Mysis My"sis noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... a closing of the lips or eyes.]
(Zoology) A genus of small schizopod shrimps found both in fresh and salt water; the opossum shrimps. One species inhabits the Great Lakes of North America, and is largely eaten by the whitefish. The marine species form part of the food of right whales.
Mystacal Mys"ta·cal adjective [ Greek
my`stax mustache.]
(Zoology) Of or pertaining to the upper lip, or mustache.
Mystagogic, Mystagogical Mys`ta·gog"ic, Mys`ta·gog"ic·al adjective Of or pertaining to interpretation of mysteries or to mystagogue; of the nature of mystagogy.
Mystagogue Mys"ta·gogue noun [ Latin
mystagogus , Greek ...; ... one initiated in mysteries + ... leading, noun , a leader, from ... to lead: confer French
mystagogue . See 1st
Mystery .]
1. One who interprets mysteries, especially of a religious kind. 2. One who keeps and shows church relics.
Mystagogy Mys"ta·go`gy noun The doctrines, principles, or practice of a mystagogue; interpretation of mysteries.
Mysterial Mys·te"ri·al adjective Mysterious. [ Obsolete]
Mysteriarch Mys·te"ri·arch noun [ Latin
mysteriarches , Greek ...; ... mystery + ... chief.]
One presiding over mysteries. [ Obsolete]
Mysterious Mys·te"ri·ous adjective [ French
mystèrieux . See 1st
Mystery .]
Of or pertaining to mystery; containing a mystery; difficult or impossible to understand; obscure; not revealed or explained; enigmatical; incomprehensible. God at last
To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied,
Thought in mysterious terms.
Milton. Syn. -- Obscure; secret; occult; dark; mystic; cabalistic; enigmatical; unintelligible; incomprehensible.
Mysteriously Mys·te"ri·ous·ly adverb In a mysterious manner.
Mysteriousness Mys·te"ri·ous·ness noun 1. The state or quality of being mysterious. 2. Something mysterious; a mystery. [ R.]
Jer. Taylor.
Mysterize Mys"ter·ize transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Mysterized ;
present participle & verbal noun Mysterizing .]
To make mysterious; to make a mystery of.
Mystery Mys"ter·y (mĭs"tẽr*ȳ)
noun ;
plural Mysteries (- ĭz). [ Latin
mysterium , Greek
mysth`rion , from
my`sths one initiated in mysteries; confer
myei^n to initiate into the mysteries, from
my`ein to shut the eyes. Confer
Mute ,
adjective ]
1. A profound secret; something wholly unknown, or something kept cautiously concealed, and therefore exciting curiosity or wonder; something which has not been or can not be explained; hence, specifically, that which is beyond human comprehension. We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery .
1 Cor. ii. 7. If God should please to reveal unto us this great mystery of the Trinity, or some other mysteries in our holy religion, we should not be able to understand them, unless he would bestow on us some new faculties of the mind.
Swift. 2. A kind of secret religious celebration, to which none were admitted except those who had been initiated by certain preparatory ceremonies; -- usually plural; as, the Eleusinian mysteries . 3. plural The consecrated elements in the eucharist. 4. Anything artfully made difficult; an enigma.
Mystery Mys"ter·y noun ;
plural Mysteries . [ Middle English
mistere , Old French
mestier , French
métier , Latin
ministerium . See
Ministry .]
1. A trade; a handicraft; hence, any business with which one is usually occupied. Fie upon him, he will discredit our mystery .
Shak. And that which is the noblest mystery
Brings to reproach and common infamy.
Spenser. 2. A dramatic representation of a Scriptural subject, often some event in the life of Christ; a dramatic composition of this character; as, the Chester Mysteries , consisting of dramas acted by various craft associations in that city in the early part of the 14th century. " Mystery plays," so called because acted by craftsmen.
Skeat.
Mystic Mys"tic noun One given to mysticism; one who holds mystical views, interpretations, etc.; especially, in ecclesiastical history, one who professed mysticism. See Mysticism .
Mystic, Mystical Mys"tic, Mys"tic·al adjective [ Latin
mysticus , Greek ... belonging to secret rites, from ... one initiated: confer French
mystique . See 1st
Mystery ,
Misty .]
1. Remote from or beyond human comprehension; baffling human understanding; unknowable; obscure; mysterious. Heaven's numerous hierarchy span
The mystic gulf from God to man.
Emerson. God hath revealed a way mystical and supernatural.
Hooker. 2. Importing or implying mysticism; involving some secret meaning; allegorical; emblematical; as, a mystic dance; mystic Babylon. Thus, then, did the spirit of unity and meekness inspire every joint and sinew of the mystical body.
Milton. --
Mys"tic*al*ly ,
adverb --
Mys"tic*al*ness ,
noun
Mysticete Mys"ti·cete noun [ Greek
my`stax the upper lip, also, the mustache +
kh^tos a whale.]
(Zoology) Any right whale, or whalebone whale. See Cetacea .
Mysticism Mys"ti·cism noun [ Confer French
mysticisme .]
1. Obscurity of doctrine. 2. (Eccl. Hist.) The doctrine of the Mystics, who professed a pure, sublime, and wholly disinterested devotion, and maintained that they had direct intercourse with the divine Spirit, and aquired a knowledge of God and of spiritual things unattainable by the natural intellect, and such as can not be analyzed or explained. 3. (Philos.) The doctrine that the ultimate elements or principles of knowledge or belief are gained by an act or process akin to feeling or faith.
Mystification Mys`ti·fi·ca"tion noun [ Confer French
mystification .]
The act of mystifying, or the state of being mystied; also, something designed to, or that does, mystify. The reply of Pope seems very much as though he had been playing off a mystification on his Grace.
De Quincey.
Mystificator Mys"ti·fi·ca`tor noun One who mystifies.
Mystify Mys"ti·fy transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Mystified ;
present participle & verbal noun Mystifying .] [ French
mystifier , from Greek ... + Latin
- ficare (in comp.) to make. See 1st
Mystery , and
- fy .]
1. To involve in mystery; to make obscure or difficult to understand; as, to mystify a passage of Scripture. 2. To perplex the mind of; to puzzle; to impose upon the credulity of ; as, to mystify an opponent. He took undue advantage of his credulity and mystified him exceedingly.
Ld. Campbell.
Mytacism My"ta·cism noun [ Greek .... Confer
Metacism .]
Too frequent use of the letter m , or of the sound represented by it.
Myth Myth noun [ Written also
mythe .] [ Greek
my^qos myth, fable, tale, talk, speech: confer French
mythe .]
1. A story of great but unknown age which originally embodied a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are personified; an ancient legend of a god, a hero, the origin of a race, etc.; a wonder story of prehistoric origin; a popular fable which is, or has been, received as historical. 2. A person or thing existing only in imagination, or whose actual existence is not verifiable. As for Mrs. Primmins's bones, they had been myths these twenty years.
Ld. Lytton. Myth history ,
history made of, or mixed with, myths.
Mythe Mythe noun See Myth . Grote.
Mythic, Mythical Myth"ic, Myth"ic·al adjective [ Latin
mythicus , Greek .... See
Myth .]
Of or relating to myths; described in a myth; of the nature of a myth; fabulous; imaginary; fanciful. --
Myth"ic*al*ly ,
adverb The mythic turf where danced the nymphs.
Mrs. Browning. Hengist and Horsa, Vortigern and Rowena, Arthur and Mordred, are mythical persons, whose very existence may be questioned.
Macaulay.
Mythographer My·thog"ra·pher noun [ Greek
myqogra`fos ;
my^qos +
gra`fein to write.]
A composer of fables.
Mythologer My·thol"o·ger noun A mythologist.
Mythologian Myth`o·lo"gi·an noun A mythologist.
Mythologic, Mythological Myth`o·log"ic, Myth`o·log"ic·al adjective [ Latin
mythologicus : confer French
mytholigique .]
Of or pertaining to mythology or to myths; mythical; fabulous. --
Myth`o*log"ic*al*ly ,
adverb
Mythologist My·thol"o·gist noun [ Confer French
mythologiste .]
One versed in, or who writes on, mythology or myths.
Mythologize My·thol"o·gize intransitive verb [ Confer French
mythologiser .]
1. To relate, classify, and explain, or attempt to explain, myths; to write upon myths. 2. To construct and propagate myths.
Mythologizer My·thol"o·gi`zer noun One who, or that which, mythologizes. Imagination has always been, and still is, in a narrower sense, the great mythologizer .
Lowell.
Mythologue Myth"o·logue noun [ See
Mythology .]
A fabulous narrative; a myth. [ R.]
May we not . . . consider his history of the fall as an excellent mythologue , to account for the origin of human evil?
Geddes.
Mythology My·thol"o·gy noun ;
plural Mythologies . [ French
mythologie , Latin
mythologia , Greek
myqologi`a ;
my^qos , fable, myth +
lo`gos speech, discourse.]
1. The science which treats of myths; a treatise on myths. 2. A body of myths; esp., the collective myths which describe the gods of a heathen people; as, the mythology of the Greeks.
Mythopœic Myth`o·pœ"ic adjective [ Greek
myqopoio`s making myths;
my^qos myth +
poiei^n to make.]
Making or producing myths; giving rise to mythical narratives. The mythopœic fertility of the Greeks.
Grote.
Mythoplasm Myth"o·plasm noun [ Greek
my^qos myth +
pla`ssein to form.]
A narration of mere fable.
Mythopoetic Myth`o·po·et"ic adjective [ Greek
my^qos myth + ... able to make, producing, from
poiei^n to make.]
Making or producing myths or mythical tales.
Mytiloid Myt"i·loid adjective [
Mytilus +
-oid .]
(Zoology) Like, or pertaining to, the genus Mytilus, or family Mytilidæ .
Mytilotoxine Myt`i·lo·tox"ine noun [
Mytilus +
toxic .]
(Physiol. Chem.) A poisonous base (leucomaine) found in the common mussel. It either causes paralysis of the muscles, or gives rise to convulsions, including death by an accumulation of carbonic acid in the blood.
Mytilus Myt"i·lus noun [ Latin , a sea mussel, Greek ....]
(Zoology) A genus of marine bivalve shells, including the common mussel. See Illust. under Byssus .
Myxœdema Myx`œ·de"ma noun [ New Latin from Greek ... mucus +
œdema .]
(Medicine) A disease producing a peculiar cretinoid appearance of the face, slow speech, and dullness of intellect, and due to failure of the functions of the thyroid gland. --
Myx`œ*dem"a*tous adjective ,
Myx`œ*dem"ic adjective
Myxa Myx"a noun [ Latin , a lamp nozzle, Greek ....]
(Zoology) The distal end of the mandibles of a bird.
Myxine Myx"ine noun (Zoology) A genus of marsipobranchs, including the hagfish. See Hag , 4.
Myxinoid Myx"i·noid adjective (Zoology) Like, or pertaining to, the genus Myxine. --
noun A hagfish.
Myxocystodea Myx`o·cys·to"de·a noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... mucus + ... a bladder.]
(Zoology) A division of Infusoria including the Noctiluca. See Noctiluca .
Myxoma Myx·o"ma noun ;
plural Myxomata . [ New Latin , from Greek ... mucus +
- oma .]
(Medicine) A tumor made up of a gelatinous tissue resembling that found in the umbilical cord.
Myxomycetes Myx`o·my·ce"tes noun plural [ New Latin ; Greek ... mucus, slime +
myceles .]
(Botany) A class of peculiar organisms, the slime molds, formerly regarded as animals (Mycetozoa), but now generally thought to be plants and often separated as a distinct phylum (Myxophyta). They are found on damp earth and decaying vegetable matter, and consist of naked masses of protoplasm, often of considerable size, which creep very slowly over the surface and ingest solid food. --
Myx`o*my*ce"tous adjective
Myxophyta Myx·oph"y·ta noun plural [ New Latin ; Greek ... mucus, slime + ... plant.]
(Botany) A phylum of the vegetable kingdom consisting of the class Myxomycetes. By some botanists it is not separated from the Thallophyta.
Myxopod Myx"o·pod noun [ Greek ... mucus, slime +
-pod .]
(Zoology) A rhizopod or moneran. Also used adjectively; as, a myxopod state.
Myzontes My·zon"tes noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... to suck.]
(Zoology) The Marsipobranchiata.
Myzostomata My`zo·stom"a·ta noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek
my`zein to suck +
sto`ma ,
-atos , mouth.]
(Zoology) An order of curious parasitic worms found on crinoids. The body is short and disklike, with four pairs of suckers and five pairs of hook-bearing parapodia on the under side.
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