Comfortably Com"fort·a·bly adverb In a comfortable or comforting manner.

Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem.
Is. xl. 2.

Comforter Com"fort·er noun 1. One who administers comfort or consolation.

Let no comforter delight mine ear
But such a one whose wrongs do suit with mine.
Shak.

2. (Script.) The Holy Spirit, -- referring to his office of comforting believers.

But the Comforter , which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things.
John xiv. 26.

3. A knit woolen tippet, long and narrow. [ U. S.]

The American schoolboy takes off his comforter and unbuttons his jacket before going in for a snowball fight.
Pop. Sci. Monthly.

4. A wadded bedquilt; a comfortable. [ U. S.]

Job's comforter , a boil. [ Colloq.]

Comfortless Com"fort·less adjective Without comfort or comforts; in want or distress; cheerless.

Comfortless through tyranny or might.
Spenser.

Syn. -- Forlorn; desolate; cheerless; inconsolable; disconsolate; wretched; miserable.

-- Com"fort*less*ly , adverb -- Com"fort*less*ness , noun

When all is coldly, comfortlessly costly.
Milton.

Comfortment Com"fort·ment noun Act or process of administering comfort. [ Obsolete]

The gentle comfortment and entertainment of the said embassador.
Hakluyt.

Comfortress Com"fort·ress noun A woman who comforts.

To be your comfortress , and to preserve you.
B. Jonson.

Comfrey Com"frey noun [ Prob. from French conferve , Latin conferva , from confervere to boil together, in medical language, to heal, grow together. So called on account of its healing power, for which reason it was also called consolida .] (Botany) A rough, hairy, perennial plant of several species, of the genus Symphytum .

» A decoction of the mucilaginous root of the "common comfrey" ( S. officinale ) is used in cough mixtures, etc.; and the gigantic "prickly comfrey" ( S. asperrimum ) is somewhat cultivated as a forage plant.

Comic Com"ic adjective [ Latin comicus pertaining to comedy, Greek ...: confer French comique . See Comedy .] 1. Relating to comedy, as distinct from tragedy.

I can not for the stage a drama lay,
Tragic or comic , but thou writ'st the play.
B. Jonson.

2. Causing mirth; ludicrous. " Comic shows." Shak.

Comic Com"ic noun A comedian. [ Obsolete] Steele.

Comical Com"ic·al adjective 1. Relating to comedy.

They deny it to be tragical because its catastrophe is a wedding, which hath ever been accounted comical .
Gay.

2. Exciting mirth; droll; laughable; as, a comical story. " Comical adventures." Dryden.

Syn. -- Humorous; laughable; funny. See Droll .

-- Com"ic*al*ly , adverb -- Com"ic*al"ness , noun

Comicality Com`i·cal"i·ty noun ; plural Comicalities . The quality of being comical; something comical.

Comicry Com"ic·ry noun The power of exciting mirth; comicalness. [ R.] H. Giles.

Coming Com"ing adjective 1. Approaching; of the future, especially the near future; the next; as, the coming week or year; the coming exhibition.

Welcome the coming , speed the parting, guest.
Pope.

Your coming days and years.
Byron.

2. Ready to come; complaisant; fond. [ Obsolete] Pope.

Coming Com"ing noun 1. Approach; advent; manifestation; as, the coming of the train.

2. Specifically: The Second Advent of Christ.

Coming in . (a) Entrance; entrance way; manner of entering; beginning. "The goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof." Ezek. xliii. 11 (b) Income or revenue. "What are thy comings in ?" Shak.

Comitia Co·mi"ti·a noun plural [ Latin ] (Rom. Antiq.) A public assembly of the Roman people for electing officers or passing laws.

» There were three kinds of comitia : comitia curiata , or assembly of the patricians, who voted in curiĉ; comitia centuriata , or assembly of the whole Roman people, who voted by centuries; and comitia tributa , or assembly of the plebeians according to their division into tribes.

Comitial Co·mi"tial adjective [ Latin comitialis .] Relating to the comitia, or popular assemblies of the Romans for electing officers and passing laws. Middleton.

Comitiva Co`mi·ti"va noun [ Italian ] A body of followers; -- applied to the lawless or brigand bands in Italy and Sicily.

Comity Com"i·ty noun ; plural Comities . [ Latin comitas , from comis courteous, kind.] Mildness and suavity of manners; courtesy between equals; friendly civility; as, comity of manners; the comity of States.

Comity of nations (International Law) , the courtesy by which nations recognize within their own territory, or in their courts, the peculiar institutions of another nation or the rights and privileges acquired by its citizens in their own land. By some authorities private international law rests on this comity, but the better opinion is that it is part of the common law of the land, and hence is obligatory as law.

Syn. -- Civility; good breeding; courtesy; good will.

Comma Com"ma noun [ Latin comma part of a sentence, comma, Greek ... clause, from ... to cut off. Confer Capon .] 1. A character or point [ ,] marking the smallest divisions of a sentence, written or printed.

2. (Mus.) A small interval (the difference between a major and minor half step), seldom used except by tuners.

Comma bacillus (Physiol.) , a variety of bacillus shaped like a comma, found in the intestines of patients suffering from cholera. It is considered by some as having a special relation to the disease; -- called also cholera bacillus . -- Comma butterfly (Zoology) , an American butterfly ( Grapta comma ), having a white comma-shaped marking on the under side of the wings.

Command Com·mand" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Commanded ; present participle & verbal noun Commanding .] [ Middle English comaunden , commanden , Old French comander , French commander , from Latin com- + mandare to commit to, to command. Confer Commend , Mandate .] 1. To order with authority; to lay injunction upon; to direct; to bid; to charge.

We are commanded to forgive our enemies, but you never read that we are commanded to forgive our friends.
Bacon.

Go to your mistress:
Say, I command her come to me.
Shak.

2. To exercise direct authority over; to have control of; to have at one's disposal; to lead.

Monmouth commanded the English auxiliaries.
Macaulay.

Such aid as I can spare you shall command .
Shak.

3. To have within a sphere of control, influence, access, or vision; to dominate by position; to guard; to overlook.

Bridges commanded by a fortified house.
Motley.

Up to the eastern tower,
Whose height commands as subject all the vale.
Shak.

One side commands a view of the finest garden.
Addison.

4. To have power or influence of the nature of authority over; to obtain as if by ordering; to receive as a due; to challenge; to claim; as, justice commands the respect and affections of the people; the best goods command the best price.

'Tis not in mortals to command success.
Addison.

5. To direct to come; to bestow. [ Obsolete]

I will command my blessing upon you.
Lev. xxv. 21.

Syn. -- To bid; order; direct; dictate; charge; govern; rule; overlook.

Command Com·mand" intransitive verb 1. To have or to exercise direct authority; to govern; to sway; to influence; to give an order or orders.

And reigned, commanding in his monarchy.
Shak.

For the king had so commanded concerning [ Haman].
Esth. iii. 2.

2. To have a view, as from a superior position.

Far and wide his eye commands .
Milton.

Command Com·mand" noun 1. An authoritative order requiring obedience; a mandate; an injunction.

Awaiting what command their mighty chief
Had to impose.
Milton.

2. The possession or exercise of authority.

Command and force may often create, but can never cure, an aversion.
Locke.

3. Authority; power or right of control; leadership; as, the forces under his command .

4. Power to dominate, command, or overlook by means of position; scope of vision; survey.

The steepy stand
Which overlooks the vale with wide command .
Dryden.

5. Control; power over something; sway; influence; as, to have command over one's temper or voice; the fort has command of the bridge.

He assumed an absolute command over his readers.
Dryden.

6. A body of troops, or any naval or military force or post, or the whole territory under the authority or control of a particular officer.

Word of command (Mil.) , a word or phrase of definite and established meaning, used in directing the movements of soldiers; as, aim ; fire ; shoulder arms , etc.

Syn. -- Control; sway; power; authority; rule; dominion; sovereignty; mandate; order; injunction; charge; behest. See Direction .

Commandable Com·mand"a·ble adjective Capable of being commanded.

Commandant Com`man·dant" noun [ French, orig. present participle of commander .] A commander; the commanding officer of a place, or of a body of men; as, the commandant of a navy-yard.

Commandatory Com·mand"a·to·ry adjective Mandatory; as, commandatory authority. [ Obsolete]

Commandeer Com`man·deer" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Commandeered ; present participle & verbal noun Commandeering .] [ Dutch kommandeeren to command, in South Africa to commandeer, from French commander to command. See Command .] 1. (Mil.) To compel to perform military service; to seize for military purposes; -- orig. used of the Boers.

2. To take arbitrary or forcible possession of. [ Colloq.]

Commander Com·mand"er noun [ Confer French commandeur . Confer Commodore , Commender .] 1. A chief; one who has supreme authority; a leader; the chief officer of an army, or of any division of it.

A leader and commander to the people.
Is. lv. 4.

2. (Navy) An officer who ranks next below a captain, -- ranking with a lieutenant colonel in the army.

3. The chief officer of a commandery.

4. A heavy beetle or wooden mallet, used in paving, in sail lofts, etc.

Commander in chief , the military title of the officer who has supreme command of the land or naval forces or the united forces of a nation or state; a generalissimo. The President is commander in chief of the army and navy of the United States.

Syn. -- See Chief .

Commandership Com·mand"er·ship noun The office of a commander.

Commandery Com·mand"er·y noun ; plural Commanderies . [ French commanderie .] 1. The office or rank of a commander. [ Obsolete]

2. A district or a manor with lands and tenements appertaining thereto, under the control of a member of an order of knights who was called a commander ; -- called also a preceptory .

3. An assembly or lodge of Knights Templars (so called) among the Freemasons. [ U. S.]

4. A district under the administration of a military commander or governor. [ R.] Brougham.

Commanding Com·mand"ing adjective 1. Exercising authority; actually in command; as, a commanding officer.

2. Fitted to impress or control; as, a commanding look or presence.

3. Exalted; overlooking; having superior strategic advantages; as, a commanding position.

Syn. -- Authoritative; imperative; imperious.

Commandingly Com·mand"ing·ly adverb In a commanding manner.

Commandment Com·mand"ment noun [ Old French commandement , French commandement .] 1. An order or injunction given by authority; a command; a charge; a precept; a mandate.

A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another.
John xiii. 34.

2. (Script.) One of the ten laws or precepts given by God to the Israelites at Mount Sinai.

3. The act of commanding; exercise of authority.

And therefore put I on the countenance
Of stern commandment .
Shak.

4. (Law) The offense of commanding or inducing another to violate the law.

The Commandments , The Ten Commandments , the Decalogue, or summary of God's commands, given to Moses at Mount Sinai. ( Ex. xx. )

Commando Com·man"do noun [ Dutch See Command , transitive verb ] In South Africa, a military body or command; also, sometimes, an expedition or raid; as, a commando of a hundred Boers.

The war bands, called commandos , have played a great part in the . . . military history of the country.

James Bryce.

Commandress Com·mand"ress noun A woman invested with authority to command. Hooker.

Commandry Com·mand"ry noun See Commandery .

Commark Com"mark` noun [ Old French comarque , or Late Latin commarca , commarcha ; com- + marcha , boundary. See March a confine.] The frontier of a country; confines. [ Obsolete] Shelton.

Commaterial Com`ma·te"ri·al adjective Consisting of the same material. [ Obsolete] Bacon.

Commatic Com·mat"ic adjective [ Latin commaticus , Greek .... See Comma .] Having short clauses or sentences; brief; concise.

Commatism Com"ma·tism noun [ See Commatic .] Conciseness in writing. Bp. Horsley.

Commeasurable Com·meas"ur·a·ble adjective [ Confer Commensurable .] Having the same measure; commensurate; proportional.

She being now removed by death, a commeasurable grief took as full possession of him as joy had done.
I. Walton.

Commeasure Com·meas"ure transitive verb To be commensurate with; to equal. Tennyson.

Commemorable Com·mem"o·ra"ble adjective [ Latin commemorabilis .] Worthy to be commemorated.

Commemorate Com·mem"o·rate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Commemorated ; present participle & verbal noun Commemorating .] [ Latin commemoratus , past participle of commemorare to remember; com- + memorare to mention, from memor mindful. See Memory .] To call to remembrance by a special act or observance; to celebrate with honor and solemnity; to honor, as a person or event, by some act of respect or affection, intended to preserve the remembrance of the person or event; as, to commemorate the sufferings and dying love of our Savior by the sacrament of the Lord's Supper; to commemorate the Declaration of Independence by the observance of the Fourth of July.

We are called upon to commemorate a revolution.
Atterbury.

Syn. -- See Celebrate .

Commemoration Com·mem`o·ra"tion noun [ Latin commemoratio .] 1. The act of commemorating; an observance or celebration designed to honor the memory of some person or event.

This sacrament was designed to be a standing commemoration of the death and passion of our Lord.
Abp. Tillotson.

The commonwealth which . . . chooses the most flagrant act of murderous regicide treason for a feast of eternal commemoration .
Burke.

2. Whatever serves the purpose of commemorating; a memorial.

Commemoration day , at the University of Oxford, Eng., an annual observance or ceremony in honor of the benefactors of the University, at which time honorary degrees are conferred.

Commemorative Com·mem"o·ra·tive adjective Tending or intended to commemorate. "A sacrifice commemorative of Christ's offering up his body for us." Hammond.

An inscription commemorative of his victory.
Sir G. C. Lewis.

Commemorator Com·mem"o·ra`tor noun [ Latin ] One who commemorates.

Commemoratory Com·mem"o·ra·to·ry adjective Serving to commemorate; commemorative. Bp. Hooper.

Commence Com·mence" intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Commenced ; present participle & verbal noun Commencing .] [ French commencer , Old French comencier , from Latin com- + initiare to begin. See Initiate .] 1. To have a beginning or origin; to originate; to start; to begin.

Here the anthem doth commence .
Shak.

His heaven commences ere the world be past.
Goldsmith.

2. To begin to be, or to act as. [ Archaic]

We commence judges ourselves.
Coleridge.

3. To take a degree at a university. [ Eng.]

I question whether the formality of commencing was used in that age.
Fuller.

Commence Com·mence" transitive verb To enter upon; to begin; to perform the first act of.

Many a wooer doth commence his suit.
Shak.

» It is the practice of good writers to use the verbal noun (instead of the infinitive with to ) after commence ; as, he commenced studying , not he commenced to study .

Commencement Com·mence"ment noun [ French commencement .] 1. The first existence of anything; act or fact of commencing; rise; origin; beginning; start.

The time of Henry VII. . . . nearly coincides with the commencement of what is termed "modern history."
Hallam.

2. The day when degrees are conferred by colleges and universities upon students and others.

Commend Com·mend" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Commended ; present participle & verbal noun Commending .] [ Latin commendare ; com- + mandare to intrust to one's charge, enjoin, command. Confer Command , Mandate .] 1. To commit, intrust, or give in charge for care or preservation.

His eye commends the leading to his hand.
Shak.

Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.
Luke xxiii. 46.

2. To recommend as worthy of confidence or regard; to present as worthy of notice or favorable attention.

Among the objects of knowledge, two especially commend themselves to our contemplation.
Sir M. Hale.

I commend unto you Phebe our sister.
Rom. xvi. 1.

3. To mention with approbation; to praise; as, to commend a person or an act.

Historians commend Alexander for weeping when he read the actions of Achilles.
Dryden.

4. To mention by way of courtesy, implying remembrance and good will. [ Archaic]

Commend me to my brother.
Shak.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
You are here: Webster > Letter C > Page 115 of 212.
« Previous ¦107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 ¦ Next »