Thomas Davidson

“ Mode, mōd, n. manner of acting, doing, or existing: rule: custom: form: that which exists only as a quality of substance: a form of the verb, same as mood: in lace-making, a small decorative piece inserted in a pattern: the openwork between the solid parts of a pattern: a woman's mantle with a hood: (mus.) the method of dividing the octave for melodic purposes according to the position of its steps and half-steps.—adj. Mō′dal, relating to mode or form without reference to substance: consisting of mode only: (logic) indicating some mode of expression.—ns. ”

“ Mind′er, a care-taker: one taken care of, as a pauper child by a private person.—adj. Mind′ful, bearing in mind: taking thought or care: attentive: observant.—adv. Mind′fully.—n. Mind′fulness.—adj. Mind′less, without mind: stupid.—n. Mind′-trans′ference, thought-transference.—Mind one's p's and q's, to be accurate and precise; Mind your eye (slang) , take care what you are about.—Absence of mind, inattention to what is going on at the time; Bear in mind, to remember; Be out of one's mind, to be forgotten: to be insane; Have a mind, to wish or to be inclined strongly ”

“ Mission, mish′un, n. a sending of any agent, delegate, or messenger: the purpose for which one is sent: the sending out persons to spread a religion: a series of special religious services conducted by a missioner: any particular field of missionary enterprise: persons sent on a mission: an embassy: a station or association of missionaries: duty on which one is sent: purpose of life.—v.t. (rare) to commission.—n. Miss′ionary, one sent upon a mission to spread the knowledge of religion.—adj. ”

“ Miserere, miz-e-rē′re, n. the name by which in Catholic usage the penitential 50th Psalm of the Vulgate (51st in A.V.) is commonly known, from its commencement, 'Miserere mei, Domine:' a musical composition adapted to this psalm: a hinged folding-seat in a church stall, which, when turned up, shows a bracket on which a person who is standing can lean. [L., 2d pers. sing, imperf. of miserēri, to have mercy, to pity—miser, wretched.] ”

“ Mō′dally.—Greek modes, consisting each of two tetra-chords and one whole step; Gregorian, Medieval, or Ecclesiastical modes, derived from the above by Ambrose, Gregory the Great, &c., each of the seven natural sounds of the diatonic scale forming the keynote or final of a mode, which embraced that note and the seven above it. To each of these seven modes is attached another, in which the melody, while having the same final or keynote, instead of ascending to the octave above, ranges from the fourth below it to the fifth above. ”

“ Miracle, mir′a-kl, n. anything wonderful: a prodigy: anything beyond human power, and away from the common action of the laws of nature: a supernatural event.—ns. Mir′acle-mong′er, one who pretends to work miracles; Mir′acle-play, a medieval form of drama founded on Old or New Testament history, or the legends of the saints.—adj. ”

“ Modulate, mod′ū-lāt, v.t. to measure, to regulate: to vary the tone of voice so as to give expression: (mus.) to change the key or mode.—v.i. to pass from one key into another.—adj. Mod′ular, of or pertaining to mode or modulation, or to a module.—ns. Modulā′tion, the act of modulating: state of being modulated: (mus.) the changing of the keynote and of the original scale by the introduction of a new sharp or flat ”

“ Min′ute-bell, a bell sounded at regular intervals of one minute, in morning; Min′ute-book, a book containing minutes or short notes; Min′ute-glass, a glass the sand of which measures a minute in running out; Min′ute-gun, a gun discharged every minute, as a signal of distress or mourning; Min′ute-hand, the hand that indicates the minutes on a clock or watch; Min′ute-jack (Shak.) , a little figure that strikes the bell of the clock: a flighty, unstable person; Min′ute-man, a man ready to turn out at a minute's warning—the name taken by a body of militia in the American war of independence ”

“ Mill′cog, a cog of a mill-wheel; Mill′dam, Mill′pond, a dam or pond to hold water for driving a mill.—adj. Milled, prepared by a grinding-mill or a coining-press: transversely grooved: treated by machinery, esp. smoothed by calendering rollers in a paper-mill.—ns. Mill′-horse, a horse that turns a mill; Mill′ing, the act of passing anything through a mill: the act of fulling cloth: the process of turning up the edge of coin and of putting the rows of ridges and furrows on it: indenting coin on the edge; Mill′race, the current of water that turns a mill-wheel, or the channel in which it runs ”

“ Milk′en, consisting of milk, or like milk.—ns. Milk′en-way (Bacon) , the milky-way, the galaxy; Milk′er, one who milks: a machine for milking cows: a cow that gives milk; Milk′-fē′ver, a fever accompanying the secretion of milk shortly after childbirth.—adv. Milk′ily.—ns. Milk′iness; Milk′ing, the amount of milk drawn at one time; Milk′ing-stool, a stool on which the milker sits while milking; Milk′ing-time; Milk′ing-tube, a perforated tube inserted in a cow's teat to let the milk flow without pressing the udder; Milk′-kin′ship, the kinship arising from fostering.—adj. ”

“ Mō′bilise, to put in readiness for service in war: to call into active service, as troops.—n. Mobil′ity, quality of being mobile: (slang) the mob.—Crédit mobilier, the system in banking of advancing money to the owners of movable property—as opposed to Credit foncier, on the security of real or immovable property. [Fr. mobiliser—L. mobilis.]
Moble, mob′l, v.t. (Shak.) to muffle or cover the head, as in a mob or hood. [Freq. of mob, a cap.]
Moccasin, mok′a-sin, n. a shoe of deerskin or other soft leather, worn by the North American Indians: a venomous North American serpent.—Also Moc′assin. ”

“ Minor′ity, the state of being under age (also Mī′norship) : the smaller of two parts of a number: a number less than half:—opp. to Majority.—Minor canon, a canon of inferior grade who assists in performing the daily choral service in a cathedral; Minor mode or scale, the mode or scale in music which has the third note only three semitones above the key; Minor premise, the premise which contains the minor term ”

“ Milk′-vetch, a plant sometimes cultivated as food for cattle; Milk′-walk, a milkman's route.—adj. Milk′-warm, warm as new milk.—ns. Milk′-weed, a general name for plants of the genus Asclepias, from their milky juice; Milk′-wort, a genus of handsome flowering plants, containing a milk-like juice.—adj. Milk′y, made of, full of, like, or yielding milk: soft: gentle.—n. Milk′y-way (astron.) , the galaxy, a broad, luminous zone in the sky, caused by the light of innumerable fixed stars. [A.S. meolc, milk; Ger. milch, milk.]
Mill, mil, n. ”

“ Mill′wright, a wright or mechanic who builds and repairs mills.—Go through the mill, to undergo suffering or experience sufficient to fit one for certain duties or privileges; See through a millstone, to see far into or through difficult questions. [A.S. miln—L. mola, a mill—molāre, to grind.]
Mill, mil, n. (U.S.) the thousandth part of a dollar. [L. mille, a thousand.]
Millennium, mil-len′i-um, n. a thousand years: the thousand years during which, as some believe, Christ will personally reign on the earth.—adj. ”

“ Minerva, mi-nėr′va, n. the Roman goddess of wisdom, of the arts and sciences, and of war—identified with the Greek Athena.—Minerva Press, a printing-office in Leadenhall Street, London, whence were issued about the close of the 18th century a long series of highly sentimental novels. [L., prob. from root of mens, mentis, the mind.]
Minever, min′e-vėr, n. Same as Miniver.
Ming, ming, v.t. to mix:—old pa.t. and pa.p. meint, ment. [A.S. mengan; Ger. mengen.]
Mingle, ming′gl, v.t. to mix: to unite into one mass: to confuse: to join in mutual intercourse.—v.i. to become mixed or confused.—n. ”

“ Millepore, mil′e-pōr, n. a species of branching coral, having a smooth surface with numerous minute, distinct pores or cells.—n. Mill′eporite, a fossil millepore. [Fr.; L. mille, 1000, porus, a pore.]
Miller, mil′ėr, n. one who has, or who attends to, a corn-mill.—ns. Mill′er's-thumb, a small fresh-water fish with a large, broad, and rounded head like a miller's thumb, the river bull-head.
Millesimal, mil-les′im-al, adj. thousandth: consisting of thousandth parts.—adv. Milles′imally. [L. millesimus—mille, a thousand.]
Millet, mil′et, n. a grass yielding grain which is used for food. ”

“ Milliped, Milleped, mil′e-ped, n. a small worm-like animal, with a great number of legs.—Also Mill′ipede, Mill′epede. [L. millepeda—mille, a thousand, pes, pedis, a foot.]
Millocrat, mil′ō-krat, n. a wealthy mill-owner.—n. Mill′ocratism.
Milord, mi-lord′, n. my lord: a rich Englishman on the Continent.
Milreis, mil′rēs, n. a thousand reals: a Portuguese coin worth about 4s. 5d.
Milsey, mil′si, n. (prov.) a milk-strainer.
Milt, milt, n. the soft roe of male fishes: (anat.) the spleen.—v.t. to impregnate, as the spawn of the female fish.—n. Milt′er, a male fish. ”

“ Mole, mōl, n. a permanent dark-brown mark on the human skin, often hairy—a pigmentary Nævus (q.v.) . [A.S. mál; Ger. maal, L. mac-ula.]
Mole, mōl, n. a small animal, with very small eyes and soft fur, which burrows in the ground and casts up little heaps of mould.—v.t. to burrow or form holes in.—ns. Mole′cast; Mole′-catch′er, one whose business it is to catch moles; Mole′-crick′et, a burrowing insect like a cricket, with forelegs like those of a mole.—adj. Mole′-eyed, having eyes like those of a mole: seeing imperfectly.—ns. Mole′hill, a little hill or heap of earth cast up by a mole ”

“ Mistreading, mis-tred′ing, n. (Shak.) a wrong treading or going, a false step.
Mistreat, mis-trēt′, v.t. to treat ill: to abuse.—n. Mistreat′ment, ill-treatment: abuse.
Mistress, mis′tres, n. (fem. of Master) a woman having power or ownership: the female head of a family, school, &c.: a woman well skilled in anything: a woman loved and courted: a concubine: (fem. of Mister) a form of address once applied to any woman or girl, now given to a married woman (usually written Mrs and pronounced mis′ez) : (Shak.) ”

“ Ger. meinen, to think, L. mens, the mind.]
Mindererus spirit, min-der-ē′rus spir′it, n. acetate of ammonia, much used in cases of fever.
Mine, mīn, adj. pron. belonging to me: my. [A.S. mín; Ger. mein.]
Mine, mīn, v.i. and v.t. to dig for metals: to excavate: to dig under a wall or building in order to overturn it: to ruin or destroy by secret means.—n. a place from which metals are dug: an excavation dug under a fortification to blow it up with gunpowder: a rich source of wealth.—ns. ”

“ Misstep, mis-step′, v.i. to make a false step; to make a mistake.—n. a mistake in conduct, &c.
Missuit, mis-sūt′, v.t. to be unbecoming to.
Missummation, mis-su-mā′shun, n. wrong addition.
Missy. See Missish.
Mist, mist, n. watery vapour seen in the atmosphere: rain in very fine drops: anything that dims or darkens the sight or the judgment.—n. Mist′flow′er, a North American plant of the Aster family, with clusters of blue or violet flowers.—adj. Mist′ful, misty.—adv. Mist′ily.—n. Mist′iness.—adj. Mist′y, full of mist: dim: obscure, not perspicuous.—Scotch mist, a very wetting rain. ”

“ Mī′tre-joint, a joint between two pieces, each cut at an angle of 45°; Mī′tre-wheel, a bevel-wheel having its face inclined 45° to its axis. [Fr.,—L. mitra—Gr. mitra, belt, fillet.]
Mitt, mit, short for mitten.
Mitten., mit′n, n. a kind of glove for winter use, without a separate cover for each finger: a glove for the hand and wrist, but not the fingers.—v.t. to put mittens on.—Get the mitten, to be rejected as a lover. [O. Fr. mitaine, perh. from Middle High Ger. mittemo, 'half glove;' but perh. Celtic, cf. Gael. and Ir. mutan, a muff.] ”

“ Minnow, min′ō, n. a very small fresh-water fish of the same genus as the roach, chub, &c.: the young of larger fish. [A.S. myne, prob. min, less.]
Mino, mē′nō, n. a Japanese rain-coat of hemp, &c.
Minor, mī′nor, adj. smaller: less: inferior in importance, degree, bulk, &c.: inconsiderable: lower: (mus.) smaller by a semitone.—n. a person under age (21 years) : (logic) the term of a syllogism which forms the subject of the conclusion.—n. ”