Foutra noun [ See Fouter .] A fig; -- a word of contempt. [ Obsolete]

A foutra for the world and wordlings base!

Shak.

Fouty adjective [ Confer French foutu , past participle of foutre ; Old French foutu scoundrel. See Fouter .] Despicable. [ Obsolete]

Fovea noun ; plural Foveæ . [ Latin , a small pit.] A slight depression or pit; a fossa.

Foveate adjective [ Latin fovea a pit.] Having pits or depressions; pitted.

Foveola noun ; plural Foveolæ . [ New Latin , dim. of Latin fovea .] A small depression or pit; a fovea.

Foveolate adjective Having small pits or depressions, as the receptacle in some composite flowers.

Foveolated adjective Foveolate.

Fovilla noun ; plural Fovillæ . [ Dim. from Latin fovere to cherish .] (Botany) One of the fine granules contained in the protoplasm of a pollen grain.

Fowl noun Instead of the plural Fowls the singular is often used collectively. [ Middle English foul , fowel , foghel , fuhel , fugel , Anglo-Saxon fugol ; akin to Old Saxon fugal D. & German vogel , Old High German fogal , Icelandic & Danish fugl , Swedish fogel , fågel , Goth. fugls ; of unknown origin, possibly by loss of l , from the root of English fly , or akin to English fox , as being a tailed animal.]
1. Any bird; esp., any large edible bird.

Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air.

Gen. i. 26.

Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not.

Matt. vi. 26.

Like a flight of fowl
Scattered by winds and high tempestuous gusts.

Shak.

2. Any domesticated bird used as food, as a hen, turkey, duck; in a more restricted sense, the common domestic cock or hen ( Gallus domesticus ).

Barndoor fowl , or Barnyard fowl , a fowl that frequents the barnyard; the common domestic cock or hen.

Fowl intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Fowled ; present participle & verbal noun Fowling .] To catch or kill wild fowl, for game or food, as by shooting, or by decoys, nets, etc.

Such persons as may lawfully hunt, fish, or fowl .

Blackstone.

Fowling piece , a light gun with smooth bore, adapted for the use of small shot in killing birds or small quadrupeds.

Fowler noun A sportsman who pursues wild fowl, or takes or kills for food.

Fowler's solution An aqueous solution of arsenite of potassium, of such strength that one hundred parts represent one part of arsenious acid, or white arsenic; -- named from Fowler , an English physician who first brought it into use.

Fowlerite noun [ From Dr. Samuel Fowler .] (Min.) A variety of rhodonite, from Franklin Furnace, New Jersey, containing some zinc.

Fox noun ; plural Foxes . [ Anglo-Saxon fox ; akin to Dutch vos , German fuchs , Old High German fuhs , foha , Goth. faúh... , Icelandic f...a fox, fox fraud; of unknown origin, confer Sanskrit puccha tail. Confer Vixen .]
1. (Zoology) A carnivorous animal of the genus Vulpes , family Canidæ , of many species. The European fox ( V. vulgaris or V. vulpes ), the American red fox ( V. fulvus ), the American gray fox ( V. Virginianus ), and the arctic, white, or blue, fox ( V. lagopus ) are well-known species.

» The black or silver-gray fox is a variety of the American red fox, producing a fur of great value; the cross- gray and woods-gray foxes are other varieties of the same species, of less value. The common foxes of Europe and America are very similar; both are celebrated for their craftiness. They feed on wild birds, poultry, and various small animals.

Subtle as the fox for prey.

Shak.

2. (Zoology) The European dragonet.

3. (Zoology) The fox shark or thrasher shark; -- called also sea fox . See Thrasher shark , under Shark .

4. A sly, cunning fellow. [ Colloq.]

We call a crafty and cruel man a fox .

Beattie.

5. (Nautical) Rope yarn twisted together, and rubbed with tar; -- used for seizings or mats.

6. A sword; -- so called from the stamp of a fox on the blade, or perhaps of a wolf taken for a fox. [ Obsolete]

Thou diest on point of fox .

Shak.

7. plural (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians which, with the Sacs, formerly occupied the region about Green Bay, Wisconsin; -- called also Outagamies .

Fox and geese . (a) A boy's game, in which one boy tries to catch others as they run one goal to another. (b) A game with sixteen checkers, or some substitute for them, one of which is called the fox , and the rest the geese ; the fox , whose first position is in the middle of the board, endeavors to break through the line of the geese, and the geese to pen up the fox. -- Fox bat (Zoology) , a large fruit bat of the genus Pteropus , of many species, inhabiting Asia, Africa, and the East Indies, esp. P. medius of India. Some of the species are more than four feet across the outspread wings. See Fruit bat . -- Fox bolt , a bolt having a split end to receive a fox wedge. -- Fox brush (Zoology) , the tail of a fox. -- Fox evil , a disease in which the hair falls off; alopecy. -- Fox grape (Botany) , the name of two species of American grapes. The northern fox grape ( Vitis Labrusca ) is the origin of the varieties called Isabella , Concord , Hartford , etc., and the southern fox grape ( Vitis vulpina ) has produced the Scuppernong , and probably the Catawba . -- Fox hunter . (a) One who pursues foxes with hounds. (b) A horse ridden in a fox chase. -- Fox shark (Zoology) , the thrasher shark. See Thrasher shark , under Thrasher . -- Fox sleep , pretended sleep. -- Fox sparrow (Zoology) , a large American sparrow ( Passerella iliaca ); -- so called on account of its reddish color. -- Fox squirrel (Zoology) , a large North American squirrel ( Sciurus niger , or S. cinereus ). In the Southern States the black variety prevails; farther north the fulvous and gray variety, called the cat squirrel , is more common. -- Fox terrier (Zoology) , one of a peculiar breed of terriers, used in hunting to drive foxes from their holes, and for other purposes. There are rough- and smooth-haired varieties. -- Fox trot , a pace like that which is adopted for a few steps, by a horse, when passing from a walk into a trot, or a trot into a walk. -- Fox wedge (Mach. & Carpentry) , a wedge for expanding the split end of a bolt, cotter, dowel, tenon, or other piece, to fasten the end in a hole or mortise and prevent withdrawal. The wedge abuts on the bottom of the hole and the piece is driven down upon it. Fastening by fox wedges is called foxtail wedging . -- Fox wolf (Zoology) , one of several South American wild dogs, belonging to the genus Canis . They have long, bushy tails like a fox.

Fox transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Foxed ; present participle & verbal noun Foxing .] [ See Fox , noun , confer Icelandic fox imposture.]
1. To intoxicate; to stupefy with drink.

I drank . . . so much wine that I was almost foxed .

Pepys.

2. To make sour, as beer, by causing it to ferment.

3. To repair the feet of, as of boots, with new front upper leather, or to piece the upper fronts of.

Fox intransitive verb To turn sour; -- said of beer, etc., when it sours in fermenting.

Fox-hunting adjective Pertaining to or engaged in the hunting of foxes; fond of hunting foxes.

Foxearth noun A hole in the earth to which a fox resorts to hide himself.

Foxed adjective
1. Discolored or stained; -- said of timber, and also of the paper of books or engravings.

2. Repaired by foxing; as, foxed boots.

Foxery noun Behavior like that of a fox; cunning. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Foxes noun plural (Ethnol.) See Fox , noun , 7.

Foxfish noun (Zoology) (a) The fox shark; -- called also sea fox . See Thrasher shark , under Shark . (b) The european dragonet. See Dragonet .

Foxglove noun [ Anglo-Saxon foxes- glōfa , foxes-clōfa , foxes-clife .] (Botany) Any plant of the genus Digitalis . The common English foxglove ( Digitalis purpurea ) is a handsome perennial or biennial plant, whose leaves are used as a powerful medicine, both as a sedative and diuretic. See Digitalis .

Pan through the pastures oftentimes hath run
To pluck the speckled foxgloves from their stem.

W. Browne.

Foxhound noun (Zoology) One of a special breed of hounds used for chasing foxes.

Foxiness noun
1. The state or quality of being foxy, or foxlike; craftiness; shrewdness.

2. The state of being foxed or discolored, as books; decay; deterioration.

3. A coarse and sour taste in grapes.

Foxish adjective Foxlike. [ Obsolete]

Foxlike adjective Resembling a fox in his characteristic qualities; cunning; artful; foxy.

Foxly adjective Foxlike. [ Obsolete] " Foxly craft." Latimer.

Foxship noun Foxiness; craftiness. [ R.] Shak.

Foxtail noun
1. The tail or brush of a fox.

2. (Botany) The name of several kinds of grass having a soft dense head of flowers, mostly the species of Alopecurus and Setaria .

3. (Metal.) The last cinders obtained in the fining process. Raymond.

Foxtail saw , a dovetail saw. -- Foxtail wedging . See Fox wedge , under Fox .

Foxy adjective
1. Like or pertaining to the fox; foxlike in disposition or looks; wily.

Modred's narrow, foxy face.

Tennyson.

2. Having the color of a fox; of a yellowish or reddish brown color; -- applied sometimes to paintings when they have too much of this color.

3. Having the odor of a fox; rank; strong smeelling.

4. Sour; unpleasant in taste; -- said of wine, beer, etc., not properly fermented; -- also of grapes which have the coarse flavor of the fox grape.

Foy (foi) noun [ French foi , old spelling foy , faith. See Faith .]
1. Faith; allegiance; fealty. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

2. A feast given by one about to leave a place. [ Obsolete]

He did at the Dog give me, and some other friends of his, his foy , he being to set sail to-day.

Pepys.

Foyer noun [ French, from Late Latin focarium fireplace. See Focus , noun ]
1. A lobby in a theater; a greenroom.

2. The crucible or basin in a furnace which receives the molten metal. Knight.

Foyson noun [ Obsolete] See Foison .

Foziness noun The state of being fozy; spiritlessness; dullness. [ Scot.]

[ The Whigs'] foziness can no longer be concealed.

Blackwood's.

Fozy adjective Spongy; soft; fat and puffy. [ Scot.]

Fra (frȧ) adverb & preposition [ Middle English ] Fro. [ Old Eng. & Scot.]

Fra (frȧ) noun [ Italian , for frate . See Friar .] Brother; -- a title of a monk or friar; as, Fra Angelo. Longfellow.

Frab intransitive verb & t. To scold; to nag. [ Prov. Eng.]

Frabbit adjective Crabbed; peevish. [ Prov. Eng.]

Fracas (frā"k a s; F. frȧ`kä"; 277) noun [ French, crash, din, tumult, Italian fracasso , from fracassare to break in pieces, perhaps from fra within, among (L. infra ) + cassare to annul, cashier. Confer Cashier , transitive verb ] An uproar; a noisy quarrel; a disturbance; a brawl.

Frache (frāsh) noun A shallow iron pan to hold glass ware while being annealed.

Fracid adjective [ Latin fracidus mellow, soft.] Rotten from being too ripe; overripe. [ Obsolete] Blount.

Fract (frăkt) transitive verb [ Latin fractus , past participle of frangere to break.] To break; to violate. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Fracted adjective (Her.) Having a part displaced, as if broken; -- said of an ordinary. Macaulay.

Fraction noun [ French fraction , Latin fractio a breaking, from frangere , fractum , to break. See Break .]
1. The act of breaking, or state of being broken, especially by violence. [ Obsolete]

Neither can the natural body of Christ be subject to any fraction or breaking up.

Foxe.

2. A portion; a fragment.

Some niggard fractions of an hour.

Tennyson.

3. (Arith. or Alg.) One or more aliquot parts of a unit or whole number; an expression for a definite portion of a unit or magnitude.

Common, or Vulgar , fraction , a fraction in which the number of equal parts into which the integer is supposed to be divided is indicated by figures or letters, called the denominator , written below a line, over which is the numerator , indicating the number of these parts included in the fraction; as ½, one half, ⅖, two fifths. -- Complex fraction , a fraction having a fraction or mixed number in the numerator or denominator, or in both. Davies & Peck. -- Compound fraction , a fraction of a fraction; two or more fractions connected by of . -- Continued fraction , Decimal fraction , Partial fraction , etc. See under Continued , Decimal , Partial , etc. -- Improper fraction , a fraction in which the numerator is greater than the denominator. -- Proper fraction , a fraction in which the numerator is less than the denominator.

Fraction transitive verb (Chemistry) To separate by means of, or to subject to, fractional distillation or crystallization; to fractionate; -- frequently used with out ; as, to fraction out a certain grade of oil from pretroleum.

Fractional adjective
1. Of or pertaining to fractions or a fraction; constituting a fraction; as, fractional numbers.

2. Relatively small; inconsiderable; insignificant; as, a fractional part of the population.

Fractional crystallization (Chemistry) , a process of gradual and approximate purification and separation, by means of repeated solution and crystallization therefrom. -- Fractional currency , small coin, or paper notes, in circulation, of less value than the monetary unit. -- Fractional distillation (Chemistry) , a process of distillation so conducted that a mixture of liquids, differing considerably from each other in their boiling points, can be separated into its constituents.

Fractionally adverb By fractions or separate portions; as, to distill a liquid fractionally , that is, so as to separate different portions.

Fractionary adjective Fractional. [ Obsolete]