Field - Fight

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Field (fēld), n. [OE. feld, fild, AS. feld; akin to D. veld, G. feld, Sw. fält, Dan. felt, Icel. fold field of grass, AS. folde earth, land, ground, OS. folda.] 1. Cleared land; land suitable for tillage or pasture; cultivated ground; the open country.
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2. A piece of land of considerable size; esp., a piece inclosed for tillage or pasture.
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Fields which promise corn and wine. Byron.
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3. A place where a battle is fought; also, the battle itself.
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In this glorious and well-foughten field. Shak.
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What though the field be lost? Milton.
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4. An open space; an extent; an expanse. Esp.: (a) Any blank space or ground on which figures are drawn or projected. (b) The space covered by an optical instrument at one view.
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Without covering, save yon field of stars. Shak.
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Ask of yonder argent fields above. Pope.
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5. (Her.) The whole surface of an escutcheon; also, so much of it is shown unconcealed by the different bearings upon it. See Illust. of , where the field is represented as gules (red), while the fess is argent (silver).
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6. An unresticted or favorable opportunity for action, operation, or achievement; province; room.
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Afforded a clear field for moral experiments. Macaulay.
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7. A collective term for all the competitors in any outdoor contest or trial, or for all except the favorites in the betting.
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8. (Baseball) That part of the grounds reserved for the players which is outside of the diamond; -- called also outfield.
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☞ Field is often used adjectively in the sense of belonging to, or used in, the fields; especially with reference to the operations and equipments of an army during a campaign away from permanent camps and fortifications. In most cases such use of the word is sufficiently clear; as, field battery; field fortification; field gun; field hospital, etc. A field geologist, naturalist, etc., is one who makes investigations or collections out of doors. A survey uses a field book for recording field notes, i.e., measurment, observations, etc., made in field work (outdoor operations). A farmer or planter employs field hands, and may use a field roller or a field derrick. Field sports are hunting, fishing, athletic games, etc.
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Coloq. Coal field (Geol.) See under . -- Coloq. Field artillery , light ordnance mounted on wheels, for the use of a marching army. -- Coloq. Field basil (Bot.), a plant of the Mint family (Calamintha Acinos); -- called also basil thyme. -- Coloq. Field colors (Mil.), small flags for marking out the positions for squadrons and battalions; camp colors. -- Coloq. Field cricket (Zoöl.), a large European cricket (Gryllus campestric), remarkable for its loud notes. -- Coloq. Field day . (a) A day in the fields. (b) (Mil.) A day when troops are taken into the field for instruction in evolutions. Farrow. (c) A day of unusual exertion or display; a gala day. -- Coloq. Field driver , in New England, an officer charged with the driving of stray cattle to the pound. -- Coloq. Field duck (Zoöl.), the little bustard (Otis tetrax), found in Southern Europe. -- Coloq. Field glass . (Optics) (a) A binocular telescope of compact form; a lorgnette; a race glass. (b) A small achromatic telescope, from 20 to 24 inches long, and having 3 to 6 draws. (c) See Field lens. -- Coloq. Field lark . (Zoöl.) (a) The skylark. (b) The tree pipit. -- Coloq. Field lens (Optics), that one of the two lenses forming the eyepiece of an astronomical telescope or compound microscope which is nearer the object glass; -- called also field glass. -- Coloq. Field madder (Bot.), a plant (Sherardia arvensis) used in dyeing. -- Coloq. Field marshal (Mil.), the highest military rank conferred in the British and other European armies. -- Coloq. Field officer (Mil.), an officer above the rank of captain and below that of general. -- Coloq. Field officer's court (U.S.Army), a court-martial consisting of one field officer empowered to try all cases, in time of war, subject to jurisdiction of garrison and regimental courts. Farrow. -- Coloq. Field plover (Zoöl.), the black-bellied plover (Charadrius squatarola); also sometimes applied to the Bartramian sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda). -- Coloq. Field spaniel (Zoöl.), a small spaniel used in hunting small game. -- Coloq. Field sparrow . (Zoöl.) (a) A small American sparrow (Spizella pusilla). (b) The hedge sparrow. [Eng.] -- Coloq. Field staff (Mil.), a staff formerly used by gunners to hold a lighted match for discharging a gun. -- Coloq. Field vole (Zoöl.), the European meadow mouse. -- Coloq. Field of ice , a large body of floating ice; a pack. -- Coloq. Field , or Coloq. Field of view , in a telescope or microscope, the entire space within which objects are seen. -- Coloq. Field magnet . see under . -- Coloq. Magnetic field . See . -- Coloq. To back the field , or Coloq. To bet on the field . See under , v. t. -- Coloq. To keep the field . (a) (Mil.) To continue a campaign. (b) To maintain one's ground against all comers. -- Coloq. To lay against the field or Coloq. To back against the field , to bet on (a horse, etc.) against all comers. -- Coloq. To take the field (Mil.), to enter upon a campaign.
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Field (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fielded; p. pr. & vb. n. Fielding.] 1. To take the field. [Obs.] Spenser.
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2. (Ball Playing) To stand out in the field, ready to catch, stop, or throw the ball.
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Field, v. t. (Ball Playing) To catch, stop, throw, etc. (the ball), as a fielder.
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Fielded, a. Engaged in the field; encamped. [Obs.]
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To help fielded friends. Shak.
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Fielden (?), a. Consisting of fields. [Obs.]
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The fielden country also and plains. Holland.
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Fielder (?), n. (Ball Playing) A ball payer who stands out in the field to catch or stop balls.
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Fieldfare (?; 277), n. [OE. feldfare, AS. feldfare; field + faran to travel.] (Zoöl.) a small thrush (Turdus pilaris) which breeds in northern Europe and winters in Great Britain. The head, nape, and lower part of the back are ash-colored; the upper part of the back and wing coverts, chestnut; -- called also fellfare.
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Fielding, n. (Ball Playing) The act of playing as a fielder.
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fieldmouse, field mouse n. 1. (Zoöl.) any nocturnal Old World mouse of the genus Apodemus inhabing woods and fields and gardens.
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2. (Zoöl.) any mouse inhabiting fields, as the campagnol and the deer mouse. See , and .
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Fieldpiece (?), n. A cannon mounted on wheels, for the use of a marching army; a piece of field artillery; -- called also field gun.
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fieldsman n. (Cricket) a member of the cricket team that is fielding rather than batting.
Syn. -- fielder.
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field-test, field test v. t. to test something in the field, i. e. under the actual conditions under which it will be used; as, The Army field-tested the new tanks. Used in contrast with testing in a laboratory or under controlled conditions.
Syn. -- field test.
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Fieldwork (?), n. (Mil.) Any temporary fortification thrown up by an army in the field; -- commonly in the plural.
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All works which do not come under the head of permanent fortification are called fieldworks. Wilhelm.
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Fieldy (?), a. Open, like a field. [Obs.] Wyclif.
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Fiend (?), n. [OE. fend, find, fiend, feond, fiend, foe, AS. feónd; akin to OS. fīond, D. vijand enemy, OHG. fīant, G. feind, Icel. fjānd, Sw. & Dan. fiende, Goth. fijands; orig. p. pr. of a verb meaning to hate, AS. feón, feógan, OHG. fī�n, Goth. fijan, Skr. pīy to scorn; prob. akin to E. feud a quarrel. √81. Cf. , .] An implacable or malicious foe; one who is diabolically wicked or cruel; an infernal being; -- applied specifically to the devil or a demon.
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Into this wild abyss the wary fiend
Stood on the brink of Hell and looked a while. Milton.
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O woman! woman! when to ill thy mind
Is bent, all hell contains no fouler fiend. Pope.
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Fiendful (?), a. Full of fiendish spirit or arts. Marlowe.

-- Fiendfully, adv.
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Fiendish (?), a. Like a fiend; diabolically wicked or cruel; infernal; malignant; devilish; hellish. -- Fiendishly, adv. -- Fiendishness, n.
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Fiendlike (?), a. Fiendish; diabolical. Longfellow.
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Fiendly, a. [AS. feóndlic.] Fiendlike; monstrous; devilish. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Fierasfer (?), n. [NL.] (Zoöl.) A genus of small, slender fishes, remarkable for their habit of living as commensals in other animals. One species inhabits the gill cavity of the pearl oyster near Panama; another lives within an East Indian holothurian.
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Fierce (?), a. [Compar. Fiercer (?); superl. Fiercest (?).] [OE. fers, fiers, OF. fier, nom. fiers, fierce, savage, cruel, F. fier proud, from L. ferus wild, savage, cruel; perh. akin to E. bear the animal. Cf. , .] 1. Furious; violent; unrestrained; impetuous; as, a fierce wind.
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His fierce thunder drove us to the deep. Milton.
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2. Vehement in anger or cruelty; ready or eager to kill or injure; of a nature to inspire terror; ferocious. “A fierce whisper.” Dickens. “A fierce tyrant.” Pope.
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The fierce foe hung upon our broken rear. Milton.
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Thou huntest me as a fierce lion. Job. x. 16.
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3. Excessively earnest, eager, or ardent.

Syn. -- Ferocious; savage; cruel; vehement; impetuous; barbarous; fell. See .

-- Fiercely, adv. -- Fierceness, n.
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fierceness n. the quality of being fierce; ferocity; fury; vehemence.
Syn. -- ferocity, furiousness, fury, vehemence, violence, wildness, strength.
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Fieri facias (?). [L., cause it to be done.] (Law) A judicial writ that lies for one who has recovered in debt or damages, commanding the sheriff that he cause to be made of the goods, chattels, or real estate of the defendant, the sum claimed. Blackstone. Cowell.
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Fieriness (?), n. The quality of being fiery; heat; acrimony; irritability; as, a fieriness of temper. Addison.
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Fiery (? or ?), a. [Formerly written firy, fr. fire.] 1. Consisting of, containing, or resembling, fire; as, the fiery gulf of Etna; a fiery appearance.
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And fiery billows roll below. I. Watts.
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2. Vehement; ardent; very active; impetuous.
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Hath thy fiery heart so parched thine entrails? Shak.
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The fiery spirit of his forefathers. W. Irwing.
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3. Passionate; easily provoked; irritable.
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You know the fiery quality of the duke. Shak.
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4. Unrestrained; fierce; mettlesome; spirited.
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One curbed the fiery steed. Dryden.
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5. heated by fire, or as if by fire; burning hot; parched; feverish. Pope.
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The sword which is made fiery. Hooker.
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Coloq. Fiery cross , a cross constructed of two firebrands, and pitched upon the point of a spear; formerly in Scotland borne by a runner as a signal for the clan to take up arms. Sir W. Scott.
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Fiesta (?), n. [Sp. See , n.] 1. Among Spanish, a religious festival; a saint's day or holiday; also, a holiday or festivity.

Even . . . a bullfight is a fiesta. Am. Dialect Notes.

Some fiesta, when all the surrounding population were expected to turn out in holiday dress for merriment. The Century.
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2. an organized series of acts and performances.
Syn. -- festival, feast, fete.
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Fife (fīf), n. [F. fifre, OHG. pfīfa, LL. pipa pipe, pipare to play on the pipe, fr. L. pipire, pipare, to peep, pip, chirp, as a chiken. See .] (Mus.) A small shrill pipe, resembling the piccolo flute, used chiefly to accompany the drum in military music.
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Coloq. Fife major (Mil.), a noncommissioned officer who superintends the fifers of a regiment. -- Coloq. Fife rail . (Naut.) (a) A rail about the mast, at the deck, to hold belaying pins, etc. (b) A railing around the break of a poop deck.
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Fife, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fifed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. fifing.] To play on a fife.
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Fifer (fīfẽr), n. One who plays on a fife.
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FIFO (fīfō), a. [acronym, First In First Out.] 1. (accounting) an accounting method in which goods in inventory are valued at the price of the most recent acquisition of each type of goods, and those used up from inventory are valued at the cost of those first acquired.
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Fifteen (?), a. [OE. fiftene, AS. fīftȳne, fīftēne. See , and , and cf. .] Five and ten; one more than fourteen.
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Fifteen, n. 1. The sum of five and ten; fifteen units or objects.
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2. A symbol representing fifteen units, as 15, or xv.
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Fifteenth (?), a. [OE. fiftenthe; cf. fiftethe, AS. fīfteōða. See .] 1. Next in order after the fourteenth; -- the ordinal of fifteen.
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2. Consisting of one of fifteen equal parts or divisions of a thing.
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Fifteenth, n. 1. One of fifteen equal parts or divisions; the quotient of a unit divided by fifteen.
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2. A species of tax upon personal property formerly laid on towns, boroughs, etc., in England, being one fifteenth part of what the personal property in each town, etc., had been valued at. Burrill.
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3. (Mus.) (a) A stop in an organ tuned two octaves above the diaposon. (b) An interval consisting of two octaves.
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Fifth (?), a. [OE. fifte, fifthe, AS. fīfta. See .] 1. Next in order after the fourth; -- the ordinal of five.
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2. Consisting of one of five equal divisions of a thing.
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Coloq. Fifth monarchy men (Hist.), a fanatical sect in England, of the time of the commonwealth, who maintained that there would be a fifth universal monarchy, during which Christ would reign on earth a thousand years. -- Coloq. Fifth wheel , a horizontal wheel or segment above the fore axle of a carriage and beneath the body, forming an extended support to prevent careening.
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Fifth (?), n. 1. The quotient of a unit divided by five; one of five equal parts; a fifth part.
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2. (Mus.) The interval of three tones and a semitone, embracing five diatonic degrees of the scale; the dominant of any key.
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fifth column (?), n. [from a statement during the Spanish Civil War (1936) that the Falange had four columns of soldiers marching on the city, and a fifth column “already there” (i.e. sympathizers inside the Republican lines).] 1. a group of persons inside the battle lines of a territory engaged in a conflict, who secretly sympathize with the enemy, and who engage in espionage or sabotage; -- sometimes also referred to as a trojan horse.
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2. Hence, any faction of persons within a group who secretly sympathize with an enemy, especially those who engage in activities harmful to the group; an enemy in one's midst; a group of traitors.
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Fifthly, adv. In the fifth place; as the fifth in order.
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fifties n. 1. the decade from 1950 to 1959.
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2. the time of life between 50 and 60.
Syn. -- mid-fifties.
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Fiftieth (?), a. [AS. fīftigoða. See .] 1. Next in order after the forty-ninth; -- the ordinal of fifty.
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2. Consisting of one of fifty equal parts or divisions.
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Fiftieth, n. One of fifty equal parts; the quotient of a unit divided by fifty.
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Fifty (?), a. [AS. fīftig; akin to OHG. finfzug, fimfzuc, G. fünfzig, funfzig, Goth. fimftigjus. See , and , and cf. .] Five times ten; as, fifty men.
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Fifty, n.; pl. Fifties (�). 1. The sum of five tens; fifty units or objects.
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2. A symbol representing fifty units, as 50, or l.
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fifty-fifty adj. equally large; -- of probabilities.
Syn. -- even.
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fifty-fifty n. a lottery in which the organizers retain fifty percent of the money wagered, and distribute fifty percent of the wagered money to the winner.
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Fig (fĭg), n. [F. figue the fruit of the tree, Pr. figa, fr. L. ficus fig tree, fig. Cf. .] 1. (Bot.) A small fruit tree (Ficus Carica) with large leaves, known from the remotest antiquity. It was probably native from Syria westward to the Canary Islands.
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2. The fruit of a fig tree, which is of round or oblong shape, and of various colors.
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☞ The fruit of a fig tree is really the hollow end of a stem, and bears numerous achenia inside the cavity. Many species have little, hard, inedible figs, and in only a few does the fruit become soft and pulpy. The fruit of the cultivated varieties is much prized in its fresh state, and also when dried or preserved. See .
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3. A small piece of tobacco. [U.S.]
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4. The value of a fig, practically nothing; a fico; -- used in scorn or contempt. “A fig for Peter.” Shak.
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Coloq. Cochineal fig . See . -- Coloq. Fig dust , a preparation of fine oatmeal for feeding caged birds. -- Coloq. Fig faun , one of a class of rural deities or monsters supposed to live on figs. “Therefore shall dragons dwell there with the fig fauns.” Jer. i. 39. (Douay version). -- Coloq. Fig gnat (Zoöl.), a small fly said to be injurious to figs. -- Coloq. Fig leaf , the leaf tree; hence, in allusion to the first clothing of Adam and Eve (Genesis iii.7), a covering for a thing that ought to be concealed; esp., an inadequate covering; a symbol for affected modesty. -- Coloq. Fig marigold (Bot.), the name of several plants of the genus Mesembryanthemum, some of which are prized for the brilliancy and beauty of their flowers. -- Coloq. Fig tree (Bot.), any tree of the genus Ficus, but especially F. Carica which produces the fig of commerce.
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Fig, v. t. [See , , n.] 1. To insult with a fico, or contemptuous motion. See . [Obs.]
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When Pistol lies, do this, and fig me like
The bragging Spaniard. Shak.
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2. To put into the head of, as something useless o� contemptible. [Obs.] L'Estrange.
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Fig, n. Figure; dress; array. [Colloq.]
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Were they all in full fig, the females with feathers on their heads, the males with chapeaux bras? Prof. Wilson.
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Figaro (?), n. [From the name of the barber in Beaumarchais' “Barber of Seville.”] An adroit and unscrupulous intriguer.
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Figary (?), n. [Corrupted fr. vagary.] A frolic; a vagary; a whim. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
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Figeater (?), n. (Zoöl.) (a) A large beetle (Allorhina nitida) which in the Southern United States destroys figs. The elytra are velvety green with pale borders. (b) A bird. See .
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Figent (?), a. Fidgety; restless. [Obs.]
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Such a little figent thing. Beau. & Fl.
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fig leaf 1. The leaf from a fig tree.
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2. An ornamental design shaped like the leaf of a fig tree, used in architecture; also, a design shaped like a fig leaf to cover genitalia in sculpture or paintings -- in reference to the biblical story in Genesis of Adam and Eve, who covered their privates with fig leaves.
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3. Hence: [figurative] Anything used to conceal what is considered embarrassing or indecent. See sense 2.
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Figgum (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] A juggler's trick; conjuring. [Obs.]
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The devil is the author of wicked figgum. B. Jonson.
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Fight (fīt), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fought (f�t); p. pr. & vb. n. Fighting.] [OE. fihten, fehten, AS. feohtan; akin to D. vechten, OHG. fehtan, G. fechten, Sw. fäkta, Dan. fegte, and perh. to E. fist; cf. L. pugnare to fight, pugnus fist.] 1. To strive or contened for victory, with armies or in single combat; to attempt to defeat, subdue, or destroy an enemy, either by blows or weapons; to contend in arms; -- followed by with or against.
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You do fight against your country's foes. Shak.
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To fight with thee no man of arms will deign. Milton.
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2. To act in opposition to anything; to struggle against; to contend; to strive; to make resistance.
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Coloq. To fight shy , to avoid meeting fairly or at close quarters; to keep out of reach.
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Fight, v. t. 1. To carry on, or wage, as a conflict, or battle; to win or gain by struggle, as one's way; to sustain by fighting, as a cause.
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He had to fight his way through the world. Macaulay.
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I have fought a good fight. 2 Tim. iv. 7.
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2. To contend with in battle; to war against; as, they fought the enemy in two pitched battles; the sloop fought the frigate for three hours.
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3. To cause to fight; to manage or maneuver in a fight; as, to fight cocks; to fight one's ship.
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Coloq. To fight it out , to fight until a decisive and conclusive result is reached.
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