Frontal Fron"tal noun [ French
frontal ,
fronteau , Old French
Frontel ,
frontal , Latin
frontale an ornament for the forehead, frontlet. See
Front .]
1. Something worn on the forehead or face; a frontlet ; as:
(a) An ornamental band for the hair. (b) (Mil.) The metal face guard of a soldier. 2. (Architecture) A little pediment over a door or window. 3. (Eccl.) A movable, decorative member in metal, carved wood, or, commonly, in rich stuff or in embroidery, covering the front of the altar. Frontals are usually changed according to the different ceremonies. 4. (Medicine) A medicament or application for the forehead. [ Obsolete]
Quincy. 5. (Anat.) The frontal bone, or one of the two frontal bones, of the cranium. Frontal hammer or helve ,
a forge hammer lifted by a cam, acting upon a "tongue" immediately in front of the hammer head. Raymond.
Frontate, Fron'tated Fron"tate, Fron'ta·ted adjective Growing broader and broader, as a leaf; truncate.
Fronted Front"ed adjective Formed with a front; drawn up in line. "Fronted brigades."
Milton.
Frontier Fron"tier noun [ French
frontière , Late Latin
frontaria . See
Front .]
1. That part of a country which fronts or faces another country or an unsettled region; the marches; the border, confine, or extreme part of a country, bordering on another country; the border of the settled and cultivated part of a country; as, the frontier of civilization. 2. (Fort.) An outwork. [ Obsolete]
Palisadoes, frontiers , parapets.
Shak.
Frontier Fron"tier adjective 1. Lying on the exterior part; bordering; conterminous; as, a frontier town. 2. Of or relating to a frontier. "Frontier experience."
W. Irving.
Frontier Fron"tier intransitive verb To constitute or form a frontier; to have a frontier; -- with on. [ Obsolete]
Sir W. Temple.
Frontiered Fron"tiered p. adjective Placed on the frontiers. [ R.]
Frontiersman Fron"tiers·man noun ;
plural Frontiersmen A man living on the frontier.
Frontignac, Frontignan Fron`ti·gnac", Fron`ti`gnan" noun [ So called from
Frontignan , a town in Southern France.]
1. A sweet muscadine wine made in Frontignan (Languedoc), France. 2. (Botany) A grape of many varieties and colors.
Frontingly Front"ing·ly adverb In a fronting or facing position; opposingly.
Frontiniac Fron`tin·iac" noun See Frontignac .
Frontispiece Fron"tis·piece noun [ French
frontispice , Late Latin
frontispicium beginning, front of a church, from Latin
frons front +
spicere ,
specere , to look at, view: confer Italian
frontispizio . See
Front and
Spy .]
The part which first meets the eye ; as:
(a) (Architecture) The principal front of a building. [ Obsolete or R.]
(b) An ornamental figure or illustration fronting the first page, or titlepage, of a book; formerly, the titlepage itself.
Frontless Front"less adjective Without face or front; shameless; not diffident; impudent. [ Obsolete] "
Frontless vice."
Dryden. "
Frontless flattery."
Pope.
Frontlessly Front"less·ly adverb Shamelessly; impudently. [ Obsolete]
Frontlet Front"let noun [ Old French frontelet brow band, dim. of
frontel ,
frontal . See
Frontal ,
noun ]
1. A frontal or brow band; a fillet or band worn on the forehead. They shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
Deut. vi. 8. 2. A frown (likened to a frontlet). [ R. & Poetic]
What makes that frontlet on? Methinks you are too much of late i' the frown.
Shak. 3. (Zoology) The margin of the head, behind the bill of birds, often bearing rigid bristles.
Fronto- Fron"to- [ Latin frons , frontis , the forehead.] (Anat.) A combining form signifying relating to the forehead or the frontal bone ; as, fronto- parietal, relating to the frontal and the parietal bones; fronto- nasal, etc.
Fronton Fron`ton" noun [ French, a pediment. See
Front .]
(Architecture) Same as Frontal , 2.
Froppish Frop"pish adjective [ Confer
Frap ,
Frape .]
Peevish; froward. [ Obsolete]
Clarendon.
Frore Frore adverb [ See
Frorn .]
Frostily. [ Obsolete]
The parching air
Burns frore , and cold performs the effect of fire.
Milton.
Frorn Frorn p. adjective [ Anglo-Saxon
froren , past participle of
freósun to freeze. See
Freeze .]
Frozen. [ Obsolete]
Well nigh frorn I feel.
Spenser.
Frory Fro"ry adjective [ Anglo-Saxon
freórig . See
Frorn .]
1. Frozen; stiff with cold. [ Obsolete]
Spenser. 2. Covered with a froth like hoarfrost. [ Archaic]
The foaming steed with frory bit to steer.
Fairfax.
Frost Frost (frŏst; 115)
noun [ Middle English
frost ,
forst , Anglo-Saxon
forst ,
frost . from
freósan to freeze; akin to Dutch
varst , G., Old High German , Icelandic , Dan., & Swedish
frost . √18. See
Freeze ,
intransitive verb ]
1. The act of freezing; -- applied chiefly to the congelation of water; congelation of fluids. 2. The state or temperature of the air which occasions congelation, or the freezing of water; severe cold or freezing weather. The third bay comes a frost , a killing frost .
Shak. 3. Frozen dew; -- called also hoarfrost or white frost . He scattereth the hoar frost like ashes.
Ps. cxlvii. 16. 4. Coldness or insensibility; severity or rigidity of character. [ R.]
It was of those moments of intense feeling when the frost of the Scottish people melts like a snow wreath.
Sir W. Scott. Black frost ,
cold so intense as to freeze vegetation and cause it to turn black, without the formation of hoarfrost. --
Frost bearer (Physics) ,
a philosophical instrument illustrating the freezing of water in a vacuum; a cryophorus. --
Frost grape (Botany) ,
an American grape, with very small, acid berries. --
Frost lamp ,
a lamp placed below the oil tube of an Argand lamp to keep the oil limpid on cold nights; -- used especially in lighthouses. Knight. --
Frost nail ,
a nail with a sharp head driven into a horse's shoe to keep him from slipping. --
Frost smoke ,
an appearance resembling smoke, caused by congelation of vapor in the atmosphere in time of severe cold. The brig and the ice round her are covered by a strange black
obscurity: it is the frost smoke of arctic winters.
Kane. --
Frost valve ,
a valve to drain the portion of a pipe, hydrant, pump, etc., where water would be liable to freeze. --
Jack Frost ,
a popular personification of frost.
Frost Frost transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Frosted ;
present participle & verbal noun Frosting .]
1. To injure by frost; to freeze, as plants. 2. To cover with hoarfrost; to produce a surface resembling frost upon, as upon cake, metals, or glass. While with a hoary light she frosts the ground.
Wordsworth. 3. To roughen or sharpen, as the nail heads or calks of horseshoes, so as to fit them for frosty weather.
Frost signal Frost" sig`nal (Meteor.) A signal consisting of a white flag with a black center, used by the United States Weather Bureau to indicate that a local frost is expected. It is used only in Florida and along the coasts of the Pacific and the Gulf Mexico.
Frost-bitten Frost`-bit"ten p. adjective Nipped, withered, or injured, by frost or freezing.
Frost-blite Frost`-blite" noun (Botany) (a) A plant of the genus Atriplex ; orache. Gray. (b) The lamb's- quarters ( Chenopodium album ). Dr. Prior.
Frostbird Frost"bird noun (Zoology) The golden plover.
Frostbite Frost"bite noun The freezing, or effect of a freezing, of some part of the body, as the ears or nose. Kane. [ 1913 Webster]
Frostbite Frost`bite" transitive verb To expose to the effect of frost, or a frosty air; to blight or nip with frost. My wife up and with Mrs. Pen to walk in the fields to frostbite themselves.
Pepys.
Frostbow Frost"bow` noun A white arc or circle in the sky attending frosty weather and formed by reflection of sunlight from ice crystals floating in the air; the parhelic circle whose center is at the zenith.
Frosted Frost"ed adjective Covered with hoarfrost or anything resembling hoarfrost; ornamented with frosting; also, frost-bitten; as, a frosted cake; frosted glass. Frosted work is introduced as a foil or contrast to burnished work.
Knight.
Frostfish Frost`fish" noun (Zoology) (a) The tomcod; -- so called because it is abundant on the New England coast in autumn at about the commencement of frost. See Tomcod . (b) The smelt. [ Local, U. S.]
(c) A name applied in New Zealand to the scabbard fish ( Lepidotus ) valued as a food fish.
Frostily Frost"i·ly adverb In a frosty manner.
Frostiness Frost"i·ness noun State or quality of being frosty.
Frosting Frost"ing noun 1. A composition of sugar and beaten egg, used to cover or ornament cake, pudding, etc. 2. A lusterless finish of metal or glass; the process of producing such a finish.
Frostless Frost"less adjective Free from frost; as, a frostless winter.
Frostweed Frost"weed` noun (Botany) An American species of rockrose ( Helianthemum Canadense ), sometimes used in medicine as an astringent or aromatic tonic. » It has large yellow flowers which are often sterile, and later it has abundant but inconspicuous flowers which bear seed. It is so called because, late in autumn, crystals of ice shoot from the cracked bark at the root; -- called also frostwort.
Frostwork Frost`work" noun The figurework, often fantastic and delicate, which moisture sometimes forms in freezing, as upon a window pane or a flagstone.
Frostwort Frost`wort" noun (Botany) Same as Frostweed .
Frosty Frost"y adjective [ Confer Anglo-Saxon
fyrstig .]
1. Attended with, or producing, frost; having power to congeal water; cold; freezing; as, a frosty night. 2. Covered with frost; as, the grass is frosty . 3. Chill in affection; without warmth of affection or courage. Johnson. 4. Appearing as if covered with hoarfrost; white; gray-haired; as, a frosty head. Shak.
Frote Frote transitive verb [ French
frotter .]
To rub or wear by rubbing; to chafe. [ Obsolete]
B. Jonson.
Froterer Fro"ter·er noun One who frotes; one who rubs or chafes. [ Obsolete]
Marston.
Froth Froth noun [ Middle English
frothe , Icelandic
froða ; akin to Danish
fraade , Swedish
fradga , Anglo-Saxon
āfreoðan to froth.]
1. The bubbles caused in fluids or liquors by fermentation or agitation; spume; foam; esp., a spume of saliva caused by disease or nervous excitement. 2. Any empty, senseless show of wit or eloquence; rhetoric without thought. Johnson. It was a long speech, but all froth .
L'Estrange. 3. Light, unsubstantial matter. Tusser. Froth insect (Zoology) ,
the cuckoo spit or frog hopper; -- called also froth spit , froth worm , and froth fly . --
Froth spit .
See Cuckoo spit , under Cuckoo.
Froth Froth transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Frothed ;
present participle & verbal noun .
Frothing .]
1. To cause to foam. 2. To spit, vent, or eject, as froth. He . . . froths treason at his mouth.
Dryden. Is your spleen frothed out, or have ye more?
Tennyson. 3. To cover with froth; as, a horse froths his chain.
Froth Froth intransitive verb To throw up or out spume, foam, or bubbles; to foam; as beer froths ; a horse froths .
Frothily Froth"i·ly adverb In a frothy manner.
Frothiness Froth"i·ness noun State or quality of being frothy.
Frothing Froth"ing noun Exaggerated declamation; rant.
Frothless Froth"less adjective Free from froth.
Frothy Froth"y adjective [
Compar. Frothier ;
superl. Frothiest .]
1. Full of foam or froth, or consisting of froth or light bubbles; spumous; foamy. 2. Not firm or solid; soft; unstable. Bacon. 3. Of the nature of froth; light; empty; unsubstantial; as, a frothy speaker or harangue. Tillotson.
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