n. [ AS. feól; akin to D. viji, OHG. fīla, fīhala, G. feile, Sw. fil, Dan. fiil, cf. Icel. þēl, Russ. pila, and Skr. piç to cut out, adorn; perh. akin to E. paint. ] 1. A steel instrument, having cutting ridges or teeth, made by indentation with a chisel, used for abrading or smoothing other substances, as metals, wood, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ A file differs from a rasp in having the furrows made by straight cuts of a chisel, either single or crossed, while the rasp has coarse, single teeth, raised by the pyramidal end of a triangular punch. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Anything employed to smooth, polish, or rasp, literally or figuratively. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mock the nice touches of the critic's file. Akenside. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A shrewd or artful person. [ Slang ] Fielding. [ 1913 Webster ]

Will is an old file in spite of his smooth face. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bastard file,
Cross file, etc. See under Bastard, Cross, etc. --
Cross-cut file, a file having two sets of teeth crossing obliquely. --
File blank, a steel blank shaped and ground ready for cutting to form a file. --
File cutter, a maker of files. --
Second-cut file, a file having teeth of a grade next finer than bastard. --
Single-cut file, a file having only one set of parallel teeth; a float. --
Smooth file, a file having teeth so fine as to make an almost smooth surface. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. file row (cf. Pr., Sp., Pg., & It. fila), LL. fila, fr. L. filum a thread. Cf. Enfilade, Filament, Fillet. ] 1. An orderly succession; a line; a row; as: (a) (Mil.) A row of soldiers ranged one behind another; -- in contradistinction to rank, which designates a row of soldiers standing abreast; a number consisting the depth of a body of troops, which, in the ordinary modern formation, consists of two men, the battalion standing two deep, or in two ranks. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The number of files in a company describes its width, as the number of ranks does its depth; thus, 100 men in “fours deep” would be spoken of as 25 files in 4 ranks. Farrow.

(b) An orderly collection of papers, arranged in sequence or classified for preservation and reference; as, files of letters or of newspapers; this mail brings English files to the 15th instant. (c) The line, wire, or other contrivance, by which papers are put and kept in order. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is upon a file with the duke's other letters. Shak.

(d) A roll or list. “A file of all the gentry.” Shak.

2. Course of thought; thread of narration. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Let me resume the file of my narration. Sir H. Wotton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (computers) a collection of data on a digital recording medium treated as a unit for the purpose of recording, reading, storage, or indexing; -- such a file is typically accessible by computer programs by the use of a file name. The data may be of any type codable digitally, such as simple ASCII-coded text, complex binary-coded data, or an executable program, or may be itself a collection of other files. [ PJC ]

File firing, the act of firing by file, or each file independently of others. --
File leader, the soldier at the front of any file, who covers and leads those in rear of him. --
File marching, the marching of a line two deep, when faced to the right or left, so that the front and rear rank march side by side. Brande & C. --
Indian file, or
Single file, a line of people marching one behind another; a single row. Also used adverbially; as, to march Indian file. --
On file, preserved in an orderly collection; recorded in some database. --
Rank and file. (a) The body of soldiers constituting the mass of an army, including corporals and privates. Wilhelm. (b) Those who constitute the bulk or working members of a party, society, etc., in distinction from the leaders. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Filed p. pr. & vb. n. Filing. ] 1. To set in order; to arrange, or lay away, esp. as papers in a methodical manner for preservation and reverence; to place on file; to insert in its proper place in an arranged body of papers. [ 1913 Webster ]

I would have my several courses and my dishes well filed. Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To bring before a court or legislative body by presenting proper papers in a regular way; as, to file a petition or bill. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) To put upon the files or among the records of a court; to note on (a paper) the fact date of its reception in court. [ 1913 Webster ]

To file a paper, on the part of a party, is to place it in the official custody of the clerk. To file, on the part of the clerk, is to indorse upon the paper the date of its reception, and retain it in his office, subject to inspection by whomsoever it may concern. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ Cf. F. filer. ] (Mil.) To march in a file or line, as soldiers, not abreast, but one after another; -- generally with off. [ 1913 Webster ]

To file with, to follow closely, as one soldier after another in file; to keep pace. [ 1913 Webster ]

My endeavors
Have ever come too short of my desires,
Yet filed with my abilities. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To rub, smooth, or cut away, with a file; to sharpen with a file; as, to file a saw or a tooth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To smooth or polish as with a file. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

File your tongue to a little more courtesy. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ OE. fulen, filen, foulen, AS. f&unr_;lan, fr. f&unr_;l foul. See Foul, and cf. Defile, v. t. ] To make foul; to defile. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

All his hairy breast with blood was filed. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

For Banquo's issue have I filed my mind. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Mil.) A commissioned or noncommissioned officer posted in the rear of a line, or on the flank of a column, of soldiers, to rectify mistakes and insure steadiness and promptness in the ranks. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Zool.) Any plectognath fish of the genera Monacanthus, Alutera, balistes, and allied genera; -- so called on account of the roughly granulated skin, which is sometimes used in place of sandpaper. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Feullemort. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who works with a file. [ 1913 Webster ]