a. (Med.) Good against convulsions. J. Floyer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. anvelt, anfelt, anefelt, AS. anfilt, onfilt; of uncertain origin; cf. OHG. anafalz, D. aanbeld. ] 1. An iron block, usually with a steel face, upon which metals are hammered and shaped. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Anything resembling an anvil in shape or use. Specifically (Anat.), the incus. See Incus. [ 1913 Webster ]

To be on the anvil, to be in a state of discussion, formation, or preparation, as when a scheme or measure is forming, but not matured. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To form or shape on an anvil; to hammer out; as, anviled armor. Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + convex. ] Convex on both sides; as, a biconvex lens. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖prop. n. [ Named from Bougainville, the French navigator. ] (Bot.) A genus of plants of the order Nyctoginaceæ, from tropical South America, having the flowers surrounded by large bracts. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Made of, pertaining to, or resembling, canvas or coarse cloth; as, a canvas tent. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. canvas, canevas, F. canevas, LL. canabacius hempen cloth, canvas, L. cannabis hemp, fr. G. &unr_;. See Hemp. ] 1. A strong cloth made of hemp, flax, or cotton; -- used for tents, sails, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

By glimmering lanes and walls of canvas led. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (a) A coarse cloth so woven as to form regular meshes for working with the needle, as in tapestry, or worsted work. (b) A piece of strong cloth of which the surface has been prepared to receive painting, commonly painting in oil. [ 1913 Webster ]

History . . . does not bring out clearly upon the canvas the details which were familiar. J. H. Newman. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Something for which canvas is used: (a) A sail, or a collection of sails. (b) A tent, or a collection of tents. (c) A painting, or a picture on canvas. [ 1913 Webster ]

To suit his canvas to the roughness of the see. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

Light, rich as that which glows on the canvas of Claude. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A rough draft or model of a song, air, or other literary or musical composition; esp. one to show a poet the measure of the verses he is to make. Grabb. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) A Species of duck (Aythya vallisneria), esteemed for the delicacy of its flesh. It visits the United States in autumn; particularly Chesapeake Bay and adjoining waters; -- so named from the markings of the plumage on its back. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. canvassed p. pr. & vb. n. Canvassing. ] [ OF. Canabasser to examine curiously, to search or sift out; properly, to sift through canvas. See Canvas, n. ] 1. To sift; to strain; to examine thoroughly; to scrutinize; as, to canvass the votes cast at an election; to canvass a district with reference to its probable vote. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have made careful search on all hands, and canvassed the matter with all possible diligence. Woodward. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To examine by discussion; to debate. [ 1913 Webster ]

An opinion that we are likely soon to canvass. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To go through, with personal solicitation or public addresses; as, to canvass a district for votes; to canvass a city for subscriptions. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To search thoroughly; to engage in solicitation by traversing a district; as, to canvass for subscriptions or for votes; to canvass for a book, a publisher, or in behalf of a charity; -- commonly followed by for. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Close inspection; careful review for verification; as, a canvass of votes. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Examination in the way of discussion or debate. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Search; exploration; solicitation; systematic effort to obtain votes, subscribers, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

No previous canvass was made for me. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who canvasses. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Concave on one side and convex on the other, as an eggshell or a crescent. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Optics) Specifically, having such a combination of concave and convex sides as makes the focal axis the shortest line between them. See Illust. under Lens. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Convalesced p. pr. & vb. n. Convalescing. ] [ L. convalscere; con- + valescere to grow strong, v. incho. of valere to be strong. See Valiant. ] To recover health and strength gradually, after sickness or weakness; as, a patient begins to convalesce. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Convalescent. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He found the queen somewhat convalesced. J. Knox. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , n. [ L. convalescentia: cf. F. convalescence. ] The recovery of heath and strength after disease; the state of a body renewing its vigor after sickness or weakness; the time between the subsidence of a disease and complete restoration to health. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One recovering from sickness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. convalescens, -entis, p. pr.: cf. F. convalescent. ] 1. Recovering from sickness or debility; partially restored to health or strength. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of or pertaining to convalescence. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In the manner of a convalescent; with increasing strength or vigor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Convallaria + L. amarus bitter. ] (Chem.) A white, crystalline, poisonous substance, regarded as a glucoside, extracted from the lily of the valley (Convallaria Majalis). Its taste is first bitter, then sweet. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., from L. convallis a valley; con- + vallis valley. ] (Bot. & Med.) The lily of the valley. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. One of many subfamilies into which some classification systems subdivide the Liliaceae but not widely accepted.
Syn. -- family Convallariaceae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Chem.) A white, crystalline glucoside, of an irritating taste, extracted from the convallaria or lily of the valley. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. & t. to circulate hot air by convection, as of certain ovens. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. convectio, fr. convehere to bring together; con- + vehere to carry. ] 1. The act or process of conveying or transmitting. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Physics) A process of transfer or transmission, as of heat or electricity, by means of currents in liquids or gases, resulting from changes of temperature and other causes. [ 1913 Webster ]

Liquids are generally heated by convection -- when heat is applied from below. Nichol. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Caused or accomplished by convection; as, a convective discharge of electricity. Faraday. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a convective manner. Hare. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. convellens, p. pr. of convellere. See Convulse. ] Tending to tear or pull up. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The ends of the fragment . . . will not yield to the convellent force. Todd & Bowman. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being convened or assembled. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. convenable, fr. convenir. See Convene. ] Consistent; accordant; suitable; proper; as, convenable remedies. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

With his wod his work is convenable. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fitness, suitableness. ] That which is suitable, agreeable, or convenient. [ 1913 Webster ]

And they missed
Their wonted convenance, cheerly hid the loss. Emerson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Convened p. pr. & vb. n. Convenong. ] [ L. convenire; con- + venire to come: cf. F. convenir to agree, to be fitting, OF. also, to assemble. See Come, and cf. Covenant. ] 1. To come together; to meet; to unite. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

In shortsighted men . . . the rays converge and convene in the eyes before they come at the bottom. Sir I. Newton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To come together, as in one body or for a public purpose; to meet; to assemble. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Parliament of Scotland now convened. Sir R. Baker. [ 1913 Webster ]

Faint, underneath, the household fowls convene. Thomson.

Syn. -- To meet; to assemble; to congregate; to collect; to unite. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To cause to assemble; to call together; to convoke. [ 1913 Webster ]

And now the almighty father of the gods
Convenes a council in the blest abodes. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To summon judicially to meet or appear. [ 1913 Webster ]

By the papal canon law, clerks . . . can not be convened before any but an ecclesiastical judge. Ayliffe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who convenes or meets with others. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who calls an assembly together or convenes a meeting; hence, the chairman of a committee or other organized body. [ Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. things that make one comfortable and at ease.
Syn. -- comforts, creature comforts, amenities. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ , n. [ L. convenientia agreement, fitness. See Convenient. ] 1. The state or quality of being convenient; fitness or suitableness, as of place, time, etc.; propriety. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let's further think of this;
Weigh what convenience both of time and means
May fit us to our shape. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

With all brief and plain conveniency,
Let me have judgment. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Freedom from discomfort, difficulty, or trouble; commodiousness; ease; accommodation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thus necessity invented stools,
Convenience next suggested elbow chairs. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

We are rather intent upon the end of God's glory than our own conveniency. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. That which is convenient; that which promotes comfort or advantage; that which is suited to one's wants; an accommodation. [ 1913 Webster ]

A pair of spectacles and several other little conveniences. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A convenient or fit time; opportunity; as, to do something at one's convenience. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. conveniens, -entis, suitable, p. pr. of convenire to be suitable, to come. See Convene, v. i. ] 1. Fit or adapted; suitable; proper; becoming; appropriate. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Feed me with food convenient for me. Prov. xxx. 8. [ 1913 Webster ]

Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient. Eph. v. 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Affording accommodation or advantage; well adapted to use; handly; as, a convenient house; convenient implements or tools. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Seasonable; timely; opportune; as, a convenient occasion; a convenient season. Acts xxiv. 25. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Near at hand; easy of access. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Hereties used to be brought thither, convenient for burning. Thackeray.

Syn. -- Fit; suitable; proper; adapted; fitted; suited; handly; commodious. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a convenient manner, form, or situation; without difficulty. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. conventus a meeting, LL. also, a convent. See Convene, v. i. ] 1. A coming together; a meeting. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A usual ceremony at their [ the witches ] convents or meetings. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An association or community of recluses devoted to a religious life; a body of monks or nuns. [ 1913 Webster ]

One of our convent, and his [ the duke's ] confessor. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A house occupied by a community of religious recluses; a monastery or nunnery. [ 1913 Webster ]

One seldom finds in Italy a spot of ground more agreeable than ordinary that is not covered with a convent. Addison.

Syn. -- Nunnery; monastery; abbey. See Cloister. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ L. conventus, p. p. of convenire. See Convene, v. i. ] 1. To meet together; to concur. [ obs. ] Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To be convenient; to serve. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

When that is known and golden time convents. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To call before a judge or judicature; to summon; to convene. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or from, or pertaining to, a convent. “Conventical wages.” Sterne. [ 1913 Webster ]

Conventical prior. See Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. conventiculum, dim. of conventus: cf. F. conventicule. See Convent, n. ] 1. A small assembly or gathering; esp., a secret assembly. [ 1913 Webster ]

They are commanded to abstain from all conventicles of men whatsoever. Ayliffe. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An assembly for religious worship; esp., such an assembly held privately, as in times of persecution, by Nonconformists or Dissenters in England, or by Covenanters in Scotland; -- often used opprobriously, as if those assembled were heretics or schismatics. [ 1913 Webster ]

The first Christians could never have had recourse to nocturnal or clandestine conventicles till driven to them by the violence of persecution. Hammond. [ 1913 Webster ]

A sort of men who . . . attend its [ the curch of England's ] service in the morning, and go with their wives to a conventicle in the afternoon. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who supports or frequents conventicles. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Belonging or going to, or resembling, a conventicle. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Conventicling schools . . . set up and taught secretly by fanatics. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. conventio: cf. F. convention. See Convene, v. i. ] 1. The act of coming together; the state of being together; union; coalition. [ 1913 Webster ]

The conventions or associations of several particles of matter into bodies of any certain denomination. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. General agreement or concurrence; arbitrary custom; usage; conventionality. [ 1913 Webster ]

There are thousands now
Such women, but convention beats them down. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A meeting or an assembly of persons, esp. of delegates or representatives, to accomplish some specific object, -- civil, social, political, or ecclesiastical. [ 1913 Webster ]

He set himself to the making of good laws in a grand convention of his nobles. Sir R. Baker. [ 1913 Webster ]

A convention of delegates from all the States, to meet in Philadelphia, for the sole and express purpose of reserving the federal system, and correcting its defects. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Eng. Hist) An extraordinary assembly of the parkiament or estates of the realm, held without the king's writ, -- as the assembly which restored Charles II. to the throne, and that which declared the throne to be abdicated by James II. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our gratitude is due . . . to the Long Parliament, to the Convention, and to William of Orange. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. An agreement or contract less formal than, or preliminary to, a treaty; an informal compact, as between commanders of armies in respect to suspension of hostilities, or between states; also, a formal agreement between governments or sovereign powers; as, a postal convention between two governments. [ 1913 Webster ]

This convention, I think from my soul, is nothing but a stipulation for national ignominy; a truce without a suspension of hostilities. Ld. Chatham. [ 1913 Webster ]

The convention with the State of Georgia has been ratified by their Legislature. T. Jefferson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. conventionalis: cf. F. conventionnel. ] 1. Formed by agreement or compact; stipulated. [ 1913 Webster ]

Conventional services reserved by tenures upon grants, made out of the crown or knights' service. Sir M. Hale. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Growing out of, or depending on, custom or tacit agreement; sanctioned by general concurrence or usage; formal. “Conventional decorum.” Whewell. [ 1913 Webster ]

The conventional language appropriated to monarchs. Motley. [ 1913 Webster ]

The ordinary salutations, and other points of social behavior, are conventional. Latham. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Fine Arts) (a) Based upon tradition, whether religious and historical or of artistic rules. (b) Abstracted; removed from close representation of nature by the deliberate selection of what is to be represented and what is to be rejected; as, a conventional flower; a conventional shell. Cf. Conventionalize, v. t. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. to make conventional.
Syn. -- conventionalize. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. That which is received or established by convention or arbitrary agreement; that which is in accordance with the fashion, tradition, or usage. [ 1913 Webster ]

All the artifice and conventionalism of life. Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

They gaze on all with dead, dim eyes, -- wrapped in conventionalisms, . . . simulating feelings according to a received standard. F. W. Robertson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Fine Arts) The principles or practice of conventionalizing. See Conventionalize, v. t. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who adheres to a convention or treaty. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who is governed by conventionalism. [ 1913 Webster ]