Maxillar - meadowlark

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{ Maxillar (?), Maxillary (?), } a. [L. maxillaris, fr. maxilla jawbone, jaw: cf. F. maxillaire.] 1. (Anat.) Pertaining to either the upper or the lower jaw, but now usually applied to the upper jaw only. -- n. The principal maxillary bone; the maxilla.
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2. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to a maxilla.
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Maxilliform (?), a. [Maxilla + -form: cf. F. maxilliforme.] Having the form, or structure, of a maxilla.
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Maxilliped (?), n. [Maxilla + L. pes, pedis, foot.] (Zoöl.) One of the mouth appendages of Crustacea, situated next behind the maxillæ. Crabs have three pairs, but many of the lower Crustacea have but one pair of them. Called also jawfoot, and foot jaw.
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Maxillo-mandibular (?), a. [Maxilla + mandibular.] (Anat.) Pertaining to the maxilla and mandible; as, the maxillo-mandibular nerve.
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Maxillo-palatine (?), a. [Maxilla + palatine.] (Anat.) Pertaining to the maxillary and palatine regions of the skull; as, the maxillo-palatine process of the maxilla. Also used as n.
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Maxilloturbinal (?), a. [Maxilla + turbinal.] (Anat.) Pertaining to the maxillary and turbinal regions of the skull. -- n. The maxillo-turbinal, or inferior turbinate, bone.
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Maxim (?), n. [F. maxime, L. maxima (sc. sententia), the greatest sentence, proposition, or axiom, i. e., of the greatest weight or authority, fem. fr. maximus greatest, superl. of magnus great. See , and cf. .]
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1. An established principle or proposition; a condensed proposition of important practical truth; an axiom of practical wisdom; an adage; a proverb; an aphorism.
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'T is their maxim, Love is love's reward. Dryden.
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2. (Mus.) The longest note formerly used, equal to two longs, or four breves; a large.
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Syn. -- Axiom; aphorism; apothegm; adage; proverb; saying. See .
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Maxim gun (?). A kind of machine gun; -- named after its inventor, Hiram S. Maxim.
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Maximilian (?), n. [From the proper name.] A gold coin of Bavaria, of the value of about 13s. 6d. sterling, or about three dollars and a quarter.
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maximisation n. 1. Maximization. [Chiefly Brit.]
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Maximization (?), n. The act or process of increasing to the highest degree. Bentham.
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Maximize (?), v. t. [L. maximus greatest.] To increase to the highest degree. Bentham.
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maximizing adj. Making as great as possible; increasing tothe highest degree.
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Maximum (?), n.; pl. Maxima (#). [L., neut. from maximus the greatest. See .] The greatest quantity or value attainable in a given case; or, the greatest value attained by a quantity which first increases and then begins to decrease; the highest point or degree; -- opposed to minimum.
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Good legislation is the art of conducting a nation to the maximum of happiness, and the minimum of misery. P. Colquhoun.
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Coloq. Maximum thermometer , a thermometer that registers the highest degree of temperature attained in a given time, or since its last adjustment.
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Maximum, a. Greatest in quantity or highest in degree attainable or attained; as, a maximum consumption of fuel; maximum pressure; maximum heat.
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maxwell n. A cgs unit of magnetic flux, abbreviated Mx; it is equal to the magnetic flux passing through one sqaure centimeter which is normal to a magnetic field of one gauss.
Syn. -- Mx.
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May (mā), v. [imp. Might (mīt)] [AS. pres. mæg I am able, pret. meahte, mihte; akin to D. mogen, G. mögen, OHG. mugan, magan, Icel. mega, Goth. magan, Russ. moche. √103. Cf. , strength, . The old imp. mought is obsolete, except as a provincial word.] An auxiliary verb qualifying the meaning of another verb, by expressing: (a) Ability, competency, or possibility; -- now oftener expressed by can.
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How may a man, said he, with idle speech,
Be won to spoil the castle of his health! Spenser.
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For what he [the king] may do is of two kinds; what he may do as just, and what he may do as possible. Bacon.
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For of all sad words of tongue or pen
The saddest are these: “It might have been.” Whittier.
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(b) Liberty; permission; allowance.
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Thou mayst be no longer steward. Luke xvi. 2.
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(c) Contingency or liability; possibility or probability.
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Though what he learns he speaks, and may advance
Some general maxims, or be right by chance. Pope.
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(d) Modesty, courtesy, or concession, or a desire to soften a question or remark.
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How old may Phillis be, you ask. Prior.
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(e) Desire or wish, as in prayer, imprecation, benediction, and the like. “May you live happily.” Dryden.
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Coloq. May be , and Coloq. It may be , are used as equivalent to possibly, perhaps, maybe, by chance, peradventure. See 1st .
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May, n. [Cf. Icel. mær, Goth. mawi; akin to E. maiden. √103.] A maiden. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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May, n. [F. Mai, L. Maius; so named in honor of the goddess Maia (Gr. Mai^a), daughter of Atlas and mother of Mercury by Jupiter.] 1. The fifth month of the year, containing thirty-one days. Chaucer.
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2. The early part or springtime of life.
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His May of youth, and bloom of lustihood. Shak.
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3. (Bot.) The flowers of the hawthorn; -- so called from their time of blossoming; also, the hawthorn.
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The palm and may make country houses gay. Nash.
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Plumes that mocked the may. Tennyson.
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4. The merrymaking of May Day. Tennyson.
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Coloq. Italian may (Bot.), a shrubby species of Spiræa (Spiræa hypericifolia) with many clusters of small white flowers along the slender branches. -- Coloq. May apple (Bot.), the fruit of an American plant (Podophyllum peltatum). Also, the plant itself (popularly called mandrake), which has two lobed leaves, and bears a single egg-shaped fruit at the forking. The root and leaves, used in medicine, are powerfully drastic. -- Coloq. May beetle , Coloq. May bug (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of large lamellicorn beetles that appear in the winged state in May. They belong to Melolontha, and allied genera. Called also June beetle. -- Coloq. May Day , the first day of May; -- celebrated in the rustic parts of England by the crowning of a May queen with a garland, and by dancing about a May pole. -- Coloq. May dew , the morning dew of the first day of May, to which magical properties were attributed. -- Coloq. May flower (Bot.), a plant that flowers in May; also, its blossom. See , in the vocabulary. -- Coloq. May fly (Zoöl.), any species of Ephemera, and allied genera; -- so called because the mature flies of many species appear in May. See Ephemeral fly, under . -- Coloq. May game , any May-day sport. -- Coloq. May lady , the queen or lady of May, in old May games. -- Coloq. May lily (Bot.), the lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis). -- Coloq. May pole . See in the Vocabulary. -- Coloq. May queen , a girl or young woman crowned queen in the sports of May Day. -- Coloq. May thorn , the hawthorn.
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Maya (mäyä), n. 1. (Hindu Philos.) The name (in Vedantic philosphy) for the doctrine of the unreality of matter, called, in English, idealism; hence, nothingness; vanity; illusion.
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2. (Hindu Philos.) the Hindu goddess personifying the power that creates phenomena. [RHUD]
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3. (Hindu Philos.) the power to produce illusions. [RHUD]
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Maya (mäyȧ), prop. n.; pl. Maya or Mayas. 1. the Indian people occupying the area of Veracruz, Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, and Yucatan, together with a part of Guatemala and a part of Salvador. The Maya peoples are dark, short, and brachycephalic, and at the time of the discovery had attained a higher grade of culture than any other American people. They cultivated a variety of crops, were expert in the manufacture and dyeing of cotton fabrics, used cacao as a medium of exchange, and were workers of gold, silver, and copper. Their architecture comprised elaborately carved temples and palaces, and they possessed a superior calendar, and a developed system of hieroglyphic writing, with records said to go back to about 700 a. d.
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2. the language of the Mayas.
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Mayaca prop. n. A small genus of delicate mossy bog plants having white or violet flowers.
Syn. -- genus Mayaca.
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Mayan (mäy�n), a. 1. Designating, or pertaining to, an American Indian linguistic stock occupying the Mexican States of Veracruz, Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, and Yucatan, together with a part of Guatemala and a part of El Salvador. See 2nd .
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2. Of or pertaining to the Mayas.
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{ Mayan arch, Maya arch }. A form of corbel arch employing regular small corbels.
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mayapple, may apple n. 1. North American herb (Podophyllum peltatum) with poisonous root stock and an edible though insipid egg-shaped yellowish fruit; called also wild mandrake.
Syn. -- May apple, wild mandrake, Podophyllum peltatum.
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2. The fruit of the mayapple{1}.
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Maybe (?), adv. [For it may be.] Perhaps; possibly; peradventure.
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Maybe the amorous count solicits her. Shak.
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In a liberal and, maybe, somewhat reckless way. Tylor.
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Maybe, a. Possible; probable, but not sure. [R.]
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Then add those maybe years thou hast to live. Driden.
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Maybe, n. Possibility; uncertainty. [R.]
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What they offer is mere maybe and shift. Creech.
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Maybird (?), n. (Zoöl.) (a) The whimbrel; -- called also May fowl, May curlew, and May whaap. (b) The knot. [Southern U. S.] (c) The bobolink.
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Maybloom (?), n. (Bot.) The hawthorn.
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Maybush (?), n. (Bot.) The hawthorn.
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Mayduke (?), n. [Corrupt. of Médoc, a province in France, where it is supposed to have originated.] A large dark-red cherry of excellent quality.
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Mayfish (?), n. (Zoöl.) A common American minnow (Fundulus majalis). See .
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Mayflower (?), n. (Bot.) In England, the hawthorn; in New England, the trailing arbutus (see ); also, the blossom of these plants.
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Mayhap (?), adv. Perhaps; peradventure. [Prov. or Dialectic]
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mayhaw n. The hawthorn tree (Crataegus aestivalis) of the Southern U. S. bearing a juicy acid scarlet fruit often used in jellies or preserves.
Syn. -- summer haw, Crataegus aestivalis.
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mayhem (?), n. [The same as maim. See .] 1. (Law) The maiming of a person by depriving him of the use of any of his members which are necessary for defense or protection. See .
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2. Violent disorder, especially such as causes serious harm to persons or damage to property.
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Maying (?), n. The celebrating of May Day. “He met her once a-Maying.” Milton.
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May laws. 1. See , above.
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2. In Russia, severe oppressive laws against Jews, which have given occasion for great persecution; -- so called because they received the assent of the czar in May, 1882, and because likened to the Prussian May laws (see ).
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mayonnaise (?), n. [F.] A thick white sauce compounded of raw yolks of eggs beaten up with olive oil to the consistency near to that of a gel, and seasoned with vinegar, pepper, salt, etc.; -- used in dressing salads, fish, etc. Also, a dish dressed with this sauce.
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mayor (?), n. [OE. maire, F. maire, fr. L. major greater, higher, nobler, compar. of magnus great; cf. Sp. mayor. See , and cf. .] The chief magistrate of a city or borough; the chief administrative officer of a municipal corporation. In some American cities there is a city court of which the major is chief judge. The post is usually elective, its holder chosen by the electorate of the entire city.
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Mayoral (?), n. [Sp., fr. mayor greater, L. major.] The conductor of a mule team; also, a head shepherd.
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mayoral (?), a. Of or pertaining to a mayor; as, the mayoral limousine.
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Mayoralty (?), n. The office, or the term of office, of a mayor.
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Mayoress (?), n. 1. The wife of a mayor.
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2. A woman who is mayor.
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Mayorship, n. The office of a mayor.
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Maypole (?), n. A tall pole erected in an open place and wreathed with flowers, about which the rustic May-day sports were had.
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Maypop (?), n. [Perh. corrupt. fr. maracock.] (Bot.) The edible fruit of a passion flower, especially that of the North American Passiflora incarnata, an oval yellowish berry as large as a small apple.
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Mayweed (?), n. (Bot.) (a) A composite plant (Anthemis Cotula), having a strong odor; dog's fennel. It is a native of Europe, now common by the roadsides in the United States. (b) The feverfew.
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{ Mazama (?), Mazame (?), } n. (Zoöl.) A goatlike antelope (Haplocerus montanus) which inhabits the Rocky Mountains, frequenting the highest parts; -- called also mountain goat.
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Mazard (?), n. [Cf. F. merise a wild cherry.] (Bot.) A kind of small black cherry.
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Mazard, n. [Prob. fr. mazer, the head being compared to a large goblet.] The jaw; the head or skull. [Obs.] Shak.
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Mazard, v. t., To knock on the head. [Obs.]
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Mazarine (?), a. Of or pertaining to Cardinal Mazarin, prime minister of France, 1643-1661.
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Coloq. Mazarine Bible , the first Bible, and perhaps the first complete book, printed with movable metal types; -- printed by Gutenberg at Mentz, 1450-55; -- so called because a copy was found in the Mazarine Library, at Paris, about 1760. -- Coloq. Mazarine blue , a deep blue color, named in honor of Cardinal Mazarin.
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Mazarine, n. Mazarine blue.
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Mazarine (?), n. (Cookery) A forcemeat entrée.
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Mazdean (?), a. Of or pertaining to Ahura-Mazda, or Ormuzd, the beneficent deity in the Zoroastrian dualistic system; hence, Zoroastrian.
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Mazdeism (?), n. The Zoroastrian religion.
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Maze (māz), n. [OE. mase; cf. OE. masen to confuse, puzzle, Norweg. masast to fall into a slumber, masa to be continually busy, prate, chatter, Icel. masa to chatter, dial. Sw. masa to bask, be slow, work slowly and lazily, mas slow, lazy.] 1. A wild fancy; a confused notion. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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2. Confusion of thought; perplexity; uncertainty; state of bewilderment.
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3. A confusing and baffling network, as of paths or passages; an intricacy; a labyrinth. “Quaint mazes on the wanton green.” Shak.
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Or down the tempting maze of Shawford brook. Wordaworth.
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The ways of Heaven are dark and intricate,
Puzzled with mazes, and perplexed with error. Addison.
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4. A complex and confusing system or set of rules that causes bwilderment; as, a maze of environemntal regulations.
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Syn. -- Labyrinth; intricacy. See .
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Maze (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mazed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mazing.] To perplex greatly; to bewilder; to astonish and confuse; to amaze. South.
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Maze, v. i. To be bewildered. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Mazedness (?), n. The condition of being mazed; confusion; astonishment. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Mazeful (?), a. Mazy. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.
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Mazer (?), n. [OE. maser, akin to OD. maser an excrescence on a maple tree, OHG. masar, G. maser spot, Icel. mösurr maple.] A large drinking bowl; -- originally made of maple. [Obs.]
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Their brimful mazers to the feasting bring. Drayton.
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Mazily (?), adv. In a mazy manner.
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Maziness, n. The state or quality of being mazy.
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Mazological (?), a. Of or pertaining to mazology.
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Mazologist (?), n. One versed in mazology or mastology.
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Mazology (?), n. [Gr. mazos the breast + -logy.] Same as .
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{ Mazourka (?), Mazurka (?), } n. A Polish dance, or the music which accompanies it, usually in 3-4 or 3-8 measure, with a strong accent on the second beat.
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Mazy (?), a. [From .] Perplexed with turns and windings; winding; intricate; confusing; perplexing; embarrassing; as, mazy error. Milton.
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To range amid the mazy thicket. Spenser.
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To run the ring, and trace the mazy round. Dryden.
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McCarthyism prop. n. [from Senator Joseph McCarthy, who repeatedly asserted without evidence that numerous communists were present in the United States government.] Unscrupulously accusing people of disloyalty (as by saying they were Communists).
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McKinley prop. n. Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America; 20,300 feet high; also called by the native name Denali.
Syn. -- Mt. McKinley, Denali.
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MDMA n. Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, a drug designed to have the effects of amphetamines but originally synthesized to avoid the drug laws; it is now a controlled substance. It is informally called ecstasy. It is used by some abusively and illegally without a prescription. [acronym]
Syn. -- methylenedioxymethamphetamine, Adam, ecstasy.
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Me (m�), pron. One. See , pron. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Me (mē), pers. pron. [AS. mē, dat. & acc., mec, acc. only ; akin to D. mij, G. mich, Icel. & Goth. mik, L. me, Gr. me, 'eme, Skr. mā, mām. √187. Cf. 2d .] The person speaking, regarded as an object; myself; a pronoun of the first person used as the objective and dative case of the pronoum I; as, he struck me; he gave me the money, or he gave the money to me; he got me a hat, or he got a hat for me.
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☞ In methinks, me is properly in the dative case, and the verb is impersonal, the construction being, it appears to me. In early use me was often placed before forms of the verb to be with an adjective; as, me were lief.
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Me rather had my heart might frrl your love
Than my unpleased eye see your courtesy. Shak.
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Meach (?), v. i. To skulk; to cower. See .
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Meacock (?), n. [Prob. fr. meek + cock.] An uxorious, effeminate, or spiritless man. [Obs.] Johnson.
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Mead (mēd), n. [OE. mede, AS. meodo; akin to D. mede, G. met, meth, OHG. metu, mitu, Icel. mjöðr, Dan. miöd, Sw. mjöd, Russ. med', Lith. midus, W. medd, Gr. meqy wine, Skr. madhu honey, a sweet drink, as adj., sweet. √270. Cf. .] 1. A fermented drink made of water and honey with malt, yeast, etc.; metheglin; hydromel. Chaucer.
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2. A drink composed of sirup of sarsaparilla or other flavoring extract, and water. It is sometimes charged with carbonic acid gas. [U. S.]
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Mead, n. [AS. mǣd. See .] A meadow.
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A mede
All full of freshe flowers, white and reede. Chaucer.
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To fertile vales and dewy meads
My weary, wandering steps he leads. Addison.
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Meadow (?), n. [AS. meady; akin to mǣd, and to G. matte; prob. also to E. mow. See to cut (grass), and cf. 2d .] 1. A tract of low or level land producing grass which is mown for hay; any field on which grass is grown for hay.
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2. Low land covered with coarse grass or rank herbage near rives and in marshy places by the sea; as, the salt meadows near Newark Bay.
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Meadow, a. Of or pertaining to a meadow; of the nature of a meadow; produced, growing, or living in, a meadow. “Fat meadow ground.” Milton.
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☞ For many names of plants compounded with meadow, see the particular word in the Vocabulary.
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Coloq. Meadow beauty . (Bot.) Same as . -- Coloq. Meadow foxtail (Bot.), a valuable pasture grass (Alopecurus pratensis) resembling timothy, but with softer spikes. -- Coloq. Meadow hay , a coarse grass, or true sedge, growing in uncultivated swamp or river meadow; -- used as fodder or bedding for cattle, packing for ice, etc. [Local, U. S.] -- Coloq. Meadow hen . (Zoöl.) (a) The American bittern. See . (b) The American coot (Fulica). (c) The clapper rail. -- Coloq. Meadow mouse (Zoöl.), any mouse of the genus Arvicola, as the common American species Arvicola riparia; -- called also field mouse, and field vole. -- Coloq. Meadow mussel (Zoöl.), an American ribbed mussel (Modiola plicatula), very abundant in salt marshes. -- Coloq. Meadow ore (Min.), bog-iron ore , a kind of limonite. -- Coloq. Meadow parsnip . (Bot.) See under . -- Coloq. Meadow pink . (Bot.) See under . -- Coloq. Meadow pipit (Zoöl.), a small singing bird of the genus Anthus, as Anthus pratensis, of Europe. -- Coloq. Meadow rue (Bot.), a delicate early plant, of the genus Thalictrum, having compound leaves and numerous white flowers. There are many species. -- Coloq. Meadow saffron . (Bot.) See under . -- Coloq. Meadow sage . (Bot.) See under . -- Coloq. Meadow saxifrage (Bot.), an umbelliferous plant of Europe (Silaus pratensis), somewhat resembling fennel. -- Coloq. Meadow snipe (Zoöl.), the common or jack snipe.
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meadowgrass, meadow grass n. Any of various grasses that thrive in the presence of abundant moisture, especially those of the genus Poa, common in meadows, and of great value for hay and for pasture. See .
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meadowlark, meadow lark n. (Zoöl.), Any species of Sturnella, a genus of North American songbirds allied to the starlings. The common species (Sturnella magna) has a yellow breast with a black crescent.
Syn. -- lark.
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