a. [ L. acetablum a little cup + -ferous. ] Furnished with fleshy cups for adhering to bodies, as cuttlefish, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. acidus sour + -ferous. ] Containing or yielding an acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. aër air + -ferous: cf. F. aérifère. ] Conveying or containing air; air-bearing; as, the windpipe is an aëriferous tube. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Agate + -ferous. ] Containing or producing agates. Craig. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. albumen + -ferous. ] Supplying albumen. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. ala wing + -ferous. ] Having wings, winged; aligerous. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. alumen alum + -ferous: cf. F. aluminifère. ] Containing alum. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. amentum + -ferous. ] (Bot.) Bearing catkins. Balfour. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Ammonite + -ferous. ] Containing fossil ammonites. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. amygdalum almond + -ferous. ] Almond-bearing. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. anas, anatis, a duck + -ferous. ] (Zool.) Producing ducks; -- applied to Anatifæ, under the absurd notion of their turning into ducks or geese. See Barnacle. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Antenna + -ferous. ] (Zool.) Bearing or having antennæ. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Anther + -ferous. ] (Bot.) (a) Producing anthers, as plants. (b) Supporting anthers, as a part of a flower. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'a`nqrax coal + -ferous. ] (Min.) Yielding anthracite; as, anthraciferous strata. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. aqua water + -ferous. ] Consisting or conveying water or a watery fluid; as, aquiferous vessels; the aquiferous system. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. argentum silver + -ferous: cf. F. argentifère. ] Producing or containing silver; as, argentiferous lead ore or veins. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. argilla white clay + -ferous. ] Producing clay; -- applied to such earths as abound with argil. Kirwan. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. armifer; arma arms + ferre to bear. ] Bearing arms or weapons. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Arsenic + -ferous. ] Containing or producing arsenic. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. arundifer; arundo reed + ferre to bear. ] Producing reeds or canes. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. astrifer; astrum star + ferre to bear. ] Bearing stars. [ R. ] Blount. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. aurifer; aurum gold + ferre to bear: cf. F. aurifère. ] Gold-bearing; containing or producing gold. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whence many a bursting stream auriferous plays. Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Auriferous pyrites, iron pyrites (iron disulphide), containing some gold disseminated through it. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. baccifer; bacca berry + ferre to bear. ] Producing berries. “ Bacciferous trees.” Ray. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. balanus acorn + -ferous. ] Bearing or producing acorns. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Balsam + -ferous. ] Producing balsam. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + antherigerous. ] (Bot.) Having two anthers. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. bifer; bis twice + ferre to bear. ] Bearing fruit twice a year. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Generating bile. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Bismuth + -ferous. ] Containing bismuth. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Bitumen + -ferous. ] Producing bitumen. Kirwan. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Having gills; branchiate; as, branchiferous gastropods. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Bulb, n.+ -ferous: cf. F. bulbifère. ] (Bot.) Producing bulbs. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Byssus + -ferous. ] Bearing a byssus or tuft. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. calamus reed + ferous. ] Producing reeds; reedy. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. calcarius of lime + -ferous. ] Lime-yielding; calciferous [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One of the forms of vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets. It is an unsaturated alcohol (C28H43OH) found in foods such as milk and fish liver oils. It is used as a dietary supplement in milk.
Syn. -- vitamin D, ergocalciferol, cholecarciferol, D. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

a. [ L. calx, calcis, lime + -ferous. ] Bearing, producing, or containing calcite, or carbonate of lime. [ 1913 Webster ]

Calciferous epoch (Geol.), an epoch in the American lower Silurian system, immediately succeeding the Cambrian period. The name alludes to the peculiar mixture of calcareous and siliceous characteristics in many of the beds. See the Diagram under Geology. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Carbon + -ferous. ] Producing or containing carbon or coal. [ 1913 Webster ]

Carboniferous age (Geol.), the age immediately following the Devonian, or Age of fishes, and characterized by the vegetation which formed the coal beds. This age embraces three periods, the Subcarboniferous, the Carboniferous, and Permian. See Age of acrogens, under Acrogen. --
Carboniferous formation (Geol.), the series of rocks (including sandstones, shales, limestones, and conglomerates, with beds of coal) which make up the strata of the Carboniferous age or Carboniferous period. See the Diagram under Geology. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cell + -ferous. ] Bearing or producing cells. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. cellula + -ferous. ] Bearing or producing little cells. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. ra wax + -ferous. ] Producing wax. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. chai`th hair + -ferous. ] (Zool.) Bearing setæ. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Chalaza + -ferous. ] Having or bearing chalazas. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. chhlh` claw + -ferous. ] (Zool.) Having cheliform claws, like a crab. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Chyle + -ferous: cf. F. chylifère. ] (Physiol.) Transmitting or conveying chyle; as, chyliferous vessels. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Chyme + -ferous. ] (Physiol.) Bearing or containing chyme. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. See Cirriferous. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cirrus + -ferous. ] Bearing cirri, as many plants and animals. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cobalt + -ferous. ] (Min.) Containing cobalt. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. coccum a berry + -ferous. See Coccus. ] Bearing or producing berries; bacciferous; as, cocciferous trees or plants. [ 1913 Webster ]