Molossus Moˇlos"sus noun [ Latin , from Greek ..., prop., Molossian, belonging to the Molossians, a people in the eastern part of Epirus.] (Gr. & Lat. Pros.) A foot of three long syllables. [ Written also molosse .]

Molt Molt obsolete imperfect of Melt . Chaucer. Spenser.

Molt, Moult Molt, Moult intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Molted or Moulted ; present participle & verbal noun Molting or Moulting .] [ Middle English mouten , Latin mutare . See Mew to molt, and confer Mute , transitive verb ] [ The prevalent spelling is, perhaps, moult ; but as the u has not been inserted in the otherwords of this class, as, bolt , colt , dolt , etc., it is desirable to complete the analogy by the spelling molt .] To shed or cast the hair, feathers, skin, horns, or the like, as an animal or a bird. Bacon.

Molt, Moult Molt, Moult transitive verb To cast, as the hair, skin, feathers, or the like; to shed.

Molt, Moult Molt, Moult noun The act or process of changing the feathers, hair, skin, etc.; molting.

Moltable Molt"aˇble adjective Capable of assuming a molten state; meltable; fusible. [ Obsolete]

Molten Mol"ten adjective [ See Melt .] 1. Melted; being in a state of fusion, esp. when the liquid state is produced by a high degree of heat; as, molten iron.

2. Made by melting and casting the substance or metal of which the thing is formed; as, a molten image.

Molto Mol"to adverb [ Italian ] (Mus.) Much; very; as, molto adagio, very slow.

Moly Mo"ly noun [ Latin , from Greek ....] 1. A fabulous herb of occult power, having a black root and white blossoms, said by Homer to have been given by Hermes to Ulysses to counteract the spells of Circe. Milton.

2. (Botany) A kind of garlic ( Allium Moly ) with large yellow flowers; -- called also golden garlic .

Molybdate Moˇlyb"date noun (Chemistry) A salt of molybdic acid.

Molybdena Mol`ybˇde"na noun [ Latin molybdaena galena, Greek ..., from ... lead.] (Min.) See Molybdenite .

Molybdenite Moˇlyb"deˇnite noun [ Confer French molybdénite . See Molybdena .] (Min.) A mineral occurring in soft, lead-gray, foliated masses or scales, resembling graphite; sulphide of molybdenum.

Molybdenous Moˇlyb"deˇnous adjective (Chemistry) See Molybdous .

Molybdenum Mol`ybˇde"num noun [ New Latin : confer French molybdčne . See Molybdena .] (Chemistry) A rare element of the chromium group, occurring in nature in the minerals molybdenite and wulfenite, and when reduced obtained as a hard, silver-white, difficulty fusible metal. Symbol Mo. Atomic weight 95.9.

Molybdic Moˇlyb"dic adjective [ Confer French molybdique . See molybdena .] (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or containing, molybdenum; specif., designating those compounds in which the element has a higher valence, as contrasted with molybdous compounds; as, molybdic oxide.

Molybdite Moˇlyb"dite noun (Min.) Molybdic ocher.

Molybdous Moˇlyb"dous adjective [ See Molybdena .] Of, pertaining to, or containing, molybdenum; specif., designating those compounds in which molybdenum has a lower valence as contrasted with molybdic compounds.

Mome Mome noun [ Confer Mumm , Momus .] A dull, silent person; a blockhead. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Moment Mo"ment noun [ French moment , Latin momentum , for movimentum movement, motion, moment, from movere to move. See Move , and confer Momentum , Movement .] 1. A minute portion of time; a point of time; an instant; as, at that very moment .

In a moment , in the twinkling of an eye.

1 Cor. xv. 52.

2. Impulsive power; force; momentum.

The moments or quantities of motion in bodies.

Berkley.

Touch, with lightest moment of impulse,
His free will.

Milton.

3. Importance, as in influence or effect; consequence; weight or value; consideration.

Matters of great moment .

Shak.

It is an abstruse speculation, but also of far less moment and consequence of us than the others.

Bentley.

4. An essential element; a deciding point, fact, or consideration; an essential or influential circumstance.

5. (Math.) An infinitesimal change in a varying quantity; an increment or decrement. [ Obsolete]

6. (Mech.) Tendency, or measure of tendency, to produce motion, esp. motion about a fixed point or axis.

Moment of a couple (Mech.) , the product of either of its forces into the perpendicular distance between them. -- Moment of a force . (Mech.) (a) With respect to a point, the product of the intensity of the force into the perpendicular distance from the point to the line of direction of the force . (b) With respect to a line, the product of that component of the force which is perpendicular to the plane passing through the line and the point of application of the force, into the shortest distance between the line and this point . (c) With respect to a plane that is parallel to the force, the product of the force into the perpendicular distance of its point of application from the plane. -- Moment of inertia , of a rotating body, the sum of the mass of each particle of matter of the body into the square of its distance from the axis of rotation; -- called also moment of rotation and moment of the mass . -- Statical moment , the product of a force into its leverage; the same as moment of a force with respect to a point, line, etc. -- Virtual moment . See under Virtual .

Syn. -- Instant; twinkling; consequence; weight; force; value; consideration; signification; avail.

Momental Moˇmen"tal adjective [ Confer Old French momental .] [ Obsolete] 1. Lasting but a moment; brief.

Not one momental minute doth she swerve.

Breton.

2. Important; momentous.

3. (Mech.) Of or pertaining to moment or momentum.

Momentally Moˇmen"talˇly adverb For a moment. [ Obsolete]

Momentaneous, Momentany Mo`menˇta"neˇous, Mo"menˇtaˇny adjective [ Latin momentaneus : confer French momentané .] Momentary. [ Obsolete] Hooker. " Momentany as a sound." Shak.

Momentarily Mo"menˇtaˇriˇly adverb Every moment; from moment to moment. Shenstone.

Momentariness Mo"menˇtaˇriˇness noun The state or quality of being momentary; shortness of duration.

Momentary Mo"menˇtaˇry adjective [ Latin momentarius . See Moment .] Done in a moment; continuing only a moment; lasting a very short time; as, a momentary pang.

This momentary joy breeds months of pain.

Shak.

Momently Mo"mentˇly adverb 1. For a moment.

2. In a moment; every moment; momentarily.

Momentous Moˇmen"tous adjective [ Confer Latin momentosus rapid, momentary.] Of moment or consequence; very important; weighty; as, a momentous decision; momentous affairs. -- Mo*men"tous*ly , adverb -- Mo*men"tous*ness , noun

Momentum Moˇmen"tum noun ; plural Latin Momenta , French Momentums . [ Latin See Moment .] 1. (Mech.) The quantity of motion in a moving body, being always proportioned to the quantity of matter multiplied into the velocity; impetus.

2. Essential element, or constituent element.

I shall state the several momenta of the distinction in separate propositions.

Sir W. Hamilton.

Momier Mom"iˇer noun [ French mômier , from Old French momer , mommer , to mumm, to mask one's self.] A name given in contempt to strict Calvinists in Switzerland, France, and some parts of Germany, in the early part of the 19th century.

Mommery Mom"merˇy noun See Mummery . Rowe.

Momot Mo"mot noun [ Momot and motmot , the native American name.] (Zoology) See Motmot .

Momus Mo"mus noun [ Greek ... blame, ridicule, Momus.] (Gr. Myth.) The god of mockery and censure.

Mon Mon noun [ Jap.] (Japan) The badge of a family, esp. of a family of the ancient feudal nobility. The most frequent form of the mon is circular, and it commonly consists of conventionalized forms from nature, flowers, birds, insects, the lightnings, the waves of the sea, or of geometrical symbolic figures; color is only a secondary character. It appears on lacquer and pottery, and embroidered on, or woven in, fabrics. The imperial chrysanthemum, the mon of the reigning family, is used as a national emblem. Formerly the mon of the shoguns of the Tokugawa family was so used.

Mon- Mon- Same as Mono- .

Monœcia Moˇnœ"ciˇa noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek mo`nos single + ... house.] (Botany) A Linnćan class of plants, whose stamens and pistils are in distinct flowers in the same plant.

Monœcian Moˇnœ"cian adjective 1. (Botany) Of or pertaining to the Monœcia; monœcious. -- noun One of the Monœcia.

2. (Zoology) A monœcious animal, as certain mollusks.

Monœcious Moˇnœ"cious adjective (Biol.) Having the sexes united in one individual, as when male and female flowers grow upon the same individual plant; hermaphrodite; -- opposed to diœcious .

Monœcism Moˇnœ"cism noun (Biol.) The state or condition of being monœcious.

Mona Mo"na noun [ CF. Spanish & Portuguese mona , fem. of mono a monkey, ape.] (Zoology) A small, handsome, long-tailed West American monkey ( Cercopithecus mona ). The body is dark olive, with a spot of white on the haunches.

Monachal Mon"aˇchal adjective [ Latin monachus a monk: confer French monacal . See Monk .] Of or pertaining to monks or a monastic life; monastic.

Monachism Mon"aˇchism noun [ Confer French monachisme .] The system and influences of a monastic life; monasticism.

Monacid Monˇac"id adjective [ Mon- + acid .] (Chemistry) Having one hydrogen atom replaceable by a negative or acid atom or radical; capable of neutralizing a monobasic acid; -- said of bases, and of certain metals.

Monad Mon"ad noun [ Latin monas , - adis , a unit, Greek ..., ..., from mo`nos alone.] 1. An ultimate atom, or simple, unextended point; something ultimate and indivisible.

2. (Philos. of Leibnitz) The elementary and indestructible units which were conceived of as endowed with the power to produce all the changes they undergo, and thus determine all physical and spiritual phenomena.

3. (Zoology) One of the smallest flagellate Infusoria; esp., the species of the genus Monas, and allied genera.

4. (Biol.) A simple, minute organism; a primary cell, germ, or plastid.

5. (Chemistry) An atom or radical whose valence is one, or which can combine with, be replaced by, or exchanged for, one atom of hydrogen.

Monad deme (Biol.) , in tectology, a unit of the first order of individuality.

Monadaria Mon`aˇda"riˇa (mŏn`ȧ*dā"rĭ*ȧ) noun plural [ New Latin See Monad .] (Zoology) The Infusoria.

Monadelphia Mon`aˇdel"phiˇa noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek mo`nos alone + 'adelfo`s brother.] (Botany) A Linnćan class of plants having the stamens united into a tube, or ring, by the filaments, as in the Mallow family.

Monadelphian, Monadelphous Mon`aˇdel"phiˇan, Mon`aˇdel"phous adjective [ Confer French monadelphie .] (Botany) Of or pertaining to the Monadelphia; having the stamens united in one body by the filaments.

Monadic, Monadical Moˇnad"ic, Moˇnad"icˇal adjective Of, pertaining to, or like, a monad, in any of its senses. See Monad , noun Dr. H. More.

Monadiform Moˇnad"iˇform adjective [ Monad + -form .] (Biol.) Having the form of a monad; resembling a monad in having one or more filaments of vibratile protoplasm; as, monadiform young.

Monadology Mon`adˇol"oˇgy noun [ Monad + -logy .] (Philos.) The doctrine or theory of monads.

Monal Moˇnal" noun (Zoology) Any Asiatic pheasant of the genus Lophophorus , as the Impeyan pheasant.

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 90 of 126.
« Previous ¦82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 ¦ Next »