Fuss Fuss intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Fussed ;
present participle & verbal noun Fussing .]
To be overbusy or unduly anxious about trifles; to make a bustle or ado. Sir W. Scott.
Fussily Fuss"i·ly adverb In a fussy manner. Byron.
Fussiness Fuss"i·ness noun The quality of being fussy.
Fussy Fuss"y adjective [
Compar. Fussier ;
superl Fussiest .]
Making a fuss; disposed to make an unnecessary ado about trifles; overnice; fidgety. Not at all fussy about his personal appearance.
R. G. White.
Fust Fust (fŭst)
noun [ Old French
fust , French
fût , from Latin
fustis stick staff.]
(Architecture) The shaft of a column, or trunk of a pilaster. Gwilt.
Fust Fust noun [ Old French
fust cask, French
fût cask, taste or smell of the cask,
fustiness , confer sentir le
fût to taste of the cask. See 1st
Fust .]
A strong, musty smell; mustiness.
Fust Fust intransitive verb To become moldy; to smell ill. [ Obsolete]
Fusted Fust"ed adjective Moldy; ill- smelling. [ Obsolete]
Bp. Hall.
Fusteric Fus"ter·ic noun The coloring matter of fustet. Ure.
Fustet Fus"tet noun [ French
fustet (cf. Spanish & Portuguese
fustete ), Late Latin
fustetus , from Latin
fustis stick, in Late Latin , tree, See
1st Fust , and confer
Fustic .]
The wood of the Rhus Cotinus or Venice sumach , a shrub of Southern Europe, which yields a fine orange color, which, however, is not durable without a mordant. Ure.
Fustian Fus"tian noun [ Middle English
fustan ,
fustian , Old French
fustaine , French
futaine , Italian
fustagno , from Late Latin
fustaneum ,
fustanum ; confer Pr.
fustani , Spanish
fustan . So called from
Fustāt , i. e., Cairo, where it was made.]
1. A kind of coarse twilled cotton or cotton and linen stuff, including corduroy, velveteen, etc. 2. An inflated style of writing; a kind of writing in which high-sounding words are used, above the dignity of the thoughts or subject; bombast. Claudius . . . has run his description into the most wretched
fustian .
Addison.
Fustian Fus"tian adjective 1. Made of fustian. 2. Pompous; ridiculously tumid; inflated; bombastic; as, fustian history. Walpole.
Fustianist Fus"tian·ist noun A writer of fustian. [ R.]
Milton.
Fustic Fus"tic noun [ French
fustoc , Spanish
fustoc . Confer
Fustet .]
The wood of the Maclura tinctoria , a tree growing in the West Indies, used in dyeing yellow; -- called also old fustic . [ Written also
fustoc .] » Other kinds of yellow wood are often called
fustic ; as that of species of
Xanthoxylum , and especially the
Rhus Cotinus , which is sometimes called
young fustic to distinguish it from the
Maclura . See
Fustet .
Fustigate Fus"ti·gate transitive verb [ Latin
fustigare , from
fustis stick. See
1st Fust .]
To cudgel. [ R.]
Bailey.
Fustigation Fus"ti·ga"tion noun [ Confer French
fustigation .]
A punishment by beating with a stick or club; cudgeling. This satire, composed of actual fustigation .
Motley.
Fustilarian Fus"ti·la"ri·an noun [ From
Fusty .]
A low fellow; a stinkard; a scoundrel. [ Obsolete]
Shak.
Fustilug, Fustilugs Fus"ti·lug`, Fus"ti·lugs` noun [
Fusty +
lug something heavy, to be drawn or carried.]
A gross, fat, unwieldy person. [ Obsolete]
F. Junius.
Fustiness Fust"i·ness noun A fusty state or quality; moldiness; mustiness; an ill smell from moldiness.
Fusty Fusty adjective [
Compar .
Fustier ;
superl Fustiest .] [ See
2d Fust .]
1. Moldy; musty; ill-smelling; rank. "A
fusty nut." "
Fusty plebeians."
Shak. 2. Moping. [ Archaic]
A melancholy, fusty humor.
Pepys.
Fusure Fu"sure noun [ Latin
fusura , from
fundere ,
fusum . See
Fuse ,
transitive verb ]
Act of fusing; fusion. [ R.]
Futchel Futch"el noun The jaws between which the hinder end of a carriage tongue is inserted. Knight.
Futhorc, Futhork Fu"thorc, Fu"thork noun [ Written also
futharc ,
futhark .]
The Runic alphabet; -- so called from the six letters f , u , þ ( th ), o (or a ), r , c ( =k ). The letters are called Runes and the alphabet bears the name Futhorc from the first six letters.
I. Taylor. » The spelling
futharc represents most accurately the original values of these six Runic letters.
Futile Fu"tile adjective [ Latin
futilis that easily pours out, that easily lets loose, vain, worthless, from the root of
fundere to pour out: confer French
futile . See
Fuse ,
transitive verb ]
1. Talkative; loquacious; tattling. [ Obsolete]
Talkers and futile persons.
Bacon. 2. Of no importance; answering no useful end; useless; vain; worthless. "
Futile theories."
I. Taylor. His reasoning . . . was singularly futile .
Macaulay.
Futilely Fu"tile·ly adverb In a futile manner.
Futility Fu"til`i·ty noun [ Latin
futilitas : confer French
futilité .]
1. The quality of being talkative; talkativeness; loquaciousness; loquacity. [ Obsolete]
2. The quality of producing no valuable effect, or of coming to nothing; uselessness. The futility of this mode of philosophizing.
Whewell.
Futilous Fu"til·ous adjective Futile; trifling. [ Obsolete]
Futtock Fu"ttock noun [ Prob. corrupted from
foothook .]
(Nautical) One of the crooked timbers which are scarfed together to form the lower part of the compound rib of a vessel; one of the crooked transverse timbers passing across and over the keel. Futtock plates (Nautical) ,
plates of iron to which the dead-eyes of the topmast rigging are secured. --
Futtock shrouds ,
short iron shrouds leading from the upper part of the lower mast or of the main shrouds to the edge of the top, or through it, and connecting the topmast rigging with the lower mast. Totten.
Futurable Fu"tur·a·ble adjective Capable of being future; possible to occur. [ R.]
Not only to things future, but futurable .
Fuller.
Future Fu"ture adjective [ French
futur , Latin
futurus , used as fut. p. of
esse to be, but from the same root as English
be . See
Be ,
intransitive verb ]
That is to be or come hereafter; that will exist at any time after the present; as, the next moment is future , to the present. Future tense (Gram.) ,
the tense or modification of a verb which expresses a future act or event.
Future Fu"ture noun [ Confer F.
futur . See
Future ,
adjective ]
1. Time to come; time subsequent to the present (as, the future shall be as the present); collectively, events that are to happen in time to come. "Lay the
future open."
Shak. 2. The possibilities of the future; -- used especially of prospective success or advancement; as, he had great future before him. 3. (Gram.) A future tense. To deal in futures ,
to speculate on the future values of merchandise or stocks. [ Brokers' cant]
Futureless Fu"ture·less adjective Without prospect of betterment in the future. W. D. Howells.
Futurely Fu"ture·ly adverb In time to come. [ Obsolete]
Raleigh.
Futurism Fu"tur·ism noun (Painting) A movement or phase of post-impressionism (which see, below).
Futurist Fu"tur·ist noun 1. One whose chief interests are in what is to come; one who anxiously, eagerly, or confidently looks forward to the future; an expectant. 2. (Theol.) One who believes or maintains that the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Bible is to be in the future.
Futuritial Fu`tu·ri"tial adjective Relating to what is to come; pertaining to futurity; future. [ R.]
Futurition Fu`tu·ri"tion noun [ Confer French
futurition .]
The state of being future; futurity. [ R.]
Nothing . . . can have this imagined futurition , but as it is decreed.
Coleridge.
Futurity Fu·tu"ri·ty noun ;
plural Futurities 1. State of being that is yet to come; future state. 2. Future time; time to come; the future. 3. Event to come; a future event. All futurities are naked before the All-seeing Eye.
South.
Fuze Fuze noun A tube, filled with combustible matter, for exploding a shell, etc. See Fuse , noun Chemical fuze ,
a fuze in which substances separated until required for action are then brought into contact, and uniting chemically, produce explosion. --
Concussion fuze ,
a fuze ignited by the striking of the projectile. --
Electric fuze ,
a fuze which is ignited by heat or a spark produced by an electric current. - -
Friction fuze ,
a fuze which is ignited by the heat evolved by friction. --
Percussion fuze ,
a fuze in which the ignition is produced by a blow on some fulminating compound. --
Time fuze ,
a fuze adapted, either by its length or by the character of its composition, to burn a certain time before producing an explosion.
Fuzz Fuzz transitive verb To make drunk. [ Obsolete]
Wood.
Fuzz Fuzz noun [ Confer Prov. English
fuzzy that ravels (of silk or cotton), Dutch
voos spongy, fungous, German
faser filament. English
feaze to untwist.]
Fine, light particles or fibers; loose, volatile matter. Fuzz ball ,
a kind of fungus or mushroom, which, when pressed, bursts and scatters a fine dust; a puffball.
Fuzz Fuzz intransitive verb To fly off in minute particles.
Fuzzle Fuz"zle transitive verb [ Confer LG.
fuseln to drink common liquor, from
fusel bad liquor.]
To make drunk; to intoxicate; to fuddle. [ Obsolete]
Burton.
Fuzzy Fuzz"y adjective [ See
Fuzz ,
noun ]
1. Not firmly woven; that ravels. [ Written also
fozy .] [ Prov. Eng.]
2. Furnished with fuzz; having fuzz; like fuzz; as, the fuzzy skin of a peach.
Fy Fy interj. [ See
Fie ,
interj .]
A word which expresses blame, dislike, disapprobation, abhorrence, or contempt. See Fie .
Fyke Fyke noun [ Dutch
fuik a bow net.]
A long bag net distended by hoops, into which fish can pass easily, without being able to return; -- called also fyke net . Cozzens.
Fyllot Fyl"lot noun [ Prov. from Anglo-Saxon
fy...erf...te ,
fierf...te ,
feówerf...te . See
Four , and
Foot , noun ]
A rebated cross, formerly used as a secret emblem, and a common ornament. It is also called gammadion , and swastika .
Fyrd, Fyrdung Fyrd, Fyr"dung noun [ Anglo-Saxon ; akin to English
fare ,
intransitive verb ]
(Old. Eng. Hist.) The military force of the whole nation, consisting of all men able to bear arms. The national fyrd or militia.
J. R. Green.
Fytte Fytte noun See Fit a song. [ Archaic]
Fæcal Fæ"cal adjective See Fecal .