T.
T (tē), the twentieth letter of the English
alphabet, is a nonvocal consonant. With the letter h it forms the
digraph th, which has two distinct sounds, as in thin,
then. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§262-264, and
also §§153, 156, 169, 172, 176, 178-180.
The letter derives its name and form from the Latin, the form of the
Latin letter being further derived through the Greek from the
Phœnician. The ultimate origin is probably Egyptian. It is
etymologically most nearly related to d, s, th; as in
tug, duke; two, dual, L. duo;
resin, L. resina, Gr. "rhti`nh, tent,
tense, a., tenuous, thin; nostril,
thrill. See D, S.
T bandage (Surg.), a bandage shaped like
the letter T, and used principally for
application to the groin, or perineum. -- T cart,
a kind of fashionable two seated wagon for pleasure driving. --
T iron. (a) A rod with a short
crosspiece at the end, -- used as a hook. (b) Iron
in bars, having a cross section formed like the letter
T, -- used in structures. -- T
rail, a kind of rail for railroad tracks, having no flange at
the bottom so that a section resembles the letter
T. -- T square, a
ruler having a crosspiece or head at one end, for the purpose of making
parallel lines; -- so called from its shape. It is laid on a drawing board
and guided by the crosspiece, which is pressed against the straight edge of
the board. Sometimes the head is arranged to be set at different
angles. -- To a T, exactly, perfectly; as, to
suit to a T. [Colloq.]
Ta (?), v. t. To take. [Obs. or
Scot.] Cursor Mundi.
&fist; Used by Chaucer to represent a peculiarity of the Northern
dialect.
Taas (?), n. A heap. See
Tas. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Tab (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.]
1. The flap or latchet of a shoe fastened with a
string or a buckle.
2. A tag. See Tag, 2.
3. A loop for pulling or lifting
something.
4. A border of lace or other material, worn on the
inner front edge of ladies' bonnets.
5. A loose pendent part of a lady's garment; esp.,
one of a series of pendent squares forming an edge or border.
Ta*bac"co (?), n. Tobacco. [Obs.]
B. Jonson.
||Ta*ba"nus (?), n. [L., horsefly.]
(Zoöl.) A genus of blood sucking flies, including the
horseflies.
Tab"ard (?), n. [OE. tabard,
tabart; cf. Sp. & Pg. tabardo, It. tabarro, W.
tabar, LGr. &?;, LL. tabardum.] A sort of tunic or
mantle formerly worn for protection from the weather. When worn over the
armor it was commonly emblazoned with the arms of the wearer, and from this
the name was given to the garment adopted for heralds. [Spelt also
taberd.]
In a tabard he [the Plowman] rode upon a
mare.
Chaucer.
Tab"ard*er (?), n. 1.
One who wears a tabard.
2. A scholar on the foundation of Queen's College,
Oxford, England, whose original dress was a tabard.
Nares.
Tab"a*ret (?), n. [Cf. Tabby.] A
stout silk having satin stripes, -- used for furniture.
Tab`a*sheer" (?), n. [Per.
tabāshīr: cf. Skr. tvakkshīrā,
tvakshīrā.] A concretion in the joints of the
bamboo, which consists largely or chiefly of pure silica. It is highly
valued in the East Indies as a medicine for the cure of bilious vomitings,
bloody flux, piles, and various other diseases.
Tab"bi*net (?), n. [Cf. Tabby.] A
fabric like poplin, with a watered surface. [Written also
tabinet.]
Tab"by (?), n.; pl.
Tabbies (#). [F. tabis (cf. It.
tabì, Sp. & Pg. tabí, LL. attabi), fr.
Ar. 'attābī, properly the name of a quarter of Bagdad
where it was made, the quarter being named from the prince Attab,
great grandson of Omeyya. Cf. Tobine.] 1. A
kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like
taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by
calendering.
2. A mixture of lime with shells, gravel, or
stones, in equal proportions, with an equal proportion of water. When dry,
this becomes as hard as rock. Weale.
3. A brindled cat; hence, popularly, any
cat.
4. An old maid or gossip. [Colloq.]
Byron.
Tab"by (?), a. 1. Having
a wavy or watered appearance; as, a tabby waistcoat.
Pepys.
2. Brindled; diversified in color; as, a
tabby cat.
Tabby moth (Zoöl.), the grease moth.
See under Grease.
Tab"by, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Tabbied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Tabbying (?).]
To water; to cause to look wavy, by the process of calendering; to
calender; as, to tabby silk, mohair, ribbon, etc.
Tab`e*fac"tion (?), n. [See Tabefy.]
A wasting away; a gradual losing of flesh by disease.
Tab"e*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Tabefied (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Tabefying (?).] [L. tabere to waste away + -fy: cf. L.
tabefacere to melt.] To cause to waste gradually, to
emaciate. [R.] Harvey.
Ta*bel"lion (?), n. [L. tabellio, fr.
tabella a tablet, a writing, document, dim. of tabula a
board: cf. F. tabellion. See Table.] A secretary or
notary under the Roman empire; also, a similar officer in France during the
old monarchy.
Ta"ber (?), v. i. Same as
Tabor. Nahum ii. 7.
Tab"erd (?), n. See
Tabard.
Tab"er*na*cle (?), n. [F., fr. L.
tabernaculum, dim. of taberna nut. See Tabern.]
1. A slightly built or temporary habitation;
especially, a tent.
Dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and
Jacob.
Heb. xi. 9.
Orange trees planted in the ground, and secured in winter
with a wooden tabernacle and stoves.
Evelyn.
2. (Jewish Antiq.) A portable structure of
wooden framework covered with curtains, which was carried through the
wilderness in the Israelitish exodus, as a place of sacrifice and
worship. Ex. xxvi.
3. Hence, the Jewish temple; sometimes, any other
place for worship. Acts xv. 16.
4. Figuratively: The human body, as the temporary
abode of the soul.
Shortly I must put off this my
tabernacle.
2 Pet. i. 14.
5. Any small cell, or like place, in which some
holy or precious things was deposited or kept. Specifically: --
(a) The ornamental receptacle for the pyx, or for
the consecrated elements, whether a part of a building or
movable.
(b) A niche for the image of a saint, or for any
sacred painting or sculpture.
(c) Hence, a work of art of sacred subject, having
a partially architectural character, as a solid frame resting on a bracket,
or the like.
(d) A tryptich for sacred imagery.
(e) A seat or stall in a choir, with its
canopy.
6. (Naut.) A boxlike step for a mast with
the after side open, so that the mast can be lowered to pass under bridges,
etc.
Feast of Tabernacles (Jewish Antiq.), one
of the three principal festivals of the Jews, lasting seven days, during
which the people dwelt in booths formed of the boughs of trees, in
commemoration of the habitation of their ancestors in similar dwellings
during their pilgrimage in the wilderness. -- Tabernacle
work, rich canopy work like that over the head of niches,
used over seats or stalls, or over sepulchral monuments. Oxf.
Gloss.
Tab"er*na*cle, v. i. [imp. & p.
p. Tabernacled (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Tabernacling (?).] To dwell or reside for a time; to be
temporary housed.
He assumed our nature, and tabernacled among us in
the flesh.
Dr. J. Scott.
Tab`er*nac"u*lar (?), a. 1.
Of or pertaining to a tabernacle, especially the Jewish
tabernacle.
2. Formed in latticework; latticed. T.
Warton.
3. Of or pertaining to huts or booths; hence,
common; low. "Horribly tabernacular." De Quincey.
||Ta"bes (t&amc;"bēz), n. [L., a
wasting disease.] (Med.) Progressive emaciation of the body,
accompanied with hectic fever, with no well-marked local
symptoms.
||Tabes dorsalis (dôr*sā"l&ibreve;s) [NL.,
tabes of the back], locomotor ataxia; -- sometimes called simply
tabes. -- ||Tabes mesenterica (&?;) [NL.,
mesenteric tabes], a wasting disease of childhood characterized by
chronic inflammation of the lymphatic glands of the mesentery, attended
with caseous degeneration.
Ta*bes"cent (?), a. [L. tabescens
wasting, p. pr. of tabescere.] Withering, or wasting
away.
Ta*bet"ic (?), a. (Med.) Of or
pertaining to tabes; of the nature of tabes; affected with tabes;
tabid. -- n. One affected with
tabes.
Tab"id (?), a. [L. tabidus: cf. F.
tabide. See Tabes.] (Med.) Affected by tabes;
tabetic.
In tabid persons, milk is the bset
restorative.
Arbuthnot.
-- Tab"id*ly, adv. -- Tab"id*ness,
n.
{ Ta*bif"ic (?), Ta*bif"ic*al (?), }
a. [Tabes + L. facere to make.]
(Med.) Producing tabes; wasting; tabefying.
Tab"inet (?), n. See
Tabbinet. Thackeray.
Tab"la*ture (?), n. [Cf. F. tablature
ancient mode of musical notation. See Table.] 1.
(Paint.) A painting on a wall or ceiling; a single piece
comprehended in one view, and formed according to one design; hence, a
picture in general. Shaftesbury.
2. (Mus.) An ancient mode of indicating
musical sounds by letters and other signs instead of by notes.
The chimes of bells are so rarely managed that I went up to
that of Sir Nicholas, where I found who played all sorts of compositions
from the tablature before him as if he had fingered an
organ.
Evelyn.
3. (Anat.) Division into plates or tables
with intervening spaces; as, the tablature of the cranial
bones.
Ta"ble (?), n. [F., fr. L. tabula a
board, tablet, a painting. Cf. Tabular, Taffrail,
Tavern.] 1. A smooth, flat surface, like the
side of a board; a thin, flat, smooth piece of anything; a slab.
A bagnio paved with fair tables of
marble.
Sandys.
2. A thin, flat piece of wood, stone, metal, or
other material, on which anything is cut, traced, written, or painted; a
tablet; pl. a memorandum book. "The names . . .
written on his tables." Chaucer.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of
stone like unto the first, and I will write upon these tables the
words that were in the first tables, which thou
brakest.
Ex. xxxiv. 1.
And stand there with your tables to glean
The golden sentences.
Beau. & Fl.
3. Any smooth, flat surface upon which an
inscription, a drawing, or the like, may be produced. "Painted in a
table plain." Spenser.
The opposite walls are painted by Rubens, which, with that
other of the Infanta taking leave of Don Philip, is a most incomparable
table.
Evelyn.
St. Antony has a table that hangs up to him from a
poor peasant.
Addison.
4. Hence, in a great variety of applications: A
condensed statement which may be comprehended by the eye in a single view;
a methodical or systematic synopsis; the presentation of many items or
particulars in one group; a scheme; a schedule. Specifically: --
(a) (Bibliog.) A view of the contents of a
work; a statement of the principal topics discussed; an index; a syllabus;
a synopsis; as, a table of contents.
(b) (Chem.) A list of substances and their
properties; especially, a list of the elementary substances with their
atomic weights, densities, symbols, etc.
(c) (Mach.) Any collection and arrangement
in a condensed form of many particulars or values, for ready reference, as
of weights, measures, currency, specific gravities, etc.; also, a series of
numbers following some law, and expressing particular values corresponding
to certain other numbers on which they depend, and by means of which they
are taken out for use in computations; as, tables of logarithms,
sines, tangents, squares, cubes, etc.; annuity tables; interest
tables; astronomical tables, etc.
(d) (Palmistry) The arrangement or
disposition of the lines which appear on the inside of the hand.
Mistress of a fairer table
Hath not history for fable.
B. Jonson.
5. An article of furniture, consisting of a flat
slab, board, or the like, having a smooth surface, fixed horizontally on
legs, and used for a great variety of purposes, as in eating, writing, or
working.
We may again
Give to our tables meat.
Shak.
The nymph the table spread.
Pope.
6. Hence, food placed on a table to be partaken of;
fare; entertainment; as, to set a good table.
7. The company assembled round a table.
I drink the general joy of the whole
table.
Shak.
8. (Anat.) One of the two, external and
internal, layers of compact bone, separated by diploë, in the walls of
the cranium.
9. (Arch.) A stringcourse which includes an
offset; esp., a band of stone, or the like, set where an offset is
required, so as to make it decorative. See Water table.
10. (Games) (a) The board on
the opposite sides of which backgammon and draughts are played.
(b) One of the divisions of a backgammon board; as, to
play into the right-hand table. (c) pl.
The games of backgammon and of draughts. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
This is the ape of form, monsieur the nice,
That, when he plays at tables, chides the dice.
Shak.
11. (Glass Manuf.) A circular plate of crown
glass.
A circular plate or table of about five feet diameter
weighs on an average nine pounds.
Ure.
12. (Jewelry) The upper flat surface of a
diamond or other precious stone, the sides of which are cut in
angles.
13. (Persp.) A plane surface, supposed to be
transparent and perpendicular to the horizon; -- called also perspective
plane.
14. (Mach.) The part of a machine tool on
which the work rests and is fastened.
Bench table, Card table,
Communion table, Lord's table, etc.
See under Bench, Card, etc. -- Raised
table (Arch. & Sculp.), a raised or projecting member
of a flat surface, large in proportion to the projection, and usually
rectangular, -- especially intended to receive an inscription or the
like. -- Roller table (Horology), a flat
disk on the arbor of the balance of a watch, holding the jewel which rolls
in and out of the fork at the end of the lever of the escapement. --
Round table. See Dictionary of Noted Names in
Fiction. -- Table anvil, a small anvil to be
fastened to a table for use in making slight repairs. -- Table
base. (Arch.) Same as Water table. --
Table bed, a bed in the form of a table. --
Table beer, beer for table, or for common use; small
beer. -- Table bell, a small bell to be used at
table for calling servants. -- Table cover, a
cloth for covering a table, especially at other than mealtimes. --
Table diamond, a thin diamond cut with a flat upper
surface. -- Table linen, linen tablecloth,
napkins, and the like. -- Table money (Mil. or
Naut.), an allowance sometimes made to officers over and above
their pay, for table expenses. -- Table rent (O.
Eng. Law), rent paid to a bishop or religious, reserved or
appropriated to his table or housekeeping. Burrill. --
Table shore (Naut.), a low, level shore.
-- Table talk, conversation at table, or at
meals. -- Table talker, one who talks at
table. -- Table tipping, Table
turning, certain movements of tables, etc., attributed by
some to the agency of departed spirits, and by others to the development of
latent vital or spriritual forces, but more commonly ascribed to the
muscular force of persons in connection with the objects moved, or to
physical force applied otherwise. -- Tables of a
girder or chord (Engin.), the upper
and lower horizontal members. -- To lay on the
table, in parliamentary usage, to lay, as a report, motion,
etc., on the table of the presiding officer, -- that is, to postpone the
consideration of, by a vote. -- To serve tables
(Script.), to provide for the poor, or to distribute provisions
for their wants. Acts vi. 2. -- To turn the
tables, to change the condition or fortune of contending
parties; -- a metaphorical expression taken from the vicissitudes of
fortune in gaming. -- Twelve tables (Rom.
Antiq.), a celebrated body of Roman laws, framed by decemvirs
appointed 450 years before Christ, on the return of deputies or
commissioners who had been sent to Greece to examine into foreign laws and
institutions. They consisted partly of laws transcribed from the
institutions of other nations, partly of such as were altered and
accommodated to the manners of the Romans, partly of new provisions, and
mainly, perhaps, of laws and usages under their ancient kings.
Burrill.
Ta"ble (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Tableed (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Tableing (?).] 1. To form into a table or
catalogue; to tabulate; as, to table fines.
2. To delineate, as on a table; to represent, as in
a picture. [Obs.]
Tabled and pictured in the chambers of
meditation.
Bacon.
3. To supply with food; to feed. [Obs.]
Milton.
4. (Carp.) To insert, as one piece of timber
into another, by alternate scores or projections from the middle, to
prevent slipping; to scarf.
5. To lay or place on a table, as money.
Carlyle.
6. In parliamentary usage, to lay on the table; to
postpone, by a formal vote, the consideration of (a bill, motion, or the
like) till called for, or indefinitely.
7. To enter upon the docket; as, to table
charges against some one.
8. (Naut.) To make board hems in the skirts
and bottoms of (sails) in order to strengthen them in the part attached to
the boltrope.
Ta"ble, v. i. To live at the table of
another; to board; to eat. [Obs.] "He . . . was driven from the
society of men to table with the beasts." South.
||Ta`bleau" (?), n.; pl.
Tableaux (#). [F., dim. fr. L. tabula a painting.
See Table.] 1. A striking and vivid
representation; a picture.
2. A representation of some scene by means of
persons grouped in the proper manner, placed in appropriate postures, and
remaining silent and motionless.
||Ta`bleau" vi`vant" (?); pl. Tableaux
vivants (#). [F.] Same as Tableau,
n., 2.
Ta"ble*book` (?), n. A tablet; a
notebook.
Put into your tablebook whatever you judge
worthy.
Dryden.
Ta"ble*cloth` (?), n. A cloth for
covering a table, especially one with which a table is covered before the
dishes, etc., are set on for meals.
||Ta"ble d'hôte" (t&adot;"bl' dōt`); pl.
Tables d'hôte (#). [F., literally, table of the
landlord.] A common table for guests at a hotel; an
ordinary.
Ta"ble-land` (?), n. A broad, level,
elevated area of land; a plateau.
The toppling crags of Duty scaled,
Are close upon the shining table-lands
To which our God himself is moon and sun.
Tennyson.
Ta"ble*man (?), n.; pl.
Tablemen (&?;). A man at draughts; a piece used in
playing games at tables. See Table, n., 10.
[R.] Bacon.
Ta"ble*ment (?), n. (Arch.) A
table. [Obs.]
Tablements and chapters of pillars.
Holland.
Ta"bler (?), n. 1. One
who boards. [Obs.]
2. One who boards others for hire. [Obs.]
B. Jonson.
Ta"ble*spoon` (?), n. A spoon of the
largest size commonly used at the table; -- distinguished from
teaspoon, dessert spoon, etc.
Ta"ble*spoon`ful (?), n.; pl.
Tablespoonfuls (&?;). As much as a tablespoon will
hold; enough to fill a tablespoon. It is usually reckoned as one half of a
fluid ounce, or four fluid drams.
Ta"blet (?), n. [F. tablette, dim. of
table. See Table.] 1. A small table or
flat surface.
2. A flat piece of any material on which to write,
paint, draw, or engrave; also, such a piece containing an inscription or a
picture.
3. Hence, a small picture; a miniature.
[Obs.]
4. pl. A kind of pocket memorandum
book.
5. A flattish cake or piece; as, tablets of
arsenic were formerly worn as a preservative against the plague.
6. (Pharm.) A solid kind of electuary or
confection, commonly made of dry ingredients with sugar, and usually formed
into little flat squares; -- called also lozenge, and troche,
especially when of a round or rounded form.
Ta"ble*ware` (?), n. Ware, or articles
collectively, for table use.
Ta"bling (?), n. 1. A
forming into tables; a setting down in order.
2. (Carp.) The letting of one timber into
another by alternate scores or projections, as in shipbuilding.
3. (Naut.) A broad hem on the edge of a
sail. Totten.
4. Board; support. [Obs.] Trence in
English (1614).
5. Act of playing at tables. See Table,
n., 10. [Obs.]
Tabling house, a gambling house. [Obs.]
Northbrooke.
Ta*boo" (?), n. A total prohibition of
intercourse with, use of, or approach to, a given person or thing under
pain of death, -- an interdict of religious origin and authority, formerly
common in the islands of Polynesia; interdiction. [Written also
tabu.]
Ta*boo", v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Tabooed (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Tabooing.] To put under taboo; to forbid, or to forbid the use
of; to interdict approach to, or use of; as, to taboo the ground set
apart as a sanctuary for criminals. [Written also tabu.]
Ta"bor (?), n. [OF. tabor,
tabour, F. tambour; cf. Pr. tabor, tanbor, Sp.
& Pg. tambor, atambor, It. tamburo; all fr. Ar. & Per.
tamb&?;r a kind of lute, or giutar, or Per. tabīr a
drum. Cf. Tabouret, Tambour.] (Mus.) A small
drum used as an accompaniment to a pipe or fife, both being played by the
same person. [Written also tabour, and taber.]
Ta"bor, v. i. [imp. & p. p.
Tabored (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Taboring.]
[Cf. OF. taborer.] [Written also tabour.] 1.
To play on a tabor, or little drum.
2. To strike lightly and frequently.
Ta"bor, v. t. To make (a sound) with a
tabor.
Ta"bor*er (?), n. One who plays on the
tabor. Shak.
Tab"o*ret (?), n. [Dim. of tabor. Cf.
Tabret.] (Mus.) A small tabor. [Written also
tabouret.]
Tab"o*rine (?), n. [OF. tabourin, F.
tambourin. See Tabor, and cf. Tambourine.]
(Mus.) A small, shallow drum; a tabor.
Ta"bor*ite (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.)
One of certain Bohemian reformers who suffered persecution in the
fifteenth century; -- so called from Tabor, a hill or fortress where
they encamped during a part of their struggles.
Ta"bour (?), n. & v. See
Tabor.
Tab"ou*ret (?), n. [F., dim. of OF.
tabor, tabour, drum. See Tabor.] 1.
Same as Taboret.
2. A seat without arms or back, cushioned and
stuffed: a high stool; -- so called from its resemblance to a
drum.
3. An embroidery frame. Knight.
Right of the tabouret, the privilege of sitting on
a tabouret in the presence of the severeign, formerly granted to certain
ladies of high rank at the French court.
Tab"rere (?), n. A taborer. [Obs.]
Spenser.
Tab"ret (?), n. A taboret.
Young.
Ta*bu" (?), n. & v. See
Taboo.
||Tab"u*la (?), n.; pl.
Tabulæ (#). [L.] 1. A table; a
tablet.
2. (Zoöl.) One of the transverse plants
found in the calicles of certain corals and hydroids.
Tabula rasa (&?;) [L.], a smoothed tablet; hence,
figuratively, the mind in its earliest state, before receiving impressions
from without; -- a term used by Hobbes, Locke, and others, in maintaining a
theory opposed to the doctrine of innate ideas.
Tab"u*lar (?), a. [L. tabularis, fr.
tabula a board, table. See Table.] Having the form of,
or pertaining to, a table (in any of the uses of the word).
Specifically: --
(a) Having a flat surface; as, a tabular
rock.
(b) Formed into a succession of flakes;
laminated.
Nodules . . . that are tabular and
plated.
Woodward.
(c) Set in squares. [R.]
(d) Arranged in a schedule; as, tabular
statistics.
(e) Derived from, or computed by, the use of
tables; as, tabular right ascension.
Tabular difference (Math.), the difference
between two consecutive numbers in a table, sometimes printed in its proper
place in the table. -- Tabular spar (Min.),
wollastonite.
Tab`u*lar*i*za"tion (?), n. The act of
tabularizing, or the state of being tabularized; formation into tables;
tabulation.
Tab"u*lar*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Tabularized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Tabularizing (?).] To tabulate.
||Tab`u*la"ta (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L.
tabulatus floored.] (Zoöl.) An artificial group of
stony corals including those which have transverse septa in the calicles.
The genera Pocillopora and Favosites are examples.
Tab"u*late (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Tabulated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Tabulating.] [L. tabula a table. See Tabular.]
1. To form into a table or tables; to reduce to tables
or synopses.
A philosophy is not worth the having, unless its results may
be tabulated, and put in figures.
I. Taylor.
2. To shape with a flat surface.
Tab`u*la"tion (?), n. The act of forming
into a table or tables; as, the tabulation of statistics.
Tac (?), n. [Cf. Tack,
n., 4.] (O. Eng. Law) A kind of customary
payment by a tenant; -- a word used in old records. Cowell.
Burrill.
{ Tac"a*ma*hac` (?), Tac`a*ma*ha"ca (?), }
n. 1. A bitter balsamic resin
obtained from tropical American trees of the genus Elaphrium (E.
tomentosum and E. Tacamahaca), and also from East Indian trees
of the genus Calophyllum; also, the resinous exhudation of the
balsam poplar.
2. (Bot.) Any tree yielding tacamahac resin,
especially, in North America, the balsam poplar, or balm of Gilead
(Populus balsamifera).
Ta*caud" (?), n. [Cf. F. tacaud. See
Tomcod.] (Zoöl.) The bib, or whiting pout.
[Prov. Eng.]
Tace (?), n. The cross, or church, of
St. Antony. See Illust. (6), under Cross,
n. Mollett.
Tace, n. See Tasse.
Fairholt.
||Ta"cet (?), v. impers. [L., it is silent,
3d pers.pr. of tacere to be silent.] (Mus.) It is
silent; -- a direction for a vocal or instrumental part to be silent during
a whole movement.
Tache (?), n. [See Tack a kind of
nail.] Something used for taking hold or holding; a catch; a loop; a
button. [Obs.] Ex. xxvi. 6.
Tache, n. [F. tache spot. See
Techy.] A spot, stain, or blemish. [Obs.]
Warner.
Tach*hy"drite (?), n. [Gr. tachy`s
quick + "y`dwr water. So named from its ready deliquescence.]
(Min.) A hydrous chloride of calcium and magnesium occurring in
yellowish masses which rapidly deliquesce upon exposure. It is found in the
salt mines at Stassfurt.
||Tach"i*na (?), n.; pl.
Tachinæ (#). [NL., fr. Gr. &?;, for &?; swift.]
(Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of Diptera belonging
to Tachina and allied genera. Their larvæ are external
parasites of other insects.
Ta*chom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. &?; swiftness,
speed (fr. tachy`s quick) + -meter: cf. F.
tachomètre.] An instrument for measuring the velocity,
or indicating changes in the velocity, of a moving body or substance.
Specifically: --
(a) An instrument for measuring the velocity of
running water in a river or canal, consisting of a wheel with inclined
vanes, which is turned by the current. The rotations of the wheel are
recorded by clockwork.
(b) An instrument for showing at any moment the
speed of a revolving shaft, consisting of a delicate revolving conical
pendulum which is driven by the shaft, and the action of which by change of
speed moves a pointer which indicates the speed on a graduated
dial.
(c) (Physiol.) An instrument for measuring
the velocity of the blood; a hæmatachometer.
Tach"y*di*dax`y (?), n. [Gr.
tachy`s quick + &?; teaching.] A short or rapid method of
instructing. [R.]
||Tach`y*glos"sa (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr.
tachy`s quick + &?; tongue.] (Zoöl.) A division
of monotremes which comprises the spiny ant-eaters of Australia and New
Guinea. See Illust. under Echidna.
{ Tach`y*graph"ic (?), Tach`y*graph"ic*al (?), }
a. [Cf. F. tachygraphique.] Of or pertaining
to tachygraphy; written in shorthand.
Ta*chyg"ra*phy (?), n. [Gr.
tachy`s quick + -graphy: cf. F. tachygraphie.]
The art or practice of rapid writing; shorthand writing;
stenography. I. Taylor (The Alphabet).
Tach"y*lyte (?), n. [Gr. tachy`s
quick + &?; to dissolve.] (Min.) A vitreous form of basalt; --
so called because decomposable by acids and readily fusible.
Tac"it (?), a. [L. tacitus, p. p. of
tacere to be silent, to pass over in silence; akin to Goth.
þahan to be silent, Icel. þegja, OHG.
dagēn: cf. F. tacite. Cf. Reticent.] Done
or made in silence; implied, but not expressed; silent; as, tacit
consent is consent by silence, or by not interposing an objection. --
Tac"it*ly, adv.
The tacit and secret theft of abusing our brother in
civil contracts.
Jer. Taylor.
Tac"i*turn (?), a. [L. taciturnus: cf.
F. taciturne. See Tacit.] Habitually silent; not given
to converse; not apt to talk or speak. -- Tac"i*turn*ly,
adv.
Syn. -- Silent; reserved. Taciturn, Silent.
Silent has reference to the act; taciturn, to the habit. A
man may be silent from circumstances; he is taciturn from
disposition. The loquacious man is at times silent; one who is
taciturn may now and then make an effort at conversation.
Tac`i*tur"ni*ty (?), n. [L.
taciturnitas: cf. F. taciturnité.] Habilual
silence, or reserve in speaking.
The cause of Addison's taciturnity was a natural
diffidence in the company of strangers.
V. Knox.
The taciturnity and the short answers which gave so
much offense.
Macaulay.
Tack (?), n. [From an old or dialectal form
of F. tache. See Techy.] 1. A stain; a
tache. [Obs.]
2. [Cf. L. tactus.] A peculiar flavor or
taint; as, a musty tack. [Obs. or Colloq.]
Drayton.
Tack, n. [OE. tak, takke, a
fastening; akin to D. tak a branch, twig, G. zacke a twig,
prong, spike, Dan. takke a tack, spike; cf. also Sw. tagg
prickle, point, Icel. tāg a willow twig, Ir. taca a
peg, nail, fastening, Gael. tacaid, Armor. & Corn. tach;
perhaps akin to E. take. Cf. Attach, Attack,
Detach, Tag an end, Zigzag.] 1. A
small, short, sharp-pointed nail, usually having a broad, flat
head.
2. That which is attached; a supplement; an
appendix. See Tack, v. t., 3.
Macaulay.
Some tacks had been made to money bills in King
Charles's time.
Bp. Burnet.
3. (Naut.) (a) A rope used
to hold in place the foremost lower corners of the courses when the vessel
is closehauled (see Illust. of Ship); also, a rope employed
to pull the lower corner of a studding sail to the boom.
(b) The part of a sail to which the tack is usually
fastened; the foremost lower corner of fore-and-aft sails, as of schooners
(see Illust. of Sail). (c) The
direction of a vessel in regard to the trim of her sails; as, the starboard
tack, or port tack; -- the former when she is closehauled
with the wind on her starboard side; hence, the run of a vessel on one
tack; also, a change of direction.
4. (Scots Law) A contract by which the use
of a thing is set, or let, for hire; a lease. Burrill.
5. Confidence; reliance. [Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.
Tack of a flag (Naut.), a line spliced into
the eye at the foot of the hoist for securing the flag to the
halyards. -- Tack pins (Naut.), belaying
pins; -- also called jack pins. -- To haul the tacks
aboard (Naut.), to set the courses. -- To
hold tack, to last or hold out. Milton.
Tack (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Tacked (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Tacking.] [Cf. OD. tacken to touch, take, seize, fix, akin to
E. take. See Tack a small nail.] 1. To
fasten or attach. "In hopes of getting some commendam tacked
to their sees." Swift.
And tacks the center to the sphere.
Herbert.
2. Especially, to attach or secure in a slight or
hasty manner, as by stitching or nailing; as, to tack together the
sheets of a book; to tack one piece of cloth to another; to
tack on a board or shingle; to tack one piece of metal to
another by drops of solder.
3. In parliamentary usage, to add (a supplement) to
a bill; to append; -- often with on or to.
Macaulay.
4. (Naut.) To change the direction of (a
vessel) when sailing closehauled, by putting the helm alee and shifting the
tacks and sails so that she will proceed to windward nearly at right angles
to her former course.
&fist; In tacking, a vessel is brought to point at first directly to
windward, and then so that the wind will blow against the other side.
Tack, v. i. (Naut.) To change the
direction of a vessel by shifting the position of the helm and sails; also
(as said of a vessel), to have her direction changed through the shifting
of the helm and sails. See Tack, v. t.,
4.
Monk, . . . when he wanted his ship to tack to
larboard, moved the mirth of his crew by calling out, "Wheel to the
left."
Macaulay.
Tack"er (?), n. One who tacks.
Tack"et (?), n. [Dim. of tack a small
nail.] A small, broad-headed nail. [Scot.] Jamieson.
Tack"ey (?), a. & n. See
Tacky.
Tack"ing, n. (Law) A union of
securities given at different times, all of which must be redeemed before
an intermediate purchaser can interpose his claim.
Bouvier.
&fist; The doctrine of tacking is not recognized in American law.
Kent.
Tac"kle (?; sometimes improperly pronounced ?, especially by
seamen), n. [OE. takel, akin to LG. & D.
takel, Dan. takkel, Sw. tackel; perhaps akin to E.
taw, v.t., or to take.] 1. Apparatus for
raising or lowering heavy weights, consisting of a rope and pulley blocks;
sometimes, the rope and attachments, as distinct from the block.
2. Any instruments of action; an apparatus by which
an object is moved or operated; gear; as, fishing tackle, hunting
tackle; formerly, specifically, weapons. "She to her
tackle fell." Hudibras.
&fist; In Chaucer, it denotes usually an arrow or arrows.
3. (Naut.) The rigging and apparatus of a
ship; also, any purchase where more than one block is used.
Fall and tackle. See the Note under
Pulley. -- Fishing tackle. See under
Fishing, a. -- Ground
tackle (Naut.), anchors, cables, etc. --
Gun tackle, the apparatus or appliances for hauling
cannon in or out. -- Tackle fall, the rope, or
rather the end of the rope, of a tackle, to which the power is
applied. -- Tack tackle (Naut.), a small
tackle to pull down the tacks of the principal sails. --
Tackle board, Tackle post
(Ropemaking), a board, frame, or post, at the end of a ropewalk,
for supporting the spindels, or whirls, for twisting the yarns.
Tac"kle, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Tackled (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Tackling.] [Cf. LG. takeln to equip. See Tackle,
n.] 1. To supply with tackle.
Beau. & Fl.
2. To fasten or attach, as with a tackle; to
harness; as, to tackle a horse into a coach or wagon.
[Colloq.]
3. To seize; to lay hold of; to grapple; as, a
wrestler tackles his antagonist; a dog tackles the
game.
The greatest poetess of our day has wasted her time and
strength in tackling windmills under conditions the most fitted to
insure her defeat.
Dublin Univ. Mag.
Tac"kled (?), a. Made of ropes tacked
together.
My man shall be with thee,
And bring thee cords made like a tackled stair.
Shak.
Tac"kling, n. (Naut.)
1. Furniture of the masts and yards of a vessel, as
cordage, sails, etc.
2. Instruments of action; as, fishing
tackling. Walton.
3. The straps and fixures adjusted to an animal, by
which he draws a carriage, or the like; harness.
Tacks"man (?), n.; pl.
Tacksmen (&?;). (Scots Law) One who holds a
tack or lease from another; a tenant, or lessee. Sir W.
Scott.
The tacksmen, who formed what may be called the
"peerage" of the little community, must be the captains.
Macaulay.
Tack"y (?), a. [Cf. Techy, Tack
a spot.] Sticky; adhesive; raw; -- said of paint, varnish, etc., when
not well dried. [U. S.]
Ta*con"ic (?), a. (Geol.)
Designating, or pertaining to, the series of rocks forming the
Taconic mountains in Western New England. They were once supposed to
be older than the Cambrian, but later proved to belong to the Lower
Silurian and Cambrian.
Tact (?), n. [L. tactus a touching,
touch, fr. tangere, tactum, to touch: cf. F. tact. See
Tangent.] 1. The sense of touch;
feeling.
Did you suppose that I could not make myself sensible to
tact as well as sight?
Southey.
Now, sight is a very refined tact.
J.
Le Conte.
2. (Mus.) The stroke in beating
time.
3. Sensitive mental touch; peculiar skill or
faculty; nice perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and
doing what is required by circumstances.
He had formed plans not inferior in grandeur and boldness to
those of Richelieu, and had carried them into effect with a tact and
wariness worthy of Mazarin.
Macaulay.
A tact which surpassed the tact of her sex as
much as the tact of her sex surpassed the tact of
ours.
Macaulay.
Tac"ta*ble (?), a. Capable of being
touched; tangible. [R.] "They [women] being created to be both
tractable and tactable." Massinger.
{ Tac"tic (?), Tac"tic*al (?), } a.
[Gr. &?;. See tactics.] Of or pertaining to the art of military
and naval tactics. -- Tac"tic*al*ly,
adv.
Tac"tic (?), n. See
Tactics.
Tac*ti"cian (?), n. [Cf. F.
tacticien.] One versed in tactics; hence, a skillful
maneuverer; an adroit manager.
Tac"tics (?), n. [Gr. &?;, pl., and &?; (sc.
&?;, sing., fr. &?; fit for ordering or arranging, fr. &?;, &?;, to put in
order, to arrange: cf. F. tactique.] 1. The
science and art of disposing military and naval forces in order for battle,
and performing military and naval evolutions. It is divided into grand
tactics, or the tactics of battles, and elementary tactics, or
the tactics of instruction.
2. Hence, any system or method of
procedure.
Tac"tile (?), a. [L. tactilis, fr.
tangere, tactum, to touch: cf. F. tactile.] Of or
pertaining to the organs, or the sense, of touch; perceiving, or
perceptible, by the touch; capable of being touched; as, tactile
corpuscles; tactile sensations. "Tactile sweets."
Beaumont. "Tactile qualities." Sir M. Hale.
Tactile sense (Physiol.), the sense of
touch, or pressure sense. See Touch.
The delicacy of the tactile sense varies on different
parts of the skin; it is geatest on the forehead, temples and back of the
forearm.
H. N. Martin.
Tac*til"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F.
tactilité.] The quality or state of being tactile;
perceptibility by touch; tangibleness.
Tac"tion (?), n. [L. tactio, from
tangere, tactum, to touch.] The act of touching; touch;
contact; tangency. "External taction."
Chesterfield.
Tact"less (?), a. Destitute of
tact.
Tac"tu*al (?), a. [See Tact.]
(Physiol.) Of or pertaining to the sense, or the organs, of
touch; derived from touch.
In the lowest organisms we have a kind of tactual
sense diffused over the entire body.
Tyndall.
Tad"pole` (?), n. [OE. tadde toad (AS.
tādie, tādige) + poll; properly, a toad
that is or seems all head. See Toad, and Poll.]
1. (Zoöl.) The young aquatic larva of any
amphibian. In this stage it breathes by means of external or internal
gills, is at first destitute of legs, and has a finlike tail. Called also
polliwig, polliwog, porwiggle, or
purwiggy.
2. (Zoöl.) The hooded merganser.
[Local, U. S.]
Tadpole fish. (Zoöl.) See
Forkbeard (a).
||Tæ"di*um (?), n. [L.] See
Tedium.
Tael (?), n. [Malay ta&?;l, a certain
weight, probably fr. Hind. tola, Skr. tulā a balance,
weight, tul to weigh.] A denomination of money, in China, worth
nearly six shillings sterling, or about a dollar and forty cents; also, a
weight of one ounce and a third. [Written also tale.]
{ Taen (?), or Ta'en }, p. p.
of Ta, to take, or a contraction of Taken. [Poetic &
Scot.] Burns.
||Tæ"ni*a (?), n.; pl.
Tæniæ (#). [L., a ribbon, a tapeworm.]
1. (Zoöl.) A genus of intestinal worms
which includes the common tapeworms of man. See Tapeworm.
2. (Anat.) A band; a structural line; --
applied to several bands and lines of nervous matter in the
brain.
3. (Arch.) The fillet, or band, at the
bottom of a Doric frieze, separating it from the architrave.
||Tæ*ni"a*da (?), n. pl. [NL.]
(Zoöl.) Same as Tænioidea.
||Tæ`ni*a"ta (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L.
taenia a ribbon.] (Zoöl.) A division of Ctenophora
including those which have a long, ribbonlike body. The Venus's girdle is
the most familiar example.
||Tæ*nid"i*um (?), n.; pl.
Tænidia (#). [NL., dim. fr. L. taenia a
ribbon.] (Zoöl.) The chitinous fiber forming the spiral
thread of the tracheæ of insects. See Illust. of
Trachea.
||Tæ`ni*o*glos"sa (?), n. pl. [NL., fr.
Gr. &?; a ribbon + &?; a tongue.] (Zoöl.) An extensive
division of gastropod mollusks in which the odontophore is long and narrow,
and usually bears seven rows of teeth. It includes a large number of
families both marine and fresh-water.
Tæ`ni*o*glos"sate (?), a.
(Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the
Tænioglossa.
Tæ"ni*oid (?), a. [Tænia +
-oid.] 1. Ribbonlike; shaped like a
ribbon.
2. (Zoöl.) Like or pertaining to
Tænia.
||Tæ`ni*oi"de*a (?), n. pl.
(Zoöl.) The division of cestode worms which comprises the
tapeworms. See Tapeworm.
||Tæ*ni"o*la (?), n.; pl.
Tæniolæ (#). [L., dim. of taenia a
ribbon.] (Zoöl.) One of the radial partitions which
separate the internal cavities of certain medusæ.
||Tæ`ni*o*so"mi (?), n. pl. [NL., fr.
Gr. &?; ribbon + &?; body.] (Zoöl.) An order of fishes
remarkable for their long and compressed form. The ribbon fishes are
examples. See Ribbon fish, under Ribbon.
Taf"fer*er (?), n. (Naut.) See
Taffrail.
{ Taf"fe*ta (?), Taf"fe*ty (?), } n.
[F. taffetas, It. taffetà, from Per.
tāftah, originally, twisted, woven, from tāftan
to twist, to spin.] A fine, smooth stuff of silk, having usually the
wavy luster called watering. The term has also been applied to
different kinds of silk goods, from the 16th century to modern
times.
Lined with taffeta and with sendal.
Chaucer.
Taff"rail (?), n. [D. tafereel a
panel, picture, fr. tafel table, fr. L. tabula. See
Table.] (Naut.) The upper part of a ship's stern, which
is flat like a table on the top, and sometimes ornamented with carved work;
the rail around a ship's stern. [Written also tafferel.]
Taf"fy (?), n. [Prov. E. taffy toffy.]
1. A kind of candy made of molasses or brown sugar
boiled down and poured out in shallow pans. [Written also, in
England, toffy.]
2. Flattery; soft phrases. [Slang]
Taf"i*a (?), n. [Cf. F. & Sp. tafia,
It. taffia; fr. Malay tāfīa a spirit distilled
from molasses. Cf. Ratafia.] A variety of rum. [West
Indies]
Tag (?), n. [Probably akin to tack a
small nail; cf. Sw. tagg a prickle, point, tooth.]
1. Any slight appendage, as to an article of dress;
something slight hanging loosely; specifically, a direction card, or
label.
2. A metallic binding, tube, or point, at the end
of a string, or lace, to stiffen it.
3. The end, or catchword, of an actor's speech;
cue.
4. Something mean and paltry; the rabble.
[Obs.]
Tag and rag, the lowest sort; the rabble.
Holinshed.
5. A sheep of the first year. [Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.
Tag, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Tagged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Tagging (?).]
1. To fit with, or as with, a tag or tags.
He learned to make long-tagged thread
laces.
Macaulay.
His courteous host . . .
Tags every sentence with some fawning word.
Dryden.
2. To join; to fasten; to attach.
Bolingbroke.
3. To follow closely after; esp., to follow and
touch in the game of tag. See Tag, a play.
Tag, v. i. To follow closely, as it were
an appendage; -- often with after; as, to tag after a
person.
Tag, n. [From Tag,
v.; cf. Tag, an end.] A child's play in which
one runs after and touches another, and then runs away to avoid being
touched.
Tag"belt` (?), n. (Far.) Same as
Tagsore. [Obs.]
Tag"ger (?), n. 1. One
who, or that which, appends or joins one thing to another.
2. That which is pointed like a tag.
Hedgehogs' or procupines' small taggers.
Cotton.
3. pl. Sheets of tin or other plate which
run below the gauge. Knight.
4. A device for removing taglocks from sheep.
Knight.
Tag"let (?), n. A little tag.
||Tagl"ia (?), n. [It., a cutting, a pulley,
from tagliare to cut. See Tailor.] (Mech.) A
peculiar combination of pulleys. Brande & C.
Tagl`ia*co"tain (?), a. (Surg.)
Of or pertaining to Tagliacozzi, a Venetian surgeon; as, the
Tagliacotian operation, a method of rhinoplasty described by
him. [Also Taliacotian, and Tagliacozzian.]
Tagl*io"ni (?), n. A kind of outer coat,
or overcoat; -- said to be so named after a celebrated Italian family of
professional dancers.
He ought certainly to exchange his taglioni, or
comfortable greatcoat, for a cuirass of steel.
Sir W.
Scott.
Tag"lock` (?), n. An entangled lock, as
of hair or wool. Nares.
Tag"ni*cate (?), n. (Zoöl.)
The white-lipped peccary.
Tag"-rag` (?), n. & a. [See Tag an
end, and Rag.] The lowest class of people; the rabble. Cf.
Rag, tag, and bobtail, under Bobtail.
If the tag-rag people did not clap him and hiss him,
I am no true man.
Shak.
Tag"sore` (?), n. (Far.) Adhesion
of the tail of a sheep to the wool from excoriation produced by contact
with the feces; -- called also tagbelt. [Obs.]
Tag"tail` (?), n. 1. A
worm which has its tail conspicuously colored.
2. A person who attaches himself to another against
the will of the latter; a hanger-on.
Tag"u*an (?), n. [From the native name in the
East Indies.] (Zoöl.) A large flying squirrel (Pteromys
petuarista). Its body becomes two feet long, with a large bushy tail
nearly as long.
Ta`gui*ca"ti (?), n. [From the native name.]
(Zoöl.) The white-lipped peccary.
Ta"ha (?), n. The African rufous-necked
weaver bird (Hyphantornis texor).
Ta*ha"leb (?), n. [From the native name.]
(Zoöl.) A fox (Vulpes Niloticus) of Northern
Africa.
Ta*hi"ti*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to
Tahiti, an island in the Pacific Ocean. -- n.
A native inhabitant of Tahiti.
Tahr (?), n. (Zoöl.) Same as
Thar.
Tail (?), n. [F. taille a cutting. See
Entail, Tally.] (Law) Limitation;
abridgment. Burrill.
Estate in tail, a limited, abridged, or reduced
fee; an estate limited to certain heirs, and from which the other heirs are
precluded; -- called also estate tail. Blackstone.
Tail, a. (Law) Limited; abridged;
reduced; curtailed; as, estate tail.
Tail, n. [AS. tægel,
tægl; akin to G. zagel, Icel. tagl, Sw.
tagel, Goth. tagl hair. √59.] 1.
(Zoöl.) The terminal, and usually flexible, posterior
appendage of an animal.
&fist; The tail of mammals and reptiles contains a series of movable
vertebræ, and is covered with flesh and hairs or scales like those of
other parts of the body. The tail of existing birds consists of several
more or less consolidated vertebræ which supports a fanlike group of
quills to which the term tail is more particularly applied. The tail
of fishes consists of the tapering hind portion of the body ending in a
caudal fin. The term tail is sometimes applied to the entire abdomen
of a crustacean or insect, and sometimes to the terminal piece or pygidium
alone.
2. Any long, flexible terminal appendage; whatever
resembles, in shape or position, the tail of an animal, as a
catkin.
Doretus writes a great praise of the distilled waters of
those tails that hang on willow trees.
Harvey.
3. Hence, the back, last, lower, or inferior part
of anything, -- as opposed to the head, or the superior
part.
The Lord will make thee the head, and not the
tail.
Deut. xxviii. 13.
4. A train or company of attendants; a
retinue.
"Ah," said he, "if you saw but the chief with his
tail on."
Sir W. Scott.
5. The side of a coin opposite to that which bears
the head, effigy, or date; the reverse; -- rarely used except in the
expression "heads or tails," employed when a coin is thrown up for the
purpose of deciding some point by its fall.
6. (Anat.) The distal tendon of a
muscle.
7. (Bot.) A downy or feathery appendage to
certain achenes. It is formed of the permanent elongated style.
8. (Surg.) (a) A portion of
an incision, at its beginning or end, which does not go through the whole
thickness of the skin, and is more painful than a complete incision; --
called also tailing. (b) One of the
strips at the end of a bandage formed by splitting the bandage one or more
times.
9. (Naut.) A rope spliced to the strap of a
block, by which it may be lashed to anything.
10. (Mus.) The part of a note which runs
perpendicularly upward or downward from the head; the stem. Moore
(Encyc. of Music).
11. pl. Same as Tailing, 4.
12. (Arch.) The bottom or lower portion of a
member or part, as a slate or tile.
13. pl. (Mining) See Tailing,
n., 5.
Tail beam. (Arch.) Same as
Tailpiece. -- Tail coverts
(Zoöl.), the feathers which cover the bases of the tail
quills. They are sometimes much longer than the quills, and form elegant
plumes. Those above the quills are called the upper tail coverts,
and those below, the under tail coverts. -- Tail
end, the latter end; the termination; as, the tail end
of a contest. [Colloq.] -- Tail joist.
(Arch.) Same as Tailpiece. -- Tail of a
comet (Astron.), a luminous train extending from the
nucleus or body, often to a great distance, and usually in a direction
opposite to the sun. -- Tail of a gale
(Naut.), the latter part of it, when the wind has greatly
abated. Totten. -- Tail of a lock (on a
canal), the lower end, or entrance into the lower pond. --
Tail of the trenches (Fort.), the post where
the besiegers begin to break ground, and cover themselves from the fire of
the place, in advancing the lines of approach. -- Tail
spindle, the spindle of the tailstock of a turning lathe; --
called also dead spindle. -- To turn tail,
to run away; to flee.
Would she turn tail to the heron, and fly quite out
another way; but all was to return in a higher pitch.
Sir
P. Sidney.
Tail, v. t. 1. To follow
or hang to, like a tail; to be attached closely to, as that which can not
be evaded. [Obs.]
Nevertheless his bond of two thousand pounds, wherewith he
was tailed, continued uncanceled, and was called on the next
Parliament.
Fuller.
2. To pull or draw by the tail. [R.]
Hudibras.
To tail in or on (Arch.),
to fasten by one of the ends into a wall or some other support; as,
to tail in a timber.
Tail, v. i. 1. (Arch.)
To hold by the end; -- said of a timber when it rests upon a wall or
other support; -- with in or into.
2. (Naut.) To swing with the stern in a
certain direction; -- said of a vessel at anchor; as, this vessel
tails down stream.
Tail on. (Naut.) See Tally on, under
Tally.
Tail"age (?), n. (O. Eng. Law)
See Tallage.
Tail"-bay` (?), n. 1.
(Arch.) One of the joists which rest one end on the wall and
the other on a girder; also, the space between a wall and the nearest
girder of a floor. Cf. Case-bay.
2. The part of a canal lock below the lower
gates.
Tail"block` (?), n. (Naut.) A
block with a tail. See Tail, 9.
Tail"board` (?), n. The board at the
rear end of a cart or wagon, which can be removed or let down, for
convenience in loading or unloading.
Tailed (?), a. Having a tail; having
(such) a tail or (so many) tails; -- chiefly used in composition; as,
bobtailed, longtailed, etc.
Snouted and tailed like a boar.
Grew.
Tail"ing (?), n. 1.
(Arch.) The part of a projecting stone or brick inserted in a
wall. Gwilt.
2. (Surg.) Same as Tail,
n., 8 (a).
3. Sexual intercourse. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
4. pl. The lighter parts of grain separated
from the seed threshing and winnowing; chaff.
5. pl. (Mining) The refuse part of
stamped ore, thrown behind the tail of the buddle or washing apparatus. It
is dressed over again to secure whatever metal may exist in it. Called
also tails. Pryce.
Taille (?), n. [F. See Tally,
Tailor.] 1. A tally; an account scored on a
piece of wood. [Obs.]
Whether that he paid or took by taille.
Chaucer.
2. (O. F. Law) Any imposition levied by the
king, or any other lord, upon his subjects.
The taille, as it still subsists in France, may serve
as an example of those ancient tallages. It was a tax upon the profits of
the farmer, which they estimate by the stock that he has upon the
farm.
A. Smith.
3. (Mus.) The French name for the tenor
voice or part; also, for the tenor viol or viola.
Tail"less (?), a. Having no tail.
H. Spencer.
Tail"lie (?), n. (Scots Law) Same
as Tailzie.
Tai"lor (?), n. [OF. tailleor, F.
tailleur, fr. OF. taillier, F. tailler to cut, fr. L.
talea a rod, stick, a cutting, layer for planting. Cf.
Detail, Entail, Retail, Tally,
n.] 1. One whose occupation is to
cut out and make men's garments; also, one who cuts out and makes ladies'
outer garments.
Well said, good woman's tailor . . . I would thou
wert a man's tailor.
Shak.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) The
mattowacca; -- called also tailor herring. (b)
The silversides.
3. (Zoöl.) The goldfish. [Prov.
Eng.]
Salt-water tailor (Zoöl.), the
bluefish. [Local, U. S.] Bartlett. -- Tailor
bird (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of
small Asiatic and East Indian singing birds belonging to Orthotomus,
Prinia, and allied genera. They are noted for the skill with which
they sew leaves together to form nests. The common Indian species are O.
longicauda, which has the back, scapulars, and upper tail coverts
yellowish green, and the under parts white; and the golden-headed tailor
bird (O. coronatus), which has the top of the head golden yellow and
the back and wings pale olive-green.
Tai"lor, v. i. [imp. & p.
p. Tailored (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Tailoring.] To practice making men's clothes; to follow the
business of a tailor.
These tailoring artists for our lays
Invent cramped rules.
M. Green.
Tai"lor*ess, n. A female
tailor.
Tai"lor*ing, adv. The business or the
work of a tailor or a tailoress.
Tail"piece` (?), n. 1. A
piece at the end; an appendage.
2. (Arch.) One of the timbers which tail
into a header, in floor framing. See Illust. of
Header.
3. (Print.) An ornament placed at the bottom
of a short page to fill up the space, or at the end of a book.
Savage.
4. A piece of ebony or other material attached to
the lower end of a violin or similar instrument, to which the strings are
fastened.
Tail"pin" (?), n. (Mach.) The
center in the spindle of a turning lathe.
Tail"race` (?), n. 1.
See Race, n., 6.
2. (Mining) The channel in which tailings,
suspended in water, are conducted away.
Tail"stock` (?), n. The sliding block or
support, in a lathe, which carries the dead spindle, or adjustable center.
The headstock supports the live spindle.
Tail"-wa`ter (?), n. Water in a
tailrace.
Tail"zie (-z&ibreve; or -y&ibreve;), n. [F.
tailler to cut. See Tail a limitation.] (Scots Law)
An entailment or deed whereby the legal course of succession is cut
off, and an arbitrary one substituted. [Written also
tailzee.]
Tain (?), n. [OE. tein, teyne;
cf. Icel. teinn a twig, akin to AS. tān, Goth.
tains.] Thin tin plate; also, tin foil for mirrors.
Knight.
Taint (?), n. [Cf. F. atteinte a blow,
bit, stroke. See Attaint.] 1. A thrust with a
lance, which fails of its intended effect. [Obs.]
This taint he followed with his sword drawn from a
silver sheath.
Chapman.
2. An injury done to a lance in an encounter,
without its being broken; also, a breaking of a lance in an encounter in a
dishonorable or unscientific manner. [Obs.]
Taint, v. i. [imp. & p. p.
Tainted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Tainting.]
To thrust ineffectually with a lance. [Obs.]
Taint, v. t. 1. To
injure, as a lance, without breaking it; also, to break, as a lance, but
usually in an unknightly or unscientific manner. [Obs.]
Do not fear; I have
A staff to taint, and bravely.
Massinger.
2. To hit or touch lightly, in tilting.
[Obs.]
They tainted each other on the helms and passed
by.
Ld. Berners.
Taint, v. t. [F. teint, p. p. of
teindre to dye, tinge, fr. L. tingere, tinctum. See
Tinge, and cf. Tint.] 1. To imbue or
impregnate with something extraneous, especially with something odious,
noxious, or poisonous; hence, to corrupt; to infect; to poison; as, putrid
substance taint the air.
2. Fig.: To stain; to sully; to tarnish.
His unkindness may defeat my life,
But never taint my love.
Shak.
Syn. -- To contaminate; defile; pollute; corrupt; infect;
disease; vitiate; poison.
Taint (?), v. i. 1. To
be infected or corrupted; to be touched with something
corrupting.
I can not taint with fear.
Shak.
2. To be affected with incipient putrefaction; as,
meat soon taints in warm weather.
Taint, n. 1. Tincture;
hue; color; tinge. [Obs.]
2. Infection; corruption; deprivation.
He had inherited from his parents a scrofulous taint,
which it was beyond the power of medicine to remove.
Macaulay.
3. A blemish on reputation; stain; spot;
disgrace.
Taint"less, a. Free from taint or
infection; pure.
Taint"less*ly, adv. In a taintless
manner.
Tain"ture (?), n. [F. teinture. See
Taint to stain, and cf. Tincture.] Taint; tinge;
difilement; stain; spot. [R.] Shak.
Taint"worm` (?), n. (Zoöl.)
A destructive parasitic worm or insect larva.
Tai"ra (?), n. (Zoöl.) Same
as Tayra.
Tairn (?), n. See Tarn.
Coleridge.
Tait (?), n. (Zoöl.) A small
nocturnal and arboreal Australian marsupial (Tarsipes rostratus)
about the size of a mouse. It has a long muzzle, a long tongue, and very
few teeth, and feeds upon honey and insects. Called also
noolbenger.
{ Ta*jaç"u, Ta*jas"su } (?),
n. [Pg. tajaçú, from Braz.
tayaçú a hog or swine.] (Zoöl.) The
common, or collared, peccary.
Take (?), obs. p. p. of Take.
Taken. Chaucer.
Take, v. t. [imp.
Took (?); p. p. Takend (?); p. pr.
& vb. n. Taking.] [Icel. taka; akin to Sw.
taga, Dan. tage, Goth. tēkan to touch; of
uncertain origin.] 1. In an active sense; To lay hold
of; to seize with the hands, or otherwise; to grasp; to get into one's hold
or possession; to procure; to seize and carry away; to convey. Hence,
specifically: --
(a) To obtain possession of by force or artifice;
to get the custody or control of; to reduce into subjection to one's power
or will; to capture; to seize; to make prisoner; as, to take am
army, a city, or a ship; also, to come upon or befall; to fasten on; to
attack; to seize; -- said of a disease, misfortune, or the like.
This man was taken of the Jews.
Acts
xxiii. 27.
Men in their loose, unguarded hours they take;
Not that themselves are wise, but others weak.
Pope.
They that come abroad after these showers are commonly
taken with sickness.
Bacon.
There he blasts the tree and takes the cattle
And makes milch kine yield blood.
Shak.
(b) To gain or secure the interest or affection of;
to captivate; to engage; to interest; to charm.
Neither let her take thee with her
eyelids.
Prov. vi. 25.
Cleombroutus was so taken with this prospect, that he
had no patience.
Wake.
I know not why, but there was a something in those half-seen
features, -- a charm in the very shadow that hung over their imagined
beauty, -- which took me more than all the outshining loveliness of
her companions.
Moore.
(c) To make selection of; to choose; also, to turn
to; to have recourse to; as, to take the road to the
right.
Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. And
Jonathan was taken.
1 Sam. xiv. 42.
The violence of storming is the course which God is forced
to take for the destroying . . . of sinners.
Hammond.
(d) To employ; to use; to occupy; hence, to demand;
to require; as, it takes so much cloth to make a coat.
This man always takes time . . . before he passes his
judgments.
I. Watts.
(e) To form a likeness of; to copy; to delineate;
to picture; as, to take picture of a person.
Beauty alone could beauty take so right.
Dryden.
(f) To draw; to deduce; to derive. [R.]
The firm belief of a future judgment is the most forcible
motive to a good life, because taken from this consideration of the
most lasting happiness and misery.
Tillotson.
(g) To assume; to adopt; to acquire, as shape; to
permit to one's self; to indulge or engage in; to yield to; to have or
feel; to enjoy or experience, as rest, revenge, delight, shame; to form and
adopt, as a resolution; -- used in general senses, limited by a following
complement, in many idiomatic phrases; as, to take a resolution; I
take the liberty to say.
(h) To lead; to conduct; as, to take a child
to church.
(i) To carry; to convey; to deliver to another; to
hand over; as, he took the book to the bindery.
He took me certain gold, I wot it well.
Chaucer.
(k) To remove; to withdraw; to deduct; -- with
from; as, to take the breath from one; to take two
from four.
2. In a somewhat passive sense, to receive; to
bear; to endure; to acknowledge; to accept. Specifically: --
(a) To accept, as something offered; to receive;
not to refuse or reject; to admit.
Ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a
murderer.
Num. xxxv. 31.
Let not a widow be taken into the number under
threescore.
1 Tim. v. 10.
(b) To receive as something to be eaten or dronk;
to partake of; to swallow; as, to take food or wine.
(c) Not to refuse or balk at; to undertake readily;
to clear; as, to take a hedge or fence.
(d) To bear without ill humor or resentment; to
submit to; to tolerate; to endure; as, to take a joke; he will
take an affront from no man.
(e) To admit, as, something presented to the mind;
not to dispute; to allow; to accept; to receive in thought; to entertain in
opinion; to understand; to interpret; to regard or look upon; to consider;
to suppose; as, to take a thing for granted; this I take to
be man's motive; to take men for spies.
You take me right.
Bacon.
Charity, taken in its largest extent, is nothing else
but the science love of God and our neighbor.
Wake.
[He] took that for virtue and affection which was
nothing but vice in a disguise.
South.
You'd doubt his sex, and take him for a
girl.
Tate.
(f) To accept the word or offer of; to receive and
accept; to bear; to submit to; to enter into agreement with; -- used in
general senses; as, to take a form or shape.
I take thee at thy word.
Rowe.
Yet thy moist clay is pliant to command; . . .
Not take the mold.
Dryden.
To be taken aback, To take advantage
of, To take air, etc. See under
Aback, Advantage, etc. -- To take aim,
to direct the eye or weapon; to aim. -- To take
along, to carry, lead, or convey. -- To take
arms, to commence war or hostilities. -- To take
away, to carry off; to remove; to cause deprivation of; to do
away with; as, a bill for taking away the votes of bishops. "By
your own law, I take your life away." Dryden. --
To take breath, to stop, as from labor, in order to
breathe or rest; to recruit or refresh one's self. -- To take
care, to exercise care or vigilance; to be solicitous.
"Doth God take care for oxen?" 1 Cor. ix. 9. -- To
take care of, to have the charge or care of; to care for; to
superintend or oversee. -- To take down.
(a) To reduce; to bring down, as from a high, or
higher, place; as, to take down a book; hence, to bring lower; to
depress; to abase or humble; as, to take down pride, or the
proud. "I never attempted to be impudent yet, that I was not taken
down." Goldsmith. (b) To swallow; as, to
take down a potion. (c) To pull down; to pull
to pieces; as, to take down a house or a scaffold.
(d) To record; to write down; as, to take down a
man's words at the time he utters them. -- To take
effect, To take fire. See under
Effect, and Fire. -- To take ground to the
right or to the left (Mil.), to
extend the line to the right or left; to move, as troops, to the right or
left. -- To take heart, to gain confidence or
courage; to be encouraged. -- To take heed, to
be careful or cautious. "Take heed what doom against yourself
you give." Dryden. -- To take heed to, to
attend with care, as, take heed to thy ways. -- To take
hold of, to seize; to fix on. -- To take
horse, to mount and ride a horse. -- To take
in. (a) To inclose; to fence.
(b) To encompass or embrace; to comprise; to
comprehend. (c) To draw into a smaller compass; to
contract; to brail or furl; as, to take in sail.
(d) To cheat; to circumvent; to gull; to deceive.
[Colloq.] (e) To admit; to receive; as, a leaky vessel
will take in water. (f) To win by
conquest. [Obs.]
For now Troy's broad-wayed town
He shall take in.
Chapman.
(g) To receive into the mind or understanding.
"Some bright genius can take in a long train of propositions." I.
Watts. (h) To receive regularly, as a periodical
work or newspaper; to take. [Eng.] -- To take in
hand. See under Hand. -- To take in
vain, to employ or utter as in an oath. "Thou shalt not
take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." Ex. xx. 7.
-- To take issue. See under Issue. --
To take leave. See Leave,
n., 2. -- To take a newspaper,
magazine, or the like, to receive it regularly, as on
paying the price of subscription. -- To take notice,
to observe, or to observe with particular attention. -- To
take notice of. See under Notice. -- To
take oath, to swear with solemnity, or in a judicial
manner. -- To take off. (a) To
remove, as from the surface or outside; to remove from the top of anything;
as, to take off a load; to take off one's hat.
(b) To cut off; as, to take off the head, or a
limb. (c) To destroy; as, to take off
life. (d) To remove; to invalidate; as, to take
off the force of an argument. (e) To withdraw;
to call or draw away. Locke. (f) To
swallow; as, to take off a glass of wine. (g)
To purchase; to take in trade. "The Spaniards having no
commodities that we will take off." Locke.
(h) To copy; to reproduce. "Take off all
their models in wood." Addison. (i) To imitate;
to mimic; to personate. (k) To find place for; to
dispose of; as, more scholars than preferments can take off.
[R.] Bacon. -- To take on, to assume; to take
upon one's self; as, to take on a character or responsibility.
-- To take one's own course, to act one's pleasure;
to pursue the measures of one's own choice. -- To take order
for. See under Order. -- To take order
with, to check; to hinder; to repress. [Obs.]
Bacon. -- To take orders. (a)
To receive directions or commands. (b)
(Eccl.) To enter some grade of the ministry. See Order,
n., 10. -- To take out.
(a) To remove from within a place; to separate; to
deduct. (b) To draw out; to remove; to clear or
cleanse from; as, to take out a stain or spot from cloth.
(c) To produce for one's self; as, to take out a
patent. (d) To put an end to; as, to take
the conceit out of a man. (e) To escort;
as, to take out to dinner. -- To take over,
to undertake; to take the management of. [Eng.] Cross (Life of
G. Eliot). -- To take part, to share; as, they
take part in our rejoicing. -- To take part
with, to unite with; to join with. -- To take
place, root, sides,
stock, etc. See under Place, Root,
Side, etc. -- To take the air.
(a) (Falconry) To seek to escape by trying to
rise higher than the falcon; -- said of a bird. (b)
See under Air. -- To take the field.
(Mil.) See under Field. -- To take
thought, to be concerned or anxious; to be solicitous.
Matt. vi. 25, 27. -- To take to heart. See
under Heart. -- To take to task, to
reprove; to censure. -- To take up.
(a) To lift; to raise. Hood.
(b) To buy or borrow; as, to take up goods to a
large amount; to take up money at the bank. (c)
To begin; as, to take up a lamentation. Ezek. xix.
1. (d) To gather together; to bind up; to fasten or
to replace; as, to take up raveled stitches; specifically
(Surg.), to fasten with a ligature. (e)
To engross; to employ; to occupy or fill; as, to take up the
time; to take up a great deal of room. (f)
To take permanently. "Arnobius asserts that men of the finest
parts . . . took up their rest in the Christian religion."
Addison. (g) To seize; to catch; to arrest; as,
to take up a thief; to take up vagabonds.
(h) To admit; to believe; to receive. [Obs.]
The ancients took up experiments upon
credit.
Bacon.
(i) To answer by reproof; to reprimand; to
berate.
One of his relations took him up
roundly.
L'Estrange.
(k) To begin where another left off; to keep up in
continuous succession.
Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The moon takes up the wondrous tale.
Addison.
(l) To assume; to adopt as one's own; to carry on or
manage; as, to take up the quarrels of our neighbors; to take
up current opinions. "They take up our old trade of
conquering." Dryden. (m) To comprise; to
include. "The noble poem of Palemon and Arcite . . . takes up
seven years." Dryden. (n) To receive, accept, or
adopt for the purpose of assisting; to espouse the cause of; to favor.
Ps. xxvii. 10. (o) To collect; to exact, as a
tax; to levy; as, to take up a contribution. "Take up
commodities upon our bills." Shak. (p) To pay
and receive; as, to take up a note at the bank.
(q) (Mach.) To remove, as by an adjustment of
parts; as, to take up lost motion, as in a bearing; also, to make
tight, as by winding, or drawing; as, to take up slack thread in
sewing. (r) To make up; to compose; to settle; as,
to take up a quarrel. [Obs.] Shak. -- To take
up arms. Same as To take arms, above. --
To take upon one's self. (a) To
assume; to undertake; as, he takes upon himself to assert that the
fact is capable of proof. (b) To appropriate to
one's self; to allow to be imputed to, or inflicted upon, one's self; as,
to take upon one's self a punishment. -- To take up the
gauntlet. See under Gauntlet.
Take (?), v. i. 1. To
take hold; to fix upon anything; to have the natural or intended effect; to
accomplish a purpose; as, he was inoculated, but the virus did not
take. Shak.
When flame taketh and openeth, it giveth a
noise.
Bacon.
In impressions from mind to mind, the impression
taketh, but is overcome . . . before it work any manifest
effect.
Bacon.
2. To please; to gain reception; to
succeed.
Each wit may praise it for his own dear sake,
And hint he writ it, if the thing should take.
Addison.
3. To move or direct the course; to resort; to
betake one's self; to proceed; to go; -- usually with to; as, the
fox, being hard pressed, took to the hedge.
4. To admit of being pictured, as in a photograph;
as, his face does not take well.
To take after. (a) To learn to
follow; to copy; to imitate; as, he takes after a good pattern.
(b) To resemble; as, the son takes after his
father. -- To take in with, to resort to.
[Obs.] Bacon. -- To take on, to be violently
affected; to express grief or pain in a violent manner. -- To
take to. (a) To apply one's self to; to be
fond of; to become attached to; as, to take to evil practices.
"If he does but take to you, . . . you will contract a great
friendship with him." Walpole. (b) To resort to;
to betake one's self to. "Men of learning, who take to
business, discharge it generally with greater honesty than men of the
world." Addison. -- To take up.
(a) To stop. [Obs.] "Sinners at last take
up and settle in a contempt of religion." Tillotson.
(b) To reform. [Obs.] Locke. -- To
take up with. (a) To be contended to receive;
to receive without opposition; to put up with; as, to take up with
plain fare. "In affairs which may have an extensive influence on our
future happiness, we should not take up with probabilities." I.
Watts. (b) To lodge with; to dwell with.
[Obs.] L'Estrange. -- To take with, to
please. Bacon.
Take, n. 1. That which
is taken; especially, the quantity of fish captured at one haul or
catch.
2. (Print.) The quantity or copy given to a
compositor at one time.
Take"-in` (?), n. Imposition;
fraud. [Colloq.]
Tak"en (?), p. p. of
Take.
Take"-off` (?), n. An imitation,
especially in the way of caricature.
Tak"er (tāk"&etilde;r), n. One who
takes or receives; one who catches or apprehends.
Take"-up` (?), n. (Mach.) That
which takes up or tightens; specifically, a device in a sewing machine for
drawing up the slack thread as the needle rises, in completing a
stitch.
Tak"ing (?), a. 1. Apt
to take; alluring; attracting.
Subtile in making his temptations most
taking.
Fuller.
2. Infectious; contageous. [Obs.] Beau. &
Fl.
-- Tak"ing*ly, adv. -- Tak"ing*ness,
n.
Tak"ing, n. 1. The act
of gaining possession; a seizing; seizure; apprehension.
2. Agitation; excitement; distress of mind.
[Colloq.]
What a taking was he in, when your husband asked who
was in the basket!
Shak.
3. Malign influence; infection. [Obs.]
Shak.
Tak"ing-off` (?), n. Removal; murder.
See To take off (c), under Take, v.
t.
The deep damnation of his taking-off.
Shak.
Tal"a*poin (tăl"&adot;*poin), n.
(Zoöl.) A small African monkey (Cercopithecus, or
Miopithecus, talapoin) -- called also melarhine.
||Ta*la"ri*a (?), n. pl. [L., from
talaris pertaining to the ankles, fr. talus ankle.]
(Class. Myth.) Small wings or winged shoes represented as
fastened to the ankles, -- chiefly used as an attribute of
Mercury.
Tal"bot (?), n. A sort of dog, noted for
quick scent and eager pursuit of game. [Obs.] Wase
(1654).
&fist; The figure of a dog is borne in the arms of the Talbot
family, whence, perhaps, the name.
Tal"bo*type (?), n. (Photog.)
Same as Calotype.
Talc (?), n. [F. talc; cf. Sp. & It.
talco, LL. talcus; all fr. Ar. talq.] (Min.)
A soft mineral of a soapy feel and a greenish, whitish, or grayish
color, usually occurring in foliated masses. It is hydrous silicate of
magnesia. Steatite, or soapstone, is a compact granular
variety.
Indurated talc, an impure, slaty talc, with a
nearly compact texture, and greater hardness than common talc; -- called
also talc slate.
{ Tal*cose" (?), Talc"ous (?), } a.
[Cf. F. talqueux.] (Min.) Of or pertaining to talc;
composed of, or resembling, talc.
Tale (?), n. See Tael.
Tale, n. [AS. talu number, speech,
narrative; akin to D. taal speech, language, G. zahl number,
OHG. zala, Icel. tal, tala, number, speech, Sw.
tal, Dan. tal number, tale speech, Goth.
talzjan to instruct. Cf. Tell, v. t.,
Toll a tax, also Talk, v. i.]
1. That which is told; an oral relation or recital;
any rehearsal of what has occured; narrative; discourse; statement;
history; story. "The tale of Troy divine." Milton. "In
such manner rime is Dante's tale." Chaucer.
We spend our years as a tale that is
told.
Ps. xc. 9.
2. A number told or counted off; a reckoning by
count; an enumeration; a count, in distinction from measure or weight; a
number reckoned or stated.
The ignorant, . . . who measure by tale, and not by
weight.
Hooker.
And every shepherd tells his tale,
Under the hawthornn in the dale.
Milton.
In packing, they keep a just tale of the
number.
Carew.
3. (Law) A count or declaration.
[Obs.]
To tell tale of, to make account of.
[Obs.]
Therefore little tale hath he told
Of any dream, so holy was his heart.
Chaucer.
Syn. -- Anecdote; story; fable; incident; memoir; relation;
account; legend; narrative.
Tale (?), v. i. To tell stories.
[Obs.] Chaucer. Gower.
Tale"bear`er (?), n. One who officiously
tells tales; one who impertinently or maliciously communicates
intelligence, scandal, etc., and makes mischief.
Spies and talebearers, encouraged by her father, did
their best to inflame her resentment.
Macaulay.
Tale"bear`ing, a. Telling tales
officiously.
Tale"bear`ing, n. The act of informing
officiously; communication of sectrts, scandal, etc.,
maliciously.
Ta"led (?), n. (Jewish Antiq.) A
kind of quadrangular piece of cloth put on by the Jews when repeating
prayers in the synagogues. Crabb.
Tale"ful (?), a. Full of stories.
[R.] Thomson.
||Tal`e*gal"la (?), n. [NL.]
(Zoöl.) A genus of Australian birds which includes the
brush turkey. See Brush turkey.
Tal"ent (?), n. [F., fr. L. talentum a
talent (in sense 1), Gr. &?; a balance, anything weighed, a definite
weight, a talent; akin to &?; to bear, endure, &?;, L. tolerare,
tollere, to lift up, sustain, endure. See Thole, v.
t., Tolerate.] 1. Among the ancient
Greeks, a weight and a denomination of money equal to 60 minæ or
6,000 drachmæ. The Attic talent, as a weight, was about 57 lbs.
avoirdupois; as a denomination of silver money, its value was £243
15s. sterling, or about $1,180.
Rowing vessel whose burden does not exceed five hundred
talents.
Jowett (Thucid.).
2. Among the Hebrews, a weight and denomination of
money. For silver it was equivalent to 3,000 shekels, and in weight was
equal to about 93&?; lbs. avoirdupois; as a denomination of silver, it has
been variously estimated at from £340 to £396 sterling, or
about $1,645 to $1,916. For gold it was equal to 10,000 gold
shekels.
3. Inclination; will; disposition; desire.
[Obs.]
They rather counseled you to your talent than to your
profit.
Chaucer.
4. Intellectual ability, natural or acquired;
mental endowment or capacity; skill in accomplishing; a special gift,
particularly in business, art, or the like; faculty; a use of the word
probably originating in the Scripture parable of the talents (Matt. xxv.
14-30).
He is chiefly to be considered in his three different
talents, as a critic, a satirist, and a writer of odes.
Dryden.
His talents, his accomplishments, his graceful
manners, made him generally popular.
Macaulay.
Syn. -- Ability; faculty; gift; endowment. See Genius.
Tal"ent*ed, a. Furnished with talents;
possessing skill or talent; mentally gifted. Abp. Abbot
(1663).
&fist; This word has been strongly objected to by Coleridge and some
other critics, but, as it would seem, upon not very good grounds, as the
use of talent or talents to signify mental ability, although
at first merely metaphori
