n. [ See Baxter. ] A baker. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a woman who trains ballet dancers. [ PJC ]

n. See Bister. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ F. bistre a color made of soot; of unknown origin. Cf., however, LG. biester frowning, dark, ugly. ] (Paint.) A dark brown pigment extracted from the soot of wood. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. colored with or as if with bister.
Syn. -- bistered. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A nun. [ R. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ Pref. dis- (intens.) + stream. ] To flow. [ Poetic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Yet o'er that virtuous blush distreams a tear. Shenstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. destresse, distresse, OF. destresse, destrece, F. détresse, OF. destrecier to distress, (assumed) LL. districtiare, fr. L. districtus, p. p. of distringere. See Distrain, and cf. Stress. ] 1. Extreme pain or suffering; anguish of body or mind; as, to suffer distress from the gout, or from the loss of friends. [ 1913 Webster ]

Not fearing death nor shrinking for distress. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which occasions suffering; painful situation; misfortune; affliction; misery. [ 1913 Webster ]

Affliction's sons are brothers in distress. Burns. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A state of danger or necessity; as, a ship in distress, from leaking, loss of spars, want of provisions or water, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) (a) The act of distraining; the taking of a personal chattel out of the possession of a wrongdoer, by way of pledge for redress of an injury, or for the performance of a duty, as for nonpayment of rent or taxes, or for injury done by cattle, etc. (b) The thing taken by distraining; that which is seized to procure satisfaction. Bouvier. Kent. Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

If he were not paid, he would straight go and take a distress of goods and cattle. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

The distress thus taken must be proportioned to the thing distrained for. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

Abuse of distress. (Law) See under Abuse.

Syn. -- Affliction; suffering; pain; agony; misery; torment; anguish; grief; sorrow; calamity; misfortune; trouble; adversity. See Affliction. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Distressed p. pr. & vb. n. Distressing. ] [ Cf. OF. destrecier. See Distress, n. ] 1. To cause pain or anguish to; to pain; to oppress with calamity; to afflict; to harass; to make miserable. [ 1913 Webster ]

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. 2 Cor. iv. 8. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To compel by pain or suffering. [ 1913 Webster ]

Men who can neither be distressed nor won into a sacrifice of duty. A. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) To seize for debt; to distrain.

Syn. -- To pain; grieve; harass; trouble; perplex; afflict; worry; annoy. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. facing or experiencing financial trouble or difficulty; as, distressed companies need loans and technical advice.
Syn. -- hard-pressed, hard put, in a bad way(predicate), in trouble(predicate). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. experienceing a generalized feeling of distress. Also See: dejected, unhappy, sad. Antonym: euphoric.
Syn. -- dysphoric, unhappy. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. suffering severe physical strain or discomfort; as, he dropped out of the race, clearly distressed and having difficulty breathing.
Syn. -- stressed, in a bad way(predicate). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

4. emotionally upset.
Syn. -- unstrung. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A state of being distressed or greatly pained. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Full of distress; causing, indicating, or attended with, distress; as, a distressful situation. “Some distressful stroke.” Shak. “Distressful cries.” Pope.
Syn. -- distressing. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Dis*tress"ful*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

n. the quality of causing mental anguish.
Syn. -- seriousness. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

adv. In a distressing manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Causing distress; painful; unpleasant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A diviner. [ Obs. ] “ I am no divinistre.” Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Mistress. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , n. Mastery; superiority; art. See Mastery. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. L. ministrix. ] A woman who ministers. Akenside. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Misstep; misbehavior. “To punish my mistreadings.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To treat amiss; to abuse. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. physically abused. [ Narrower terms: assaulted, molested, raped; battered, beaten; misunderstood ]
Syn. -- abused, ill-treated, maltreated. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. Wrong treatment. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To wait upon a mistress; to be courting. [ Obs. ] Donne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. maistress, OF. maistresse, F. maîtresse, LL. magistrissa, for L. magistra, fem. of magister. See Master, Mister, and cf. Miss a young woman. ] 1. A woman having power, authority, or ownership; a woman who exercises authority, is chief, etc.; the female head of a family, a school, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

The late queen's gentlewoman! a knight's daughter!
To be her mistress' mistress! Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A woman well skilled in anything, or having the mastery over it. [ 1913 Webster ]

A letter desires all young wives to make themselves mistresses of Wingate's Arithmetic. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A woman regarded with love and devotion; she who has command over one's heart; a beloved object; a sweetheart. [ Poetic ] Clarendon. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A woman filling the place, but without the rights, of a wife; a woman having an ongoing usually exclusive sexual relationship with a man, who may provide her with financial support in return; a concubine; a loose woman with whom one consorts habitually; as, both his wife and his mistress attended his funeral. Spectator. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

5. A title of courtesy formerly prefixed to the name of a woman, married or unmarried, but now superseded by the contracted forms, Mrs., for a married, and Miss, for an unmarried, woman. [ 1913 Webster ]

Now Mistress Gilpin (careful soul). Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A married woman; a wife. [ Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Several of the neighboring mistresses had assembled to witness the event of this memorable evening. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. The old name of the jack at bowls. Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

To be one's own mistress, to be exempt from control by another person. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Female rule or dominion. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Ladyship, a style of address; -- with the personal pronoun. [ Obs. ] Massinger. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; to turn round. ] Turning around; rotatory; revolving; as, a peristrephic painting (of a panorama). [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ F. pipistrelle, It. pipistrello. ] (Zool.) A small European bat (Vesperugo pipistrellus); -- called also flittermouse. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A woman who governs and teaches a school; a female school-teacher. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. Sisters. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]