Webster's Unabridged Dictionary - Letter M - Page 44

Mezzo-rilievo (n.) Sculpture in this kind of relief. See under Alto-rilievo.

Mezzo-soprano (a.) Having a medium compass between the soprano and contralto; -- said of the voice of a female singer.

Mezzo-soprano (n.) A mezzo-soprano voice.

Mezzo-soprano (n.) A person having such a voice.

Mezzotint (n.) A manner of engraving on copper or steel by drawing upon a surface previously roughened, and then removing the roughness in places by scraping, burnishing, etc., so as to produce the requisite light and shade. Also, an engraving so produced.

Mezzotint (v. t.) To engrave in mezzotint.

Mezzotinter (n.) One who engraves in mezzotint.

Mezzotinto (n.) Mezzotint.

Mezzotintoed (imp. & p. p.) of Mezzotinto

Mezzotintoing (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Mezzotinto

Mezzotinto (v. t.) To engrave in mezzotint; to represent by mezzotint.

Mhorr (n.) See Mohr.

Mi (n.) A syllable applied to the third tone of the scale of C, i. e., to E, in European solmization, but to the third tone of any scale in the American system.

Miamis (n. pl.) A tribe of Indians that formerly occupied the country between the Wabash and Maumee rivers.

Miargyrite (n.) A mineral of an iron-black color, and very sectile, consisting principally of sulphur, antimony, and silver.

Mias (n.) The orang-outang.

Miascite (n.) A granitoid rock containing feldspar, biotite, elaeolite, and sodalite.

Miasm (n.) Miasma.

Miasmata (pl. ) of Miasma

Miasma (n.) Infectious particles or germs floating in the air; air made noxious by the presence of such particles or germs; noxious effluvia; malaria.

Miasmal (a.) Containing miasma; miasmatic.

Miasmatic (a.) Alt. of Miasmatical

Miasmatical (a.) Containing, or relating to, miasma; caused by miasma; as, miasmatic diseases.

Miasmatist (n.) One who has made a special study of miasma.

Miasmology (n.) That department of medical science which treats of miasma.

Miauled (imp. & p. p.) of Miaul

Miauling (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Miaul

Miaul (v. i.) To cry as a cat; to mew; to caterwaul.

Miaul (n.) The crying of a cat.

Mica (n.) The name of a group of minerals characterized by highly perfect cleavage, so that they readily separate into very thin leaves, more or less elastic. They differ widely in composition, and vary in color from pale brown or yellow to green or black. The transparent forms are used in lanterns, the doors of stoves, etc., being popularly called isinglass. Formerly called also cat-silver, and glimmer.

Micaceo-calcareous (a.) Partaking of the nature of, or consisting of, mica and lime; -- applied to a mica schist containing carbonate of lime.

Micaceous (a.) Pertaining to, or containing, mica; splitting into laminae or leaves like mica.

Mice (n.) pl of Mouse.

Micellae (pl. ) of Micella

Micella (n.) A theoretical aggregation of molecules constituting a structural particle of protoplasm, capable of increase or diminution without change in chemical nature.

Mich (v. i.) Alt. of Miche

Miche (v. i.) To lie hid; to skulk; to act, or carry one's self, sneakingly.

Michaelmas (n.) The feat of the archangel Michael, a church festival, celebrated on the 29th of September. Hence, colloquially, autumn.

Micher (n.) One who skulks, or keeps out of sight; hence, a truant; an idler; a thief, etc.

Michery (n.) Theft; cheating.

Miching (a.) Hiding; skulking; cowardly.

Mickle (a.) Much; great.

Micmacs (n. pl.) A tribe of Indians inhabiting Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Mico (n.) A small South American monkey (Mico melanurus), allied to the marmoset. The name was originally applied to an albino variety.

Micracoustic (a.) Same as Microustic.

Micraster (n.) A genus of sea urchins, similar to Spatangus, abounding in the chalk formation; -- from the starlike disposal of the ambulacral furrows.

Micrencephalous () Having a small brain.

Micro- () Alt. of Micr-

Micr- () A combining form

Micr- () Small, little, trivial, slight; as, microcosm, microscope.

Micr- () A millionth part of; as, microfarad, microohm, micrometer.

Microampere (n.) One of the smaller measures of electrical currents; the millionth part of one ampere.

Microbacteria (n. pl.) In the classification of Cohn, one of the four tribes of Bacteria.

Microbe (n.) Alt. of Microbion

Microbion (n.) A microscopic organism; -- particularly applied to bacteria and especially to pathogenic forms; as, the microbe of fowl cholera.

Microbian (a.) Of, pertaining to, or caused by, microbes; as, the microbian theory; a microbian disease.

Microbic (a.) Of or pertaining to a microbe.

Microbicide (n.) Any agent detrimental to, or destructive of, the life of microbes or bacterial organisms.

Microcephalic (a.) Alt. of Microcephalous

Microcephalous (a.) Having a small head; having the cranial cavity small; -- opposed to megacephalic.

Micro-chemical (a.) Of or pertaining to micro-chemistry; as, a micro-chemical test.

Micro-chemistry (n.) The application of chemical tests to minute objects or portions of matter, magnified by the use of the microscopy; -- distinguished from macro-chemistry.

Microchronometer (n.) A chronoscope.

Microcline (n.) A mineral of the feldspar group, like orthoclase or common feldspar in composition, but triclinic in form.

Micrococcal (a.) Of or pertaining to micrococci; caused by micrococci.

Micrococci (pl. ) of Micrococcus

Micrococcus (n.) A genus of Spherobacteria, in the form of very small globular or oval cells, forming, by transverse division, filaments, or chains of cells, or in some cases single organisms shaped like dumb-bells (Diplococcus), all without the power of motion. See Illust. of Ascoccus.

Microcosm (n.) A little world; a miniature universe. Hence (so called by Paracelsus), a man, as a supposed epitome of the exterior universe or great world. Opposed to macrocosm.

Microcosmic (a.) Alt. of Microcosmical

Microcosmical (a.) Of or pertaining to the microcosm.

Microcosmography (n.) Description of man as a microcosm.

Microcoulomb (n.) A measure of electrical quantity; the millionth part of one coulomb.

Microcoustic (a.) Pertaining, or suited, to the audition of small sounds; fitted to assist hearing.

Microcoustic (n.) An instrument for making faint sounds audible, as to a partially deaf person.

Microcrith (n.) The weight of the half hydrogen molecule, or of the hydrogen atom, taken as the standard in comparing the atomic weights of the elements; thus, an atom of oxygen weighs sixteen microcriths. See Crith.

Microcrystalline (a.) Crystalline on a fine, or microscopic, scale; consisting of fine crystals; as, the ground mass of certain porphyrics is microcrystalline.

Microcyte (n.) One of the elementary granules found in blood. They are much smaller than an ordinary corpuscle, and are particularly noticeable in disease, as in anaemia.

Microdont (a.) Having small teeth.

Microfarad (n.) The millionth part of a farad.

Microform (n.) A microscopic form of life; an animal or vegetable organism microscopic size.

Micro-geological (a.) Of or pertaining to micro-geology.

Micro-geology (n.) The part of geology relating to structure and organisms which require to be studied with a microscope.

Micrograph (n.) An instrument for executing minute writing or engraving.

Micrographic (a.) Of or pertaining to micrography.

Micrography (n.) The description of microscopic objects.

Microhm (n.) The millionth part of an ohm.

Microlepidoptera (n. pl.) A tribe of Lepidoptera, including a vast number of minute species, as the plume moth, clothes moth, etc.

Microlestes (n.) An extinct genus of small Triassic mammals, the oldest yet found in European strata.

Microlite (n.) A rare mineral of resinous luster and high specific gravity. It is a tantalate of calcium, and occurs in octahedral crystals usually very minute.

Microlite (n.) A minute inclosed crystal, often observed when minerals or rocks are examined in thin sections under the microscope.

Microlith (n.) Same as Microlite, 2.

Microlithic (a.) Formed of small stones.

Micrologic (a.) Alt. of Micrological

Micrological (a.) Of or pertaining to micrology; very minute; as, micrologic examination.

Micrology (n.) That part of science which treats of microscopic objects, or depends on microscopic observation.

Micrology (n.) Attention to petty items or differences.

Micromere (n.) One of the smaller cells, or blastomeres, resulting from the complete segmentation of a telolecithal ovum.

Micrometer (n.) An instrument, used with a telescope or microscope, for measuring minute distances, or the apparent diameters of objects which subtend minute angles. The measurement given directly is that of the image of the object formed at the focus of the object glass.

Micrometric (a.) Alt. of Micrometrical

Micrometrical (a.) Belonging to micrometry; made by the micrometer.

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