Metacromion Met`a·cro"mi·on noun [ New Latin ] (Anat.) A process projecting backward and downward from the acromion of the scapula of some mammals.

Metadiscoidal Met`a·dis·coid"al adjective [ Meta- + discoidal .] (Anat.) Discoidal by derivation; -- applied especially to the placenta of man and apes, because it is supposed to have been derived from a diffused placenta.

Metagastric Met`a·gas"tric adjective [ Prefix meta- + gastric .] (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the two posterior gastric lobes of the carapace of crabs.

Metage Met"age noun [ From Mete , v. ] 1. Measurement, especially of coal. De Foe.

2. Charge for, or price of, measuring. Simmonds.

Metagenesis Met`a·gen"e·sis noun [ Prefix meta- + genesis .] 1. (Biol.) The change of form which one animal species undergoes in a series of successively produced individuals, extending from the one developed from the ovum to the final perfected individual. Hence, metagenesis involves the production of sexual individuals by nonsexual means, either directly or through intervening sexless generations. Opposed to monogenesis . See Alternate generation , under Generation .

2. (Biol.) Alternation of sexual and asexual or gemmiparous generations; -- in distinction from heterogamy .

Metagenetic Met`a·ge·net"ic (mĕt`ȧ*je*nĕt"ĭk) adjective (Biol.) Of or pertaining to metagenesis.

Metagenic Met`a·gen"ic (-jen"ĭk) adjective (Biol.) Metagenetic.

Metagnathous Me·tag"na·thous adjective [ Prefix meta- + Greek gna`qos the jaw.] (Zoology) Cross-billed; -- said of certain birds, as the crossbill.

Metagrammatism Met`a·gram"ma·tism noun Anagrammatism.

Metagraphic Met`a·graph"ic adjective By or pertaining to metagraphy.

Metagraphy Me·tag"ra·phy noun [ Prefix meta- + -graphy .] The art or act of rendering the letters of the alphabet of one language into the possible equivalents of another; transliteration. Stormonth.

Metal Met"al noun [ French métal , Latin metallum metal, mine, Greek ... mine; confer Greek ... to search after. Confer Mettle , Medal .] 1. (Chemistry) An elementary substance, as sodium, calcium, or copper, whose oxide or hydroxide has basic rather than acid properties, as contrasted with the nonmetals, or metalloids. No sharp line can be drawn between the metals and nonmetals, and certain elements partake of both acid and basic qualities, as chromium, manganese, bismuth, etc.

» Popularly, the name is applied to certain hard, fusible metals, as gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, zinc, nickel, etc., and also to the mixed metals, or metallic alloys, as brass, bronze, steel, bell metal, etc.

2. Ore from which a metal is derived; -- so called by miners. Raymond.

3. A mine from which ores are taken. [ Obsolete]

Slaves . . . and persons condemned to metals .

Jer. Taylor.

4. The substance of which anything is made; material; hence, constitutional disposition; character; temper.

Not till God make men of some other metal than earth.

Shak.

5. Courage; spirit; mettle. See Mettle . Shak.

» The allusion is to the temper of the metal of a sword blade. Skeat.

6. The broken stone used in macadamizing roads and ballasting railroads.

7. The effective power or caliber of guns carried by a vessel of war.

8. Glass in a state of fusion. Knight.

9. plural The rails of a railroad. [ Eng.]

Base metal (Chemistry) , any one of the metals, as iron, lead, etc., which are readily tarnished or oxidized, in contrast with the noble metals. In general, a metal of small value, as compared with gold or silver. -- Fusible metal (Metal.) , a very fusible alloy, usually consisting of bismuth with lead, tin, or cadmium. -- Heavy metals (Chemistry) , the metallic elements not included in the groups of the alkalies, alkaline earths, or the earths; specifically, the heavy metals, as gold, mercury, platinum, lead, silver, etc. -- Light metals (Chemistry) , the metallic elements of the alkali and alkaline earth groups, as sodium, lithium, calcium, magnesium, etc.; also, sometimes, the metals of the earths, as aluminium. -- Muntz metal , an alloy for sheathing and other purposes, consisting of about sixty per cent of copper, and forty of zinc. Sometimes a little lead is added. It is named from the inventor. -- Prince's metal (Old Chem.) , an alloy resembling brass, consisting of three parts of copper to one of zinc; -- also called Prince Rupert's metal .

Metal Met"al transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Metaled (? or ?) or Metalled ; present participle & verbal noun Metaling or Metalling .] To cover with metal; as, to metal a ship's bottom; to metal a road.

Metalammonium Met`al·am·mo"ni·um noun [ Metal + ammonium .] (Chemistry) A hypothetical radical derived from ammonium by the substitution of metallic atoms in place of hydrogen.

Metalbumin Met`al·bu"min noun [ Prefix met- + albumin .] (Physiol. Chem.) A form of albumin found in ascitic and certain serous fluids. It is sometimes regarded as a mixture of albumin and mucin.

Metaldehyde Me·tal"de·hyde noun [ Prefix met- + aldehyde .] (Chemistry) A white crystalline substance isomeric with, and obtained from, acetic aldehyde by polymerization, and reconvertible into the same.

Metalepsis Met`a·lep"sis noun ; plural Metalepses . [ Latin , from Greek ... participation, alteration, from ... to partake, to take in exchange; ... beyond + ... to take.] (Rhet.) The continuation of a trope in one word through a succession of significations, or the union of two or more tropes of a different kind in one word.

Metalepsy Met"a·lep`sy noun (Chemistry) Exchange; replacement; substitution; metathesis. [ R.]

Metaleptic Met`a·lep"tic adjective [ Greek ...] 1. Of or pertaining to a metalepsis.

2. Transverse; as, the metaleptic motion of a muscle.

3. (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, concerned in, or occurring by, metalepsy.

Metaleptical Met`a·lep"tic·al adjective Metaleptic. -- Met`a*lep"tic*al*ly , adverb

Metallic Me·tal"lic adjective [ Latin metallicus , from metallum : confer French métallique . See Metal .] 1. Of or pertaining to a metal; of the nature of metal; resembling metal; as, a metallic appearance; a metallic alloy.

2. (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or characterized by, the essential and implied properties of a metal, as contrasted with a nonmetal or metalloid; basic; antacid; positive.

Metallic iron , iron in the state of the metal, as distinquished from its ores, as magnetic iron. -- Metallic paper , paper covered with a thin solution of lime, whiting, and size. When written upon with a pewter or brass pencil, the lines can hardly be effaced. -- Metallic tinking (Medicine) , a sound heard in the chest, when a cavity communicating with the air passages contains both air and liquid.

Metallical Me·tal"lic·al adjective See Metallic . [ Obsolete]

Metallicly Me·tal"lic·ly adverb In a metallic manner; by metallic means.

Metallifacture Me·tal`li·fac"ture noun [ Latin metallum metal + facere , factum , to make.] The production and working or manufacture of metals. [ R.] R. Park.

Metalliferous Met`al·lif"er·ous adjective [ Latin metallifer ; metallum metal + ferre to bear: confer French métallifère .] Producing metals; yielding metals.

Metalliform Me·tal"li·form adjective [ Latin metallum metal + -form : confer French métalliforme .] Having the form or structure of a metal.

Metalline Met"al·line adjective [ Confer French métallin .] (Chemistry) (a) Pertaining to, or resembling, a metal; metallic; as, metalline properties. (b) Impregnated with metallic salts; chalybeate; as, metalline water. [ R.]

Metalline Met"al·line noun (Chemistry) A substance of variable composition, but resembling a soft, dark-colored metal, used in the bearings of machines for obviating friction, and as a substitute for lubricants.

Metallist Met"al·list noun A worker in metals, or one skilled in metals.

Metallization Met`al·li·za"tion noun [ Confer French métallisation .] The act or process of metallizing. [ R.]

Metallize Met"al·lize transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Metallized ; present participle & verbal noun Metallizing .] [ Confer French métalliser .] To impart metallic properties to; to impregnate with a metal. [ R.]

Metallochrome Me·tal"lo·chrome noun [ See Metallochromy .] A coloring produced by the deposition of some metallic compound; specifically, the prismatic tints produced by depositing a film of peroxide of lead on polished steel by electricity.

Metallochromy Me·tal"lo·chro`my noun [ Latin metallum metal + Greek ... color.] The art or process of coloring metals.

Metallograph Me·tal"lo·graph noun [ Latin metallum metal + -graph .] A print made by metallography.

Metallographic Me·tal`lo·graph"ic adjective Pertaining to, or by means of, metallography.

Metallographist Met`al·log"ra·phist noun One who writes on the subject of metals.

Metallography Met`al·log"ra·phy noun [ Latin metallum metal + -graphy : confer French métallographie .] 1. The science or art of metals and metal working; also, a treatise on metals.

2. A method of transferring impressions of the grain of wood to metallic surfaces by chemical action. Knight.

3. A substitute for lithography, in which metallic plates are used instead of stone. Knight.

Metalloid Met"al·loid noun [ Latin metallum metal + -oid : confer French métalloïde .] (a) Formerly, the metallic base of a fixed alkali, or alkaline earth; -- applied by Sir H. Davy to sodium, potassium, and some other metallic substances whose metallic character was supposed to be not well defined. (b) Now, one of several elementary substances which in the free state are unlike metals, and whose compounds possess or produce acid, rather than basic, properties; a nonmetal; as, boron, carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, oxygen, sulphur, chlorine, bromine, etc., are metalloids .

Metalloid Met"al·loid adjective 1. Having the appearance of a metal.

2. (Chemistry) Having the properties of a nonmetal; nonmetallic; acid; negative.

Metalloidal Met`al·loid"al adjective Metalloid.

Metallophone Me·tal"lo·phone noun [ Latin metallum metal + Greek ... sound.] (Music) (a) An instrument like a pianoforte, but having metal bars instead of strings. (b) An instrument like the xylophone, but having metallic instead of wooden bars.

Metallorganic Met`al·lor·gan"ic adjective Metalorganic.

Metallotherapy Me·tal`lo·ther"a·py noun [ Latin metallum metal + English therapy .] (Medicine) Treatment of disease by applying metallic plates to the surface of the body.

Metallurgic, Metallurgical Met`al·lur"gic, Met`al·lur"gic·al adjective [ Confer French métallurgique .] Of or pertaining to metallurgy.

Metallurgist Met"al·lur`gist noun [ Confer French métallurgiste .] One who works in metals, or prepares them for use; one who is skilled in metallurgy.

Metallurgy Met"al·lur`gy noun [ French métallurgie , from Latin metallum metal, Greek ... a mine + the root of ... work. See Metal , and Work .] The art of working metals, comprehending the whole process of separating them from other matters in the ore, smelting, refining, and parting them; sometimes, in a narrower sense, only the process of extracting metals from their ores.

Metalman Met"al·man noun ; plural Metalmen A worker in metals.

Metalogical Met`a·log"ic·al adjective Beyond the scope or province of logic.

Metalorganic Met`al·or·gan"ic adjective [ Metal , Latin metallum + English organic .] (Chemistry) Pertaining to, or denoting, any one of a series of compounds of certain metallic elements with organic radicals; as, zinc methyl, sodium ethyl, etc. [ Written also metallorganic .]

Metamer Met"a·mer noun [ See Metamere .] (Chemistry) Any one of several metameric forms of the same substance, or of different substances having the same composition; as, xylene has three metamers , viz., orthoxylene, metaxylene, and paraxylene.

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