or of consciousness,
and self-control.
2. Want of vigor or energy.
Spenser.
3. Feebleness, as of color or light; lack of
distinctness; as, faintness of description.
4. Faint-heartedness; timorousness;
dejection.
I will send a faintness into their
hearts.
Lev. xxvi. 36.
Faints (?), n. pl. The impure
spirit which comes over first and last in the distillation of whisky;
-- the former being called the strong faints, and the latter,
which is much more abundant, the weak faints. This crude
spirit is much impregnated with fusel oil. Ure.
Faint"y (?), a. Feeble;
languid. [R.] Dryden.
Fair (fâr), a.
[Compar. Fairer (?);
superl. Fairest.] [OE. fair,
fayer, fager, AS. fæger; akin to OS. &
OHG. fagar, Icel. fagr, Sw. fager, Dan.
faver, Goth. fagrs fit, also to E. fay, G.
fügen, to fit. fegen to sweep, cleanse, and prob.
also to E. fang, peace, pact, Cf. Fang,
Fain, Fay to fit.] 1. Free from
spots, specks, dirt, or imperfection; unblemished; clean;
pure.
A fair white linen cloth.
Book
of Common Prayer.
2. Pleasing to the eye; handsome;
beautiful.
Who can not see many a fair French city, for
one fair French made.
Shak.
3. Without a dark hue; light; clear; as, a
fair skin.
The northern people large and fair-
complexioned.
Sir M. Hale.
4. Not overcast; cloudless; clear; pleasant;
propitious; favorable; -- said of the sky, weather, or wind, etc.;
as, a fair sky; a fair day.
You wish fair winds may waft him
over.
Prior.
5. Free from obstacles or hindrances;
unobstructed; unincumbered; open; direct; -- said of a road, passage,
etc.; as, a fair mark; in fair sight; a fair
view.
The caliphs obtained a mighty empire, which was in a
fair way to have enlarged.
Sir W.
Raleigh.
6. (Shipbuilding) Without sudden
change of direction or curvature; smooth; flowing; -- said of the
figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other
lines.
7. Characterized by frankness, honesty,
impartiality, or candor; open; upright; free from suspicion or bias;
equitable; just; -- said of persons, character, or conduct; as, a
fair man; fair dealing; a fair statement.
"I would call it fair play." Shak.
8. Pleasing; favorable; inspiring hope and
confidence; -- said of words, promises, etc.
When fair words and good counsel will not
prevail on us, we must be frighted into our duty.
L'
Estrange.
9. Distinct; legible; as, fair
handwriting.
10. Free from any marked characteristic;
average; middling; so-so; as, a fair specimen.
The news is very fair and good, my
lord.
Shak.
Fair ball. (Baseball) (a)
A ball passing over the home base at the height called for by the
batsman, and delivered by the pitcher while wholly within the lines
of his position and facing the batsman. (b)
A batted ball that falls inside the foul lines; -- called also a
fair hit. -- Fair maid.
(Zoöl.) (a) The European pilchard
(Clupea pilchardus) when dried. (b)
The southern scup (Stenotomus Gardeni). [Virginia] --
Fair one, a handsome woman; a beauty, --
Fair play, equitable or impartial treatment; a
fair or equal chance; justice. -- From fair to
middling, passable; tolerable. [Colloq.] --
The fair sex, the female sex.
Syn. -- Candid; open; frank; ingenuous; clear; honest;
equitable; impartial; reasonable. See Candid.
Fair, adv. Clearly; openly;
frankly; civilly; honestly; favorably; auspiciously;
agreeably.
Fair and square, justly; honestly;
equitably; impartially. [Colloq.] -- To bid
fair. See under Bid. -- To speak
fair, to address with courtesy and frankness.
[Archaic]
Fair, n. 1.
Fairness, beauty. [Obs.] Shak.
2. A fair woman; a sweetheart.
I have found out a gift for my
fair.
Shenstone.
3. Good fortune; good luck.
Now fair befall thee !
Shak.
The fair, anything beautiful; women,
collectively. "For slander's mark was ever yet the fair."
Shak.
Fair, v. t. 1. To
make fair or beautiful. [Obs.]
Fairing the foul.
Shak.
2. (Shipbuilding) To make smooth and
flowing, as a vessel's lines.
Fair, n. [OE. feire, OF.
feire, F. foire, fr. L. fariae, pl., days of
rest, holidays, festivals, akin to festus festal. See
Feast.] 1. A gathering of buyers and
sellers, assembled at a particular place with their merchandise at a
stated or regular season, or by special appointment, for
trade.
2. A festival, and sale of fancy articles.
erc., usually for some charitable object; as, a Grand Army
fair.
3. A competitive exhibition of wares, farm
products, etc., not primarily for purposes of sale; as, the
Mechanics' fair; an agricultural fair.
After the fair, Too late. [Colloq.]
Fair"-haired` (?), a. Having fair
or light-colored hair.
Fair"hood (?), n. Fairness;
beauty. [Obs.] Foxe.
Fair"i*ly (?), adv. In the manner
of a fairy.
Numerous as shadows haunting fairily
The brain.
Keats.
Fair"ing, n. A present;
originally, one given or purchased at a fair. Gay.
Fairing box, a box receiving savings or
small sums of money. Hannah More.
Fair"ish, a. Tolerably fair.
[Colloq.] W. D. Howells.
Fair"-lead`er (?), n. (Naut.)
A block, or ring, serving as a guide for the running rigging or
for any rope.
Fair"ly, adv. 1.
In a fair manner; clearly; openly; plainly; fully; distinctly;
frankly.
Even the nature of Mr. Dimmesdale's disease had never
fairly been revealed to him.
Hawthorne.
2. Favorably; auspiciously; commodiously; as,
a town fairly situated for foreign trade.
3. Honestly; properly.
Such means of comfort or even luxury, as lay
fairly within their grasp.
Hawthorne.
4. Softly; quietly; gently. [Obs.]
Milton.
Fair"-mind`ed (?), a.
Unprejudiced; just; judicial; honest. -- Fair"-
mind`ed*ness, n.
Fair"-na`tured (?), a. Well-
disposed. "A fair-natured prince." Ford.
Fair"ness, n. The state of being
fair, or free form spots or stains, as of the skin; honesty, as of
dealing; candor, as of an argument, etc.
Fair"-spo`ken (?), a. Using fair
speech, or uttered with fairness; bland; civil; courteous;
plausible. "A marvelous fair-spoken man."
Hooker.
Fair"way` (?), n. The navigable
part of a river, bay, etc., through which vessels enter or depart;
the part of a harbor or channel ehich is kept open and unobstructed
for the passage of vessels. Totten.
Fair"-weath`er (?), a.
1. Made or done in pleasant weather, or in
circumstances involving but little exposure or sacrifice; as, a
fair-weather voyage. Pope.
2. Appearing only when times or circumstances
are prosperous; as, a fair-weather friend.
Fair-weather sailor, a make-believe or
inexperienced sailor; -- the nautical equivalent of carpet
knight.
Fair"-world` (?) n. State of
prosperity. [Obs.]
They think it was never fair-world with them
since.
Milton.
Fair"y (?), n.; pl.
Fairies (#). [OE. fairie, faierie,
enchantment, fairy folk, fairy, OF. faerie enchantment, F.
féer, fr. LL. Fata one of the goddesses of fate.
See Fate, and cf. Fay a fairy.] [Written also
faëry.] 1. Enchantment;
illusion. [Obs.] Chaucer.
The God of her has made an end,
And fro this worlde's fairy
Hath taken her into company.
Gower.
2. The country of the fays; land of
illusions. [Obs.]
He [Arthur] is a king y-crowned in
Fairy.
Lydgate.
3. An imaginary supernatural being or spirit,
supposed to assume a human form (usually diminutive), either male or
female, and to meddle for good or evil in the affairs of mankind; a
fay. See Elf, and Demon.
The fourth kind of spirit [is] called the
Fairy.
K. James.
And now about the caldron sing,
Like elves and fairies in a ring.
Shak.
5. An enchantress. [Obs.]
Shak.
Fairy of the mine, an imaginary being
supposed to inhabit mines, etc. German folklore tells of two species;
one fierce and malevolent, the other gentle, See
Kobold.
No goblin or swart fairy of the mine
Hath hurtful power over true virginity.
Milton.
Fair"y, a. 1. Of
or pertaining to fairies.
2. Given by fairies; as, fairy
money. Dryden.
Fairy bird (Zoöl.), the
Euoropean little tern (Sterna minuta); -- called also sea
swallow, and hooded tern. -- Fairy
bluebird. (Zoöl.) See under
Bluebird. -- Fairy martin
(Zoöl.), a European swallow (Hirrundo ariel)
that builds flask-shaped nests of mud on overhanging cliffs. --
Fairy rings or circles, the
circles formed in grassy lawns by certain fungi (as Marasmius
Oreades), formerly supposed to be caused by fairies in their
midnight dances. -- Fairy shrimp
(Zoöl.), a European fresh-water phyllopod crustacean
(Chirocephalus diaphanus); -- so called from its delicate
colors, transparency, and graceful motions. The name is sometimes
applied to similar American species. -- Fairy
stone (Paleon.), an echinite.
Fair"y*land` (?) n. The imaginary
land or abode of fairies.
Fair"y*like` (?), a. Resembling a
fairy, or what is made or done be fairies; as, fairylike
music.
Faith (fāth), n. [OE.
feith, fayth, fay, OF. feid, feit,
fei, F. foi, fr. L. fides; akin to fidere
to trust, Gr. pei`qein to persuade. The ending th
is perhaps due to the influence of such words as truth,
health, wealth. See Bid, Bide, and cf.
Confide, Defy, Fealty.] 1.
Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared
by another, resting solely and implicitly on his authority and
veracity; reliance on testimony.
2. The assent of the mind to the statement or
proposition of another, on the ground of the manifest truth of what
he utters; firm and earnest belief, on probable evidence of any kind,
especially in regard to important moral truth.
Faith, that is, fidelity, -- the fealty of the
finite will and understanding to the reason.
Coleridge.
3. (Theol.) (a) The
belief in the historic truthfulness of the Scripture narrative, and
the supernatural origin of its teachings, sometimes called
historical and speculative faith.
(b) The belief in the facts and truth of the
Scriptures, with a practical love of them; especially, that confiding
and affectionate belief in the person and work of Christ, which
affects the character and life, and makes a man a true Christian, --
called a practical, evangelical, or saving
faith.
Without faith it is impossible to please him
[God].
Heb. xi. 6.
The faith of the gospel is that emotion of the
mind which is called "trust" or "confidence" exercised toward the
moral character of God, and particularly of the Savior.
Dr. T. Dwight.
Faith is an affectionate, practical confidence
in the testimony of God.
J. Hawes.
4. That which is believed on any subject,
whether in science, politics, or religion; especially
(Theol.), a system of religious belief of any kind; as, the
Jewish or Mohammedan faith; and especially, the system of
truth taught by Christ; as, the Christian faith; also, the
creed or belief of a Christian society or church.
Which to believe of her,
Must be a faith that reason without miracle
Could never plant in me.
Shak.
Now preacheth the faith which once he
destroyed.
Gal. i. 23.
5. Fidelity to one's promises, or allegiance
to duty, or to a person honored and beloved; loyalty.
Children in whom is no faith.
Deut. xxvii. 20.
Whose failing, while her faith to me
remains,
I should conceal.
Milton.
6. Word or honor pledged; promise given;
fidelity; as, he violated his faith.
For you alone
I broke me faith with injured Palamon.
Dryden.
7. Credibility or truth. [R.]
The faith of the foregoing
narrative.
Mitford.
Act of faith. See Auto-da-
fé. -- Breach of faith,
Confession of faith, etc. See under
Breach, Confession, etc. -- Faith
cure, a method or practice of treating diseases by
prayer and the exercise of faith in God. -- In good
faith, with perfect sincerity.
Faith (?), interj. By my faith; in
truth; verily.
Faithed (?), a. Having faith or a
faith; honest; sincere. [Obs.] "Make thy words faithed."
Shak.
Faith"ful (?), a. 1.
Full of faith, or having faith; disposed to believe, especially
in the declarations and promises of God.
You are not faithful, sir.
B.
Jonson.
2. Firm in adherence to promises, oaths,
contracts, treaties, or other engagements.
The faithful God, which keepeth covenant and
mercy with them that love him.
Deut. vii. 9.
3. True and constant in affection or
allegiance to a person to whom one is bound by a vow, by ties of
love, gratitude, or honor, as to a husband, a prince, a friend; firm
in the observance of duty; loyal; of true fidelity; as, a
faithful husband or servant.
So spake the seraph Abdiel, faithful found,
Among the faithless, faithful only he.
Milton.
4. Worthy of confidence and belief;
conformable to truth ot fact; exact; accurate; as, a faithful
narrative or representation.
It is a faithful saying.
2 Tim.
ii. 11.
The Faithful, the adherents of any system of
religious belief; esp. used as an epithet of the followers of
Mohammed.
Syn. -- Trusty; honest; upright; sincere; veracious;
trustworthy.
-- Faith"ful*ly, adv. -
Faith"ful*ness, n.
Faith"less, a. 1.
Not believing; not giving credit.
Be not faithless, but believing.
John xx. 27.
2. Not believing on God or religion;
specifically, not believing in the Christian religion.
Shak.
3. Not observant of promises or
covenants.
4. Not true to allegiance, duty, or vows;
perfidious; trecherous; disloyal; not of true fidelity; inconstant,
as a husband or a wife.
A most unnatural and faithless
service.
Shak.
5. Serving to disappoint or deceive;
delusive; unsatisfying. "Yonder faithless phantom."
Goldsmith.
-- Faith"less*ly,
adv.Faith"less*ness,
n.
Fai"tour (?), n. [OF. faitor a
doer, L. factor. See Factor.] A doer or actor;
particularly, an evil doer; a scoundrel. [Obs.]
Lo! faitour, there thy meed unto thee
take.
Spenser.
Fake (?), n. [Cf. Scot. faik
fold, stratum of stone, AS. fæc space, interval, G.
fach compartment, partition, row, and E. fay to fit.]
(Naut.) One of the circles or windings of a cable or
hawser, as it lies in a coil; a single turn or coil.
Fake, v. t. (Naut.) To coil
(a rope, line, or hawser), by winding alternately in opposite
directions, in layers usually of zigzag or figure of eight form,, to
prevent twisting when running out.
Faking box, a box in which a long rope is
faked; used in the life-saving service for a line attached to a
shot.
Fake, v. t. [Cf. Gael. faigh to
get, acquire, reach, or OD. facken to catch or gripe.]
[Slang in all its senses.] 1. To cheat;
to swindle; to steal; to rob.
2. To make; to construct; to do.
3. To manipulate fraudulently, so as to make
an object appear better or other than it really is; as, to
fake a bulldog, by burning his upper lip and thus artificially
shortening it.
Fake, n. A trick; a swindle.
[Slang]
Fa"kir (?), n. [Ar. faqīr
poor.] An Oriental religious ascetic or begging monk.
[Written also faquir anf fakeer.]
||Fa"la*na"ka (?), n. [Native name.]
(Zoöl.) A viverrine mammal of Madagascar
(Eupleres Goudotii), allied to the civet; -- called also
Falanouc.
Fal*cade" (făl*kād"), n.
[F., ultimately fr. L. falx, falcis, a sickle or
scythe.] (Man.) The action of a horse, when he throws
himself on his haunches two or three times, bending himself, as it
were, in very quick curvets. Harris.
{ Fal"cate (?), Fal"ca*ted (?), }
a. [L. falcatus, fr. falx,
falcis, a sickle or scythe.] Hooked or bent like a
sickle; as, a falcate leaf; a falcate claw; -- said
also of the moon, or a planet, when horned or crescent-
formed.
Fal*ca"tion (?), n. The state of
being falcate; a bend in the form of a sickle. Sir T.
Browne.
Fal"cer (?), n. [From L. falx,
falcis, a sickle.] (Zoöl.) One of the
mandibles of a spider.
Fal"chion (?), n. [OE. fauchon,
OF. fauchon, LL. fälcio, fr. L. falx,
falcis, a sickle, cf. Gr. &?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; a ship's rib,
&?;&?;&?;&?;&?;&?; bandy-legged; perh, akin to E. falcon; cf.
It. falcione. Cf. Defalcation.] 1.
A broad-bladed sword, slightly curved, shorter and lighter than
the ordinary sword; -- used in the Middle Ages.
2. A name given generally and poetically to a
sword, especially to the swords of Oriental and fabled
warriors.
Fal*cid"i*an (?), a. [L.
Falcidius.] Of or pertaining to Publius Falcidius, a
Roman tribune.
Falcidian law (Civil Law), a law by
which a testator was obliged to leave at least a fourth of his estate
to the heir. Burrill.
Fal"ci*form (?), a. [L. falx,
falcis, a sickle + -form: cf. F. falciforme.]
Having the shape of a scithe or sickle; resembling a reaping
hook; as, the falciform ligatment of the liver.
Fal"con (?), n. [OE. faucon,
faucoun, OF. faucon, falcon, &?;. faucon,
fr. LL. falco, perh. from L. falx, falcis, a sickle or
scythe, and named from its curving talons. Cf. Falchion.]
1. (Zoöl.) (a) One
of a family (Falconidæ) of raptorial birds,
characterized by a short, hooked beak, strong claws, and powerful
flight. (b) Any species of the genus
Falco, distinguished by having a toothlike lobe on the upper
mandible; especially, one of this genus trained to the pursuit of
other birds, or game.
In the language of falconry, the female peregrine
(Falco peregrinus) is exclusively called the
falcon.
Yarrell.
2. (Gun.) An ancient form of
cannon.
Chanting falcon. (Zoöl.) See
under Chanting.
Fal"con*er (?), n. [OE.
fauconer, OF. falconier, fauconier, F.
fauconnier. See Falcon.] A person who breeds or
trains hawks for taking birds or game; one who follows the sport of
fowling with hawks. Johnson.
Fal"co*net (?), n. [Dim. of
falcon: cf. F. fauconneau, LL. falconeta,
properly, a young falcon.] 1. One of the smaller
cannon used in the 15th century and later.
2. (Zoöl.) (a)
One of several very small Asiatic falcons of the genus
Microhierax. (b) One of a group of
Australian birds of the genus Falcunculus, resembling shrikes
and titmice.
Fal"con*gen`til (?), n. [F. faucon-
gentil. See Falcon, and Genteel.]
(Zoöl.) The female or young of the goshawk (Astur
palumbarius).
Fal"co*nine (?), a. (Zoöl.)
Like a falcon or hawk; belonging to the
Falconidæ
Fal"con*ry (?), n. [Cf. F.
fauconnerie. See Falcon.] 1. The
art of training falcons or hawks to pursue and attack wild fowl or
game.
2. The sport of taking wild fowl or game by
means of falcons or hawks.
||Fal"cu*la (?), n. [L., a small
sickle, a billhook.] (Zoöl.) A curved and sharp-
pointed claw.
Fal"cu*late (?), a. (Zoöl.)
Curved and sharppointed, like a falcula, or claw of a
falcon.
Fald"age (?), n. [LL. faldagium,
fr. AS. fald, E. fold. Cf. Foldage.] (O.
Eng. Law) A privilege of setting up, and moving about, folds
for sheep, in any fields within manors, in order to manure them; --
often reserved to himself by the lord of the manor.
Spelman.
Fald"fee` (?), n. [AS. fald (E.
fold) + E. fee. See Faldage.] (O. Eng.
Law) A fee or rent paid by a tenant for the privilege of
faldage on his own ground. Blount.
Fald"ing, n. A frieze or rough-
napped cloth. [Obs.]
Fal"dis*to*ry (?), n. [LL.
faldistorium, faldestorium, from OHG. faldstuol;
faldan, faltan, to fold (G. falten) +
stuol stool. So called because it could be folded or laid
together. See Fold, and Stool, and cf.
Faldstool, Fauteuil.] The throne or seat of a
bishop within the chancel. [Obs.]
Fald"stool` (?), n. [See
Faldistory.] A folding stool, or portable seat, made to
fold up in the manner of a camo stool. It was formerly placed in the
choir for a bishop, when he offciated in any but his own cathedral
church. Fairholt.
&fist; In the modern practice of the Church of England, the term
faldstool is given to the reading desk from which the litany
is read. This esage is a relic of the ancient use of a lectern
folding like a camp stool.
Fa*ler"ni*an (?), a. Of or
pertaining to Mount Falernus, in Italy; as,
Falernianwine.
Falk (f&add;k), n. (Zoöl.)
The razorbill. [Written also falc, and
faik.] [Prov. Eng.]
Fall (f&add;l), v. i.
[imp. Fell (f&ebreve;l); p.
p. Fallen (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Falling.] [AS. feallan; akin to D. vallen, OS. &
OHG. fallan, G. fallen, Icel. Falla, Sw.
falla, Dan. falde, Lith. pulti, L.
fallere to deceive, Gr. sfa`llein to cause to fall,
Skr. sphal, sphul, to tremble. Cf. Fail,
Fell, v. t., to cause to fall.]
1. To Descend, either suddenly or gradually;
particularly, to descend by the force of gravity; to drop; to sink;
as, the apple falls; the tide falls; the mercury
falls in the barometer.
I beheld Satan as lightning fall from
heaven.
Luke x. 18.
2. To cease to be erect; to take suddenly a
recumbent posture; to become prostrate; to drop; as, a child totters
and falls; a tree falls; a worshiper falls on
his knees.
I fell at his feet to worship him.
Rev. xix. 10.
3. To find a final outlet; to discharge its
waters; to empty; -- with into; as, the river Rhone
falls into the Mediterranean.
4. To become prostrate and dead; to die;
especially, to die by violence, as in battle.
A thousand shall fall at thy side.
Ps. xci. 7.
He rushed into the field, and, foremost fighting,
fell.
Byron.
5. To cease to be active or strong; to die
away; to lose strength; to subside; to become less intense; as, the
wind falls.
6. To issue forth into life; to be brought
forth; -- said of the young of certain animals.
Shak.
7. To decline in power, glory, wealth, or
importance; to become insignificant; to lose rank or position; to
decline in weight, value, price etc.; to become less; as, the price
falls; stocks fell two points.
I am a poor fallen man, unworthy now
To be thy lord and master.
Shak.
The greatness of these Irish lords suddenly
fell and vanished.
Sir J. Davies.
8. To be overthrown or captured; to be
destroyed.
Heaven and earth will witness,
If Rome must fall, that we are innocent.
Addison.
9. To descend in character or reputation; to
become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin; to depart from the
faith; to apostatize; to sin.
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest
any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Heb. iv. 11.
10. To become insnared or embarrassed; to be
entrapped; to be worse off than before; as, to fall into
error; to fall into difficulties.
11. To assume a look of shame or
disappointment; to become or appear dejected; -- said of the
countenance.
Cain was very wroth, and his countenance
fell.
Gen. iv. 5.
I have observed of late thy looks are
fallen.
Addison.
12. To sink; to languish; to become feeble or
faint; as, our spirits rise and fall with our
fortunes.
13. To pass somewhat suddenly, and passively,
into a new state of body or mind; to become; as, to fall
asleep; to fall into a passion; to fall in love; to
fall into temptation.
14. To happen; to to come to pass; to light;
to befall; to issue; to terminate.
The Romans fell on this model by
chance.
Swift.
Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter
will fall.
Ruth. iii. 18.
They do not make laws, they fall into
customs.
H. Spencer.
15. To come; to occur; to arrive.
The vernal equinox, which at the Nicene Council
fell on the 21st of March, falls now [1694] about ten
days sooner.
Holder.
16. To begin with haste, ardor, or vehemence;
to rush or hurry; as, they fell to blows.
They now no longer doubted, but fell to work
heart and soul.
Jowett (Thucyd. ).
17. To pass or be transferred by chance, lot,
distribution, inheritance, or otherwise; as, the estate fell
to his brother; the kingdom fell into the hands of his
rivals.
18. To belong or appertain.
If to her share some female errors fall,
Look on her face, and you'll forget them all.
Pope.
19. To be dropped or uttered carelessly; as,
an unguarded expression fell from his lips; not a murmur
fell from him.
To fall abroad of (Naut.), to strike
against; -- applied to one vessel coming into collision with
another. -- To fall among, to come among
accidentally or unexpectedly. -- To fall
astern (Naut.), to move or be driven backward;
to be left behind; as, a ship falls astern by the force of a
current, or when outsailed by another. -- To fall
away. (a) To lose flesh; to become lean
or emaciated; to pine. (b) To renounce or
desert allegiance; to revolt or rebel. (c)
To renounce or desert the faith; to apostatize. "These . . .
for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away."
Luke viii. 13. (d) To perish; to vanish;
to be lost. "How . . . can the soul . . . fall away into
nothing?" Addison. (e) To decline
gradually; to fade; to languish, or become faint. "One color
falls away by just degrees, and another rises insensibly."
Addison. -- To fall back.
(a) To recede or retreat; to give way.
(b) To fail of performing a promise or purpose;
not to fulfill. -- To fall back upon.
(a) (Mil.) To retreat for safety to (a
stronger position in the rear, as to a fort or a supporting body of
troops). (b) To have recourse to (a reserved
fund, or some available expedient or support). -- To
fall calm, to cease to blow; to become calm. --
To fall down. (a) To prostrate
one's self in worship. "All kings shall fall down before
him." Ps. lxxii. 11. (b) To sink; to come
to the ground. "Down fell the beauteous youth."
Dryden. (c) To bend or bow, as a
suppliant. (d) (Naut.) To sail or
drift toward the mouth of a river or other outlet. -- To
fall flat, to produce no response or result; to fail of
the intended effect; as, his speech fell flat. --
To fall foul of. (a) (Naut.)
To have a collision with; to become entangled with
(b) To attack; to make an assault upon. --
To fall from, to recede or depart from; not to
adhere to; as, to fall from an agreement or engagement; to
fall from allegiance or duty. -- To fall from
grace (M. E. Ch.), to sin; to withdraw from the
faith. -- To fall home (Ship Carp.),
to curve inward; -- said of the timbers or upper parts of a
ship's side which are much within a perpendicular. -- To
fall in. (a) To sink inwards; as, the
roof fell in. (b) (Mil.) To
take one's proper or assigned place in line; as, to fall in on
the right. (c) To come to an end; to
terminate; to lapse; as, on the death of Mr. B., the annuuity, which
he had so long received, fell in. (d)
To become operative. "The reversion, to which he had been
nominated twenty years before, fell in." Macaulay. --
To fall into one's hands, to pass, often
suddenly or unexpectedly, into one's ownership or control; as, to
spike cannon when they are likely to fall into the hands of
the enemy. -- To fall in with.
(a) To meet with accidentally; as, to fall in
with a friend. (b) (Naut.) To
meet, as a ship; also, to discover or come near, as land.
(c) To concur with; to agree with; as, the
measure falls in with popular opinion.
(d) To comply; to yield to. "You will find
it difficult to persuade learned men to fall in with your
projects." Addison. -- To fall off.
(a) To drop; as, fruits fall off when
ripe. (b) To withdraw; to separate; to
become detached; as, friends fall off in adversity. "Love
cools, friendship falls off, brothers divide." Shak.
(c) To perish; to die away; as, words fall
off by disuse. (d) To apostatize; to
forsake; to withdraw from the faith, or from allegiance or
duty.
Those captive tribes . . . fell off
From God to worship calves.
Milton.
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