Neal Neal transitive verb To anneal. [ R.] Chaucer.

Neal Neal intransitive verb To be tempered by heat. [ R.] Bacon.

Neanderthal Neˇan"derˇthal` adjective (Anthropol.) Of, pertaining to, or named from, the Neanderthal, a valley in the Rhine Province, in which were found parts of a skeleton of an early type of man. The skull is characterized by extreme dolichocephaly, flat, retreating forehead, with closed frontal sutures, and enormous superciliary ridges. The cranial capacity is estimated at about 1,220 cubic centimeters, being about midway between that of the Pithecanthropus and modern man. Hence, designating the Neanderthal race, or man a species supposed to have been widespread in paleolithic Europe.

Neanderthaloid Neˇan`derˇthal"oid adjective [ Neanderthal + -oid .] (Anthropol.) Like, or pertaining to, the Neanderthal skull, or the type of man it represents.

Neap Neap noun [ Confer Neb , Nape .] The tongue or pole of a cart or other vehicle drawn by two animals. [ U.S.]

Neap Neap adjective [ As. nēp flōd neap flood; confer hnipian to bend, incline.] Low.

Neap tides , the lowest tides of the lunar month, which occur in the second and fourth quarters of the moon; -- opposed to spring tides .

Neap Neap noun A neap tide.

High springs and dead neaps .

Harkwill.

Neaped Neaped adjective (Nautical) Left aground on the height of a spring tide, so that it will not float till the next spring tide; -- called also beneaped .

Neapolitan Ne`aˇpol"iˇtan adjective [ Latin Neapolitanus , from Neapolis Naples, Greek ..., lit., New town.] Of of pertaining to Naples in Italy. -- noun A native or citizen of Naples.

Neapolitan ice, Neapolitan ice cream Ne`aˇpol"iˇtan ice, Neapolitan ice cream (a) An ice or ice cream containing eggs as well as cream. (b) An ice or ice cream prepared in layers, as vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate ice cream, and orange or lemon water ice.

Near Near (nēr) adverb [ Anglo-Saxon neár , compar. of neáh nigh. See Nigh .] 1. At a little distance, in place, time, manner, or degree; not remote; nigh.

My wife! my traitress! let her not come near me.

Milton.

2. Nearly; almost; well-nigh. " Near twenty years ago." Shak. " Near a fortnight ago." Addison.

Near about the yearly value of the land.

Locke.

3. Closely; intimately. Shak.

Far and near , at a distance and close by; throughout a whole region. -- To come near to , to want but little of; to approximate to. "Such a sum he found would go near to ruin him." Addison.

-- Near the wind (Nautical) , close to the wind; closehauled.

Near Near adjective [ Compar. Nearer ; superl. Nearest .] [ See Near , adverb ] 1. Not far distant in time, place, or degree; not remote; close at hand; adjacent; neighboring; nigh. "As one near death." Shak.

He served great Hector, and was ever near ,
Not with his trumpet only, but his spear.

Dryden.

2. Closely connected or related.

She is thy father's near kinswoman.

Lev. xviii. 12.

3. Close to one's interests, affection, etc.; touching, or affecting intimately; intimate; dear; as, a near friend.

4. Close to anything followed or imitated; not free, loose, or rambling; as, a version near to the original.

5. So as barely to avoid or pass injury or loss; close; narrow; as, a near escape.

6. Next to the driver, when he is on foot; in the Unted States, on the left of an animal or a team; as, the near ox; the near leg. See Off side , under Off , a .

7. Immediate; direct; close; short. "The nearest way." Milton.

8. Close-fisted; parsimonious. [ Obsolete or Low, Eng.]

» Near may properly be followed by to before the thing approached'; but more frequently to is omitted, and the adjective or the adverb is regarded as a preposition. The same is also true of the word nigh .

Syn. -- Nigh; close; adjacent; proximate; contiguous; present; ready; intimate; dear.

Near Near preposition Adjacent to; close by; not far from; nigh; as, the ship sailed near the land. See the Note under near , adjective

Near Near transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Neared ; present participle & verbal noun Nearing .] [ See Near , adverb ] To approach; to come nearer; as, the ship neared the land.

Near Near intransitive verb To draw near; to approach.

A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist!
And still it neared , and neared .

Coleridge.

Near beer Near beer Any of various malt liquors (see Citation ).

Near beer is a term of common currency used to designate all that class of malt liquors which contain so little alcohol that they will not produce intoxication, though drunk to excess, and includes in its meaning all malt liquors which are not within the purview of the general prohibition law.

Cambell v. City of Thomasville, Georgia Appeal Records, 6 212.

Near-legged Near"-legged` adjective Having the feet so near together that they interfere in traveling. Shak.

Nearctic Neˇarc"tic adjective [ Neo + arctic .] Of or pertaining to a region of the earth's surface including all of temperate and arctic North America and Greenland. In the geographical distribution of animals, this region is marked off as the habitat certain species.

Nearhand Near"hand` adjective & adverb Near; near at hand; closely. [ Obsolete or Scot.] Bacon.

Nearly Near"ly adverb In a near manner; not remotely; closely; intimately; almost.

Nearness Near"ness noun The state or quality of being near; -- used in the various senses of the adjective.

Nearsighted Near"sight`ed adjective Seeing distinctly at short distances only; shortsighted. -- Near"sight`ed*ness noun See Myopic , and Myopia .

Neat Neat noun sing. & plural [ Anglo-Saxon neát ; akin to Old High German n...z , Icelandic naut , Swedish nöt , Danish nöd , and to Anglo-Saxon neótan to make use of, German geniessen , Goth. niutan to have a share in, have joy of, Lithuanian nauda use, profit.] (Zoology) Cattle of the genus Bos , as distinguished from horses, sheep, and goats; an animal of the genus Bos ; as, a neat's tongue; a neat's foot. Chaucer.

Wherein the herds[ men] were keeping of their neat .

Spenser.

The steer, the heifer, and the calf
Are all called neat .

Shak.

A neat and a sheep of his own.

Tusser.

Neat's-foot , an oil obtained by boiling the feet of neat cattle. It is used to render leather soft and pliable.

Neat Neat adjective [ See neat , noun ] Of or pertaining to the genus Bos , or to cattle of that genus; as, neat cattle.

Neat Neat adjective [ Compar. Neater ; superl. Neatest .] [ Middle English nett , French nett , from Latin nitidus , from nitere to shine. Confer Nitid , Net , adjective , Natty .] 1. Free from that which soils, defiles, or disorders; clean; cleanly; tidy.

If you were to see her, you would wonder what poor body it was that was so surprisingly neat and clean.

Law.

2. Free from what is unbecoming, inappropriate, or tawdry; simple and becoming; pleasing with simplicity; tasteful; chaste; as, a neat style; a neat dress.

3. Free from admixture or adulteration; good of its kind; as, neat brandy. "Our old wine neat ." Chapman.

4. Excellent in character, skill, or performance, etc.; nice; finished; adroit; as, a neat design; a neat thief.

5. With all deductions or allowances made; net. [ In this sense usually written net . See Net , adjective , 3.]

neat line (Civil Engin.) , a line to which work is to be built or formed. -- Neat work , work built or formed to neat lines.

Syn. -- Nice; pure; cleanly; tidy; trim; spruce.

Neath Neath preposition & adverb An abbreviation of Beneath . [ Poetic]

Neatherd Neat"herd` noun A person who has the care of neat cattle; a cowherd. Dryden.

Neathouse Neat"house` noun A building for the shelter of neat cattle. [ Obsolete or Prov. Eng.] Massinger.

Neatify Neat"iˇfy transitive verb [ Neat , adjective + -fy .] To make neat. [ Obsolete] olland.

Neatly Neat"ly adverb In a neat manner; tidily; tastefully.

neatness neat"ness noun The state or quality of being neat.

Neatress Neat"ress noun [ From neat cattle.] A woman who takes care of cattle. [ R.] Warner.

Neb Neb noun [ Anglo-Saxon nebb head, face; akin to Dutch neb , Icelandic nef , beak of a bird, nose, Danish nćb beak, bill, Swedish näbb , näf , and probably also to Dutch sneb , snavel , bill, beak, German schnabel , Dan. & Swedish snabel , and English snap . Confer Nib , Snap , Snaffle .] The nose; the snout; the mouth; the beak of a bird; a nib, as of a pen. [ Also written nib .] Shak.

Neb-neb Neb"-neb` noun Same as Bablh .

Nebalia Neˇba"liˇa noun [ New Latin , of uncertain origin.] (Zoology) A genus of small marine Crustacea, considered the type of a distinct order ( Nebaloidea , or Phyllocarida .)

Nebula Neb"uˇla noun ; plural Nebulć . [ Latin , mist, cloud; akin to Greek ..., ..., cloud, mist, German nebel mist, Old High German nebul , Dutch nevel , Sanskrit nabhas cloud, mist. Confer Nebule .] 1. (Astron.) A faint, cloudlike, self- luminous mass of matter situated beyond the solar system among the stars. True nebulć are gaseous; but very distant star clusters often appear like them in the telescope.

2. (Medicine) (a) A white spot or a slight opacity of the cornea. (b) A cloudy appearance in the urine. [ Obsolete]

Nebular Neb"uˇlar adjective Of or pertaining to nebulć; of the nature of, or resembling, a nebula.

Nebular hypothesis , an hypothesis to explain the process of formation of the stars and planets, presented in various forms by Kant, Herschel, Laplace, and others. As formed by Laplace, it supposed the matter of the solar system to have existed originally in the form of a vast, diffused, revolving nebula, which, gradually cooling and contracting, threw off, in obedience to mechanical and physical laws, succesive rings of matter, from which subsequently, by the same laws, were produced the several planets, satellites, and other bodies of the system. The phrase may indicate any hypothesis according to which the stars or the bodies of the solar system have been evolved from a widely diffused nebulous form of matter.

Nebulated Neb"uˇla`ted adjective Clouded with indistinct color markings, as an animal.

Nebulation Neb`uˇla"tion noun The condition of being nebulated; also, a clouded, or ill-defined, color mark.

Nebule Neb"ule noun [ Confer French nébule . See nebula .] A little cloud; a cloud. [ Obsolete]

O light without nebule .

Old Ballad.

Nébulé, Nebuly Né`bu`lé", Neb"uˇly adjective [ French nébulé .] (Her.) Composed of successive short curves supposed to resemble a cloud; -- said of a heraldic line by which an ordinary or subordinary may be bounded.

Nebulization Neb`uˇliˇza"tion noun (Medicine) The act or process of nebulizing; atomization.

Nebulize Neb"uˇlize transitive verb [ See Nebula .] To reduce (as a liquid) to a fine spray or vapor; to atomize.

Nebulizer Neb"uˇli`zer noun An atomizer.

Nebulose Neb"uˇlose` adjective Nebulous; cloudy. Derham.

Nebulosity Neb`uˇlos"iˇty noun [ Latin nebulositas: confer French nébulosité ] 1. The state or quality of being nebulous; cloudiness; haziness; mistiness; nebulousness.

The nebulosity . . . of the mother idiom.

I. Disraeli.

2. (Astron.) (a) The stuff of which a nebula is formed. (b) A nebula.

Nebulous Neb"uˇlous adjective [ Latin nebulosus : confer French nébuleux . See Nebula .] 1. Cloudy; hazy; misty.

2. (Astron.) Of, pertaining to, or having the appearance of, a nebula; nebular; cloudlike.

-- Neb"u*lous*ly , adverb -- Neb"u*lous*ness , noun

Nebuly Neb"uˇly noun (Her. & Arch.) A line or a decoration composed of successive short curves or waves supposed to resemble a cloud. See Nébulé

Necessarian Nec`esˇsa"riˇan noun [ Confer French nécessarien . See Necessary .] An advocate of the doctrine of philosophical necessity; a necessitarian.

Necessarian Nec`esˇsa"riˇan adjective Of or pertaining to necessarianism.

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 N > Page 8 of 43.
« Previous ¦1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 ¦ Next »