Miargyrite Mi·ar"gy·rite noun [ Greek ... less + ... silver. So called because it contains less silver than some kindred ore.]
(Min.) A mineral of an iron-black color, and very sectile, consisting principally of sulphur, antimony, and silver.
Mias Mi"as noun [ Malayan.]
The orang-outang.
Miascite Mi·asc"ite noun [ Named from
Miask , in the Ural Mountains.]
(Min.) A granitoid rock containing feldspar, biotite, elæolite, and sodalite.
Miasm Mi"asm noun [ Confer French
miasme .]
Miasma.
Miasma Mi·as"ma noun ;
plural Miasmata . [ New Latin , from Greek ... defilement, from ... to pollute.]
Infectious particles or germs floating in the air; air made noxious by the presence of such particles or germs; noxious effluvia; malaria.
Miasmal Mi·as"mal adjective Containing miasma; miasmatic.
Miasmatic, Miasmatical Mi`as·mat"ic, Mi`as·mat"ic·al adjective [ Confer French
miasmatique .]
Containing, or relating to, miasma; caused by miasma; as, miasmatic diseases.
Miasmatist Mi·as"ma·tist noun One who has made a special study of miasma.
Miasmology Mi`as·mol"o·gy noun [
Miasma +
-logy .]
That department of medical science which treats of miasma.
Miaul Mi·aul" intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Miauled ;
present participle & verbal noun Miauling .] [ Confer French
miauler , of imitative origin, and English
mew . Confer
Mewl .]
To cry as a cat; to mew; to caterwaul. Sir W. Scott.
Miaul Mi·aul" noun The crying of a cat.
Mica Mi"ca noun [ Latin
mica crumb, grain, particle; confer French
mica .]
(Min.) The name of a group of minerals characterized by highly perfect cleavage, so that they readily separate into very thin leaves, more or less elastic. They differ widely in composition, and vary in color from pale brown or yellow to green or black. The transparent forms are used in lanterns, the doors of stoves, etc., being popularly called isinglass . Formerly called also cat-silver , and glimmer . » The important species of the
mica group are:
muscovite , common or potash mica, pale brown or green, often silvery, including
damourite (also called
hydromica );
biotite , iron-magnesia mica, dark brown, green, or black;
lepidomelane , iron, mica, black;
phlogopite , magnesia mica, colorless, yellow, brown;
lepidolite , lithia mica, rose- red, lilac.
Mica (usually muscovite, also biotite) is an essential constituent of granite, gneiss, and mica slate;
biotite is common in many eruptive rocks;
phlogopite in crystalline limestone and serpentine.
Mica diorite (Min.) ,
an eruptive rock allied to diorite but containing mica (biotite) instead of hornblende. --
Mica powder ,
a kind of dynamite containing fine scales of mica. --
Mica schist ,
Mica slate (Geol.) ,
a schistose rock, consisting of mica and quartz with, usually, some feldspar.
Micaceo-calcareous Mi·ca`ce·o-cal·ca"re·ous adjective (Geol.) Partaking of the nature of, or consisting of, mica and lime; -- applied to a mica schist containing carbonate of lime.
Micaceous Mi·ca"ceous adjective [ Confer French
micacé .]
Pertaining to, or containing, mica; splitting into laminæ or leaves like mica.
Mice Mice noun ,
pl of Mouse .
Micella Mi·cel"la noun ;
plural Micellæ . [ New Latin , dim. of Latin
mica a morsel, grain.]
(Biol.) A theoretical aggregation of molecules constituting a structural particle of protoplasm, capable of increase or diminution without change in chemical nature.
Mich, Miche Mich, Miche intransitive verb [ Middle English
michen ; confer Middle English
muchier ,
mucier , to conceal, French
musser , and Old High German
mūhhen to waylay. Confer
Micher ,
Curmudgeon ,
Muset .]
To lie hid; to skulk; to act, or carry one's self, sneakingly. [ Obsolete or Colloq.] [ Written also
meach and
meech .]
Spenser.
Michaelmas Mich"ael·mas noun [
Michael +
mass religious service; Middle English
Mighelmesse .]
The feast of the archangel Michael, a church festival, celebrated on the 29th of September. Hence, colloquially, autumn. Michaelmas daisy .
(Botany) See under Daisy .
Micher Mich"er noun [ Middle English
michare ,
muchare . See
Mich .]
One who skulks, or keeps out of sight; hence, a truant; an idler; a thief, etc. [ Obsolete]
Shak.
Michery Mich"er·y noun Theft; cheating. [ Obsolete]
Gower.
Miching Mich"ing adjective Hiding; skulking; cowardly. [ Colloq.] [ Written also
meaching and
meeching .]
Mickle Mic"kle (mĭk"k'l)
adjective [ Middle English
mikel ,
muchel ,
mochel ,
mukel , Anglo-Saxon
micel ,
mycel ; akin to Old Saxon
mikil , Old High German
mihil ,
mihhil , Icelandic
mikill ,
mykill , Goth.
mikils , Latin
magnus , Greek
me`gas , gen.
mega`loy ; confer Sanskrit
mahat . √103. Confer
Much ,
Muckle ,
Magnitude .]
Much; great. [ Written also
muckle and
mockle .] [ Old Eng. & Scot.] "A man of
mickle might."
Spenser.
Micmacs Mic"macs noun plural ; sing.
Micmac (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians inhabiting Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. [ Written also
Mikmaks .]
Mico Mi"co noun [ Spanish or Portuguese
mico .]
(Zoology) A small South American monkey ( Mico melanurus ), allied to the marmoset. The name was originally applied to an albino variety.
Micracoustic Mi`cra·cous"tic adjective Same as Microustic .
Micraster Mi·cras"ter noun [ New Latin , from Greek
mikro`s small + ... star.]
(Paleon.) A genus of sea urchins, similar to Spatangus, abounding in the chalk formation; -- from the starlike disposal of the ambulacral furrows.
Micrencephalous Mi`cren·ceph"a·lous [ Micr- + Greek ... brain.] Having a small brain.
Micro-, Micr- Mi"cro-, Mi"cr- [ Greek mikro`s small.] A combining form signifying: (a) Small , little , trivial , slight ; as, micro cosm, micro scope. (b) (Metric System, Elec., Mech., etc.) A millionth part of ; as, micro farad, micro ohm, micro meter.
Micro-chemical Mi`cro-chem"ic·al adjective Of or pertaining to micro-chemistry; as, a micro-chemical test.
Micro-chemistry Mi`cro-chem"is·try noun [
Micro- +
chemistry .]
The application of chemical tests to minute objects or portions of matter, magnified by the use of the microscopy; -- distinguished from macro-chemistry .
Micro-geological Mi`cro-ge`o·log"ic·al adjective Of or pertaining to micro-geology.
Micro-geology Mi`cro-ge·ol"o·gy noun [
Micro- +
geology .]
The part of geology relating to structure and organisms which require to be studied with a microscope.
Microampère Mi`cro·am`père" noun [
Micr- +
ampère .]
(Electricity) One of the smaller measures of electrical currents; the millionth part of one ampère.
Microanalysis Mi`cro·a·nal"y·sis noun [
Micro- +
analysis .]
Analysis of the structure of materials from careful observation of photomicrographs.
Microbacteria Mi`cro·bac·te"ri·a noun plural [ New Latin See
Micro- , and
Bacterium .]
(Biol.) In the classification of Cohn, one of the four tribes of Bacteria. » In this classification bacteria are divided into four tribes: 1.
Spherobacteria , or spherical bacteria, as the genus
Micrococcus . 2.
Microbacteria , or bacteria in the form of short rods, including the genus
Bacterium . 3.
Desmobacteria , or bacteria in straight filaments, of which the genus
Bacillus is a type. 4.
Spirobacteria , or bacteria in spiral filaments, as the genus
Vibrio .
Microbarograph Mi`cro·bar"o·graph noun [
Micro- +
barograph .]
An instrument for recording minor fluctuations of atmospheric pressure, as opposed to general barometric surges.
Microbe Mi"crobe Mi*cro"bi*on noun [ New Latin microbion , from Greek ... little + ... life.] (Biol.) A microscopic organism; -- particularly applied to bacteria and especially to pathogenic forms; as, the microbe of fowl cholera.
Microbian Mi·cro"bi·an adjective (Biol.) Of, pertaining to, or caused by, microbes; as, the microbian theory; a microbian disease.
Microbic Mi·crob"ic adjective (Biol.) Of or pertaining to a microbe.
Microbicide Mi·crob"i·cide noun [
Microbe + Latin
caedere to kill.]
(Biol.) Any agent detrimental to, or destructive of, the life of microbes or bacterial organisms.
Microbiology Mi`cro·bi·ol"o·gy noun [ See
Microbe ;
-logy .]
The study of minute organisms, or microbes, as the bacteria. --
Mi`cro*bi`o*log"ic*al adjective --
Mi`cro*bi*ol"o*gist noun
Microcephalic, Microcephalous Mi`cro·ce·phal"ic, Mi`cro·ceph"a·lous adjective [
Micro- +
cephalic ,
cephalous .]
(Anat.) Having a small head; having the cranial cavity small; -- opposed to megacephalic .
Microchronometer Mi`cro·chro·nom"e·ter noun A chronoscope.
Microcline Mi"cro·cline noun [
Micro- + Greek ... to incline.]
(Min.) A mineral of the feldspar group, like orthoclase or common feldspar in composition, but triclinic in form.
Micrococcal Mi`cro·coc"cal adjective Of or pertaining to micrococci; caused by micrococci. Nature.
Micrococcus Mi`cro·coc"cus noun ;
plural Micrococci . [ New Latin See
Micro- , and
Coccus .]
(Biol.) A genus of Spherobacteria , in the form of very small globular or oval cells, forming, by transverse division, filaments, or chains of cells, or in some cases single organisms shaped like dumb-bells ( Diplococcus ), all without the power of motion. See Illust. of Ascoccus . » Physiologically, micrococci are divided into three groups;
chromogenic , characterized by their power of forming pigment;
zymogenic , including those associated with definite chemical processes; and
pathogenic , those connected with disease.
Microcosm Mi"cro·cosm noun [ French
microcosme , Latin
microcosmus , from Greek
mikro`s small +
ko`smos the world.]
A little world; a miniature universe. Hence (so called by Paracelsus), a man, as a supposed epitome of the exterior universe or great world. Opposed to macrocosm . Shak.
Microcosmic, Microcosmical Mi`cro·cos"mic, Mi`cro·cos"mic·al adjective [ Confer French
microcosmique .]
Of or pertaining to the microcosm. Microcosmic salt (Chemistry) ,
a white crystalline substance obtained by mixing solutions of sodium phosphate and ammonium phosphate, and also called hydric-sodic- ammonic-phosphate . It is a powerful flux, and is used as a substitute for borax as a blowpipe reagent in testing for the metallic oxides. Originally obtained by the alchemists from human urine, and called sal microcosmicum .
Microcosmography Mi`cro·cos·mog"ra·phy noun [
Microcosm +
-graphy .]
Description of man as a microcosm.
Microcoulomb Mi`cro·cou`lomb" noun [
Micro- +
coulomb .]
(Electricity) A measure of electrical quantity; the millionth part of one coulomb.
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