



Produced by Colin Bell, Keith Edkins and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net





Transcriber's note: A few typographical errors have been corrected: they
are listed at the end of the text.

       *       *       *       *       *


In this version [=e] signifies "e macron"; [)e] "e breve"; [.e] "e with dot
above"; [:a] "a with diaeresis"; ['e] "e with acute"; [`e] "with grave";
(the last 2 are not shown in the tabular "French or Metric System" section)
[^e] "with circumflex"; and so forth.

CHAMBERS'S
TWENTIETH CENTURY DICTIONARY
OF THE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE

PRONOUNCING, EXPLANATORY, ETYMOLOGICAL, WITH COMPOUND PHRASES,
TECHNICAL TERMS IN USE IN THE ARTS AND SCIENCES,
COLLOQUIALISMS, FULL APPENDICES, AND
COPIOUSLY ILLUSTRATED

EDITED BY
REV. THOMAS DAVIDSON
ASSISTANT-EDITOR OF 'CHAMBERS'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA'
EDITOR OF 'CHAMBERS'S ENGLISH DICTIONARY'

LONDON: 47 Paternoster Row
W. & R. CHAMBERS, LIMITED
EDINBURGH: 339 High Street
1908

EXPLANATIONS TO THE STUDENT.

THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE WORDS.--Every word is given in its _alphabetical_
order, except in cases where, to save space, derivatives are given after
and under the words from which they are derived. Each uncompounded verb has
its participles, when irregular, placed after it. Exceptional plurals are
also given. When a word stands after another, with no meaning given, its
meanings can be at once formed from those of the latter, by adding the
signification of the affix: thus the meanings of _Darkness_ are obtained by
prefixing the meaning of _ness_, _state of being_, to those of _Dark_.

Many words from French and other tongues, current in English usage, but not
yet fairly Anglicised, are inserted in the list of Foreign Phrases, &c., at
the end, rather than in the body of the Dictionary.

THE PRONUNCIATION.--The Pronunciation is given immediately after each word,
by the word being spelled anew. In this new spelling, every consonant used
has its ordinary unvarying sound, _no consonant being employed that has
more than one sound_. The same sounds are always represented by the same
letters, no matter how varied their actual spelling in the language. No
consonant used has any mark attached to it, with the one exception of _th_,
which is printed in common letters when sounded as in _thick_, but in
italics when sounded as in _th_en. _Unmarked vowels_ have always their
short sounds, as in _lad_, _led_, _lid_, _lot_, _but_, _book_. The _marked
vowels_ are shown in the following line, which is printed at the top of
each page:--

f[=a]te, f[:a]r; m[=e], h[.e]r; m[=i]ne; m[=o]te; m[=u]te; m[=oo]n; _th_en.

The vowel _u_ when marked thus, _[:u]_, has the sound heard in Scotch
_bluid_, _gude_, the French _du_, almost that of the German _[:u]_ in
_M[:u]ller_. Where more than one pronunciation of a word is given, that
which is placed first is more accepted.

THE SPELLING.--When more than one form of a word is given, that which is
placed first is the spelling in current English use. Unfortunately our
modern spelling does not represent the English we actually speak, but
rather the language of the 16th century, up to which period, generally
speaking, English spelling was mainly phonetic, like the present German.
The fundamental principle of all rational spelling is no doubt the
representation of every sound by an invariable symbol, but in modern
English the usage of pronunciation has drifted far from the conventional
forms established by a traditional orthography, with the result that the
present spelling of our written speech is to a large extent a mere exercise
of memory, full of confusing anomalies and imperfections, and involving an
enormous and unnecessary strain on the faculties of learners. Spelling
reform is indeed an imperative necessity, but it must proceed with a wise
moderation, for, in the words of Mr Sweet, 'nothing can be done without
unanimity, and until the majority of the community are convinced of the
superiority of some one system unanimity is impossible.' The true path of
progress should follow such wisely moderate counsels as those of Dr J. A.
H. Murray:--the dropping of the final or inflexional silent _e_; the
restoration of the historical _-t_ after breath consonants; uniformity in
the employment of double consonants, as in _traveler_, &c.; the discarding
of _ue_ in words like _demagogue_ and _catalogue_; the uniform levelling of
the agent _-our_ into _-or_; the making of _ea = [)e]_ short into _e_ and
the long _ie_ into _ee_; the restoration of _some_, _come_, _tongue_, to
their old English forms, _sum_, _cum_, _tung_; a more extended use of _z_
in the body of words, as _chozen_, _praize_, _raize_; and the correction of
the worst individual monstrosities, as _foreign_, _scent_, _scythe_,
_ache_, _debt_, _people_, _parliament_, _court_, _would_, _sceptic_,
_phthisis_, _queue_, _schedule_, _twopence-halfpenny_, _yeoman_, _sieve_,
_gauge_, _barque_, _buoy_, _yacht_, &c.

Already in America a moderate degree of spelling reform may be said to be
established in good usage, by the adoption of _-or_ for _-our_, as _color_,
_labor_, &c.; of _-er_ for _-re_, as _center_, _meter_, &c.; _-ize_ for
_-ise_, as _civilize_, &c.; the use of a uniform single consonant after an
unaccented vowel, as _traveler_ for _traveller_; the adoption of _e_ for
_oe_ or _ae_ in _hemorrhage_, _diarrhea_, &c.

THE MEANINGS.--The current and most important meaning of a word is usually
given first. But in cases like _Clerk_, _Livery_, _Marshal_, where the
force of the word can be made much clearer by tracing its history, the
original meaning is also given, and the successive variations of its usage
defined.

THE ETYMOLOGY.--The Etymology of each word is given after the meanings,
within brackets. Where further information regarding a word is given
elsewhere, it is so indicated by a reference. It must be noted under the
etymology that whenever a word is printed thus, BAN, BASE, the student is
referred to it; also that here the sign--is always to be read as meaning
'derived from.' Examples are generally given of words that are cognate or
correspond to the English words; but it must be remembered that they are
inserted merely for illustration. Such words are usually separated from the
rest by a semicolon. For instance, when an English word is traced to its
Anglo-Saxon form, and then a German word is given, no one should suppose
that our English word is derived from the German. German and Anglo-Saxon
are alike branches from a common Teutonic stem, and have seldom borrowed
from each other. Under each word the force of the prefix is usually given,
though not the affix. For fuller explanation in such cases the student is
referred to the list of Prefixes and Suffixes in the Appendix.

       *       *       *       *       *


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS DICTIONARY.

  _aor._                    aorist.
  _abbrev._                 abbreviation.
  _abl._                    ablative.
  _acc._                    according.
  _accus._                  accusative.
  _adj._                    adjective.
  _adv._                    adverb.
  _agri._                   agriculture.
  _alg._                    algebra.
  _anat._                   anatomy.
  _app._                    apparently.
  _arch._                   archaic.
  _archit._                 architecture.
  _arith._                  arithmetic.
  _astrol._                 astrology.
  _astron._                 astronomy.
  _attrib._                 attributive.
  _augm._                   augmentative.
  _B._                      Bible.
  _biol._                   biology.
  _book-k._                 book-keeping.
  _bot._                    botany.
  _c._ (_circa_)            about.
  _c._, _cent._             century.
  _carp._                   carpentry.
  _cf._                     compare.
  _chem._                   chemistry.
  _cog._                    cognate.
  _coll._, _colloq._        colloquially.
  _comp._                   comparative.
  _conch._                  conchology.
  _conj._                   conjunction.
  _conn._                   connected.
  _contr._                  contracted.
  _cook._                   cookery.
  _corr._                   corruption.
  _crystal._                crystallography.
  _dat._                    dative.
  _demons._                 demonstrative.
  _der._                    derivation.
  _dial._                   dialect, dialectal.
  _Dict._                   Dictionary.
  _dim._                    diminutive.
  _dub._                    doubtful.
  _eccles._                 ecclesiastical history.
  _e.g._                    for example.
  _elect._                  electricity.
  _entom._                  entomology.
  _esp._                    especially.
  _ety._                    etymology.
  _fem._                    feminine.
  _fig._                    figuratively.
  _fol._                    followed; following.
  _fort._                   fortification.
  _freq._                   frequentative.
  _fut._                    future.
  _gen._                    genitive.
  _gener._                  generally.
  _geog._                   geography.
  _geol._                   geology.
  _geom._                   geometry.
  _ger._                    gerundive.
  _gram._                   grammar.
  _gun._                    gunnery.
  _her._                    heraldry.
  _hist._                   history.
  _hort._                   horticulture.
  _hum._                    humorous.
  _i.e._                    that is.
  _imit._                   imitative.
  _imper._                  imperative.
  _impers._                 impersonal.
  _indic._                  indicative.
  _infin._                  infinitive.
  _inten._                  intensive.
  _interj._                 interjection.
  _interrog._               interrogative.
  _jew._                    jewellery.
  _lit._                    literally.
  _mach._                   machinery.
  _masc._                   masculine.
  _math._                   mathematics.
  _mech._                   mechanics.
  _med._                    medicine.
  _metaph._                 metaphysics.
  _mil._                    military.
  _Milt._                   Milton.
  _min._                    mineralogy.
  _mod._                    modern.
  _Mt._                     Mount.
  _mus._                    music.
  _myth._                   mythology.
  _n._, _ns._               noun, nouns.
  _nat. hist._              natural history.
  _naut._                   nautical.
  _neg._                    negative.
  _neut._                   neuter.
  _n.pl._                   noun plural.
  _n.sing._                 noun singular.
  _N.T._                    New Testament.
  _obs._                    obsolete.
  _opp._                    opposed.
  _opt._                    optics.
  _orig._                   originally.
  _ornith._                 ornithology.
  _O.S._                    old style.
  _O.T._                    Old Testament.
  _p._, _part._             participle.
  _p.adj._                  participial adjective.
  _paint._                  painting.
  _paleog._                 paleography.
  _paleon._                 paleontology.
  _palm._                   palmistry.
  _pa.p._                   past participle.
  _pass._                   passive.
  _pa.t._                   past tense.
  _path._                   pathology.
  _perf._                   perfect.
  _perh._                   perhaps.
  _pers._                   person.
  _pfx._                    prefix.
  _phil._, _philos._        philosophy.
  _philol._                 philology.
  _phon._                   phonetics.
  _phot._                   photography.
  _phrenol._                phrenology.
  _phys._                   physics.
  _physiol._                physiology.
  _pl._                     plural.
  _poet._                   poetical.
  _pol. econ._              political economy.
  _poss._                   possessive.
  _Pr.Bk._                  Book of Common
                            Prayer.
  _pr.p._                   present participle.
  _prep._                   preposition.
  _pres._                   present.
  _print._                  printing.
  _priv._                   privative.
  _prob._                   probably.
  _Prof._                   Professor.
  _pron._                   pronoun;
                            pronounced;
                            pronunciation.
  _prop._                   properly.
  _pros._                   prosody.
  _prov._                   provincial.
  _q.v._                    which see.
  _R.C._                    Roman Catholic.
  _recip._                  reciprocal.
  _redup._                  reduplication.
  _refl._                   reflexive.
  _rel._                    related; relative.
  _rhet._                   rhetoric.
  _sculp._                  sculpture.
  _Shak._                   Shakespeare.
  _sig._                    signifying.
  _sing._                   singular.
  _spec._                   specifically.
  _Spens_.                  Spenser.
  _subj._                   subjunctive.
  _suff._                   suffix.
  _superl._                 superlative.
  _surg._                   surgery.
  _term._                   termination.
  _teleg._                  telegraphy.
  _Tenn._                   Tennyson.
  _Test._                   Testament.
  _theat._                  theatre; theatricals.
  _theol._                  theology.
  _trig._                   trigonometry.
  _ult._                    ultimately.
  _v.i._                    verb intransitive.
  _voc._                    vocative.
  _v.t._                    verb transitive.
  _vul._                    vulgar.
  _zool._                   zoology.

       *       *       *       *       *

  Amer.       American.
  Ar.         Arabic.
  A.S.        Anglo-Saxon.
  Austr.      Australian.
  Bav.        Bavarian.
  Beng.       Bengali.
  Bohem.      Bohemian.
  Braz.       Brazilian.
  Bret.       Breton.
  Carib.      Caribbean.
  Celt.       Celtic.
  Chal.       Chaldean.
  Chin.       Chinese.
  Corn.       Cornish.
  Dan.        Danish.
  Dut.        Dutch.
  Egypt.      Egyptian.
  Eng.        English.
  Finn.       Finnish.
  Flem.       Flemish.
  Fr.         French.
  Fris.       Frisian.
  Gael.       Gaelic.
  Ger.        German.
  Goth.       Gothic.
  Gr.         Greek.
  Heb.        Hebrew.
  Hind.       Hindustani.
  Hung.       Hungarian.
  Ice.        Icelandic.
  Ind.        Indian.
  Ion.        Ionic.
  Ir.         Irish.
  It.         Italian.
  <DW61>.        Japanese.
  Jav.        Javanese.
  L.          Latin.
  Lith.       Lithuanian.
  L. L.       Low or Late Latin.
  M. E.       Middle English.
  Mex.        Mexican.
  Norm.       Norman.
  Norw.       Norwegian.
  O. Fr.      Old French.
  Pers.       Persian.
  Peruv.      Peruvian.
  Pol.        Polish.
  Port.       Portuguese.
  Prov.       Provencal.
  Rom.        Romance.
  Russ.       Russian
  Sans.       Sanskrit.
  Scand.      Scandinavian.
  Scot.       Scottish.
  Singh.      Singhalese.
  Slav.       Slavonic.
  Sp.         Spanish.
  Sw.         Swedish.
  Teut.       Teutonic.
  Turk.       Turkish.
  U.S.        United States.
  W.          Welsh.

       *       *       *       *       *


CHAMBERS'S
TWENTIETH CENTURY
DICTIONARY.

       *       *       *       *       *

S the nineteenth letter in our alphabet, its sound that of the hard open
sibilant: as a medieval Roman numeral--7--also 70; [=S]--70,000.--COLLAR OF
SS, a collar composed of a series of the letter _s_ in gold, either linked
together or set in close order.

SAB, sab, _n._ (_Scot._) a form of _sob_.

SABADILLA, sab-a-dil'a, _n._ a Mexican plant, whose seeds yield an
officinal alkaloid, _veratrine_, employed chiefly in acute febrile diseases
in strong healthy persons.--Also CEBADILL'A, CEVADILL'A.

SABAISM, s[=a]'b[=a]-izm. Same as SABIANISM.--Also S[=A]'BAEISM,
S[=A]'BEISM, S[=A]'BAEANISM.

SA'BAL, s[=a]'bal, _n._ a genus of fan-palms.

SABALO, sab'a-l[=o], _n._ the tarpon. [Sp.]

SABAOTH, sa-b[=a]'oth, _n.pl._ armies, used only in the B. phrase, 'the
Lord of Sabaoth': erroneously for Sabbath. [Heb. _tseb[=a][=o]th_, pl. of
_ts[=a]b[=a]_, an army--_ts[=a]b[=a]_, to go forth.]

SABBATH, sab'ath, _n._ among the Jews, the seventh day of the week, set
apart for the rest from work: among Christians, the first day of the week,
in memory of the resurrection of Christ, called also _Sunday_ and the
_Lord's Day:_ among the ancient Jews, the seventh year, when the land was
left fallow: a time of rest.--_adj_. pertaining to the Sabbath.--_n._
SABBAT[=A]'RIAN, a very strict observer of the Sabbath: one who observes
the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath.--_adj_. pertaining to the
Sabbath or to Sabbatarians.--_ns._ SABBAT[=A]'RIANISM; SABB'ATH-BREAK'ER,
one who profanes the Sabbath; SABB'ATH-BREAK'ING, profanation of the
Sabbath.--_adjs._ SABB'ATHLESS (_Bacon_), without Sabbath or interval of
rest: without intermission of labour; SABBAT'IC, -AL, pertaining to, or
resembling, the Sabbath: enjoying or bringing rest.--_n._ SABBAT'ICAL-YEAR,
every seventh year, in which the Israelites allowed their fields and
vineyards to lie fallow.--_adj._ SABB'ATINE, pertaining to the
Sabbath.--_v.i._ and _v.t._ SABB'ATISE, to keep the Sabbath: to convert
into a Sabbath.--_n._ SABB'ATISM, rest, as on the Sabbath: intermission of
labour.--SABBATH-DAY'S JOURNEY, the distance of 2000 cubits, or about five
furlongs, which a Jew was permitted to walk on the Sabbath, fixed by the
space between the extreme end of the camp and the ark (Josh. iii. 4);
SABBATH SCHOOL (see SUNDAY SCHOOL).--WITCHES' SABBATH, a midnight meeting
of Satan with witches, devils, and sorcerers for unhallowed orgies and the
travestying of divine rites. [L. _Sabbatum_, gener. in pl. _Sabbata_--Gr.
_Sabbaton_--Heb. _Shabb[=a]th_, rest.]

SABBATIA, sa-b[=a]'ti-a, _n._ a genus of small North American herbaceous
plants of the gentian family. [From _Sabbati_, an 18th-cent. Italian
botanist.]

SABBATON, sab'a-ton, _n._ a strong, armed covering for the foot, worn in
the 16th century. [_Sabot._]

SABEAN, s[=a]-b[=e]'an, _n._ an Arabian, native of Yemen.--_adj._
pertaining to _Saba_ in Arabia.

SABELINE, sab'e-lin, _adj._ pertaining to the sable.--_n._ the skin of the
sable.

SABELLA, s[=a]-bel'[:a], _n._ a genus of tubiculous annelids or
sea-worms.--_ns._ SABELL[=A]'RIA; SABELLAR[=I]'IDAE.

SABELLIAN, s[=a]-bel'i-an, _n._ a follower of _Sabellius_, a 3d-century
heretic, banished from Rome by Callistus.--_adj._ pertaining to Sabellius
or his heresy.--_n._ SABELL'IANISM, the heresy about the distinction of
Persons in God held by Sabellius and his school--the Trinity resolved into
a mere threefold manifestation of God to man, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
not distinct subsistences, but merely one and the same person in different
aspects.

SABER=_Sabre_ (q.v.).

SABIAN, s[=a]'bi-an, _n._ a worshipper of the host of heaven--sun, moon,
and stars--also TS[=A]'BIAN.--_ns._ S[=A]'BIANISM, S[=A]'BAISM, the worship
of the host of heaven, an ancient religion in Persia and Chaldea: the
doctrines of the Sabians or Mandaeans (see MANDAEAN). [Heb. _ts[=a]b[=a]_,
a host.]

SABINE, s[=a]'b[=i]n, _n._ one of an ancient people of central Italy,
ultimately subjected by Rome, 241 B.C.

SABLE, s[=a]'bl, _n._ a Siberian species of Marten, with lustrous
dark-brown or blackish fur: its fur: a fine paint-brush made of sable: the
colour black: (_pl._) black clothes, mourning clothes.--_adj._ of the
colour of the sable's fur: blackish, dark-brown: made of the fur of the
sable.--_v.t._ to sadden.--_adjs._ S[=A]'BLE-STOLED; S[=A]'BLE-VEST'ED. [O.
Fr. _sable_--Russ. _sabol[)i]._]

SABLI[`E]RE, sab-li-[=a]r', _n._ a sand-pit. [Fr.]

[Illustration]

SABOT, s[:a]-b[=o]', _n._ a wooden shoe, worn by the French peasantry: a
piece of soft metal attached to a projectile to take the groove of the
rifling.--_n._ SABOTIER', a wearer of wooden shoes: a Waldensian. [Fr.
_sabot_--Low L. _sabbatum_, a shoe.]

SABRE, s[=a]'b[.e]r, _n._ a heavy one-edged sword, slightly curved towards
the point, used by cavalry.--_v.t._ to wound or kill with a sabre.--_ns._
S[=A]'BRE-BILL, a South American bird: a curlew; S[=A]'BRE-FISH, the
hair-tail or silver eel.--_adj._ S[=A]'BRE-TOOTHED, having extremely long
upper canine teeth.--_n._ S[=A]'BRE-WING, a humming-bird. [Fr.
_sabre_--Ger. _s[:a]bel_, prob. from the Hung. _szablya_.]

SABRE-TACHE, s[=a]'b[.e]r-tash, _n._ an ornamental leather case worn by
cavalry officers at the left side, suspended from the sword-belt.--Also
S[=A]'BRE-TASH. [Fr. _sabre-tache_--Ger. _s[:a]beltasche_, _s[:a]bel_, a
sabre, Ger. _tasche_, a pocket.]

SABRINA-WORK, sa-br[=i]'na-wurk, _n._ a variety of appliqu['e]
embroidery-work.

SABULOUS, sab'[=u]-lus, _adj._ sandy, gritty.--_n._ SABULOS'ITY, sandiness,
grittiness. [L. _sabulum_, sand.]

SABURRA, s[=a]-bur'[:a], _n._ a foulness of the stomach.--_adj._
SABURR'AL.--_n._ SABURR[=A]'TION, sand-baking: the application of a hot
sand-bath.

SAC, sak, _n._ (_bot._, _zool._) a sack or bag for a liquid.--_adjs._
SAC'C[=A]TE, -D, pouched: pouch-like; SAC'CULAR, like a sac, sacciform;
SAC'CULATE, -D, formed in a series of sac-like expansions: encysted.--_ns._
SACCUL[=A]'TION, the formation of a sac: a series of sacs; SAC'CULE,
SAC'CULUS, a small sac:--_pl._ SAC'CULI. [Fr.,--L. _saccus_, a bag.]

SAC, sak, _n._ (_law_) the privilege of a lord of manor of holding courts.
[A.S. _sacu_, strife.]

SACCADE, sa-k[=a]d', _n._ a violent twitch of a horse by one pull: a firm
pressure of the bow on the violin-strings so that two are sounded at once.
[Fr.]

SACCATA, sa-k[=a]'t[:a], _n._ the molluscs as a branch of the animal
kingdom.

SACCHARILLA, sak-a-ril'a, _n._ a kind of muslin.

SACCHARINE, sak'a-rin, _adj._ pertaining to, or having the qualities of,
sugar.--_n._ SAC'CHAR[=A]TE, a salt of a saccharic acid.--_adjs._
SACCHAR'IC, pertaining to, or obtained from, sugar and allied substances;
SACCHARIF'EROUS, producing sugar, as from starch.--_v.t._ SAC'CHARIFY, to
convert into sugar.--_ns._ SACCHARIM'ETER, SACCHAROM'ETER, an instrument
for measuring the quantity of saccharine matter in a liquid;
SACCHARIM'ETRY, SACCHAROM'ETRY; SAC'CHARIN, a white crystalline solid
slightly soluble in cold water, odourless, but intensely sweet;
SACCHARIN'ITY.--_v.t._ SAC'CHARISE, to convert into sugar:--_pr.p._
sac'char[=i]sing; _pa.p._ sac'char[=i]sed.--_adjs._ SAC'CHAROID, -AL,
having a texture resembling sugar, esp. loaf-sugar.--_n._ SAC'CHAROSE, the
ordinary pure sugar of commerce.--_adj._ SAC'CHAROUS.--_n._ SAC'CHARUM, a
genus of grasses, including the sugar-cane. [Fr. _saccharin_--L.
_saccharum_, sugar.]

SACCHARITE, sak'a-r[=i]t, _n._ a fine granular variety of feldspar.

SACCHAROCOLLOID, sak-a-r[=o]-kol'oid, _n._ one of a large group of the
carbohydrates.

SACCHAROMYCES, sak-a-r[=o]-m[=i]'s[=e]z, _n._ a genus of the yeast fungi.
[Low L. _saccharum_, sugar, Gr. _myk[=