Microspectroscope - Midwinter

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Microspectroscope (mīkr�spĕktr�skōp or mĭkr�spĕktr�skōp), n. [Micro- + spectroscope.] (Physics) A spectroscope arranged for attachment to a microscope, for observation of the spectrum of light from minute portions of any substance.
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Microsporangium (?), n. [NL. See , and .] (Bot.) A sporangium or conceptacle containing only very minute spores. Cf. .
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Microspore (mīkr�spōr), n. [Micro- + spore.] (Bot.) One of the exceedingly minute spores found in certain flowerless plants, as Selaginella and Isoetes, which bear two kinds of spores, one very much smaller than the other. Cf. .
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Microsporic (?), a. (Bot.) Of or pertaining to microspores.
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Microsthene (mīkr�sthēn), n. [Micro- + Gr. sqenos might, strength.] (Zoöl.) One of a group of mammals having a small size as a typical characteristic. It includes the lower orders, as the Insectivora, Cheiroptera, Rodentia, and Edentata.
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Microsthenic (?), a. (Zoöl.) Having a typically small size; of or pertaining to the microsthenes.
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Microtasimeter (?), n. [Micro- + tasimeter.] (Physics) A tasimeter, especially when arranged for measuring very small extensions. See .
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Microtome (mīkr�tōm), n. [Micro- + Gr. temnein to cut.] An instrument for making very thin sections for microscopical examination.
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{ Microtomic (?), Microtomical (?) }, a. Of or pert. to the microtome or microtomy; cutting thin slices.
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Microtomist (?), n. One who is skilled in or practices microtomy.
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Microtomy (?), n. The art of using the microtome; investigation carried on with the microtome.
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Microvolt (mīkr�vōlt), n. [Micro- + volt.] (Elec.) A measure of electro-motive force; the millionth part of one volt.
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Microweber (mīkr�vābẽr), n. [Micro- + weber.] (Elec.) The millionth part of one weber.
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Microzoa (mīkr�zōȧ), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. mikros small + zw^,on an animal.] (Zoöl.) The Infusoria.
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Microzoöspore (mīkr�zō�spōr), n. [Micro- + zoöspore.] (Bot.) A small motile spore furnished with two vibratile cilia, found in certain green algæ.
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Microzyme (?), n. [Micro- + Gr. zymh leaven.] (Biol.) A microörganism which is supposed to act like a ferment in causing or propagating certain infectious or contagious diseases; a pathogenic bacterial organism. [obsolete]
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Micruroides prop. n. A genus of coral snakes.
Syn. -- genus Micruroides.
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Micrurus prop. n. A genus of snakes including certain of the coral snakes, such as the eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius).
Syn. -- genus Micrurus.
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micturate v. i. to pass urine through the ureter; to urinate. [Medical]
Syn. -- urinate, piddle, puddle, piss, pee, pee-pee, make water, relieve oneself, take a leak, spend a penny, wee, wee-wee, make, pass water.
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Micturition (?), n. [L. micturire to desire to make water, v. desid. fr. mingere, mictum, to make water.] The act of voiding urine; urination; also, a morbidly frequent passing of the urine, in consequence of disease.
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Mid (mĭd), a. [Compar. wanting; superl. Midmost.] [AS. midd; akin to OS. middi, D. mid (in comp.), OHG. mitti, Icel. miðr, Goth. midjis, L. medius, Gr. mesos, Skr. madhya. √271. Cf. , , , , , , , .]
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1. Denoting the middle part; as, in mid ocean.
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No more the mounting larks, while Daphne sings,
Shall list'ning in mid air suspend their wings. Pope.
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2. Occupying a middle position; middle; as, the mid finger; the mid hour of night.
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3. (Phon.) Made with a somewhat elevated position of some certain part of the tongue, in relation to the palate; midway between the high and the low; -- said of certain vowel sounds; as, ā (āle), ĕ (ĕll), ō (ōld). See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 10, 11.
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☞ Mid is much used as a prefix, or combining form, denoting the middle or middle part of a thing; as, mid-air, mid-channel, mid-age, midday, midland, etc. Also, specifically, in geometry, to denote a circle inscribed in a triangle (a midcircle), or relation to such a circle; as, mid-center, midradius.
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Mid, n. Middle. [Obs.]
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About the mid of night come to my tent. Shak.
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Mid, prep. See .
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Mida (?), n. [Gr. � a destructive insect in pulse.] (Zoöl.) The larva of the bean fly.
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midair n. some point in the air; above ground level; as, the planes collided in midair; also used attributively; as, a midair collision.
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Midas (?), n. [So called from L. Midas, a man fabled to have had ass's ears.] (Zoöl.) A genus of longeared South American monkeys, including numerous species of marmosets. See .
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Midas's ear (?). [See .] (Zoöl.) A pulmonate mollusk (Auricula aurismidæ or Ellobium aurismidæ); -- so called from resemblance to a human ear.
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Midbrain (?), n. [Mid, a. + brain.] (Anat.) The middle segment of the brain; the mesencephalon. See .
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Midday (?), n. [AS. middæg. See , a., and .] The middle part of the day; noon.
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Midday, a. Of or pertaining to noon; meridional; as, the midday sun.
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Midden (?), n. [Also midding.] [Cf. Dan. mögdynge, E. muck, and dung.]
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1. A dunghill. [Prov. Eng.]
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2. An accumulation of refuse about a dwelling place; especially, an accumulation of shells or of cinders, bones, and other refuse on the supposed site of the dwelling places of prehistoric tribes, -- as on the shores of the Baltic Sea and in many other places. See .
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Midden crow (?). (Zoöl.) The common European crow. [Prov. Eng.]
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Middest (?), a.; superl. of . [See .] Situated most nearly in the middle; middlemost; midmost. [Obs.] “ 'Mongst the middest crowd.” Spenser.
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Middest, n. Midst; middle. [Obs.] Fuller.
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Midding (?), n. Same as .
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Middle (mĭdd'l), a. [OE. middel, AS. middel; akin to D. middel, OHG. muttil, G. mittel. √271. See , a.]
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1. Equally distant from the extreme either of a number of things or of one thing; mean; medial; as, the middle house in a row; a middle rank or station in life; flowers of middle summer; men of middle age.
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2. Intermediate; intervening.
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Will, seeking good, finds many middle ends. Sir J. Davies.
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☞ Middle is sometimes used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, middle-sized, middle-witted.
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Coloq. Middle Ages , the period of time intervening between the decline of the Roman Empire and the revival of letters. Hallam regards it as beginning with the sixth and ending with the fifteenth century. -- Coloq. Middle class , in England, people who have an intermediate position between the aristocracy and the artisan class. It includes professional men, bankers, merchants, and small landed proprietors
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The middle-class electorate of Great Britain. M. Arnold.
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-- Coloq. Middle distance . (Paint.) See . -- Coloq. Middle English . See , n., 2. -- Coloq. Middle Kingdom , China. -- Coloq. Middle oil (Chem.), that part of the distillate obtained from coal tar which passes over between 170° and 230° Centigrade; -- distinguished from the light oil, and the heavy oil or dead oil. -- Coloq. Middle passage , in the slave trade, that part of the Atlantic Ocean between Africa and the West Indies. -- Coloq. Middle post . (Arch.) Same as . -- Coloq. Middle States , New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware; which, at the time of the formation of the Union, occupied a middle position between the Eastern States (or New England) and the Southern States. [U.S.] -- Coloq. Middle term (Logic), that term of a syllogism with which the two extremes are separately compared, and by means of which they are brought together in the conclusion. Brande. -- Coloq. Middle tint (Paint.), a subdued or neutral tint. Fairholt. -- Coloq. Middle voice . (Gram.) See under . -- Coloq. Middle watch , the period from midnight to four a. m.; also, the men on watch during that time. Ham. Nav. Encyc. -- Coloq. Middle weight , a pugilist, boxer, or wrestler classed as of medium weight, i. e., over 140 and not over 160 lbs., in distinction from those classed as light weights, heavy weights, etc.
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Middle (?), n. [AS. middel. See , a.] The point or part equally distant from the extremities or exterior limits, as of a line, a surface, or a solid; an intervening point or part in space, time, or order of series; the midst; central portion; specif., the waist. Chaucer. “The middle of the land.” Judg. ix. 37.
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In this, as in most questions of state, there is a middle. Burke.
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Syn. -- See .
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Middle-age (?), [Middle + age. Cf. .] Of or pertaining to the Middle Ages; mediæval.
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Middle-aged (?), a. Being about the middle of the ordinary age of man; early in the century, it was considered between 30 and 50 years old, but by the end of the 19th centruy it was considered as 40 to 60.
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Middle-earth (?), n. The world, considered as lying between heaven and hell. [Obs.] Shak.
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Middle-ground (?), n. (Paint.) That part of a picture between the foreground and the background.
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middle-level adj. intermediate in rank or position; as, middle-level management.
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Middleman (?), n.; pl. Middlemen (�).
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1. An agent between two parties; a broker; a go-between; any dealer between the producer and the consumer; in Ireland, one who takes land of the proprietors in large tracts, and then rents it out in small portions to the peasantry.
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2. A person of intermediate rank; a commoner.
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3. (Mil.) The man who occupies a central position in a file of soldiers.
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Middlemost (?), a. [Cf. .] Being in the middle, or nearest the middle; midmost.
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middle-of-the-road adj. 1. supporting or pursuing a course of action that is neither liberal nor conservative.
Syn. -- centrist, moderate.
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2. not extreme, especially in political views.
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-- middle-of-the-roader, n. -- middle-of-the-roadism, n.

Middler (?), n. One of a middle or intermediate class in some schools and seminaries.
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Middling (?), a. Of middle rank, state, size, or quality; about equally distant from the extremes; medium; moderate; mediocre; ordinary. “A town of but middling size.” Hallam.
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Plainly furnished, as beseemed the middling circumstances of its inhabitants. Hawthorne.
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-- Middlingly, adv. -- Middlingness, n.
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Middlings (?), n. pl. 1. A combination of the coarser parts of ground wheat the finest bran, separated from the fine flour and coarse bran in bolting; -- formerly regarded as valuable only for feed; but now, after separation of the bran, used for making the best quality of flour. Middlings contain a large proportion of gluten.
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2. In the southern and western parts of the United States, the portion of the hog between the ham and the shoulder; bacon; -- called also middles. Bartlett.
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Middy (?), n.; pl. Middies (�). A colloquial abbreviation of midshipman.
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mid-eighties n. the time of life between 80 and 90.
Syn. -- eighties.
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Midfeather (?), n. 1. (Steam Boilers) A vertical water space in a fire box or combustion chamber.
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2. (Mining) A support for the center of a tunnel.
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mid-February n. the middle part of February.
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midfield n. (sport) the middle part of a playing field (as in football or lacrosse); as, he ran the kickoff back to midfield.
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mid-fifties n. the time of life between 50 and 60.
Syn. -- fifties.
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mid-forties n. the time of life between 40 and 50.
Syn. -- forties.
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{ Midgard (mĭdgärd), n. Also Midgarth (-gär�), Mithgarthr (Icel. m��gär�r') }. [Icel. miðgarðr.] (Teut. Myth.) The middle space or region between heaven and hell, the abode of human beings; the earth.
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Midge (?), n. [OE. migge, AS. mycge; akin to OS. muggia, D. mug, G. mücke, OHG. mucca, Icel. m�, Sw. mygga, mygg, Dan. myg; perh. named from its buzzing; cf. Gr. � to low, bellow.] (Zoöl.)
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1. Any one of many small, delicate, long-legged flies of the Chironomus, and allied genera, which do not bite. Their larvæ are usually aquatic.
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2. A very small fly, abundant in many parts of the United States and Canada, noted for the irritating quality of its bite.
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☞ The name is also applied to various other small flies. See Wheat midge, under .
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Midget (?), n. [Dim. of midge.] 1. (Zoöl.) A minute bloodsucking fly. [Local, U. S.]
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2. A very diminutive person having normal proportions of the body parts; compare dwarf.
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Midgut (?), n. [Mid, a. + gut.] (Anat.) The middle part of the alimentary canal from the stomach, or entrance of the bile duct, to, or including, the large intestine.
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Midheaven (?), n. 1. The midst or middle of heaven or the sky.
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2. (Astron.) The meridian, or middle line of the heavens; the point of the ecliptic on the meridian.
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midiron n. (Golf) a long iron{5} with a nearly vertical face.
Syn. -- two iron.
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mid-January n. the middle part of January.
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mid-July n. the middle part of July.
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mid-June n. the middle part of June.
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Midland (?), a. 1. Being in the interior country; distant from the coast or seashore; as, midland towns or inhabitants. Howell.
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2. Surrounded by the land; mediterranean.
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And on the midland sea the French had awed. Dryden.
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Midland (?), n. The interior or central region of a country; -- usually in the plural. Drayton.
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Midmain (?), n. The middle part of the main or sea. [Poetic] Chapman.
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mid-March n. the middle part of March.
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mid-May n. the middle part of May.
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Midmost (?), a. [OE. middemiste. Cf. .] Middle; middlemost.
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Ere night's midmost, stillest hour was past. Byron.
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Midnight (?), n. [AS. midniht.] The middle of the night; twelve o'clock at night.
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The iron tongue of midnight hath told twelve. Shak.
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Midnight, a. Being in, or characteristic of, the middle of the night; as, midnight studies; midnight gloom. “Midnight shout and revelry.” Milton.
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Midnight sun. The sun shining at midnight in the arctic or antarctic summer.
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mid-nineties n. the time of life between 90 and 100.
Syn. -- nineties.
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mid-November n. the middle part of November.
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mid-October n. the middle part of October.
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mid-off n. (Cricket) the fielding position in cricket closest to the bowler on the off side.
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mid-on n. (Cricket) the fielding position in cricket closest to the bowler on the on side.
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Midrash (?), n.; pl. Midrashim (#), Midrashoth (#). [Heb., explanation.] A talmudic exposition of the Hebrew law, or of some part of it.
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Midrib (?), n. (Bot.) A continuation of the petiole, extending from the base to the apex of the lamina of a leaf.
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Midriff (mĭdrĭf), n. [AS. midhrif; midd mid, middle + hrif bowels, womb; akin to OFries. midref midriff, rif, ref, belly, OHG. href body, and to L. corpus body. See .] (Anat.) 1. See , n., 2.
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2. The middle part of the front of the body, from the waist to the chest.
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Smote him into the midriff with a stone. Milton.
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3. That part of a garment, especially a dress or bodice, that covers the midriff{2}.
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{ Mid sea, or Mid-sea (?) } n. The middle part of the sea or ocean. Milton.
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Coloq. The Mid-sea , the Mediterranean Sea. [Obs.]
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mid-September n. the middle part of September.
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mid-seventies n. the time of life between 70 and 80.
Syn. -- seventies.
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Midship, a. Of or pertaining to, or being in, the middle of a ship.
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Coloq. Midship beam (Naut.), the beam or timber upon which the broadest part of a vessel is formed. -- Coloq. Midship bend , the broadest frame in a vessel. Weale.
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Midshipman (?), n.; pl. Midshipmen (�).
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1. (a) Formerly, a kind of naval cadet, in a ship of war, whose business was to carry orders, messages, reports, etc., between the officers of the quarter-deck and those of the forecastle, and render other services as required. (b) In the English naval service, the second rank attained by a combatant officer after a term of service as naval cadet. Having served three and a half years in this rank, and passed an examination, he is eligible to promotion to the rank of lieutenant. (c) In the United States navy, the lowest grade of officers in line of promotion, being students or graduates of the Naval Academy awaiting promotion to the rank of ensign.
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2. (Zoöl.) An American marine fish of the genus Porichthys, allied to the toadfish; also called singingfish.
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Coloq. Cadet midshipman , formerly a title distinguishing a cadet line officer from a cadet engineer at the U. S. Naval Academy. See under . -- Coloq. Cadet midshipman , formerly, a naval cadet who had served his time, passed his examinations, and was awaiting promotion; -- now called, in the United States, midshipman; in England, sublieutenant.
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Midships, adv. [For amidships.] (Naut.) In the middle of a ship; -- properly amidships.
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Midships, n. pl. (Naut.) The timbers at the broadest part of the vessel. R. H. Dana, Jr.
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mid-sixties n. the time of life between 60 and 70.
Syn. -- sixties.
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Midst (?), n. [From middest, in the middest, for older in middes, where -s is adverbial (orig. forming a genitive), or still older a midde, a midden, on midden. See , and cf. .]
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1. The interior or central part or place; the middle; -- used chiefly in the objective case after in; as, in the midst of the forest.
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And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him. Luke iv. 35.
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There is nothing . . . in the midst [of the play] which might not have been placed in the beginning. Dryden.
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2. Hence, figuratively, the condition of being surrounded or beset; the press; the burden; as, in the midst of official duties; in the midst of secular affairs.
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☞ The expressions in our midst, in their midst, etc., are avoided by some good writers, the forms in the midst of us, in the midst of them, etc., being preferred.
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Syn. -- , . Midst in present usage commonly denotes a part or place surrounded on enveloped by or among other parts or objects (see ); while middle is used of the center of length, or surface, or of a solid, etc. We say in the midst of a thicket; in the middle of a line, or the middle of a room; in the midst of darkness; in the middle of the night.
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Midst, prep. In the midst of; amidst. Shak.
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Midst, adv. In the middle. [R.] Milton.
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midstream n. the middle of a stream; as, don't change horses in midstream.
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Midsummer (?), n. [AS. midsumor.] The middle of summer. Shak.
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Coloq. Midsummer daisy (Bot.), the oxeye daisy.
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midsummer-men n. (Bot.) A Eurasian mountain plant (Sedum rosea) with fleshy pink-tipped leaves and a cluster of yellow flowers.
Syn. -- rose-root, Sedum rosea.
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midterm n. 1. the middle of the gestation period.
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2. The middle of an academic term or a political term in office.
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3. An examination given in the middle of an academic term; a midterm examination.
Syn. -- midterm examination, midterm exam, midterm.
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mid-thirties n. the time of life between 30 and 40.
Syn. -- thirties, thirty-something.
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mid-twenties n. the time of life between 20 and 30.
Syn. -- twenties.
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Midward (?), a. Situated in the middle.
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Midward, adv. In or toward the midst.
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Midway (?), n. The middle of the way or distance; a middle way or course. Shak.
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Paths indirect, or in the midway faint. Milton.
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Midway, a. Being in the middle of the way or distance; as, the midway air. Shak.
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Midway, adv. In the middle of the way or distance; half way. “She met his glance midway.” Dryden.
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Midweek (?), n. The middle of the week. Also used adjectively.
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midweekly adj. occurring during the middle of the week; as, a midweekly prayer meeting.
Syn. -- midweek.
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Midwest n. The north central region of the U. S.
Syn. -- Middle West.
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midwestern adj. Of or pertaining to the Midwest region of the U. S., generally including Ohio; Indiana; Illinois; Iowa; Missouri; Kansas; Nebraska; and sometimes Michigan; Wisconsin; Minnesota; as, a midwestern city; midwestern accent.
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Midwife (?), n.; pl. Midwives (#). [OE. midwif, fr. AS. mid with (akin to Gr. �) + � woman, wife. Properly, the woman or wife who is attendant upon a woman in childbirth. See , and .] A woman who assists other women in childbirth; a female practitioner of the obstetric art.
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Midwife, v. t. To assist in childbirth.
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Midwife, v. i. To perform the office of midwife.
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Midwifery (?; 277), n. 1. The art or practice of assisting women in childbirth; obstetrics.
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2. Assistance at childbirth; help or coöperation in production.
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Midwinter (?), n. [AS. midwinter.] The middle of winter. Dryden.
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