makeshift - Malebranchism

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makeshift (mākshĭft), n. That with which one makes shift; a temporary expedient, with implication of inferiority to the more usual object or means. James Mill.
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I am not a model clergyman, only a decent makeshift. G. Eliot.
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makeup, make-up (mākŭp), n. 1. 1. The way in which the parts of anything are put together.
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The unthinking masses are necessarily teleological in their mental make-up. L. F. Ward.
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2. The constituent parts of anything; as, the makeup of the new congress was predominantly conservative.
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3. Cosmetics applied to the face, such as lipstick, facial power, or eye shadow.
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4. The aggregate of cosmetics and costume worn by an actor.
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5. The effect or appearance of the wearing of makeup (in senses 3 or 4); often, the way in which an actor is dressed, painted, etc., in personating a character; as, her makeup was very realistic.
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6. An action that is taken to fulfill a requirement not accomplished at the expected time, such as a make-up examination; as, the student took his make-up on Saturday.
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7. (Printing) The appearance of a page of a publication, specifically the type style of the text and the spatial arrangement of the text, illustrations, advertising material etc., on the page.
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8. (Printing) The art or process of arranging the portions of a printed publication on the pages for esthetic reasons or for optimal effect on the reader.
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make water (�), v. i. 1. (Naut.) To leak.
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2. To urinate; -- a euphemism.
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Makeweight (�), n. That which is thrown into a scale to make weight; something of little account added to supply a deficiency or fill a gap.
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make-work n. Active work of litle value, such as assignments given by teachers to students to keep them busy while the teacher performs other tasks, or chores performed to while away time; also called busywork.
Syn. -- busywork.
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Maki (?), n. [F., from native name.] (Zoöl.) A lemur. See .
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Making (?), n. 1. The act of one who makes; workmanship; fabrication; construction; as, this is cloth of your own making; the making of peace or war was in his power.
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2. Composition, or structure.
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3. a poem. [Obs.] Sir J. Davies.
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4. That which establishes or places in a desirable state or condition; the material of which something may be made; as, early misfortune was the making of him.
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5. External appearance; from. [Obs.] Shak.
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Making-iron (?), n. A tool somewhat like a chisel with a groove in it, used by calkers of ships to finish the seams after the oakum has been driven in.
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Making-up (?), n. 1. The act of bringing spirits to a certain degree of strength, called proof.
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2. The act of becoming reconciled or friendly.
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mako n. (Zool.) Same as .
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makomako n. A graceful deciduous shrub or small tree (Aristotelia serrata) having attractive foliage and small red berries that turn black at maturity and are used for making wine.
Syn. -- New Zealand wine berry, wineberry, Aristotelia serrata, Aristotelia racemosa.
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mako shark n. (Zool.) A powerful and fierce mackerel shark of the Atlantic and Pacific, of the family Lamidae.
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Maksutov telescope n. A type of reflecting telescope in which the aberration of the concave mirror is reduced by a meniscus lens.
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Mal- (măl-). A prefix in composition denoting ill, or evil, F. male, adv., fr. malus, bad, ill. In some words it has the form male-, as in malediction, malevolent. See .
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☞ The form male- is chiefly used in cases where the �, either alone or with other letters, is pronounced as a separate syllable, as in malediction, malefactor, maleficent, etc. Where this is not the case, as in malfeasance or male-feasance, malformation or male-formation, etc., as also where the word to which it is prefixed commences with a vowel, as in maladministration, etc., the form mal is to be preferred, and is the one commonly employed.
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Mala (?), n. pl.; pl. of Malum. [L.] Evils; wrongs; offenses against right and law.
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Coloq. Mala in se [L.] (Law), offenses which are such from their own nature, at common law, irrespective of statute. -- Coloq. Mala prohibita [L.] (Law), offenses prohibited by statute, as distinguished from mala in se, which are offenses at common law.
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Malabar (?), n. A region in the western part of the Peninsula of India, between the mountains and the sea.
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Coloq. Malabar nut (Bot.), the seed of an East Indian acanthaceous shrub, the Adhatoda Vasica, sometimes used medicinally.
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malabar kino n. The reddish or black juice or resin from certain trees of the genus Pterocarpus, used in medicine and tanning etc.
Syn. -- East India kino, kino gum.
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Malacanthidae prop. n. A natural family of short-headed marine fishes which are often brightly colored.
Syn. -- family Malacanthidae.
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Malacatune (?), n. See .
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Malacca (?), n. A town and district upon the seacoast of the Malay Peninsula.
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malacca cane n. (Bot.), A walking cane made from the stem of a species of palm of the genus Calamus (Calamus Scipionum), and of a brown color, often mottled. The plant is a native of Cochin China, Sumatra, and Malays.
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Malachite (?), n. [Fr. Gr. malachh a mallow, from its resembling the green color of the leaf of mallows: cf. F. malachite. Cf. .] (Min.) Native hydrous carbonate of copper, usually occurring in green mammillary masses with concentric fibrous structure.
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☞ Green malachite, or malachite proper, admits of a high polish, and is sometimes used for ornamental work. Blue malachite, or azurite, is a related species of a deep blue color.
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Coloq. Malachite green . See Emerald green, under , n.
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Malacissant (?), a. [See .] Softening; relaxing. [Obs.]
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Malacissation (?), n. [L. malacissare to make soft, Gr. malakizein.] The act of making soft or supple. [Obs.] Bacon.
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Malacobdella (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. malakos soft + � a leech.] (Zoöl.) A genus of nemertean worms, parasitic in the gill cavity of clams and other bivalves. They have a large posterior sucker, like that of a leech. See Illust. of .
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Malacoderm (?), n. [Gr. malakos soft + � skin.] (Zoöl.) One of a tribe of beetles (Malacodermata), with a soft and flexible body, as the fireflies.
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Malacolite (?), n. [Gr. malakos soft + -lite.] (Min.) A variety of pyroxene.
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Malacologist (?), n. One versed in the science of malacology.
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Malacology (?), n. [Gr. malakos soft + -logy: cf. F. malacologie.] The science which relates to the structure and habits of mollusks.
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Malacopoda (?), prop. n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. malakos soft + -poda.] (Zoöl.) A class of air-breathing Arthropoda; -- called also Protracheata, and Onychophora.
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☞ They somewhat resemble myriapods, and have from seventeen to thirty-three pairs of short, imperfectly jointed legs, two pairs of simple jaws, and a pair of antennæ. The trancheæ are connected with numerous spiracles scattered over the surface of the body. Peripatus is the only known genus. See .
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Malacopterygian (?), n. [Cf. F. malacoptérygien.] (Zoöl.) One of the Malacopterygii.
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Malacopterygii (?), prop. n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. malakos soft + pteryx wing, fin, fr. pteron feather.] (Zoöl.) An order of fishes in which the fin rays, except the anterior ray of the pectoral and dorsal fins, are closely jointed, and not spiny. It includes the carp, pike, salmon, shad, etc. Called also Malacopteri.
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Malacopterygious (?), a. (Zoöl.) Belonging to the Malacopterygii.
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Malacosteon (?), n. [NL., Gr. fr. malakos soft + 'osteon bone.] (Med.) A peculiar disease of the bones, in consequence of which they become softened and capable of being bent without breaking.
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Malacostomous (?), a. [Gr. malakos soft + � mouth.] (Zoöl.) Having soft jaws without teeth, as certain fishes.
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Malacostraca (?), prop. n. pl. [NL., from Gr. malakos soft + � shell of a testacean.] (Zoöl.) A subclass of Crustacea, including Arthrostraca and Thoracostraca, or all those higher than the Entomostraca.
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Malacostracan (?), n. (Zoöl.) One of the Malacostraca.
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Malacostracology (?), n. [Malacostracan + -logy.] That branch of zoölogical science which relates to the crustaceans; -- called also carcinology.
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Malacostracous (?), a. (Zoöl.) Belonging to the Malacostraca.
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Malacotoon (?), n. (Bot.) See .
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Malacozoa (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. malakos soft + zo^,on an animal.] (Zoöl.) An extensive group of Invertebrata, including the Mollusca, Brachiopoda, and Bryozoa. Called also Malacozoaria.
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Malacozoic (?), a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Malacozoa.
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Maladdress (?), n. [Mal- + address.] Bad address; an awkward, tactless, or offensive way of accosting one or talking with one. W. D. Howells.
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Maladjustment (?), n. [Mal- + adjustment.] A bad adjustment.
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Maladministration (?), n. [Mal- + administration.] Bad administration; bad management of any business, especially of public affairs. [Written also maleadministration.]
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Maladroit (?), a. [F. See , and .] Of a quality opposed to adroitness; clumsy; awkward; unskillful. -- Maladroitly, adv. -- Maladroitness, n.
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malady (mălȧd�), n.; pl. Maladies (mălȧdĭz). [F. maladie, fr. malade ill, sick, OF. also, malabde, fr. L. male habitus, i. e., ill-kept, not in good condition. See , and .] 1. Any disease of the human body; a distemper, disorder, or indisposition, proceeding from impaired, defective, or morbid organic functions; especially, a lingering or deep-seated disorder.
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The maladies of the body may prove medicines to the mind. Buckminster.
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2. A moral or mental defect or disorder.
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Love's a malady without a cure. Dryden.
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Syn. -- Disorder; distemper; sickness; ailment; disease; illness. See .
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Malaga (mălȧgȧ Sp. mälȧgȧ), n. A city and a province of Spain, on the Mediterranean. Hence, Malaga grapes, Malaga raisins, Malaga wines.
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Malagash (?), n. Same as .
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Malagasy (?), n. sing. & pl. A native or natives of Madagascar; also (sing.), the language.
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Malagasy Republic prop. n. Former name of the Republic of Madagascar, a nation in Africa occupying the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean east of Mozambique.
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Malaise (?), n. [F., fr. mal ill + aise ease.] (Med.) An indefinite feeling of uneasiness, or of being sick or ill at ease.
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Malamate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of malamic acid.
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Malambo (?), n. [Pg.] A yellowish aromatic bark, used in medicine and perfumery, said to be from the South American shrub Croton Malambo.
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Malamethane (?), n. [Malamic + ethane.] (Chem.) A white crystalline substance forming the ethyl salt of malamic acid.
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Malamic (?), a. [Malic + amic.] (Chem.) Of or designating an acid intermediate between malic acid and malamide, and known only by its salts.
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Malamide (?), n. [Malic + amide.] (Chem.) The acid amide derived from malic acid, as a white crystalline substance metameric with asparagine.
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malanders (măl�ndẽrz), n. pl. [F. malandres, fr. L. malandria blisters or pustules on the neck, especially in horses.] (Far.) A scurfy eruption in the bend of the knee of the fore leg of a horse. See . [Written also mallenders.]
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malapert (mălȧpẽrt), a. [OF. malapert unskillful, ill-taught, ill-bred; mal ill + apert open, adroit, intelligent, L. apertus, p. p. of aperire to open. See , and .] Bold; forward; impudent; saucy; pert. Shak. -- n. A malapert person.
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Are you growing malapert! Will you force me to make use of my authority ? Dryden.
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-- Malapertly, adv. -- malapertness, n.
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malapropism (?), n. [From Mrs. Malaprop, a character in Sheridan's drama, “ The Rivals,” who makes amusing blunders in her use of words. See .] A grotesque misuse of a word; a word so used.
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malapropos (?), a. & adv. [F. mal à propos; mal evil + à propos to the purpose.] Unseasonable or unseasonably; unsuitable or unsuitably.
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Malapterurus (mălăpt�rṳrŭs), prop. n. [NL., from Gr. malakos soft + pteron wing + o'yra tail.] (Zoöl.) A genus of African siluroid fishes, including the electric catfishes. See Electric cat, under . [Sometimes spelled Malopterurus.]
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Malapterurus electricus prop. n. (Zool.) The species name of the electric catfish, a freshwater catfish of the Nile and tropical central Africa having an electric organ.
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Malar (?), a. [L. mala the cheek: cf. F. malaire.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the region of the cheek bone, or to the malar bone; jugal.
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malar (?), n. (Anat.) The cheek bone, which forms a part of the lower edge of the orbit; that arch of bone beneath the eye that forms the prominence of the cheek; also called the malar bone.
Syn. -- cheekbone, zygomatic bone, malar bone, jugal bone, os zygomaticum.
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malar bone n. Same as , n.
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malaria (?), n. [It., contr. fr. malaaria bad air. See , and Air.] 1. Air infected with some noxious substance capable of engendering disease; esp., an unhealthy exhalation from certain soils, as marshy or wet lands, producing fevers; miasma. [Archaic]
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☞ The morbific agent in malaria is supposed by some to be a vegetable microbe or its spores, and by others to be a very minute animal blood parasite (an infusorian).
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2. (Med.) A human disease caused by infection of red blood cells by a protozoan of the genus Plasmodium, giving rise to fever and chills and many other symptoms, characterized by their tendency to recur at definite and usually uniform intervals. The protozoal infection is usually transmitted from another infected individual by the bite of an Anopheles mosquito.
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{ Malarial (?), Malarian (?), Malarious (?) }, a. Of or pertaining, to or infected by, malaria.
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Coloq. Malarial fever (Med.), a fever produced by malaria, and characterized by the occurrence of chills, fever, and sweating in distinct paroxysms, At intervals of definite and often uniform duration, in which these symptoms are wholly absent (intermittent fever), or only partially so (remittent fever); fever and ague; chills and fever.
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malaria mosquito, malarial mosquito n. A mosquito that transmits the malaria parasite; it is most commonly the Anopheles mosquito.
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Malaria parasite. Any of several minute protozoans of the genus Plasmodium (syn. Hæmatozoön) which in their adult condition live in the tissues of mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles (which see) and when transferred to the blood of man, by the bite of the mosquito, produce malaria. The young parasites, or sporozoites, enter the red blood corpuscles, growing at their expense, undergoing sporulation, and finally destroying the corpuscles, thus liberating in the blood plasma an immense number of small spores called merozoites. An indefinite but not ultimated number of such generations may follow, but if meanwhile the host is bitten by a mosquito, the parasites develop into gametes in the stomach of the insect. These conjugate, the zygote thus produced divides, forming spores, and eventually sporozoites, which, penetrating to the salivary glands of the mosquito, may be introduced into a new host. The attacks of the disease coincide with the dissolution of the corpuscles and liberation of the spores and products of growth of the parasites into the blood plasma. Several species of the parasite are distinguished, as Plasmodium vivax, producing tertian malaria; Plasmodium malariæ, quartan malaria; and Plasmodium (subgenus Laverania) falciferum, the malarial fever of summer and autumn common in the tropics.
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Malashaganay (?), n. [Indian name.] (Zoöl.) The fresh-water drumfish (Haploidonotus grunniens).
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Malassimilation (?), n. [Mal- + assimilation.] (Physiol.) (a) Imperfect digestion of the several leading constituents of the food. (b) An imperfect elaboration by the tissues of the materials brought to them by the blood.
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Malate (?), n. [L. malum apple: cf. F. malate. See .] (Chem.) A salt of malic acid.
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malawi kwacha n. The kwacha, the monetary unit of Malawi.
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{ Malax (?), Malaxate (?), } v. t. [L. malaxare, malaxatum, cf. Gr. �, fr. malakos soft: cf. F. malaxer.] To soften by kneading or stirring with some thinner substance. [R.]
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Malaxation (?), n. [L. malaxatio: cf. F. malaxation.] The act of softening by mixing with a thinner substance; the formation of ingredients into a mass for pills or plasters. [R.]
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malaxator (?), n. One who, or that which, malaxates; esp., a machine for grinding, kneading, or stirring into a pasty or doughy mass. [R.]
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Malaxis prop. n. A large genus of largely terrestrial orchids with one or a few plicate leaves and slender spikes or tiny mostly green flowers; it is cosmopolitan.
Syn. -- genus Malaxis.
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Malaxis-unifolia n. A North American orchid having a solitary leaf and flowers with threadlike petals.
Syn. -- green adder's mouth, Malaxis ophioglossoides.
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Malay (?), prop. n. One of a race of a brown or copper complexion in the Malay Peninsula and the western islands of the Indian Archipelago.
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{ Malay (?), Malayan (?), } prop. a. Of or pertaining to the Malays or their country. -- n. The Malay language.
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Coloq. Malay apple (Bot.), a myrtaceous tree (Eugenia Malaccensis) common in India; also, its applelike fruit.
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Malaya prop. n. Formerly, an Asian country on Borneo and the Malay Peninsula, now part of Malaysia.
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Malayalam (?), prop. n. The name given to one the cultivated Dravidian languages, closely related to the Tamil. Yule.
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Malayan tapir n. (Zool.) A large inoffensive chiefly nocturnal ungulate (Tapirus indicus) of tropical America and Southeast Asia having a heavy body and fleshy snout.
Syn. -- Indian tapir, Tapirus indicus.
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Malay Archipelago prop. n. A group of islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans between Asia and Australia.
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Malayo-Polynesian adj. of or pertaining to Malayo-Polynesia.
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Malay Peninsula prop. n. a peninsula in Southeastern Asia occupied by parts of Malaysia and Thailand and Burma.
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Malaysia prop. n. A country in Southeast Asia including the former nation of Malaya on the Malay Peninsula, and part of Borneo; sometimes still referred to as Malaya.
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Malaysian adj. Of or pertaining to or characteristic of Malaysia or its people or their culture; as, Malaysian police cracked down hard on drug smugglers; Malaysian poetry.
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Malbrouck (?), n. [F.] (Zoöl.) A West African arboreal monkey (Cercopithecus cynosurus).
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Malcolmia prop. n. A genus of plants usually found in coastal habitats; native from the Mediterranean to Afghanistan.
Syn. -- genus Malcolmia.
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Malcolm Little prop. n. A militant American black nationalist leader, also called Malcolm X; (1925-1965).
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Malcolm stock n. Any of various ornamental flowering plants of the genus Malcolmia.
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Malcolm X prop. n. See .
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malconformation (?), n. [Mal- + conformation.] Imperfect, disproportionate, or abnormal formation; ill form; disproportion of parts.
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malcontent (?), a. [F., fr. mal ill + content. See , .] discontented; uneasy; dissatisfied; especially, dissatisfied with the government. [Written also malecontent.]
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The famous malcontent earl of Leicester. Milner.
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Malcontent, n. [F. malcontent.] One who discontented; especially, a discontented subject of a government; one who expresses his discontent by words or overt acts. Spenser. Berkeley.
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malcontented (?), a. Malcontent. -- Malcontentedly, adv. -- Malcontentedness, n.
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maldanian (?), n. (Zoöl.) Any species of marine annelids of the genus Maldane, or family Maldanidæ. They have a slender, round body, and make tubes in the sand or mud.
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mal de mer n. Motion sickness experienced while traveling on water; seasickness.
Syn. -- seasickness, naupathia.
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Maldive Islands prop. n. A group of about 2000 islands in the Indian ocean; also known as the Maldives.
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Maldivian n. A native or inhabitant of Maldives.
Syn. -- Maldivan.
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Maldon prop. n. A battle in which the Danes defeated the East Saxons in 991; it is celebrated in an old English poem.
Syn. -- battle of Maldon.
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Male- (măl- or măl�-). See .
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Male (māl), a. [L. malus. See .] Evil; wicked; bad. [Obs.] Marston.
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Male, n. Same as , a bag. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Male, a. [F. mâle, OF. masle, mascle, fr. L. masculus male, masculine, dim. of mas a male; possibly akin to E. man. Cf. , , v. t.] 1. Of or pertaining to the sex that begets or procreates young, or (in a wider sense) to the sex that produces spermatozoa, by which the ova are fertilized; not female; as, male organs.
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2. (Bot.) Capable of producing fertilization, but not of bearing fruit; -- said of stamens and antheridia, and of the plants, or parts of plants, which bear them.
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3. Suitable to the male sex; characteristic or suggestive of a male; masculine; as, male courage.
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4. Consisting of males; as, a male choir.
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5. (Mech.) Adapted for entering another corresponding piece (the female piece) which is hollow and which it fits; as, a male gauge, for gauging the size or shape of a hole; a male screw, etc.
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Coloq. Male fern (Bot.), a fern of the genus Aspidium (Aspidium Filixmas), used in medicine as an anthelmintic, esp. against the tapeworm. Aspidium marginale in America, and Aspidium athamanticum in South Africa, are used as good substitutes for the male fern in medical practice. See Female fern, under . -- Coloq. Male rhyme , a rhyme in which only the last syllables agree, as laid, afraid, dismayed. See Female rhyme, under . -- Coloq. Male screw (Mech.), a screw having threads upon its exterior which enter the grooves upon the inside of a corresponding nut or female screw. -- Coloq. Male thread , the thread of a male screw.
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Male, n. 1. An animal of the male sex.
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2. (Bot.) A plant bearing only staminate flowers.
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Maleadministration (mălădmĭnĭstrāshŭn), n. Maladministration.
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Maleate (?), n. A salt of maleic acid.
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maleberry, male berry n. 1. (Bot.) A deciduous much-branched shrub (Lyonia ligustrina) with dense downy panicles of small bell-shaped white flowers; also called swamp andromeda.
Syn. -- privet andromeda, he-huckleberry, Lyonia ligustrina.
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2. (Bot.) A kind of coffee. See .
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male body n. The body of an adult human male; -- a term used especially in art; as, Da Vinci was unexcelled in painting the male body.
Syn. -- adult male body, man's body.
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Malebranchism (?), n. The philosophical system of Malebranche, an eminent French metaphysician. The fundamental doctrine of his system is that the mind can not have knowledge of anything external to itself except in its relation to God.
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male chauvinism n. Disparaging, patronizing, discriminatory or abusive speech or behavior by males toward females stemming from a belief that males are superior to females and females therefore worthy of less respect and inferior treatment. A form of sexism.
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male chauvinist n. A man with a belief in the inferiority of women; one who believes in or practises male chavinism.
Syn. -- sexist.
[WordNet 1.5 +PJC]

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