v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Ambled p. pr. & vb. n. Ambling ] [ F. ambler to amble, fr. L. ambulare to walk, in LL., to amble, perh. fr. amb-, ambi-, and a root meaning to go: cf. Gr. &unr_; to go, E. base. Cf. Ambulate. ] 1. To go at the easy gait called an amble; -- applied to the horse or to its rider. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To move somewhat like an ambling horse; to go easily or without hard shocks. [ 1913 Webster ]

The skipping king, he ambled up and down. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sir, your wit ambles well; it goes easily. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A peculiar gait of a horse, in which both legs on the same side are moved at the same time, alternating with the legs on the other side. “A fine easy amble.” B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A movement like the amble of a horse. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A horse or a person that ambles. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. brembil, AS. brēmel, brēmbel, br&aemacr_;mbel (akin to OHG. brāmal), fr. the same root as E. broom, As. brōm. See Broom. ] 1. (Bot.) Any plant of the genus Rubus, including the raspberry and blackberry. Hence: Any rough, prickly shrub. [ 1913 Webster ]

The thorny brambles, and embracing bushes. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) The brambling or bramble finch. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Bot.) The bramble, or a collection of brambles growing together. [ 1913 Webster ]

He jumped into a bramble bush
And scratched out both his eyes. Mother Goose. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Overgrown with brambles. [ 1913 Webster ]

Forlorn she sits upon the brambled floor. T. Warton. [ 1913 Webster ]

A net to catch birds. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Camlet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a former gambler. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. i. [ OE. falmelen; cf. SW. famla to grope, Dan. famle to grope, falter, hesitate, Icel. fālma to grope. Cf. Famble. ] To stammer. [ Obs. ] Nares. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Famble, v. ] A hand. [ Slang & Obs. ] “We clap our fambles.” Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Gambled p. pr. & vb. n. Gambling ] [ Dim. of game. See 2d Game. ] To play or game for money or other stake. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To lose or squander by gaming; -- usually with away. “Bankrupts or sots who have gambled or slept away their estates.” Ames. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An act of gambling; a transaction or proceeding involving gambling; hence, anything involving similar risk or uncertainty. [ Colloq. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. One who gambles. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ OE. hamelen to mutilate, AS. hamelian; akin to OHG. hamalōn to mutilate, hamal mutilated, ham mutilated, Icel. hamla to mutilate. Cf. Hamper to fetter. ] To hamstring. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. praeambulum, from L. praeambulus walking before, fr. praeambulare to walk before; prae before + ambulare to walk: cf. F. préambule. See Amble. ] A introductory portion; an introduction or preface, as to a book, document, etc.; specifically, the introductory part of a statute, which states the reasons and intent of the law. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. To make a preamble to; to preface; to serve as a preamble. [ R. ] Feltham. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Rambled p. pr. & vb. n. Rambling ] [ For rammle, fr. Prov. E. rame to roam. Cf. Roam. ] 1. To walk, ride, or sail, from place to place, without any determinate object in view; to roam carelessly or irregularly; to rove; to wander; as, to ramble about the city; to ramble over the world. [ 1913 Webster ]

He that is at liberty to ramble in perfect darkness, what is his liberty better than if driven up and down as a bubble by the wind? Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To talk or write in a discursive, aimless way. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To extend or grow at random. Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To rove; roam; wander; range; stroll. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A going or moving from place to place without any determinate business or object; an excursion or stroll merely for recreation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Coming home, after a short Christmas ramble. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ Cf. Rammel. ] (Coal Mining) A bed of shale over the seam. Raymond. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A section of woods suitable for leisurely walking. [ PJC ]

4. a type of dance; as, the Muskrat ramble. [ PJC ]

n. One who rambles; a rover; a wanderer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Scambled p. pr. & vb. n. Scambling. ] [ Cf. OD. schampelen to deviate, to slip, schampen to go away, escape, slip, and E. scamper, shamble. ] 1. To move awkwardly; to be shuffling, irregular, or unsteady; to sprawl; to shamble. “Some scambling shifts.” Dr. H. More. “A fine old hall, but a scambling house.” Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To move about pushing and jostling; to be rude and turbulent; to scramble. “The scambling and unquiet time did push it out of . . . question.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To mangle. [ Obs. ] Mortimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who scambles. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A bold intruder upon the hospitality of others; a mealtime visitor. [ Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Scrambled p. pr. & vb. n. Scrambling ] [ Freq. of Prov. E. scramb to rake together with the hands, or of scramp to snatch at. cf. Scrabble. ] 1. To clamber with hands and knees; to scrabble; as, to scramble up a cliff; to scramble over the rocks. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To struggle eagerly with others for something thrown upon the ground; to go down upon all fours to seize something; to catch rudely at what is desired. [ 1913 Webster ]

Of other care they little reckoning make,
Than how to scramble at the shearer's feast. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To collect by scrambling; as, to scramble up wealth. Marlowe. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To prepare (eggs) as a dish for the table, by stirring the yolks and whites together while cooking. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act of scrambling, climbing on all fours, or clambering. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of jostling and pushing for something desired; eager and unceremonious struggle for what is thrown or held out; as, a scramble for office. [ 1913 Webster ]

Scarcity [ of money ] enhances its price, and increases the scramble. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Eggs of which the whites and yolks are stirred together while cooking, or eggs beaten slightly, often with a little milk, and stirred while cooking. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. 1. One who scrambles; one who climbs on all fours. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A greedy and unceremonious contestant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. schamel a bench, stool, AS. scamel, sceamol, a bench, form, stool, fr. L. scamellum, dim. of scamnum a bench, stool. ] 1. (Mining) One of a succession of niches or platforms, one above another, to hold ore which is thrown successively from platform to platform, and thus raised to a higher level. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. pl. A place where butcher's meat is sold. [ 1913 Webster ]

As summer flies are in the shambles. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. pl. A place for slaughtering animals for meat. [ 1913 Webster ]

To make a shambles of the parliament house. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Shambled p. pr. & vb. n. Shambling ] [ Cf. OD. schampelen to slip, schampen to slip away, escape. Cf. Scamble, Scamper. ] To walk awkwardly and unsteadily, as if the knees were weak; to shuffle along. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ A reduplication of scamble. ] Rambling; disorderly; unconnected. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Such a deal of skimble-scamble stuff. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. (Mining) To wash, as tin ore, with a shovel in a frame fitted for the purpose. Smart. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ Cf. Dan. vamle, and vammel squeamish, ready to vomit, Icel. væma to feel nausea, væminn nauseous. ] 1. To heave; to be disturbed by nausea; -- said of the stomach. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To move irregularly to and fro; to roll. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Disturbance of the stomach; a feeling of nausea. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Sick at the stomach; also, crestfallen; dejected. [ Slang ] [ 1913 Webster ]