‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. 'anti` against + &unr_; to speak; part. pass. &unr_;. ] (Eccl.) Certain books of the New Testament which were for a time not universally received, but which are now considered canonical. These are the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Epistles of James and Jude, the second Epistle of Peter, the second and third Epistles of John, and the Revelation. The undisputed books are called the Homologoumena. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. aquatilis: cf. F. aquatile. ] Inhabiting the water. [ R. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having power to attract. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ F. bastille fortress, OF. bastir to build, F. bâtir. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Feud. Fort.) A tower or an elevated work, used for the defense, or in the siege, of a fortified place. [ 1913 Webster ]

The high bastiles . . . which overtopped the walls. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. “The Bastille”, formerly a castle or fortress in Paris, used as a prison, especially for political offenders; hence, a rhetorical name for a prison. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Destitute of beauty. Hammond. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Divisible into two parts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. bi- + quintile: cf. F. biquintile. ] (Astron.) An aspect of the planets when they are distant from each other by twice the fifth part of a great circle -- that is, twice 72 degrees. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. bissextilis annus, fr. bissextus (bis + sextus sixth, fr. sex six) the sixth of the calends of March, or twenty-fourth day of February, which was reckoned twice every fourth year, by the intercalation of a day. ] Leap year; every fourth year, in which a day is added to the month of February on account of the excess of the tropical year (365 d. 5 h. 48 m. 46 s.) above 365 days. But one day added every four years is equivalent to six hours each year, which is 11 m. 14 s. more than the excess of the real year. Hence, it is necessary to suppress the bissextile day at the end of every century which is not divisible by 400, while it is retained at the end of those which are divisible by 400. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to leap year. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. Same as Cantle, v. t. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ It. & L. ] (Mus.) See Cantabile. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Cantalever. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ From Castile, or Castilia, a province in Spain, from which it originally came. ] A kind of fine, hard, white or mottled soap, made with olive oil and soda; also, a soap made in imitation of the above-described soap. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. coctilis, fr. coguere. See Cook. ] Made by baking, or exposing to heat, as a brick. [ 1913 Webster ]

. A projectile constructed so as to take the grooves of a rifle by means of a soft copper band firmly attached near its base or, formerly, by means of an envelope of soft metal. In small arms the modern projectile, having a soft core and harder jacket, is subjected to compression throughout the entire cylindrical part. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. [ Cf. F. contractile. ] tending to contract; having the power or property of contracting, or of shrinking into shorter or smaller dimensions; as, the contractile tissues. [ 1913 Webster ]

The heart's contractile force. H. Brooke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Each cilium seems to be composed of contractile substance. Hixley. [ 1913 Webster ]

Contractile vacuole (Zool.), a pulsating cavity in the interior of a protozoan, supposed to be excretory in function. There may be one, two, or more. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ It., fr. corte court. ] An open internal courtyard inclosed by the walls of a large dwelling house or other large and stately building. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. dentillus, for L. denticulus. See Dentil. ] (Zool.) A small tooth, like that of a saw. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) Tending or serving to draw apart. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A hollow tile used in making drains; -- called also draining tile. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. ductilis, fr. ducere to lead: cf. F. ductile. See Duct. ] 1. Easily led; tractable; complying; yielding to motives, persuasion, or instruction; as, a ductile people. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

Forms their ductile minds
To human virtues. Philips. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Capable of being elongated or drawn out, as into wire or threads. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gold . . . is the softest and most ductile of all metals. Dryden.

-- Duc"tile*ly adv. -- Duc"tile*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. érectile. ] 1. Capable of being erected; susceptible of being erected of dilated; as, erectile tissue. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of or pertaining to an erection{ 5 }; as, erectile dysfunction. [ PJC ]

Erectile tissue (Anat.), a tissue, such as that contained in the penis, which is capable of being greatly dilated and made rigid by accumulation of blood in and the consequent distension of the numerous blood vessels which it contains. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr.Gr. &unr_; without + &unr_; feather, plumage. ] (Bot.) A name given by Lestiboudois to dicotyledons; -- so called because the plumule is naked. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Biol.) Capable of being thrust out or protruded. J. Fleming. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. fertilis, fr. ferre to bear, produce: cf. F. fertile. See Bear to support. ] 1. Producing fruit or vegetation in abundance; fruitful; able to produce abundantly; prolific; fecund; productive; rich; inventive; as, fertile land or fields; a fertile mind or imagination. [ 1913 Webster ]

Though he in a fertile climate dwell. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) (a) Capable of producing fruit; fruit-bearing; as, fertile flowers. (b) Containing pollen; -- said of anthers. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. produced in abundance; plenteous; ample. [ 1913 Webster ]

Henceforth, my early care . . .
Shall tend thee, and the fertile burden ease
Of thy full branches. Milton.

Syn. -- Fertile, Fruitful. Fertile implies the inherent power of production; fruitful, the act. The prairies of the West are fertile by nature, and are turned by cultivation into fruitful fields. The same distinction prevails when these words are used figuratively. A man of fertile genius has by nature great readiness of invention; one whose mind is fruitful has resources of thought and a readiness of application which enable him to think and act effectively. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a fertile or fruitful manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Fertility. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. fictilis. See Fiction. ] Molded, or capable of being molded, into form by art; relating to pottery or to molding in any soft material. [ 1913 Webster ]

Fictile earth is more fragile than crude earth. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

The earliest specimens of Italian fictile art. C. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

Fictile ware, ware made of any material which is molded or shaped while soft; hence, pottery of any sort.

-- Fic"tile*ness, n. -- Fic*til"i*ty n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. fluviatilis, fr. fluvius river: cf. F. fluviatile. ] Belonging to rivers or streams; existing in or about rivers; produced by river action; fluvial; as, fluviatile starta, plants. Lyell. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. futilis that easily pours out, that easily lets loose, vain, worthless, from the root of fundere to pour out: cf. F. futile. See Fuse, v. t. ] 1. Talkative; loquacious; tattling. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Talkers and futile persons. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of no importance; having no useful purpose; useless; vain; worthless; pointless. “Futile theories.” I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

His reasoning . . . was singularly futile. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a futile manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Belonging to the nations at large, as distinguished from the Jews; ethnic; of pagan or heathen people. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gram.) Denoting a race or country; as, a gentile noun or adjective. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. gentilis belonging to the same clan, stock, race, people, or nation; in opposition to Roman, a foreigner; in opposition to Jew or Christian, a heathen: cf. F. gentil. See Gentle, a. ] 1. One neither a Jew nor a Christian; a worshiper of false gods; a heathen. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A person who is not Jewish; -- used in this sense by Jews.
Syn. -- goy[ male ], shiksa[ female ]. [ PJC ]

☞ The Hebrews included in the term gōyim, or nations, all the tribes of men who had not received the true faith, and were not circumcised. The Christians translated gōyim by the L. gentes, and imitated the Jews in giving the name gentiles to all nations who were neither Jews nor Christians. In civil affairs, the denomination was given to all nations who were not Romans. As used by Mormons, the term gentile designates any person who is not a Mormon.

Syn. -- Pagan; heathen. See Pagan. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) See Falcon-gentil. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. gentilesse, gentelise, F. gentillesse. See Gentle. a. ] Gentleness; courtesy; kindness; nobility. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. hasta a spear. ] (Bot.) Same as Hastate. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. hostilis, from hostis enemy: cf. F. hostile. See Host an army. ] Belonging or appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence, or a desire to thwart and injure; occupied by an enemy or enemies; inimical; unfriendly; as, a hostile force; hostile intentions; a hostile country; hostile to a sudden change.

Syn. -- Warlike; inimical; unfriendly; antagonistic; opposed; adverse; opposite; contrary; repugnant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An enemy; esp., an American Indian in arms against the whites; -- commonly in the plural. [ Colloq. ] P. H. Sheridan. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a hostile manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Finance) the purchase of a controlling interest in a publicly-traded company against the wishes of the current management. A person who is the main principal in performing such a buyout is called a corporate raider.
Syn. -- hostile buyout. [ PJC ]

a. [ Pref. in- not + ductile: cf. F. inductile. ] Not ductile; incapable of being drawn into threads, as a metal; inelastic; tough. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. infantilis: cf. F. infantile. See Infant. ] Of or pertaining to infancy, or to an infant; similar to, or characteristic of, an infant; childish; as, infantile behavior. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Med.) An acute viral disease, affecting almost exclusively infants and young adults, characterized by inflammation of the anterior horns of the gray substance of the spinal cord. It is attended with febrile symptoms, motor paralysis, and muscular atrophy, often producing permanent deformities. Called also acute anterior poliomyelitis, poliomyelitis and polio. It is caused by any one of three polioviruses, and by the end of the twentieth century had been almost completely eradicated in developed countries by a widespread campaign of immunization. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

a. [ L. infertilis: cf. F. infertile. See In- not, and Fertile. ] Not fertile; not productive; barren; sterile; unable to propagate its kind; as, an infertile soil; an infertile hybrid; -- of living things and of soil or land. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

adv. In an infertile manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, or having the nature of, insects. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not tractile; incapable of being drawn out or extended. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. inutilis: cf. F. inutile. See In- not, Utile. ] Useless; unprofitable. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Not retractile. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not tractile or ductile. [ R. ] Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. mercantile, It. mercantile, fr. L. mercans, -antis, p. pr. of mercari to traffic. See Merchant. ] Of or pertaining to merchants, or the business of merchants; having to do with trade, or the buying and selling of commodities; commercial. [ 1913 Webster ]

The expedition of the Argonauts was partly mercantile, partly military. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mercantile agency, an agency for procuring information of the standing and credit of merchants in different parts of the country, for the use of dealers who sell to them. --
Mercantile marine, the persons and vessels employed in commerce, taken collectively. --
Mercantile paper, the notes or acceptances given by merchants for goods bought, or received on consignment; drafts on merchants for goods sold or consigned. McElrath. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Mercantile, Commercial. Commercial is the wider term, being sometimes used to embrace mercantile. In their stricter use, commercial relates to the shipping, freighting, forwarding, and other business connected with the commerce of a country (whether external or internal), that is, the exchange of commodities; while mercantile applies to the sale of merchandise and goods when brought to market. As the two employments are to some extent intermingled, the two words are often interchanged. [ 1913 Webster ]