n. [ L. acus needle + premere, pressum, to press. ] (Surg.) A mode of arresting hemorrhage resulting from wounds or surgical operations, by passing under the divided vessel a needle, the ends of which are left exposed externally on the cutaneous surface. Simpson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Cf. OF. amesurer, LL. admensurare. See Measure. ] 1. To measure. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) To determine the proper share of, or the proper apportionment; as, to admeasure dower; to admeasure common of pasture. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The measure of a thing; dimensions; size. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) Formerly, the adjustment of proportion, or ascertainment of shares, as of dower or pasture held in common. This was by writ of admeasurement, directed to the sheriff. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who admeasures. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. arch- + treasurer. ] A chief treasurer. Specifically, the great treasurer of the German empire. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Assured p. pr. & vb. n. Assuring. ] [ OF. aseürer, F. assurer, LL. assecurare; L. ad + securus secure, sure, certain. See Secure, Sure, and cf. Insure. ] 1. To make sure or certain; to render confident by a promise, declaration, or other evidence. [ 1913 Webster ]

His promise that thy seed shall bruise our foe . . .
Assures me that the bitterness of death
Is past, and we shall live. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To declare to, solemnly; to assert to (any one) with the design of inspiring belief or confidence. [ 1913 Webster ]

I dare assure thee that no enemy
Shall ever take alive the noble Brutus. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To confirm; to make certain or secure. [ 1913 Webster ]

And it shall be assured to him. Lev. xxvii. 19. [ 1913 Webster ]

And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 1 John iii. 19. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To affiance; to betroth. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Law) To insure; to covenant to indemnify for loss, or to pay a specified sum at death. See Insure. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To declare; aver; avouch; vouch; assert; asseverate; protest; persuade; convince. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Made sure; safe; insured; certain; indubitable; not doubting; bold to excess. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One whose life or property is insured. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Certainly; indubitably. “The siege assuredly I'll raise.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being assured; certainty; full confidence. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who assures. Specifically: One who insures against loss; an insurer or underwriter. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who takes out a life assurance policy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ] 1. (Fort.) Any part of a rampart or parapet which deviates from the general direction. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Her.) A mark of cadency or difference. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. censura fr. censere: cf. F. censure. Cf. Censor. ] 1. Judgment either favorable or unfavorable; opinion. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of blaming or finding fault with and condemning as wrong; reprehension; blame. [ 1913 Webster ]

Both the censure and the praise were merited. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Judicial or ecclesiastical sentence or reprimand; condemnatory judgment. [ 1913 Webster ]

Excommunication or other censure of the church. Bp. Burnet.

Syn. -- Blame; reproof; condemnation; reprobation; disapproval; disapprobation; reprehension; animadversion; reprimand; reflection; dispraise; abuse. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Censured p. pr. & vb. n. Censuring. ] [ Cf. F. ensurer. ] 1. To form or express a judgment in regard to; to estimate; to judge. [ Obs. ] “Should I say more, you might well censure me a flatterer.” Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To find fault with and condemn as wrong; to blame; to express disapprobation of. [ 1913 Webster ]

I may be censured that nature thus gives way to loyalty. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To condemn or reprimand by a judicial or ecclesiastical sentence. Shak.

Syn. -- To blame; reprove; rebuke; condemn; reprehend; reprimand. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To judge. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who censures. Sha. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. ] A foot covering of any kind. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. clausura. See Closure. ] The act of shutting up or confining; confinement. [ R. ] Geddes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Of. closure, L. clausura, fr. clauedere to shut. See Close, v. t. ] 1. The act of shutting; a closing; as, the closure of a chink. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which closes or shuts; that by which separate parts are fastened or closed. [ 1913 Webster ]

Without a seal, wafer, or any closure whatever. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. That which incloses or confines; an inclosure. [ 1913 Webster ]

O thou bloody prison . . .
Within the guilty closure of thy walls
Richard the Second here was hacked to death. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A conclusion; an end. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Parliamentary Practice) A method of putting an end to debate and securing an immediate vote upon a measure before a legislative body. It is similar in effect to the previous question. It was first introduced into the British House of Commons in 1882. The French word clôture was originally applied to this proceeding. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Math.) the property of being mathematically closed under some operation; -- said of sets. [ PJC ]

7. (Math.) the intersection of all closed sets containing the given set. [ PJC ]

8. (Psychol.) achievement of a sense of completeness and release from tension due to uncertainty; as, the closure afforded by the funeral of a loved one; also, the sense of completion thus achieved. [ PJC ]

a. 1. Perfectly safe. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

We steal as in a castle, cocksure: . . . we walk invisible. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Quite certain. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I thought myself cocksure of the horse which he readily promised me. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. overconfident; -- of people; as, the team was so cocksure of winning that they didn't practice in the week before the big game.. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To be commensurate with; to equal. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. commissura a joining together: cf. F. commissure. See Commit. ] 1. A joint, seam, or closure; the place where two bodies, or parts of a body, meet and unite; an interstice, cleft, or juncture. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Anat. & Zool.) (a) The point of union between two parts, as the angles of the lips or eyelids, the mandibles of a bird, etc. (b) A collection of fibers connecting parts of the brain or spinal marrow; a chiasma. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Bot.) The line of junction or cohering face of two carpels, as in the parsnip, caraway, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Compose. ] 1. The act of composing, or that which is composed; a composition. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Signor Pietro, who had an admirable way both of composure [ in music ] and teaching. Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Orderly adjustment; disposition. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Various composures and combinations of these corpuscles. Woodward. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Frame; make; temperament. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

His composure must be rare indeed
Whom these things can not blemish. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A settled state; calmness; sedateness; tranquillity; repose. “We seek peace and composure.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

When the passions . . . are all silent, the mind enjoys its most perfect composure. I. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A combination; a union; a bond. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Compression. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Med.) A fissure or fracture on the side opposite to that which received the blow, or at some distance from it. Coxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Cosureties One who is surety with another. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. Cynosura theconstellation Cynosure, Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;&unr_;&unr_; dog's tail, the constellation Cynosure; &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;&unr_;, &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;&unr_;, dog + o'yra` tail. SeeCynic. ] 1. The constellation of the Lesser Bear (Ursa Minor), to which, as containing the polar star, the eyes of mariners and travelers were often directed. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which serves to direct. Southey. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Anything to which attention is strongly turned; a center of attraction. [ 1913 Webster ]

Where perhaps some beauty lies,
The cynosure of neighboring eyes. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. dépriser to undervalue; pref. dé- (L. dis-) + priser to prize, fr. prix price, fr. L. pretium. See Dispraise. ] Low estimation; disesteem; contempt. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Disclose, v. t., and cf. Closure. ] 1. The act of disclosing, uncovering, or revealing; bringing to light; exposure. [ 1913 Webster ]

He feels it [ his secret ] beating at his heart, rising to his throat, and demanding disclosure. D. Webster. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is disclosed or revealed. [ 1913 Webster ]

Were the disclosures of 1695 forgotten? Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The state of being discomposed; disturbance; disorder; agitation; perturbation. [ 1913 Webster ]

No discomposure stirred her features. Akenside. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Discordance; disagreement of parts. [ Obs. ] Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To render insecure; to put in danger. [ Obs. ] Fanshawe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. dis- + pleasure: cf. OF. desplaisir, F. déplaisir. Cf. Displease. ] 1. The feeling of one who is displeased; irritation or uneasiness of the mind, occasioned by anything that counteracts desire or command, or which opposes justice or a sense of propriety; disapprobation; dislike; dissatisfaction; disfavor; indignation. [ 1913 Webster ]

O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Ps. vi. 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

Undoubtedly he will relent, and turn
From his displeasure. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which displeases; cause of irritation or annoyance; offense; injury. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hast thou delight to see a wretched man
Do outrage and displeasure to himself? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. State of disgrace or disfavor; disfavor. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He went into Poland, being in displeasure with the pope for overmuch familiarity. Peacham.

Syn. -- Dissatisfaction; disapprobation; disfavor; distaste; dislike; anger; hate; aversion; indignation; offense. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To displease. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Dispose. ] 1. The act of disposing; power to dispose of; disposal; direction. [ 1913 Webster ]

Give up
My estate to his disposure. Massinger. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Disposition; arrangement; position; posture. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

In a kind of warlike disposure. Sir H. Wotton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Embrace. ] An embrace. [ Obs. ] “Our locked embrasures.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. embraser, perh. equiv. to ébraser to widen an opening; of unknown origin. ] 1. (Arch.) A splay of a door or window. [ 1913 Webster ]

Apart, in the twilight gloom of a window's embrasure,
Sat the lovers. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Fort.) An aperture with slant sides in a wall or parapet, through which cannon are pointed and discharged; a crenelle. See Illust. of Casemate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Inclosure. See Inclosure. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The words enclose and enclosure are written indiscriminately enclose or inclose and enclosure or inclosure. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To make sure. See Insure. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To betroth. [ Obs. ] Sir T. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Insurer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Erase. ] 1. The act of erasing; a scratching out; obliteration. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. the place where something has been erased. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. Expanse. [ Obs. ] “Night's rich expansure.” [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Expose. ] 1. The act of exposing or laying open, setting forth, laying bare of protection, depriving of care or concealment, or setting out to reprobation or contempt. [ 1913 Webster ]

The exposure of Fuller . . . put an end to the practices of that vile tribe. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being exposed or laid open or bare; openness to danger; accessibility to anything that may affect, especially detrimentally; as, exposure to observation, to cold, to inconvenience. [ 1913 Webster ]

When we have our naked frailties hid,
That suffer in exposure. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Position as to points of compass, or to influences of climate, etc. “Under a southern exposure.” Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

The best exposure of the two for woodcocks. Sir. W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Photog.) The exposing of a sensitized plate to the action of light. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of expressing; expression; utterance; representation. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

An operation more divine
Than breath or pen can give expressure to. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Extension. [ R. ] Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. fissura, fr. findere, fissum, to cleave, split; akin to E. bite: cf. F. fissure. ] A narrow opening, made by the parting of any substance; a cleft; as, the fissure of a rock. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cerebral fissures (Anat.), the furrows or clefts by which the surface of the cerebrum is divided; esp., the furrows first formed by the infolding of the whole wall of the cerebrum. --
Fissure needle (Surg.), a spiral needle for catching together the gaping lips of wounds. Knight. --
Fissure of rolando (Anat.), the furrow separating the frontal from the parietal lobe in the cerebrum. --
Fissure of Sylvius (Anat.), a deep cerebral fissure separating the frontal from the temporal lobe. See Illust. under Brain. --
Fissure vein (Mining), a crack in the earth's surface filled with mineral matter. Raymond. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To cleave; to divide; to crack or fracture. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., dim. of L. fissura a fissure. ] (Zool.) A genus of marine gastropod mollusks, having a conical or limpetlike shell, with an opening at the apex; -- called also keyhole limpet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a natural family of marine limpets.
Syn. -- family Fissurellidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The act or process of foreclosing; a proceeding which bars or extinguishes a mortgager's right of redeeming a mortgaged estate. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. ] The dressing of the hair by crisping or curling. Smollett. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. fusura, fr. fundere, fusum. See Fuse, v. t. ] Act of fusing; fusion. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]