n. [ NL. atherina, fr. Gr. &unr_; a kind of smelt. ] (Zool.) A small marine fish of the family Atherinidæ, having a silvery stripe along the sides. The European species (Atherina presbyter) is used as food. The American species (Menidia notata) is called silversides and sand smelt. See Silversides. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. talking incoherently; as, a blithering idiot.
Syn. -- jabbering. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. The business of a butcher. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of slaughtering; the act of killing cruelly and needlessly. [ 1913 Webster ]

That dreadful butchering of one another. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ So called from St. Catherine of Alexandria, who is represented with a wheel, in allusion to her martyrdom. ] 1. (Geoth.Arth.) Same as Rose window and Wheel window. Called also Catherine-wheel window. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Pyrotechny) A revolving piece of fireworks resembling in form the window of the same name. [ Written also Catharine wheel. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Old Law) A feudal prerogative of the lord of the soil entitling him to lodging and food at his tenant's house. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sometimes he contrived, in deflance of the law, to live by coshering, that is to say, by quartering himself on the old tentants of his family, who, wretched as was their own condition, could not refuse a portion of their pittance to one whom they still regarded as their rightful lord. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) A white, crystalline hydrocarbon, regarded as a polymeric variety of ethylene, obtained in heavy oil of wine, the residue left after making ether; -- formerly called also concrete oil of wine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or condition of being feathery. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Arch.) Same as Foliation. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of turning the blade of the oar, as it rises from the water in rowing, from a vertical to a horizontal position. See To feather an oar, under Feather, v. t. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A covering of feathers. [ 1913 Webster ]

Feathering float (Naut.), the float or paddle of a feathering wheel. --
Feathering screw (Naut.), a screw propeller, of which the blades may be turned so as to move edgewise through the water when the vessel is moving under sail alone. --
Feathering wheel (Naut.), a paddle wheel whose floats turn automatically so as to dip about perpendicularly into the water and leave in it the same way, avoiding beating on the water in the descent and lifting water in the ascent. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act of collecting or bringing together. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is gathered, collected, or brought together; as: (a) A crowd; an assembly; a congregation. (b) A charitable contribution; a collection. (c) A tumor or boil suppurated or maturated; an abscess. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Assembling; collecting; used for gathering or concentrating. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gathering board (Bookbinding), a table or board on which signatures are gathered or assembled, to form a book. Knight. --
Gathering coal, a lighted coal left smothered in embers over night, about which kindling wood is gathered in the morning. --
Gathering hoop, a hoop used by coopers to draw together the ends of barrel staves, to allow the hoops to be slipped over them. --
Gathering peat. (a) A piece of peat used as a gathering coal, to preserve a fire. (b) In Scotland, a fiery peat which was sent round by the Borderers as an alarm signal, as the fiery cross was by the Highlanders. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Rising higher; ascending. [ 1913 Webster ]

In ever highering eagle circles. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act or business of gathering or collecting anything; especially, the gathering of the fruits of the earth; harvest. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou shalt keep . . . the feast of ingathering. Ex. xxii. 16. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A rural custom in England, of visiting one's parents on Midlent Sunday, -- supposed to have been originally visiting the mother church to make offerings at the high altar. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. my`rmhx an ant + qhra^n to hunt. ] (Zool.) Feeding upon ants; -- said of certain birds. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Like a panther, esp. in color; as, the pantherine snake (Ptyas mucosus) of Brazil. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being smothery. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a smothering manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Etymol. uncertain. ] (Carp.) The lapping of chamfered edges of planks to make a smooth surface, as for a bulkhead. [ 1913 Webster ]

See accommodating.
See aching.
See ailing.
See aiming.
See alarming.
See altering.
See appreciating.
See approving.
See aspiring.
See assisting.
See attempting.
See attending.
See bearing.
See befitting.
See beginning.
See believing.
See bleaching.
See bleeding.
See blemishing.
See blenching.
See blossoming.
See blushing.
See boding.
See branching.
See breathing.
See burning.
See calculating.
See ceasing.
See changing.
See charming.
See communicating.
See complaining.
See complying.
See conceiving.
See conducing.
See confessing.
See conniving.
See consenting.
See considering.
See conspiring.
See consulting.
See consuming.
See contending.
See contriving.
See conversing.
See convincing.
See dawning.
See decaying.
See delaying.
See depending.
See derogating.
See deserving.
See desiring.
See despairing.
See detesting.
See deviating.
See differencing.
See discerning.
See discording.
See discriminating.
See disobliging.
See dispensing.
See dissembling.
See dissolving.
See distinguishing.
See distracting.
See disturbing.
See doubting.
See dreading.
See drooping.
See ebbing.
See echoing.
See edifying.
See ending.
See enduring.
See engaging.
See enjoying.
See entering.
See enterprising.
See entertaining.
See envying.
See existing.
See fadging.
See fading.
See fainting.
See faltering.
See fearing.
See feigning.
See fighting.
See fitting.
See flagging.
See flattering.
See flinching.
See folding.
See forbearing.
See foreboding.
See foreseeing.
See forgiving.
See giving.
See grudging.
See harming.
See heeding.
See hesitating.
See hoping.
See hurting.
See importing.
See imposing.
See improving.
See interesting.
See intermitting.
See intoxicating.
See inviting.
See jarring.
See laboring.
See lingering.
See listening.
See loving.
See meddling.
See meriting.
See mistrusting.
See moving.
See murmuring.
See obliging.
See observing.
See offending.
See opening.
See pardoning.
See paying.
See perceiving.
See performing.
See perishing.
See pitying.
See pleasing.
See possessing.
See preaching.
See prepossessing.
See presuming.
See pretending.
See prevailing.
See prevaricating.
See profiting.
See promising.
See proving.
See quailing.
See questioning.
See reasoning.
See recalling.
See reclining.
See recurring.
See referring.
See reflecting.
See refunding.
See refusing.
See rejoicing.
See relaxing.
See relishing.
See remembering.
See repenting.
See repining.
See reproving.
See repulsing.
See resisting.
See resolving.
See resting.
See returning.
See rewarding.
See sanctifying.
See satisfying.
See searching.
See seeing.
See setting.
See shrinking.
See sinking.
See sleeping.
See slipping.
See slumbering.
See speaking.
See stinting.
See stirring.
See stooping.
See submitting.
See sufficing.
See suiting.
See surging.
See suspecting.
See sweating.
See swerving.
See sympathizing.
See tasting.
See thriving.
See tiring.
See toiling.
See trading.
See trembling.
See trespassing.
See trifling.
See vacillating.
See varying.
See walking.
See wandering.
See waning.
See wasting.
See wavering.
See weeping.
See winking.
See winning.
See withdrawing.
See withering.
See wondering.
See working.
See writing.
See yielding.
----- and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

The above classes of words are unlimited in extent, and such compounds may be formed by any writer or speaker at will from almost all the adjectives or participles in the language, excepting those which have a recognized and usual negative correspondent with the prefix -in. No attempt will be made, therefore, to define them all in this Dictionary; many will be omitted from its Vocabulary which are negations of the simple word, and are readily explained by prefixing a not to the latter. Derivatives of these words in -ly and -ness will also, for the most part, be omitted for the same or similar reasons. [ 1913 Webster ]

There will be inserted as separate articles with definitions, the following: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Those which have acquired an opposed or contrary, instead of a merely negative, meaning; as, unfriendly, ungraceful, unpalatable, unquiet, and the like; or else an intensive sense more than a prefixed not would express; as, unending, unparalleled, undisciplined, undoubted, unsafe, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Those which have the value of independent words, inasmuch as the simple words are either not used at all, or are rarely, or at least much less frequently, used; as, unavoidable, unconscionable, undeniable, unspeakable, unprecedented, unruly, and the like; or inasmuch as they are used in a different sense from the usual meaning of the primitive, or especially in one of the significations of the latter; as, unaccountable, unalloyed, unbelieving, unpretending, unreserved, and the like; or inasmuch as they are so frequently and familiarly used that they are hardly felt to be of negative origin; as, uncertain, uneven, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Those which are anomalous, provincial, or, for some other reason, not desirable to be used, and are so indicated; as, unpure for impure, unsatisfaction for dissatisfaction, unexpressible for inexpressible, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

II. Un- is prefixed to nouns to express the absence of, or the contrary of, that which the noun signifies; as, unbelief, unfaith, unhealth, unrest, untruth, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Compounds of this last class are given in full in their proper order in the Vocabulary. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Geol.) The action of the elements on a rock in altering its color, texture, or composition, or in rounding off its edges. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The retention of the afterbirth in cows. Gardner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Tending to wither; causing to shrink or fade. -- With"er*ing*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

a. Indulging in a vagrant or idle exercise of the imagination; roaming upon a fruitless quest; idly fanciful. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Indulgence in idle imagination; a foolish or useless pursuit or design. [ 1913 Webster ]

His wits were a woolgathering, as they say. Burton. [ 1913 Webster ]