Limaceous - Limn

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Limaceous (l�māshŭs), a. [L. limax, limacis, slug, snail: cf. F. limacé.] (Zoöl.) Pertaining to, or like, Limax, or the slugs.
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Limacina (lĭmȧsīnȧ), n. [NL., From L. limax, limacis, a slug.] (Zoöl.) A genus of small spiral pteropods, common in the Arctic and Antarctic seas. It contributes to the food of the right whales.
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Limaçon (l�mȧsôN), n. [F. limaçon, lit., a snail.] (Geom.) A curve of the fourth degree, invented by Pascal. Its polar equation is r = a cos θ + b.
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Limaille (līmāl; F. l�mäy'), n. [F., fr. limer to file. See .] Filings of metal. [Obs.] “An ounce . . . of silver lymaille.” Chaucer.
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Liman (līm�n), n. [F. limon, fr. L. limus slime.] The deposit of slime at the mouth of a river; slime.
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Limation (l�māshŭn), n. [L. limatus, p. p. of limare to file, fr. lima file : cf. F. limation.] The act of filing or polishing.
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Limature (līmȧt�r; 135), n. [L. limatura. See .] 1. The act of filing.
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2. That which is filed off; filings. Johnson.
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Limax (līmăks), n. [L.] (Zoöl.) A genus of airbreathing mollusks, including the common garden slugs. They have a small rudimentary shell. The breathing pore is on the right side of the neck. Several species are troublesome in gardens. See .
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Limb (lĭm), n. [OE. lim, AS. lim; akin to Icel. limr limb, lim branch of a tree, Sw. & Dan. lem limb; cf. also AS. lið, OHG. lid, gilid, G. glied, Goth. liþus. Cf. , .] 1. A part of a tree which extends from the trunk and separates into branches and twigs; a large branch.
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2. An arm or a leg of a human being; a leg, arm, or wing of an animal.
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A second Hector for his grim aspect,
And large proportion of his strong-knit limbs. Shak.
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3. A thing or person regarded as a part or member of, or attachment to, something else. Shak.
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That little limb of the devil has cheated the gallows. Sir W. Scott.
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4. An elementary piece of the mechanism of a lock.
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Coloq. Limb of the law , a lawyer or an officer of the law. [Colloq.] Landor.
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Limb, v. t. 1. To supply with limbs. [R.] Milton.
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2. To dismember; to tear off the limbs of.
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Limb, n. [L. limbus border. Cf. , .] A border or edge, in certain special uses. (a) (Bot.) The border or upper spreading part of a monopetalous corolla, or of a petal, or sepal; blade. (b) (Astron.) The border or edge of the disk of a heavenly body, especially of the sun and moon. (c) The graduated margin of an arc or circle, in an instrument for measuring angles.
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Limbat (lĭmbăt), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] A cooling periodical wind in the Isle of Cyprus, blowing from the northwest from eight o'clock, A. M., to the middle of the day or later.
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Limbate (lĭmb�t), a. [L. limbatus, fr. limbus border, edge. See .] (Bot. & Zoöl.) Bordered, as when one color is surrounded by an edging of another.
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Limbec (lĭmbĕk), n. [Abbrev. of alembic.] An alembic; a still. [Obs.] Spenser. Shak.
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Limbec, v. t. To distill. [Obs.] Dryden.
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Limbed (lĭmd), a. Having limbs; -- much used in composition; as, large-limbed; short-limbed.
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Innumerous living creatures, perfect forms,
Limbed and full grown. Milton.
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Limber (lĭmbẽr), n. [For limmer, Icel. limar branches, boughs, pl. of lim; akin to E. limb. See a branch.] 1. pl. The shafts or thills of a wagon or carriage. [Prov. Eng.]
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2. (Mil.) The detachable fore part of a gun carriage, consisting of two wheels, an axle, and a shaft to which the horses are attached. On top is an ammunition box upon which the cannoneers sit.
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3. pl. (Naut.) Gutters or conduits on each side of the keelson to afford a passage for water to the pump well.
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Coloq. Limber boards (Naut.), short pieces of plank forming part of the lining of a ship's floor immediately above the timbers, so as to prevent the limbers from becoming clogged. -- Coloq. Limber box or Coloq. Limber chest (Mil.), a box on the limber for carrying ammunition. -- Coloq. Limber rope , Coloq. Limber chain or Coloq. Limber clearer (Naut.), a rope or chain passing through the limbers of a ship, by which they may be cleared of dirt that chokes them. Totten. -- Coloq. Limber strake (Shipbuilding), the first course of inside planking next the keelson.
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Limber v. t. [imp. & p. p. Limbered (lĭmbẽrd); p. pr. & vb. n. Limbering.] (Mil.) To attach to the limber; as, to limber a gun.
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Coloq. To limber up , to change a gun carriage into a four-wheeled vehicle by attaching the limber.
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Limber, a. [Akin to limp, a. √125. See , a.] Easily bent; flexible; pliant; yielding. Milton.
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The bargeman that doth row with long and limber oar. Turbervile.
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Limber, v. t. To cause to become limber; to make flexible or pliant. Richardson.
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Limberness, n. The quality or state of being limber; flexibleness. Boyle.
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limbic adj. of or pertaining to the limbic system; as, the limbic system.
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limbic system n. (Anatomy, Neurophysiology) A group of neural structures in the brain below the cerebral cortex, centered on the hypothalamus and including the hippocampus and amygdala, involved with control of emotion, motivation, memory, and some homeostatic regulatory processes.
[WordNet 1.5]

At the most ancient part of the human brain lies the spinal cord; the medulla and pons, which comprise the hindbrain; and the midbrain. This cobination of spinal cord, hindbrain, and midbrain MacLean calls the neural chassis. It contains the basic neural machinery for reproduction and self-preservation, . . . MacLean has distinguished three sorts of [more recent brain structures controlling] the neural chassis. The most ancient of them surround the midbrain. . . . We share it with the other mammals and the reptiles. It probably evolved several hundred million years ago. MacLean calls it the reptilian or R-complex. Surrounding the R-complex is the limbic system, so called because it borders on the underlying brain. (Our arms and legs are called limbs because they are peripheral to the rest of the body.) We share the limbic system with other mammals, but not, in its full elaboration, with the reptiles. It probably evolved more than one hundred fifty million years ago. Finally, surrounding the rest of the brain and clearly the most recent evolutionary accretion, is the neocortex. Carl Sagan (The Dragons of Eden, New York, Random House, 1977).
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Limbless (lĭmlĕs), a. Destitute of limbs.
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Limbmeal (lĭmmēl), adv. [See , and .] Piecemeal. [Obs.] “To tear her limbmeal.” Shak.
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{ Limbo (lĭmb�), Limbus (lĭmbŭs), } n. [L. limbus border, edge in limbo on the border. Cf. border.] 1. (Scholastic Theol.) An spiritual region where certain classes of souls were supposed to await the last judgment.
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As far from help as Limbo is from bliss. Shak.
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A Limbo large and broad, since called
The Paradise of fools. Milton.
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☞ The limbus patrum was considered as a place for the souls of good men who lived before the coming of our Savior. The limbus infantium was said to be a similar place for the souls of unbaptized infants. To these was added, in the popular belief, the limbus fatuorum, or fool's paradise, regarded as a receptacle of all vanity and nonsense.
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2. Hence: Any real or imaginary place of restraint or confinement; a prison; as, to put a man in limbo.
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3. Hence: A state of waiting, or uncertainty, in which final judgment concerning the outcome of a decision is postponed, perhaps indefinitely; neglect for an indefinite time; as, the proposal was left in limbo while opponents and proponents refused to compromise.
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4. (Anat.) A border or margin; as, the limbus of the cornea.
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Limbo (lĭmb�), n. [Jamaican E. limba to bend, fr. E. limber (1950) MW10] A West Indian dance contest, in which participants must dance under a pole which is lowered successively until only one participant can successfully pass under, without falling. It is often performed at celebrations, such as weddings.
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Limbous (lĭmbŭs), a. [See .] (Anat.) With slightly overlapping borders; -- said of a suture.
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{Limburg cheese, Limburger, n., Limburger cheese} (?) n. A soft cheese made in the Belgian province of Limburg (Limbourg), and usually not eaten until the curing has developed a peculiar and, to most people, unpleasant odor.
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Lime (līm), n. [See a string.] A thong by which a dog is led; a leash. Halliwell.
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Lime, n. [Formerly line, for earlier lind. See .] (Bot.) The linden tree. See .
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Lime, n. [F. lime; of Persian origin. See .] 1. (Bot.) The fruit of the Citrus aurantifolia, allied to the lemon, but greener in color; also, the tree which bears it. The term lime was formerly also applied to variants of the closely related citron, of which there are two varieties, Citrus Medica, var. acida which is intensely sour, and the Coloq. sweet lime (Citrus Medica, var. Limetta) which is only slightly sour. See .
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2. The color of the lime{1}, a yellowish-green.
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Lime, n. [AS. līm; akin to D. lijm, G. leim, OHG. līm, Icel. līm, Sw. lim, Dan. liim, L. limus mud, linere to smear, and E. loam. √126. Cf. , .] 1. Birdlime.
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Like the lime
That foolish birds are caught with. Wordsworth.
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2. (Chem.) Oxide of calcium, CaO; the white or gray, caustic substance, usually called quicklime, obtained by calcining limestone or shells, the heat driving off carbon dioxide and leaving lime. It develops great heat when treated with water, forming , and is an essential ingredient of cement, plastering, mortar, etc.
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☞ Lime is the principal constituent of limestone, marble, chalk, bones, shells, etc.
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Coloq. Caustic lime , Calcium hydroxide or slaked lime; also, in a less technical sense, calcium oxide or quicklime. -- Coloq. Lime burner , one who burns limestone, shells, etc., to make lime. -- Coloq. Lime pit , a limestone quarry. -- Coloq. Lime rod , Coloq. Lime twig , a twig smeared with birdlime; hence, that which catches; a snare. Chaucer.
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Lime, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Limed (līmd); p. pr. & vb. n. Liming.] [Cf. AS. gelīman to glue or join together. See a viscous substance.] 1. To smear with a viscous substance, as birdlime.
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These twigs, in time, will come to be limed. L'Estrange.
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2. To entangle; to insnare.
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We had limed ourselves
With open eyes, and we must take the chance. Tennyson.
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3. To treat with lime, or oxide or hydrate of calcium; to manure with lime; as, to lime hides for removing the hair; to lime sails in order to whiten them; to lime the lawn to decrease acidity of the soil.
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Land may be improved by draining, marling, and liming. Sir J. Child.
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4. To cement. “Who gave his blood to lime the stones together.” Shak.

lime (līm), a. having a yellowish-green color like that of the lime (the fruit).
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limeade n. A sweetened beverage of lime juice and water.
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Limehound (līmhound), n. [Lime a leash + hound.] A dog used in hunting the wild boar; a leamer. Spenser.
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Limekiln (līmkĭln), n. A kiln or furnace in which limestone or shells are burned and reduced to lime.
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lime light, limelight An intense light produced by heating lime. See Calcium light under .
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limelight, n. (Theat.) That part of the stage upon which the limelight is cast, usually where the most important action is progressing or where the leading player or players are placed and upon which the attention of the spectators is therefore concentrated. Hence, a conspicuous position before the public; the center of public attention; -- used mostly in the phrase in the limelight; as, politicians who are never happy except in the limelight.
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limen n. (Psychol.) a threshhold, especially the point where a psychological or physiological effect begins to occur.
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Limenean (l�mĕn��n), a. Of or pertaining to Lima, or to the inhabitants of Lima, in Peru. -- n. A native or inhabitant of Lima.
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Limenitis n. A genus comprising mainly dark northern butterflies with white wing bars.
Syn. -- genus Limenitis.
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Limer (līmẽr), n. A limehound; a limmer. Chaucer.
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Limerick (lĭmẽrĭk), n. [Said to be from a song with the same verse construction, current in Ireland, the refrain of which contains the place name Limerick.] A humorous, often nonsensical, and sometimes risqé poem of five anapestic lines, of which lines 1, 2, and 5 are of three feet, and rhyme, and lines 3 and 4 are of two feet, and rhyme. It often begins with There once was a . . . or There was a . . .; as --
There was a young lady, Amanda,
Whose Ballades Lyriques were quite fin de
Siècle, I deem
But her Journal Intime
Was what sent her papa to Uganda.

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Limestone (līmstōn), n. A rock consisting chiefly of calcium carbonate or carbonate of lime. It sometimes contains also magnesium carbonate, and is then called magnesian or dolomitic limestone. Crystalline limestone is called marble.
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Lime twig. See under 4th .
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Lime-twigged (līmtwĭgd), a. Beset with snares; insnared, as with birdlime. L. Addison.
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Limewater (līmw�tẽr), n. Water impregnated with lime; esp., an artificial solution of lime for medicinal purposes.
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Limicolæ (l�mĭk�lē), n. pl. [L. limicola a dweller in the mud; limus mud + colere to dwell.] (Zoöl.) A group of shore birds, embracing the plovers, sandpipers, snipe, curlew, etc.; the Grallæ.
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Limicoline (l�mĭk�lĭn), a. (Zoöl.) Shore-inhabiting; of or pertaining to the Limicolæ.
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liminal adj. 1. of or pertaining to a limen, especially a sensory threshhold. See .
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2. marginally perceptible.
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liminality n. (Anthropology) that temporary state during a rite of passage when the participant lacks social status or rank, is required to follow specified forms of conduct, and is expected to show obedience and humility. RHU
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Liminess (līmĭnĕs), n. The state or quality of being limy.
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Limit (lĭmĭt), n. [From L. limes, limitis: cf. F. limite; -or from E. limit, v. See , v. t.] 1. That which terminates, circumscribes, restrains, or confines; the bound, border, or edge; the utmost extent; as, the limit of a walk, of a town, of a country; the limits of human knowledge or endeavor.
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As eager of the chase, the maid
Beyond the forest's verdant limits strayed. Pope.
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2. The space or thing defined by limits.
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The archdeacon hath divided it
Into three limits very equally. Shak.
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3. That which terminates a period of time; hence, the period itself; the full time or extent.
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The dateless limit of thy dear exile. Shak.
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The limit of your lives is out. Shak.
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4. A restriction; a check; a curb; a hindrance.
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I prithee, give no limits to my tongue. Shak.
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5. (Logic & Metaph.) A determining feature; a distinguishing characteristic; a differentia.
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6. (Math.) A determinate quantity, to which a variable one continually approaches, and may differ from it by less than any given difference, but to which, under the law of variation, the variable can never become exactly equivalent.
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Coloq. Elastic limit . See under . -- Coloq. Prison limits , a definite, extent of space in or around a prison, within which a prisoner has liberty to go and come.

Syn. -- Boundary; border; edge; termination; restriction; bound; confine.
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Limit (lĭmĭt), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Limited; p. pr. & vb. n. Limiting.] [F. limiter, L. limitare, fr. limes, limitis, limit; prob. akin to limen threshold, E. eliminate; cf. L. limus sidelong.] To apply a limit to, or set a limit for; to terminate, circumscribe, or restrict, by a limit or limits; as, to limit the acreage of a crop; to limit the issue of paper money; to limit one's ambitions or aspirations; to limit the meaning of a word.
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Coloq. Limiting parallels (Astron.), those parallels of latitude between which only an occultation of a star or planet by the moon, in a given case, can occur.
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Limit, v. i. To beg, or to exercise functions, within a certain limited region; as, a limiting friar. [Obs.]
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Limitable (lĭmĭtȧb'l), a. Capable of being limited.
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Limitaneous (lĭmĭtān�ŭs), a. [L. limitaneus. See , v. t.] Of or pertaining to a limit. [Obs.]
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Limitarian (lĭmĭtārĭ�n), a. Tending to limit.
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Limitary (lĭmĭt�r�), a. [L. limitaris. See , v. t.] 1. Placed at the limit, as a guard. “Proud limitary cherub.” Milton.
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2. Confined within limits; limited in extent, authority, power, etc. “The limitary ocean.” Trench.
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The poor, limitary creature calling himself a man of the world. De Quincey.
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3. Limiting, or tending to limit; restrictive.
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Doctrines limitary, if not subversive of the papal power. Milman.
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Limitary, n.; pl. limitaries (lĭmĭt�rĭz). 1. That which serves to limit; a boundary; border land. [Obs.] Fuller.
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2. A limiter. See , 2.
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Limitate (lĭmĭt�t), a. [L. limitatus, p. p. of limitare to limit. See , v. t. ] Bounded by a distinct line.
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Limitation (-tāshŭn), n. [L. limitatio: cf. F. limitation. See , v. t.] 1. The act of limiting; the state or condition of being limited; as, the limitation of his authority was approved by the council.
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They had no right to mistake the limitation . . . of their own faculties, for an inherent limitation of the possible modes of existence in the universe. J. S. Mill.
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2. That which limits; a restriction; a qualification; a restraining condition, defining circumstance, or qualifying conception; as, limitations of thought.
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The cause of error is ignorance what restraints and limitations all principles have in regard of the matter whereunto they are applicable. Hooker.
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3. A certain precinct within which friars were allowed to beg, or exercise their functions; also, the time during which they were permitted to exercise their functions in such a district. Chaucer. Latimer.
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4. A limited time within or during which something is to be done.
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You have stood your limitation, and the tribunes
Endue you with the people's voice. Shak.
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5. (Law) (a) A certain period limited by statute after which the claimant shall not enforce his claims by suit. (b) A settling of an estate or property by specific rules. (c) A restriction of power; as, a constitutional limitation. Wharton. Bouvier.
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Coloq. To know one's own limitations , to know the reach and limits of one's abilities. A. R. Wallace.
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Limited (lĭmĭtĕd), a. Confined within limits; narrow; circumscribed; restricted; as, our views of nature are very limited.
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Coloq. Limited company , a company in which the liability of each shareholder is limited by the number of shares he has taken, so that he can not be called on to contribute beyond the amount of his shares. [Eng.] Mozley & W.
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Limitedly, adv. With limitation.
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Limitedness, n. The quality of being limited.
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Limiter (lĭmĭtẽr), n. 1. One who, or that which, limits.
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2. A friar licensed to beg within certain bounds, or whose duty was limited to a certain district. [Formerly written also limitour.] Chaucer.
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A limitour of the Gray Friars, in the time of his limitation, preached many times, and had but one sermon at all times. Latimer.
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Limitive (lĭmĭtĭv), a. Involving a limit; as, a limitive law, one designed to limit existing powers. [R.]
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Limitless, a. Having no limits; unbounded; boundless. Davies (Wit's Pilgr.).
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Limitour (lĭmĭt�r), n. See , 2.
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Limmer (lĭmmẽr), a. Limber. [Obs.] Holland.
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Limmer, n. [F. limier. See .] 1. A limehound; a leamer.
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2. (Zoöl.) A mongrel, as a cross between the mastiff and hound.
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3. A low, base fellow; also, a prostitute. [Scot.]
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Thieves, limmers, and broken men of the Highlands. Sir W. Scott.
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4. (Naut.) A man rope at the side of a ladder.
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Limn (lĭm), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Limned (lĭmd); p. pr. & vb. n. Limning (lĭmnĭng or lĭmĭng).] [OE. limnen, fr. luminen, for enluminen, F. enluminer to illuminate, to limn, LL. illuminare to paint. √122. See , .] 1. To draw or paint; especially, to represent in an artistic way with pencil or brush.
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Let a painter carelessly limn out a million of faces, and you shall find them all different. Sir T. Browne.
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2. Hence: To picture in words; to describe in graphic terms.
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3. To illumine, as books or parchments, with ornamental figures, letters, or borders.
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