Marshiness Marsh"i·ness (märsh"ĭ*nĕs) noun The state or condition of being marshy.

Marshy Marsh"y (-ȳ) adjective [ English Marsh .]

1. Resembling a marsh; wet; boggy; fenny.

2. Pertaining to, or produced in, marshes; as, a marshy weed. Dryden.

Marsipobranch Mar"si·po·branch` noun (Zoology) One of the Marsipobranchia.

Marsipobranchia Mar"si·po·bran"chi·a noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... a pouch + ... a gill.] (Zoology) A class of Vertebrata, lower than fishes, characterized by their purselike gill cavities, cartilaginous skeletons, absence of limbs, and a suckerlike mouth destitute of jaws. It includes the lampreys and hagfishes. See Cyclostoma , and Lamprey . Called also Marsipobranchiata , and Marsipobranchii .

Marsupial Mar·su"pi·al (mär*sū"pĭ* a l) adjective [ Confer French marsupial .]

1. (Zoology) Having a pouch for carrying the immature young; of or pertaining to the Marsupialia.

2. (Anat. & Zoology) Of or pertaining to a marsupium; as, the marsupial bones.

Marsupial frog . (Zoology) See Nototrema .

Marsupial Mar·su"pi·al noun (Zoology) One of the Marsupialia.

Marsupialia Mar·su`pi·a"li·a (-ā"lĭ*ȧ) noun plural [ New Latin , from Latin marsupium a pouch, bag, purse, Greek marsy`pion , dim. of ma`rsypos , ma`rsipos .] (Zoology) A subclass of Mammalia, including nearly all the mammals of Australia and the adjacent islands, together with the opossums of America. They differ from ordinary mammals in having the corpus callosum very small, in being implacental, and in having their young born while very immature. The female generally carries the young for some time after birth in an external pouch, or marsupium. Called also Marsupiata .

Marsupialian, Marsupian Mar·su`pi·a"li·an, Mar·su"pi·an noun (Zoology) One of the Marsupialia.

Marsupiate Mar·su"pi·ate adjective (Zoology) Related to or resembling the marsupials; furnished with a pouch for the young, as the marsupials, and also some fishes and Crustacea.

Marsupion Mar·su"pi·on noun [ New Latin ] Same as Marsupium .

Marsupite Mar"su·pite noun [ See Marsupial .] (Paleon.) A fossil crinoid of the genus Marsupites , resembling a purse in form.

Marsupium Mar·su"pi·um noun ; plural Marsupia . [ Latin , a pouch], (Anat. & Zoology) (a) The pouch, formed by a fold of the skin of the abdomen, in which marsupials carry their young; also, a pouch for similar use in other animals, as certain Crustacea. (b) The pecten in the eye of birds and reptiles. See Pecten .

Mart Mart (märt) noun [ Contr. from market .]

1. A market.

Where has commerce such a mart . . . as London ?

Cowper.

2. A bargain. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Mart Mart transitive verb To buy or sell in, or as in, a mart. [ Obsolete]

To sell and mart your officer for gold
To undeservers.

Shak.

Mart Mart transitive verb To traffic. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Mart Mart noun [ See Mars .] 1. The god Mars. [ Obsolete]

2. Battle; contest. [ Obsolete] Fairfax.

Martagon Mar"ta·gon noun [ Confer F. & Spanish martagon , Italian martagone .] (Botany) A lily ( Lilium Martagon ) with purplish red flowers, found in Europe and Asia.

Martel Mar"tel intransitive verb [ French marteler , from martel , marteau , hammer, a dim. from Latin martulus , marculus , dim. of marcus hammer. Confer March to step.] To make a blow with, or as with, a hammer. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Martel de fer Mar`tel` de fer" [ Old French , hammer of iron.] A weapon resembling a hammer, often having one side of the head pointed; -- used by horsemen in the Middle Ages to break armor. Fairholt.

Marteline Mar"te·line noun [ French] A small hammer used by marble workers and sculptors.

Martello tower Mar·tel"lo tow`er [ Italian martello hammer. The name was orig. given to towers erected on the coasts of Sicily and Sardinia for protection against the pirates in the time of Charles the Fifth, which probably orig. contained an alarm bell to be struck with a hammer. See Martel .] (Fort.) A building of masonry, generally circular, usually erected on the seacoast, with a gun on the summit mounted on a traversing platform, so as to be fired in any direction.

» The English borrowed the name of the tower from Corsica in 1794.

Marten Mar"ten (mär"tĕn) noun (Zoology) A bird. See Martin .

Marten Mar"ten noun [ From older martern , marter , martre , French martre , marte , Late Latin martures (pl.), from Latin martes ; akin to Anglo-Saxon mearð , meard , German marder , Old High German mardar , Icelandic mörðr . Confer Foumart .] 1. (Zoology) Any one of several fur-bearing carnivores of the genus Mustela , closely allied to the sable. Among the more important species are the European beech, or stone, marten ( Mustela foina ); the pine marten ( M. martes ); and the American marten, or sable ( M. Americana ), which some zoölogists consider only a variety of the Russian sable.

2. The fur of the marten, used for hats, muffs, etc.

Martern Mar"tern noun (Zoology) Same as Marten . [ Obsolete]

Martial Mar"tial adjective [ French, from Latin martialis of or belonging to Mars , the god of war. Confer March the month.]

1. Of, pertaining to, or suited for, war; military; as, martial music; a martial appearance. " Martial equipage." Milton.

2. Practiced in, or inclined to, war; warlike; brave.

But peaceful kings, o'er martial people set,
Each other's poise and counterbalance are.

Dryden.

3. Belonging to war, or to an army and navy; -- opposed to civil ; as, martial law; a court - martial .

4. Pertaining to, or resembling, the god, or the planet, Mars. Sir T. Browne.

5. (Old Chem. & Old Med.) Pertaining to, or containing, iron; chalybeate; as, martial preparations. [ Archaic]

Martial flowers (Medicine) , a reddish crystalline salt of iron; the ammonio-chloride of iron. [ Obsolete] - - Martial law , the law administered by the military power of a government when it has superseded the civil authority in time of war, or when the civil authorities are unable to enforce the laws. It is distinguished from military law , the latter being the code of rules for the regulation of the army and navy alone, either in peace or in war.

Syn. -- Martial , Warlike . Martial refers more to war in action , its array, its attendants, etc.; as, martial music, a martial appearance, a martial array, courts -martial , etc. Warlike describes the feeling or temper which leads to war, and the adjuncts of war; as, a warlike nation, warlike indication, etc. The two words are often used without discrimination.

Martialism Mar"tial·ism noun The quality of being warlike; exercises suitable for war. [ Obsolete]

Martialist Mar"tial·ist noun A warrior. [ Obsolete] Fuller.

Martialize Mar"tial·ize transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Martialized ; present participle & verbal noun Martializing .] To render warlike; as, to martialize a people.

Martially Mar"tial·ly adverb In a martial manner.

Martialness Mar"tial·ness noun The quality of being martial.

Martian Mar"tian adjective [ Latin Martius .] Of or pertaining to Mars, the Roman god of war, or to the planet bearing his name; martial.

Martian Mar"tian noun An inhabitant of the planet Mars. Du Maurier.

Martin Mar"tin noun (Stone Working) [ Etymol. uncertain.] A perforated stone-faced runner for grinding.

Martin Mar"tin noun [ French martin , from the proper name Martin . Confer Martlet .] (Zoology) One of several species of swallows, usually having the tail less deeply forked than the tail of the common swallows. [ Written also marten .]

» The American purple martin, or bee martin ( Progne subis, or purpurea ), and the European house, or window, martin ( Hirundo, or Chelidon, urbica ), are the best known species.

Bank martin . (a) The bank swallow . See under Bank . (b) The fairy martin. See under Fairy . -- Bee martin . (a) The purple martin . (b) The kingbird. -- Sand martin , the bank swallow.

Martinet Mar"ti·net` noun [ So called from an officer of that name in the French army under Louis XIV. Confer Martin the bird, Martlet .] In military language, a strict disciplinarian; in general, one who lays stress on a rigid adherence to the details of discipline, or to forms and fixed methods. [ Hence, the word is commonly employed in a depreciatory sense.]

Martinet Mar"ti·net` noun [ French] (Zoology) The martin.

Martineta Mar`ti·ne"ta noun [ Confer Spanish martinete .] (Zoology) A species of tinamou ( Calopezus elegans ), having a long slender crest.

Martinetism Mar"ti·net`ism noun The principles or practices of a martinet; rigid adherence to discipline, etc.

Martingale, Martingal Mar"tin·gale, Mar"tin·gal noun [ French martingale ; confer Italian martingala a sort of hose, martingale, Spanish martingala a greave, cuish, martingale, Spanish almártaga a kind of bridle.] 1. A strap fastened to a horse's girth, passing between his fore legs, and fastened to the bit, or now more commonly ending in two rings, through which the reins pass. It is intended to hold down the head of the horse, and prevent him from rearing.

2. (Nautical) A lower stay of rope or chain for the jib boom or flying jib boom, fastened to, or reeved through, the dolphin striker. Also, the dolphin striker itself.

3. (Gambling) The act of doubling, at each stake, that which has been lost on the preceding stake; also, the sum so risked; -- metaphorically derived from the bifurcation of the martingale of a harness. [ Cant] Thackeray.

Martinmas Mar"tin·mas noun [ St. Martin + mass religious service.] (Eccl.) The feast of St. Martin, the eleventh of November; -- often called martlemans .

Martinmas summer , a period of calm, warm weather often experienced about the time of Martinmas; Indian summer. Percy Smith.

Martite Mar"tite noun [ Latin Mars , Martis , the god Mars, the alchemical name of iron.] (Min.) Iron sesquioxide in isometric form, probably a pseudomorph after magnetite.

Martlemas Mar"tle·mas noun See Martinmas . [ Obsolete]

Martlet Mart"let noun [ French martinet . See Martin the bird, and confer Martinet a disciplinarian.]

1. (Zoology) The European house martin.

2. [ Confer French merlette .] (Her.) A bird without beak or feet; -- generally assumed to represent a martin . As a mark of cadency it denotes the fourth son.

Martyr Mar"tyr noun [ Anglo-Saxon , from Latin martyr , Greek ma`rtyr , ma`rtys , prop., a witness; confer Sanskrit smr to remember, English memory .]

1. One who, by his death, bears witness to the truth of the gospel; one who is put to death for his religion; as, Stephen was the first Christian martyr . Chaucer.

To be a martyr , signifies only to witness the truth of Christ; but the witnessing of the truth was then so generally attended with persecution, that martyrdom now signifies not only to witness, but to witness by death.

South.

2. Hence, one who sacrifices his life, his station, or what is of great value to him, for the sake of principle, or to sustain a cause.

Then if thou fall'st, O Cromwell,
Thou fall'st a blessed martyr !

Shak.

Martyr Mar"tyr transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Martyred ; present participle & verbal noun Martyring .] 1. To put to death for adhering to some belief, esp. Christianity; to sacrifice on account of faith or profession. Bp. Pearson.

2. To persecute; to torment; to torture. Chaucer.

The lovely Amoret, whose gentle heart
Thou martyrest with sorrow and with smart.

Spenser.

Racked with sciatics, martyred with the stone.

Pope.

Martyrdom Mar"tyr·dom noun [ Martyr + -dom .]

1. The condition of a martyr; the death of a martyr; the suffering of death on account of adherence to the Christian faith, or to any cause. Bacon.

I came from martyrdom unto this peace.

Longfellow.

2. Affliction; torment; torture. Chaucer.

Martyrization Mar`tyr·i·za"tion noun Act of martyrizing, or state of being martyrized; torture. B. Jonson.

Martyrize Mar"tyr·ize transitive verb [ Confer French martyriser , Late Latin martyrizare .] To make a martyr of. Spenser.

Martyrly Mar"tyr·ly adverb In the manner of a martyr.

Martyrologe Mar"tyr·o·loge noun [ Late Latin martyrologium : confer French martyrologe .] A martyrology. [ Obsolete] Bp. Hall.

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