Merozoite Mer`o·zo"ite noun [ Greek ... part + Sporo zoa .] (Zoology) A form of spore, usually elongate or falciform, and somewhat amœboid, produced by segmentation of the schizonts of certain Sporozoa, as the malaria parasite.

Merrily Mer"ri·ly adverb [ From Merry .] In a merry manner; with mirth; with gayety and laughter; jovially. See Mirth , and Merry .

Merrily sing, and sport, and play.

Granville.

Merrimake Mer"ri·make` noun See Merrymake , noun

Merrimake Mer"ri·make` intransitive verb See Merrymake , v. Gay.

Merriment Mer"ri·ment noun Gayety, with laughter; mirth; frolic. "Follies and light merriment ." Spenser.

Methought it was the sound
Of riot and ill-managed merriment .

Milton.

Merriness Mer"ri·ness noun The quality or state of being merry; merriment; mirth; gayety, with laughter.

Merry Mer"ry adjective [ Compar. Merrier ; superl. Merriest .] [ Middle English merie , mirie , murie , merry, pleasant, Anglo-Saxon merge , myrige , pleasant; confer murge , adverb ; probably akin to Old High German murg , short, Goth. gamaúrgjan to shorten; confer Latin murcus a coward, who cuts off his thumb to escape military service; the Anglo-Saxon and English meanings coming from the idea of making the time seem short. Confer Mirth .] 1. Laughingly gay; overflowing with good humor and good spirits; jovial; inclined to laughter or play ; sportive.

They drank, and were merry with him.

Gen. xliii. 34.

I am never merry when I hear sweet music.

Shak.

2. Cheerful; joyous; not sad; happy.

Is any merry ? let him sing psalms.

Jas. v. 13.

3. Causing laughter, mirth, gladness, or delight; as, a merry jest. " Merry wind and weather." Spenser.

Merry dancers . See under Dancer . -- Merry men , followers; retainers. [ Obsolete]

His merie men commanded he
To make him bothe game and glee.

Chaucer.

-- To make merry , to be jovial; to indulge in hilarity; to feast with mirth. Judg. ix. 27.

Syn. -- Cheerful; blithe; lively; sprightly; vivacious; gleeful; joyous; mirthful; jocund; sportive; hilarious.

Merry Mer"ry (mĕr"rȳ) noun (Botany) A kind of wild red cherry.

Merry-andrew Mer"ry-an"drew (-ăn"dru) noun One whose business is to make sport for others; a buffoon; a zany; especially, one who attends a mountebank or quack doctor.

» This term is said to have originated from one Andrew Borde, an English physician of the 16th century, who gained patients by facetious speeches to the multitude.

Merry-go-round Mer"ry-go`-round" noun Any revolving contrivance for affording amusement; esp., a ring of flying hobbyhorses.

Merrymake Mer"ry·make` noun Mirth; frolic; a meeting for mirth; a festival. [ Written also merrimake .]

Merrymake Mer"ry·make` intransitive verb To make merry; to be jolly; to feast. [ Written also merrimake .]

Merrymaker Mer"ry·mak`er noun One who makes merriment or indulges in conviviality; a jovial comrade.

Merrymaking Mer"ry·mak`ing adjective Making or producing mirth; convivial; jolly.

Merrymaking Mer"ry·mak`ing noun The act of making merry; conviviality; merriment; jollity. Wordsworth.

Merrymeeting Mer"ry·meet`ing noun A meeting for mirth.

Merrythought Mer"ry·thought` noun The forked bone of a fowl's breast; -- called also wishbone . See Furculum .

» It is a sportive custom for two persons to break this bone by pulling the ends apart to see who will get the longer piece, the securing of which is regarded as a lucky omen, signifying that the person holding it will obtain the gratification of some secret wish.

Mersion Mer"sion noun [ Latin mersio . See Merge .] Immersion. [ R.] Barrow.

Merulidan Me·ru"li·dan noun [ Latin merula , merulus , blackbird. See Merle .] (Zoology) A bird of the Thrush family.

Merus Me"rus noun [ New Latin ] (Architecture) See Meros .

Mervaille Mer"vaille` noun Marvel. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Mes- Mes- See Meso- .

Mesa Me"sa .... [ Spanish ] A high tableland; a plateau on a hill. [ Southwestern U.S.] Bartlett.

Mesaconate Mes·ac"o·nate noun (Chemistry) A salt of mesaconic acid.

Mesaconic Mes`a·con"ic adjective [ Mes- + -aconic , as in citraconic .] (Chemistry) Pertaining to, or designating, one of several isomeric acids obtained from citric acid.

Mesad Mes"ad adverb Same as Mesiad .

Mesal Mes"al adjective Same as Mesial .

Mésalliance Mé`sal`li`ance" noun [ French] A marriage with a person of inferior social position; a misalliance.

Mesally Mes"al·ly (mĕs" a l*lȳ) adverb Same as Mesially .

Mesamœboid Mes`a·mœ"boid (mĕs`a*mē"boid) noun [ Mes- + amœboid .] (Biol.) One of a class of independent, isolated cells found in the mesoderm, while the germ layers are undergoing differentiation.

Mesaraic Mes`a·ra"ic adjective [ Greek mesa`raion mesentery; me`sos middle + 'araia` flank.] (Anat.) Mesenteric.

Mesaticephalic Mes`a·ti·ce·phal"ic adjective [ Greek ... midmost + English cephalic .] (Anat.) Having the ratio of the length to the breadth of the cranium a medium one; neither brachycephalic nor dolichocephalic.

Mesaticephalous Mes`a·ti·ceph"a·lous adjective (Anat.) Mesaticephalic.

Mescal Mes·cal" noun [ Spanish ] A distilled liquor prepared in Mexico from a species of agave. See Agave .

Mesdames Mes`dames" noun , plural of Madame and Madam .

Meseems Me·seems" v. impers. [ imperfect Meseemed .] It seems to me. [ Poetic]

Mesel Me"sel noun [ See Measle .] A leper. [ Obsolete]

Meselry Me"sel·ry noun Leprosy. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Mesembryanthemum Me·sem`bry·an"the·mum noun [ New Latin , from Greek meshmbri`a midday + 'a`nqos flower.] (Botany) A genus of herbaceous or suffruticose plants, chiefly natives of South Africa. The leaves are opposite, thick, and f...eshy. The flowers usually open about midday, whence the name.

Mesencephalic Mes`en·ce·phal"ic adjective (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the mesencephalon or midbrain.

Mesencephalon Mes`en·ceph"a·lon noun [ New Latin See Meso- and Encephalon .] (Anat.) The middle segment of the brain; the midbrain. Sometimes abbreviated to mesen . See Brain .

Mesenchyma Mes·en"chy·ma noun [ New Latin , from Greek me`sos middle + -enchyma , as in English parenchyma .] (Biol.) The part of the mesoblast which gives rise to the connective tissues and blood.

Mesenteric Mes`en·ter"ic adjective [ Confer French mésentérique .] (Anat.) Pertaining to a mesentery; mesaraic.

Mesenteron Mes·en"te·ron noun [ New Latin See Meso- , and Enteron .] (Anat.) All that part of the alimentary canal which is developed from the primitive enteron and is lined with hypoblast. It is distinguished from the stomodæum , a part at the anterior end of the canal, including the cavity of the mouth, and the proctodæum , a part at the posterior end, which are formed by invagination and are lined with epiblast.

Mesentery Mes"en·ter·y noun [ Greek mesente`rion , me`sos + 'e`nteron intestine: confer French mésentère .]

1. (Anat.) The membranes, or one of the membranes (consisting of a fold of the peritoneum and inclosed tissues), which connect the intestines and their appendages with the dorsal wall of the abdominal cavity. The mesentery proper is connected with the jejunum and ilium, the other mesenteries being called mesocæcum , mesocolon , mesorectum , etc.

2. (Zoology) One of the vertical muscular radiating partitions which divide the body cavity of Anthozoa into chambers.

Meseraic Mes`e·ra"ic adjective (Anat.) Mesaraic.

Mesethmoid Mes·eth"moid adjective [ Mes- + ethmoid .] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the middle of the ethmoid region or ethmoid bone. -- noun (Anat.) The median vertical plate, or median element, of the ethmoid bone.

Mesh Mesh (mĕsh) noun [ Anglo-Saxon masc , max , mæscre ; akin to Dutch maas , masche , Old High German masca , Icelandic möskvi ; confer Lithuanian mazgas a knot, megsti to weave nets, to knot.] 1. The opening or space inclosed by the threads of a net between knot and knot, or the threads inclosing such a space; network; a net.

A golden mesh to entrap the hearts of men.

Shak.

2. (Gearing) The engagement of the teeth of wheels, or of a wheel and rack.

Mesh stick , a stick on which the mesh is formed in netting.

Mesh Mesh transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Meshed ; present participle & verbal noun Meshing .] To catch in a mesh. Surrey.

Mesh Mesh intransitive verb (Gearing) To engage with each other, as the teeth of wheels.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
You are here: Webster > Letter M > Page 51 of 126.
« Previous ¦43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 ¦ Next »