Idiographic - If

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{ Idiographic (ĭdĭ�grăfĭk), Idiographical (?), } a. Of or pertaining to an idiograph.
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Idiolatry (?), n. [Idio- + Gr. � to worship.] Self-worship; excessive self-esteem.
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idiolect n. (Linguistics) the language or speech of one individual at a particular period in life.
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Idiom (ĭdĭŭm), n. [F. idiome, L. idioma, fr. Gr. 'idiwma, fr. 'idioy^n to make a person's own, to make proper or peculiar; fr. 'idios one's own, proper, peculiar; prob. akin to the reflexive pronoun oy^, o'i^, 'e, and to eos, 'os, one's own, L. suus, and to E. so.] 1. The syntactical or structural form peculiar to any language; the genius or cast of a language.
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Idiom may be employed loosely and figuratively as a synonym of language or dialect, but in its proper sense it signifies the totality of the general rules of construction which characterize the syntax of a particular language and distinguish it from other tongues. G. P. Marsh.
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By idiom is meant the use of words which is peculiar to a particular language. J. H. Newman.
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He followed their language [the Latin], but did not comply with the idiom of ours. Dryden.
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2. An expression conforming or appropriate to the peculiar structural form of a language.
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Some that with care true eloquence shall teach,
And to just idioms fix our doubtful speech. Prior.
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3. A combination of words having a meaning peculiar to itself and not predictable as a combination of the meanings of the individual words, but sanctioned by usage; as, an idiomatic expression; less commonly, a single word used in a peculiar sense.
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It is not by means of rules that such idioms as the following are made current: “I can make nothing of it.” “He treats his subject home.” Dryden. “It is that within us that makes for righteousness.” M. Arnold. Gostwick (Eng. Gram.)
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Sometimes we identify the words with the object -- though by courtesy of idiom rather than in strict propriety of language. Coleridge.
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4. The phrase forms peculiar to a particular author; as, written in his own idiom.
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Every good writer has much idiom. Landor.
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5. Dialect; a variant form of a language.
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Syn. -- Dialect. -- , . The idioms of a language belong to its very structure; its dialects are varieties of expression ingrafted upon it in different localities or by different professions. Each county of England has some peculiarities of dialect, and so have most of the professions, while the great idioms of the language are everywhere the same. See .

{ Idiomatic (?), Idiomatical (?), } a. [Gr. 'idiwmatikos.] 1. Of or pertaining to, or conforming to, the mode of expression peculiar to a language; as, an idiomatic meaning; an idiomatic phrase. -- Idiomatically, adv.
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2. Of or pertaining to, or of the nature of an {3}; having a meaning that is peculiar to itself and not predictable from general rules.
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Idiomorphic (?), a. Idiomorphous.
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Idiomorphous (?), a. [Gr. 'idiomorfos of peculiar form; 'idios peculiar + morfh form.] 1. Having a form of its own.
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2. (Crystallog.) Apperaing in distinct crystals; -- said of the mineral constituents of a rock.
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Idiomuscular (?), a. [Idio- + muscular.] (Physiol.) Applied to a semipermanent contraction of a muscle, produced by a mechanical irritant.
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Idiopathetic (?), a. Idiopathic. [R.]

{ Idiopathic (?), Idiopathical (?), } a. [Cf. F. idiopathique.] (Med.) Pertaining to idiopathy; characterizing a disease arising primarily, and not in consequence of some other disease or injury; -- opposed to symptomatic, sympathetic, and traumatic. -- Idiopathically, adv.
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Idiopathy (?), n.; pl. Idiopathies (#). [Gr. �; 'idios proper, peculiar + �, �, to suffer: cf. F. idiopathie.] 1. A peculiar, or individual, characteristic or affection.
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All men are so full of their own fancies and idiopathies, that they scarce have the civility to interchange any words with a stranger. Dr. H. More.
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2. (Med.) A morbid state or condition not preceded or occasioned by any other disease; a primary disease.
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Idiophanous (?), a. [Idio- + � to appear.] (Crystallog.) Exhibiting interference figures without the aid of a polariscope, as certain crystals.
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Idioplasm (?), n. (Biol.) Same as .
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Idioplasma (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. 'idios proper, peculiar + � a form, mold.] (Biol.) That portion of the cell protoplasm which is the seat of all active changes, and which carries on the function of hereditary transmission; -- distinguished from the other portion, which is termed nutritive plasma. See .
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Idiorepulsive (?), a. [Idio- + repulsive.] Repulsive by itself; as, the idiorepulsive power of heat.
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Idiosyncrasy (?), n.; pl. Idiosyncrasies (#). [Gr. �; 'idios proper, peculiar + � a mixing together, fr. � to mix together; � with + � to mix: cf. F. idiosyncrasie. See , and .] A peculiarity of physical or mental constitution or temperament; a characteristic belonging to, and distinguishing, an individual; characteristic susceptibility; idiocrasy; eccentricity.
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The individual mind . . . takes its tone from the idiosyncrasies of the body. I. Taylor.

{ Idiosyncratic (?), Idiosyncratical (?), } a. Of peculiar temper or disposition; belonging to one's peculiar and individual character.
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Idiot (ĭdĭŏt), n. [F. idiot, L. idiota an uneducated, ignorant, ill-informed person, Gr. 'idiwths, also and orig., a private person, not holding public office, fr. 'idios proper, peculiar. See .] 1. A man in private station, as distinguished from one holding a public office. [Obs.]
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St. Austin affirmed that the plain places of Scripture are sufficient to all laics, and all idiots or private persons. Jer. Taylor.
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2. An unlearned, ignorant, or simple person, as distinguished from the educated; an ignoramus. [Obs.]
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Christ was received of idiots, of the vulgar people, and of the simpler sort, while he was rejected, despised, and persecuted even to death by the high priests, lawyers, scribes, doctors, and rabbis. C. Blount.
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3. A human being destitute of the ordinary intellectual powers, whether congenital, developmental, or accidental; commonly, a person without understanding from birth; a natural fool. In a former classification of mentally retarded people, idiot designated a person whose adult level of intelligence was equivalent to that of a three-year old or younger; this corresponded with an I.Q. level of approximately 25 or less.
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Life . . . is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. Shak.
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4. A fool; a simpleton; -- a term of reproach.
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Weenest thou make an idiot of our dame? Chaucer.
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Idiotcy (?), n. [Cf. .] Idiocy. [R.]
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Idioted (?), a. Rendered idiotic; befooled. [R.] Tennyson.
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Idiothermic (?), a. [Idio- + thermic.] Self-heating; warmed, as the body of animal, by process going on within itself.

{ Idiotic (?), Idiotical (?), } a. [L. idioticus ignorant, Gr. �: cf. F. idiotique. See .] 1. Common; simple. [Obs.] Blackwall.
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2. Pertaining to, or like, an idiot; characterized by idiocy; foolish; fatuous; as, an idiotic person, speech, laugh, or action.
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Idiotically, adv. In an idiotic manner.
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Idioticon (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. � belonging to a private man, private. See .] A dictionary of a peculiar dialect, or of the words and phrases peculiar to one part of a country; a glossary.
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Idiotish (?), a. Like an idiot; foolish.
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Idiotism (?), n. [F. idiotisme, L. idiotismus the way of fashion of a private person, the common or vulgar manner of speaking, Gr. �, fr. � to put into or use common language, fr. �. See .] 1. An idiom; a form, mode of expression, or signification, peculiar to a language.
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Scholars sometimes give terminations and idiotisms, suitable to their native language, unto words newly invented. M. Hale.
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2. Lack of knowledge or mental capacity; idiocy; foolishness.
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Worse than mere ignorance or idiotism. Shaftesbury.
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The running that adventure is the greatist idiotism. Hammond.
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Idiotize (?), v. i. To become stupid. [R.]
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Idiotry (?), n. Idiocy. [R.] Bp. Warburton.
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Idle (?), a. [Compar. Idler (?); superl. Idlest.] [OE. idel, AS. īdel vain, empty, useless; akin to OS. īdal, D. ijdel, OHG. ītal vain, empty, mere, G. eitel, Dan. & Sw. idel mere, pure, and prob. to Gr. � clear, pure, � to burn. Cf. .] 1. Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable; thoughtless; silly; barren. “Deserts idle.” Shak.
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Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Matt. xii. 36.
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Down their idle weapons dropped. Milton.
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This idle story became important. Macaulay.
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2. Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate use; unemployed; as, idle hours.
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The idle spear and shield were high uphing. Milton.
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3. Not employed; unoccupied with business; inactive; doing nothing; as, idle workmen.
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Why stand ye here all the day idle? Matt. xx. 6.
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4. Given rest and ease; averse to labor or employment; lazy; slothful; as, an idle fellow.
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5. Light-headed; foolish. [Obs.] Ford.
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Coloq. Idle pulley (Mach.), a pulley that rests upon a belt to tighten it; a pulley that only guides a belt and is not used to transmit power. -- Coloq. Idle wheel (Mach.), a gear wheel placed between two others, to transfer motion from one to the other without changing the direction of revolution. -- Coloq. In idle , in vain. [Obs.] “God saith, thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord God in idle.” Chaucer.

Syn. -- Unoccupied; unemployed; vacant; inactive; indolent; sluggish; slothful; useless; ineffectual; futile; frivolous; vain; trifling; unprofitable; unimportant. -- , , . A propensity to inaction is expressed by each of these words; they differ in the cause and degree of this characteristic. Indolent denotes an habitual love to ease, a settled dislike of movement or effort; idle is opposed to busy, and denotes a dislike of continuous exertion. Lazy is a stronger and more contemptuous term than indolent.
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Idle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Idled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Idling (?).] To lose or spend time in inaction, or without being employed in business. Shak.
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Idle, v. t. To spend in idleness; to waste; to consume; -- often followed by away; as, to idle away an hour a day.
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Idle-headed (?), a. 1. Foolish; stupid. [Obs.] “The superstitious idle-headed eld.” Shak.
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2. Delirious; infatuated. [Obs.] L'Estrange.
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Idleness, n. [AS. īdelnes.] The condition or quality of being idle (in the various senses of that word); uselessness; fruitlessness; triviality; inactivity; laziness.

Syn. -- Inaction; indolence; sluggishness; sloth.
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Idle-pated (?), a. Idle-headed; stupid. [Obs.]
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Idler (?), n. 1. One who idles; one who spends his time in inaction; a lazy person; a sluggard.
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2. (Naut.) One who has constant day duties on board ship, and keeps no regular watch. Totten.
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3. (Mach.) An idle wheel or pulley. See under .

{ Idless, Idlesse } (?), n. Idleness. [Archaic] “In ydlesse.” Spenser.
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And an idlesse all the day
Beside a wandering stream. Mrs. Browning.
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Idly (?), adv. In a idle manner; ineffectually; vainly; lazily; carelessly; (Obs.) foolishly.
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Ido (ēdō), n. An artificial international language, selected by the “Delegation for the Adoption of an Auxillary International Language” (founded at Paris in 1901), made public in 1907, and subsequently greatly revised and extended by a permanent committee or “Academy.” It is a revised and simplified form of . It combines systematically the advantages of previous schemes with a thoroughly logical word formation, and has neither accented constants nor arbitrarily coined pronominal words. For each idea that root is selected which is already most international, on the principle of the “greatest facility for the greatest number of people.” The word “Ido” means in the language itself “offspring.” The official name is: “Linguo Internaciona di la Delegitaro (Sistema Ido).” -- Idism (#), n. -- Idist (#), n.
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Idocrase (ĭd�krās; 277), n. [Gr. e'i^dos form + kra^sis mixture, from kerannynai to mix; cf. F. idocrase.] (Min.) Same as .
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Idol (?), n. [OE. idole, F. idole, L. idolum, fr. Gr. �, fr. � that which is seen, the form, shape, figure, fr. � to see. See , and cf. .] 1. An image or representation of anything. [Obs.]
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Do her adore with sacred reverence,
As th' idol of her maker's great magnificence. Spenser.
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2. An image of a divinity; a representation or symbol of a deity or any other being or thing, made or used as an object of worship; a similitude of a false god.
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That they should not worship devils, and idols of gold. Rev. ix. 20.
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3. That on which the affections are strongly (often excessively) set; an object of passionate devotion; a person or thing greatly loved or adored.
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The soldier's god and people's idol. Denham.
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4. A false notion or conception; a fallacy. Bacon.
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The idols of preconceived opinion. Coleridge.
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Idolastre (?), n. [OE., for idolatre.] An idolater. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Idolater (?), n. [F. idolâtre: cf. L. idololatres, Gr. �. See .] 1. A worshiper of idols; one who pays divine honors to images, statues, or representations of anything made by hands; one who worships as a deity that which is not God; a pagan.
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2. An adorer; a great admirer.
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Jonson was an idolater of the ancients. Bp. Hurd.
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Idolatress (?), n. A female worshiper of idols.
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Idolatrical (?), a. [Cf. F. idolâtrique.] Idolatrous. [Obs.]
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Idolatrize (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Idolatrized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Idolatrizing (?).] To worship idols; to pay idolatrous worship.
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Idolatrize, v. t. To make in idol of; to idolize.
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Idolatrous (?), a. 1. Of or pertaining to idolatry; partaking of the nature of idolatry; given to idolatry or the worship of false gods; as, idolatrous sacrifices.
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[Josiah] put down the idolatrous priests. 2 Kings xxiii. 5.
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2. Consisting in, or partaking of, an excessive attachment or reverence; as, an idolatrous veneration for antiquity.
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Idolatrously, adv. In a idolatrous manner.
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Idolatry (?), n.; pl. Idolatries (#). [F. idolâtrie, LL. idolatria, L. idololatria, Fr. Gr. �; � idol + � service.] 1. The worship of idols, images, or anything which is not God; the worship of false gods.
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His eye surveyed the dark idolatries
Of alienated Judah. Milton.
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2. Excessive attachment or veneration for anything; respect or love which borders on adoration. Shak.
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Idolish (?), a. Idolatrous. [Obs.] Milton.
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Idolism (?), n. The worship of idols. [Obs.]
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Idolist, n. A worshiper of idols. [Obs.] Milton.
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Idolize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Idolized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Idolizing (?).] 1. To make an idol of; to pay idolatrous worship to; as, to idolize the sacred bull in Egypt.
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2. To love to excess; to love or reverence to adoration; as, to idolize gold, children, a hero.
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Idolize, v. i. To practice idolatry. [R.]
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To idolize after the manner of Egypt. Fairbairn.
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Idolizer (?), n. One who idolizes or loves to the point of reverence; an idolater.
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Idoloclast (?), n. [Gr. � idol + � to break.] A breaker of idols; an iconoclast.
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Idolographical (?), a. [Idol + -graph.] Descriptive of idols. [R.] Southey.
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Idolous (?), a. Idolatrous. [Obs.] Bale.
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Idolum (?), Idolon (�), n.; pl. Idola (#). [L. See ; cf. .] Appearance or image; a phantasm; a spectral image; also, a mental image or idea.
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Idoneous (?), a. [L. idoneus.] Appropriate; suitable; proper; fit; adequate. [R.]
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An ecclesiastical benefice . . . ought to be conferred on an idoneous person. Ayliffe.
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Idorgan (?), n. [Gr. � form + E. organ.] (Biol.) A morphological unit, consisting of two or more plastids, which does not possess the positive character of the person or stock, in distinction from the physiological organ or biorgan. See .

{ Idrialine (?), Idrialite (?), } n. [Cf. F. idrialine.] (Min.) A bituminous substance obtained from the mercury mines of Idria, where it occurs mixed with cinnabar.
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Idumean (?), a. Of or pertaining to ancient Idumea, or Edom, in Western Asia. -- n. An inhabitant of Idumea, an Edomite.
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Idyl (?), n. [L. idyllium, Gr. �, fr. � form; literally, a little form of image: cf. F. idylle. See .] A short poem; properly, a short pastoral poem; as, the idyls of Theocritus; also, any poem, especially a narrative or descriptive poem, written in an eleveted and highly finished style; also, by extension, any artless and easily flowing description, either in poetry or prose, of simple, rustic life, of pastoral scenes, and the like. [Written also idyll.]
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Wordsworth's solemn-thoughted idyl. Mrs. Browning.
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His [Goldsmith's] lovely idyl of the Vicar's home. F. Harrison.
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Idyllic (?), a. Of or belonging to idyls.
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I. e. Abbreviation of Latin id est, that is.
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If (?), conj. [OE. if, gif, AS. gif; akin to OFries. ief, gef, ef, OS. ef, of, D. of, or, whether, if, G. ob whether, if, OHG. oba, ibu, Icel. ef, Goth. iba, ibai, an interrogative particle; properly a case form of a noun meaning, doubt (cf. OHG. iba doubt, condition, Icel. if, ef, ifi, efi), and therefore orig. meaning, on condition that.] 1. In case that; granting, allowing, or supposing that; -- introducing a condition or supposition.
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Tisiphone, that oft hast heard my prayer,
Assist, if Œdipus deserve thy care. Pope.
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If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Matt. iv. 3.
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2. Whether; -- in dependent questions.
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Uncertain if by augury or chance. Dryden.
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She doubts if two and two make four. Prior.
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Coloq. As if , Coloq. But if . See under , .
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I' faith (?). In faith; indeed; truly. Shak.
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