n. 1. a natural family comprising the triggerfishes.
Syn. -- family Balistidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Gr. blasto`s sprout, fr. &unr_; to grow. ] (Biol.) A small, clear space in the segments of the ovum, the precursor of the nucleus. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. buprestis, Gr. &unr_;, a poisonous beetle, which, being eaten by cattle in the grass, caused them to swell up and and die; &unr_; ox, cow + &unr_; to blow up, swell out. ] (Zool.) One of a tribe of beetles, of the genus Buprestis and allied genera, usually with brilliant metallic colors. The larvæ are usually borers in timber, or beneath bark, and are often very destructive to trees. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A family of invertebrates coextensive with the order Cestida; ctenophores having a greatly flattened and elongated body.
Syn. -- family Cestidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Gr. chlwro`s light green + E. plastid. ] (Bot.) A granule of chlorophyll; -- also called chloroleucite. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Christmas + tide time. ] The season of Christmas. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; + E. plastid. ] (Bot.) A protoplasmic granule of some other color than green; -- also called chromoleucite. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) One of the Cystidea. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;&unr_; a bladder, pouch. ] (Zool.) An order of Crinoidea, mostly fossils of the Paleozoic rocks. They were usually roundish or egg-shaped, and often unsymmetrical; some were sessile, others had short stems. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) One of the Cystidea. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;, fem. of &unr_;. See Dynast. The name alludes to the immense size of some species. ] (Zool.) One of a group of gigantic, horned beetles, including Dynastus Neptunus, and the Hercules beetle (Dynastus Hercules) of tropical America, which grow to be six inches in length. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Fastidiousness; squeamishness. [ Obs. ] Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. fastidiosus disdainful, fr. fastidium loathing, aversion, perh. fr. fastus arrogance (of uncertain origin) + taedium loathing. Cf. Tedious, Fash. ] Difficult to please; delicate to a fault; suited with difficulty; squeamish; as, a fastidious mind or ear; a fastidious appetite. [ 1913 Webster ]

Proud youth ! fastidious of the lower world. Young.

Syn. -- Squeamish; critical; overnice; difficult; punctilious. -- Fastidious, Squeamish. We call a person fastidious when his taste or feelings are offended by trifling defects or errors; we call him squeamish when he is excessively nice or critical on minor points, and also when he is overscrupulous as to questions of duty. “Whoever examines his own imperfections will cease to be fastidious; whoever restrains his caprice and scrupulosity will cease to be squeamish.” Crabb.

-- Fas*tid"i*ous*ly, adv. -- Fas*tid"i*ous*ness, n.

n. [ See Gonoblastidium. ] (Zool.) A reproductive bud of a hydroid; a simple gonophore. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Gonoblastidia [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; offspring + &unr_; to bud. ] (Zool.) A blastostyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ Leuco- + Gr. pla`ssein to mold. ] (Bot.) One of certain very minute whitish or colorless granules occurring in the protoplasm of plants and supposed to be the nuclei around which starch granules will form. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ AS. mistīdan. See Tide. ] To happen or come to pass unfortunately; also, to suffer evil fortune. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. pestis pest + ductus a leading, fr. ducere to lead. ] That which conveys contagion or infection. [ Obs. ] Donne. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. A natural family of Old World flying squirrels.
Syn. -- subfamily Petauristidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ } n. [ Gr. &unr_;, &unr_;, a creator. ] 1. (Biol.) A formative particle of albuminous matter; a monad; a cytode. See the Note under Morphon. [ Archaic ] Haeckel. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) any of several types of minute granules found in the protoplasm of vegetable cells, having their own membrane, robosomes, and DNA. Among plant cells the most common are chloroplasts, which contain the chlorophyll and the photosynthetic machinery of the cell. They are divided by their colors into three classes, chloroplastids, chromoplastids, and leucoplastids. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_;, &unr_;, creator + &unr_; animal. ] (Zool.) Same as Protoza. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Dim. fr. Plastid. ] (Biol.) One of the small particles or organic molecules of protoplasm. Haeckel. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) (a) One of the Polycystidea. (b) One of the Polycystina. -- a. Pertaining to the Polycystidea, or the Polycystina. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL. See Poly-, and Cystidea. ] (Zool.) A division of Gregarinæ including those that have two or more internal divisions of the body. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Nimble-fingered; having fingers fit for prestidigitation, or juggling. [ R. ] “His prestidigital hand.” Charles Reade. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Legerdemain; sleight of hand; juggling. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praesto ready + digitus finger: cf. F. prestidigitateur. ] One skilled in legerdemain or sleight of hand; a juggler. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Stithy. ] An anvil; also, a smith shop. See Stithy. [ Prov. Eng. ] Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OF. vastité, L. vastitas. ] Vastness; immensity. [ Obs. ] “All the world's vastidity.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]