Madreporite Mad"re·po·rite noun [ Confer French madréporite ] 1. (Paleon.) A fossil coral.

2. (Zoology) The madreporic plate of echinoderms.

Madrier Ma·drier" noun [ French, from Spanish madero , or Portuguese madeiro , from Spanish madera wood for building, timber, Portuguese madeira , Latin materia stuff, materials, lumber. See Matter .] A thick plank, used for several mechanical purposes ; especially: (a) A plank to receive the mouth of a petard, with which it is applied to anything intended to be broken down. (b) A plank or beam used for supporting the earth in mines or fortifications.

Madrigal Mad"ri·gal (măd"rĭ*g a l) noun [ Italian madrigale , OIt. madriale , mandriale (cf. Late Latin matriale ); of uncertain origin, possibly from It mandra flock, Latin mandra stall, herd of cattle, Greek ma`ndra fold, stable; hence, madrigal , originally, a pastoral song.] 1. A little amorous poem, sometimes called a pastoral poem , containing some tender and delicate, though simple, thought.

Whose artful strains have oft delayed
The huddling brook to hear his madrigal .

Milton.

2. (Mus.) An unaccompanied polyphonic song, in four, five, or more parts, set to secular words, but full of counterpoint and imitation, and adhering to the old church modes. Unlike the freer glee, it is best sung with several voices on a part. See Glee .

Madrigaler Mad"ri·gal·er noun A madrigalist.

Madrigalist Mad"ri·gal·ist noun A composer of madrigals.

Madrilenian Mad`ri·le"ni·an adjective [ Spanish Madrileño .] Of or pertaining to Madrid in Spain, or to its inhabitants. -- noun A native or inhabitant of Madrid.

Madrina Ma·dri"na noun [ Spanish , prop., a godmother.] An animal (usually an old mare), wearing a bell and acting as the leader of a troop of pack mules. [ S. America]

Madroña Ma·dro"ña noun [ Spanish madroño .] (Botany) A small evergreen tree or shrub ( Arbutus Menziesii ), of California, having a smooth bark, thick shining leaves, and edible red berries, which are often called madroña apples . [ Written also madroño .]

Madwort Mad"wort` noun (Botany) A genus of cruciferous plants ( Alyssum ) with white or yellow flowers and rounded pods. A. maritimum is the commonly cultivated sweet alyssum, a fragrant white-flowered annual.

Maelstrom Mael"strom noun [ Norw., a whirlpool.] 1. A celebrated whirlpool on the coast of Norway.

2. Also Fig. ; as, a maelstrom of vice.

Maestoso Ma`es·to"so adjective & adverb [ Italian ] (Mus.) Majestic or majestically; -- a direction to perform a passage or piece of music in a dignified manner.

Maestricht monitor Maes"tricht mon"i·tor [ So called from Maestricht , a town in Holland.] (Paleon.) The Mosasaurus Hofmanni . See Mosasaurus .

Maestro Ma·es"tro noun [ Italian , from Latin magister . See Master .] A master in any art, especially in music; a composer.

Maffia Maf"fi·a Ma"fi*a noun [ Italian maffia .] A secret society which organized in Sicily as a political organization, but is now widespread among Italians, and is used to further or protect private interests, reputedly by illegal methods.

Maffioso Maf`fi·o"so Ma`fi*o"so noun ; plural -si . [ Italian maffioso .] A member of the maffia.

Maffle Maf"fle intransitive verb [ Akin to OD. maffelen to stammer. Confer Muffle to mumble.] To stammer. [ Obsolete]

Maffler Maf"fler noun A stammerer. [ Obsolete]

Magazine Mag`a·zine" noun [ French magasin , Italian magazzino , or Spanish magacen , almagacen ; all from Arabic makhzan , almakhzan , a storehouse, granary, or cellar.]

1. A receptacle in which anything is stored, especially military stores, as ammunition, arms, provisions, etc. "Armories and magazines ." Milton.

2. The building or room in which the supply of powder is kept in a fortification or a ship.

3. A chamber in a gun for holding a number of cartridges to be fed automatically to the piece.

4. A pamphlet published periodically containing miscellaneous papers or compositions.

Magazine dress , clothing made chiefly of woolen, without anything metallic about it, to be worn in a powder magazine. -- Magazine gun , a portable firearm, as a rifle, with a chamber carrying cartridges which are brought automatically into position for firing. -- Magazine stove , a stove having a chamber for holding fuel which is supplied to the fire by some self-feeding process, as in the common base-burner.

Magazine Mag`a·zine" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Magazined ; present participle & verbal noun Magazining .] To store in, or as in, a magazine; to store up for use.

Magazine Mag`a·zine" noun 1. A country or district especially rich in natural products.

2. A city viewed as a marketing center.

3. A reservoir or supply chamber for a stove, battery, camera, typesetting machine, or other apparatus.

4. A store, or shop, where goods are kept for sale.

Magazine camera Magazine camera (Photog.) A camera in which a number of plates can be exposed without reloading.

Magaziner Mag`a·zin"er noun One who edits or writes for a magazine. [ R.] Goldsmith.

Magazining Mag`a·zin"ing noun The act of editing, or writing for, a magazine. [ Colloq.] Byron.

Magazinist Mag`a·zin"ist noun One who edits or writes for a magazine. [ R.]

Magbote Mag"bote` noun See Mægbote .

Magdala Mag"da·la adjective Designating an orange-red dyestuff obtained from naphthylamine, and called magdala red , naphthalene red , etc.

Magdalen Mag"da·len noun [ From Mary Magdalene , traditionally reported to have been the repentant sinner forgiven by Christ. See Luke vii. 36.] A reformed prostitute.

Magdaleon Mag·da"le·on noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... crumb of bread, from ... to knead.] (Medicine) A medicine in the form of a roll, a esp. a roll of plaster.

Magdeburg Mag"de·burg noun A city of Saxony.

Magdeburg centuries , Magdeburg hemispheres . See under Century , and Hemisphere .

Mage Mage noun [ French mage . See Magi .] A magician. [ Archaic] Spenser. Tennyson.

Magellanic Mag`el·lan"ic adjective Of or pertaining to, or named from, Magellan , the navigator.

Magellenic clouds (Astron.) , three conspicuous nebulæ near the south pole, resembling thin white clouds.

Magenta Ma·gen"ta noun (Chemistry) An aniline dye obtained as an amorphous substance having a green bronze surface color, which dissolves to a shade of red; also, the color; -- so called from Magenta , in Italy, in allusion to the battle fought there about the time the dye was discovered. Called also fuchsine , roseïne , etc.

Magged Magged adjective (Nautical) Worn; fretted; as, a magged brace. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Maggiore Mag`gio"re adjective [ Italian , from Latin major , compar. of magnus great. See Major .] (Mus.) Greater, in respect to scales, intervals, etc., when used in opposition to minor ; major. Moore (Encyc. of Music).

Maggot Mag"got noun [ W. macai , plural maceiod , magiod , a worn or grub; confer magu to bread.] 1. (Zoology) The footless larva of any fly. See Larval .

2. A whim; an odd fancy. Hudibras. Tennyson.

Maggot-pie Mag"got-pie` noun A magpie. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Maggotiness Mag"got·i·ness noun State of being maggoty.

Maggotish Mag"got·ish adjective Full of whims or fancies; maggoty.

Maggoty Mag"got·y adjective 1. Infested with maggots.

2. Full of whims; capricious. Norris.

Maghet Ma"ghet noun [ Confer Fl. maghet maid.] (Botany) A name for daisies and camomiles of several kinds.

Magi Ma"gi noun plural [ Latin , plural of Magus , Greek ...; of Persian origin. Confer Mage , Magic .] A caste of priests, philosophers, and magicians, among the ancient Persians; hence, any holy men or sages of the East.

The inspired Magi from the Orient came.

Sandys.

Magian Ma"gi·an adjective Of or pertaining to the Magi.

Magian Ma"gi·an noun One of the Magi, or priests of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia; an adherent of the Zoroastrian religion. -- Ma"gi*an*ism noun

Magic Mag"ic noun [ Middle English magique , Latin magice , Greek ... (sc. ...), from .... See Magic , adjective , and Magi .] A comprehensive name for all of the pretended arts which claim to produce effects by the assistance of supernatural beings, or departed spirits, or by a mastery of secret forces in nature attained by a study of occult science, including enchantment, conjuration, witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, incantation, etc.

An appearance made by some magic .

Chaucer.

Celestial magic , a supposed supernatural power which gave to spirits a kind of dominion over the planets, and to the planets an influence over men. -- Natural magic , the art of employing the powers of nature to produce effects apparently supernatural. -- Superstitious , or Geotic , magic , the invocation of devils or demons, involving the supposition of some tacit or express agreement between them and human beings.

Syn. -- Sorcery; witchcraft; necromancy; conjuration; enchantment.

Magic, Magical Mag"ic, Mag"ic·al adjective [ Latin magicus , Greek ..., from ...: confer French magique . See Magi .] 1. Pertaining to the hidden wisdom supposed to be possessed by the Magi; relating to the occult powers of nature, and the producing of effects by their agency.

2. Performed by, or proceeding from, occult and superhuman agencies; done by, or seemingly done by, enchantment or sorcery. Hence: Seemingly requiring more than human power; imposing or startling in performance; producing effects which seem supernatural or very extraordinary; having extraordinary properties; as, a magic lantern; a magic square or circle.

The painter's magic skill.

Cowper.

» Although with certain words magic is used more than magical , -- as, magic circle, magic square, magic wand, -- we may in general say magic or magical ; as, a magic or magical effect; a magic or magical influence, etc. But when the adjective is predicative, magical , and not magic , is used; as, the effect was magical .

Magic circle , a series of concentric circles containing the numbers 12 to 75 in eight radii, and having somewhat similar properties to the magic square. -- Magic humming bird (Zoology) , a Mexican humming bird ( Iache magica ) , having white downy thing tufts. -- Magic lantern . See Lantern . -- Magic square , numbers so disposed in parallel and equal rows in the form of a square, that each row, taken vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, shall give the same sum, the same product, or an harmonical series, according as the numbers taken are in arithmetical, geometrical, or harmonical progression. -- Magic wand , a wand used by a magician in performing feats of magic.

Magically Mag"ic·al·ly adverb In a magical manner; by magic, or as if by magic.

Magician Ma·gi"cian noun [ French magicien . See Magic , noun ] One skilled in magic; one who practices the black art; an enchanter; a necromancer; a sorcerer or sorceress; a conjurer.

Magilp, Magilph Ma·gilp", Ma·gilph" noun (Paint.) See Megilp .

Magister Ma·gis"ter noun [ Latin See Master .] Master; sir; -- a title of the Middle Ages, given to a person in authority, or to one having a license from a university to teach philosophy and the liberal arts.

Magisterial Mag`is·te"ri·al adjective [ Latin magisterius magisterial. See Master .] 1. Of or pertaining to a master or magistrate, or one in authority; having the manner of a magister; official; commanding; authoritative. Hence: Overbearing; dictatorial; dogmatic.

When magisterial duties from his home
Her father called.

Glover.

We are not magisterial in opinions, nor, dictator-like, obtrude our notions on any man.

Sir T. Browne.

Pretenses go a great way with men that take fair words and magisterial looks for current payment.

L'Estrange.

2. (Alchem. & Old Chem.) Pertaining to, produced by, or of the nature of, magistery. See Magistery , 2.

Syn. -- Authoritative; stately; august; pompous; dignified; lofty; commanding; imperious; lordly; proud; haughty; domineering; despotic; dogmatical; arrogant. -- Magisterial , Dogmatical , Arrogant . One who is magisterial assumes the air of a master toward his pupils; one who is dogmatical lays down his positions in a tone of authority or dictation; one who is arrogant in sults others by an undue assumption of superiority. Those who have long been teachers sometimes acquire, unconsciously, a manner which borders too much on the magisterial , and may be unjustly construed as dogmatical , or even arrogant .

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