Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828)

Page 915

2. Cheerful; joyous; not sad; happy.

Is any merry let him sing psalms. Jas. v. 13.

3. Causing laughter, mirth, gladness, or delight; as, merry jest. Merry wind and weather." Spenser. Merry dancers. See under Dancer. -- Merry men, followers; retainers. [Obs.]

His merie men commanded he To make him bothe game and glee. Chaucer.

-- To make merry, to be jovial; to indulge in hilarity; to feast with mirth. Judg. ix. 27. Syn. -- Cheerful; blithe; lively; sprightly; vivacious; gleeful; joyous; mirthful; jocund; sportive; hilarious.

Merry

Mer"ry (?), n. (Bot.) A kind of wild red cherry.

Merry-andrew

Mer"ry-an"drew (?), n. One whose business is to make sport for others; a buffoon; a zany; especially, one who attends a mountebank or quack doctor. &hand; This term is said to have originated from one Andrew Borde, an English physician of the 16th century, who gained patients by facetious speeches to the multitude.

Merry-go-round

Mer"ry-go`-round" (?), n. Any revolving contrivance for affording amusement; esp., a ring of flying hobbyhorses.

Merrymake

Mer"ry*make` (?), n. Mirth; frolic; a meeting for mirth; a festival. [Written also merrimake.]

Merrymake

Mer"ry*make`, v. i. To make merry; to be jolly; to feast. [Written also merrimake.]

Merrymaker

Mer"ry*mak`er (?), n. One who makes merriment or indulges in conviviality; a jovial comrade.

Merrymaking

Mer"ry*mak`ing (?), a. Making or producing mirth; convivial; jolly.

Merrymaking

Mer"ry*mak`ing, n. The act of making merry; conviviality; merriment; jollity. Wordsworth.

Merrymeeting

Mer"ry*meet`ing (?), n. A meeting for mirth.

Merrythought

Mer"ry*thought` (?), n. The forked bone of a fowl's breast; -- called also wishbone. See Furculum. &hand; It is a sportive custom for two persons to break this bone by pulling the ends apart to see who will get the longer piece, the securing of which is regarded as a lucky omen, signifying that the person holding it will obtain the gratification of some secret wish.

Mersion

Mer"sion (?), n. [L. mersio. See Merge.] Immersion [R.] Barrow.

Merulidan

Me*ru"li*dan (?), n. [L. merula, merulus, blackbird. See Merle.] (Zoöl.) A bird of the Thrush family.

Merus

Me"rus (?), n. [NL.] (Arch.) See Meros.

Mervaille

Mer"vaille` (?), n. Marvel. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Mes-

Mes- (?). See Meso-.

Mesa

Me"sa (?), . [Sp.] A high tableland; a plateau on a hill. [Southwestern U.S.] Bartlett.

Mesaconate

Mes*ac"o*nate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of mesaconic acid.

Mesaconic

Mes`a*con"ic (?), a. [Mes- + -aconic, as in citraconic.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, one of several isomeric acids obtained from citric acid.

Mesad

Mes"ad (?), adv. Same as Mesiad.

Mesal

Mes"al (?), a. Same as Mesial.

Mésalliance

Mé`sal`li`ance" (?), n. [F.] A marriage with a person of inferior social position; a misalliance.

Mesally

Mes"al*ly (?), adv. Same as Mesially.

Mesamboid

Mes`a*m"boid (?), n. [Mes- + amboid.] (Biol.) One of a class of independent, isolated cells found in the mesoderm, while the germ layers are undergoing differentiation.

Mesaraic

Mes`a*ra"ic (?), a. [Gr. mesentery; middle + flank.] (Anat.) Mesenteric.

Mesaticephalic

Mes`a*ti*ce*phal"ic (?), a. [Gr. midmost + E. cephalic.] (Anat.) Having the ratio of the length to the breadth of the cranium a medium one; neither brachycephalic nor dolichocephalic.

Mesaticephalous

Mes`a*ti*ceph"a*lous (?), a. (Anat.) Mesaticephalic.

Mescal

Mes*cal" (?), n. [Sp.] A distilled liquor prepared in Mexico from a species of agave. See Agave.

Mesdames

Mes`dames" (F. ?, E. ?), n., pl. of Madame and Madam.

Meseems

Me*seems" (?), v. impers. [imp. Meseemed (?).] It seems to me. [Poetic]

Mesel

Me"sel (?), n. [See Measle.] A leper. [Obs.]

Meselry

Me"sel*ry (?), n. Leprosy. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Mesembryanthemum

Me*sem`bry*an"the*mum (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. midday + flower.] (Bot.) A genus of herbaceous or suffruticose plants, chiefly natives of South Africa. The leaves are opposite, thick, and feshy. The flowers usually open about midday, whence the name.

Mesencephalic

Mes`en*ce*phal"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the mesencephalon or midbrain.

Mesencephalon

Mes`en*ceph"a*lon (?), n. [NL. See Meso- and Encephalon.] (Anat.) The middle segment of the brain; the midbrain. Sometimes abbreviated to mesen. See Brain.

Mesenchyma

Mes*en"chy*ma (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. middle + -enchyma, as in E. parenchyma.] (Biol.) The part of the mesoblast which gives rise to the connective tissues and blood.

Mesenteric

Mes`en*ter"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. mésentérique.] (Anat.) Pertaining to a mesentery; mesaraic.

Mesenteron

Mes*en"te*ron (?), n. [NL. See Meso-, and Enteron.] (Anat.) All that part of the alimentary canal which is developed from the primitive enteron and is lined with hypoblast. It is distinguished from the stomodum, a part at the anterior end of the canal, including the cavity of the mouth, and the proctodum, a part at the posterior end, which are formed by invagination and are lined with epiblast.

Mesentery

Mes"en*ter*y (?; 277), n. [Gr. , + intestine: cf. F. mésent\'8are.]

1. (Anat.) The membranes, or one of the membranes (consisting of a fold of the peritoneum and inclosed tissues), which connect the intestines and their appendages with the dorsal wall of the abdominal cavity. The mesentery proper is connected with the jejunum and ilium, the other mesenteries being called mesoccum, mesocolon, mesorectum, etc.

2. (Zoöl.) One of the vertical muscular radiating partitions which divide the body cavity of Anthozoa into chambers.

Meseraic

Mes`e*ra"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Mesaraic.

Mesethmoid

Mes*eth"moid (?), a. [Mes- + ethmoid.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the middle of the ethmoid region or ethmoid bone. -- n. (Anat.) The median vertical plate, or median element, of the ethmoid bone.

Mesh

Mesh (?), n. [AS. masc, max, mscre; akin to D. maas, masche, OHG. masca, Icel. möskvi; cf. Lith. mazgas a knot, megsti to weave nets, to knot.]

1. The opening or space inclosed by the threads of a net between knot and knot, or the threads inclosing such a space; network; a net.

A golden mesh to entrap the hearts of men. Shak.

2. (Gearing) The engagement of the teeth of wheels, or of a wheel and rack. Mesh stick, a stick on which the mesh is formed in netting.

Mesh

Mesh, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Meshed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Meshing.] To catch in a mesh. Surrey.

Mesh

Mesh, v. i. (Gearing) To engage with each other, as the teeth of wheels.

Meshed

Meshed (?), a. Mashed; brewed. [Obs.] Shak.

Meshy

Mesh"y (?), a. Formed with meshes; netted.

Mesiad

Mes"i*ad (?), adv. [Gr. middle + L. ad to.] (Anat.) Toward, or on the side toward, the mesial plane; mesially; -- opposed to laterad.

Mesial

Me"sial (?; 277), a. [Gr. middle.] (Anat.) Middle; median; in, or in the region of, the mesial plane; internal; -- opposed to lateral. Mesial plane. (Anat.) See Meson.

Mesially

Me"sial*ly, adv. (Anat.) In, near, or toward, the mesial plane; mesiad.

Mesityl

Mes"i*tyl (?), n. (Chem.) A hypothetical radical formerly supposed to exist in mesityl oxide. Mesityl oxide (Chem.), a volatile liquid having the odor of peppermint, obtained by certain dehydrating agents from acetone; -- formerly called also dumasin.

Mesitylenate

Me*sit"y*le*nate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of mesitylenic acid.

Mesitylene

Me*sit"y*lene (?), n. (Chem.) A colorless, fragrant liquid, C6H3(CH3)3, of the benzene series of hydrocarbons, obtained by distilling acetone with sulphuric acid. -- Me*sit`y*len"ic (#), a.

Mesitylol

Me*sit"y*lol (?), n. [Mesitylene + -ol.] (Chem.) A crystalline substance obtained from mesitylene.

Meslin

Mes"lin (? ∨ ?), n. See Maslin.

Mesmeree

Mes`mer*ee" (?), n. A person subjected to mesmeric influence; one who is mesmerized. [R.]

Mesmeric, Mesmerical

Mes*mer"ic (?), Mes*mer"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. mesmérique.] Of, pertaining to, or induced by, mesmerism; as, mesmeric sleep.
Mesmerism
Mes"mer*ism (?), n. [From Mesmer, who first brought it into notice at Vienna, about 1775: cf. F. mesmérisme.] The art of inducing an extraordinary or abnormal state of the nervous system, in which the actor claims to control the actions, and communicate directly with the mind, of the recipient. See Animal magnetism, under Magnetism.
Mesmerist
Mes"mer*ist, n. One who practices, or believes in, mesmerism.
Mesmerization
Mes`mer*i*za"tion (?), n. The act of mesmerizing; the state of being mesmerized.
Mesmerize
Mes"mer*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mesmerized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Mesmerizing (?).] To bring into a state of mesmeric sleep.
Mesmerizer
Mes"mer*i`zer (?), n. One who mesmerizes.
Mesne
Mesne (?), a. [Cf. Mean intermediate.] (Law) Middle; intervening; as, a mesne lord, that is, a lord who holds land of a superior, but grants a part of it to another person, in which case he is a tenant to the superior, but lord or superior to the second grantee, and hence is called the mesne lord. Mesne process, intermediate process; process intervening between the beginning and end of a suit, sometimes understood to be the whole process preceding the execution. Blackstone. Burrill. -- Mesne profits, profits of premises during the time the owner has been wrongfully kept out of the possession of his estate. Burrill.
Meso-, Mes-
Mes"o- (?), Mes- (?). [Gr. in the middle.] A combining form denoting in the middle, intermediate; specif. (Chem.), denoting a type of hydrocarbons which are regarded as methenyl derivatives. Also used adjectively. <-- in Chem., now used differently, for optical isomers -->
Mesoarium
Mes`o*a"ri*um (?), n. [NL., from Gr. middle + , dim. of an egg.] (Anat.) The fold of peritoneum which suspends the ovary from the dorsal wall of the body cavity.<-- = now mesovarium. Entry under mesovarium is not cross-referenced to this entry. ??? -->
Mesoblast
Mes"o*blast (?), n. [Meso- + -blast.] (Biol.) (a) The mesoderm. (b) The cell nucleus; mesoplast.
Mesoblastic
Mes`o*blas"tic (?), a. (Biol.) Relating to the mesoblast; as, the mesoblastic layer.
Mesobranchial
Mes`o*bran"chi*al (?), a. [Meso- + branchial.] (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to a region of the carapace of a crab covering the middle branchial region.
Mesobronchium
Mes`o*bron"chi*um (?), n.; pl. Mesobronchia (#). [NL. See Meso-, and Bronchia.] (Anat.) The main bronchus of each lung.
Mesocæcum
Mes`o*cæ"cum (?), n. (Anat.) [NL. See Meso-, and Cæcum.] The fold of peritoneum attached to the cæcum. -- Mes`o*cæ"cal (#), a.
Mesocarp
Mes"o*carp (?), n. [Meso- + Gr. fruit.] (Bot.) The middle layer of a pericarp which consists of three distinct or dissimilar layers. Gray.
Mesocephalic
Mes`o*ce*phal"ic (?), a. [Meso- + cephalic.] (Anat.) (a) Of or pertaining to, or in the region of, the middle of the head; as, the mesocephalic flexure. (b) Having the cranial cavity of medium capacity; neither megacephalic nor microcephalic. (c) Having the ratio of the length to the breadth of the cranium a medium one; mesaticephalic.
Mesocephalon
Mes`o*ceph"a*lon (?), n. [NL. See Meso-, and Cephalon.] (Anat.) The pons Varolii.
Mesocephalous
Mes`o*ceph"a*lous (?), a. (Anat.) Mesocephalic.
Mesocœle, Mesocœlia
Mes`o*cœ"le (?), Mes`o*cœ"li*a (?), n. [NL. mesocoelia. See Meso-, and Cœlia.] (Anat.) The cavity of the mesencephalon; the iter.
Mesocolon
Mes`o*co"lon (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ; middle + the colon : cf. F. mésoc\'93lon.] (Anat.) The fold of peritoneum, or mesentery, attached to the colon. -- Mes`o*col"ic (#), a.
Mesocoracoid
Mes`o*cor"a*coid (?), n. [Meso- + coracoid.] (Anat.) A process from the middle of the coracoid in some animals.
Mesocuneiform, Mesocuniform
Mes`o*cu*ne"i*form (?), Mes`o*cu"ni*form (?), n. [Meso- + cuneiform, cuniform.] (Anat.) One of the bones of the tarsus. See 2d Cuneiform.
Mesoderm
Mes"o*derm (?), n. [Meso- + Gr. skin.] (Biol.) (a) The layer of the blastoderm, between the ectoderm and endoderm; mesoblast. See Illust. of Blastoderm and Ectoderm. (b) The middle body layer in some invertebrates. (c) The middle layer of tissue in some vegetable structures.
Mesodermal
Mes`o*der"mal (?), a. (Biol.) Pertaining to, or derived from, the mesoderm; as, mesodermal tissues.
Mesodermic
Mes`o*der"mic (?), a. Same as Mesodermal.
Mesodont
Mes"o*dont (?), a. [Meso- + Gr. , , a tooth.] (Anat.) Having teeth of moderate size.
Mesogaster
Mes`o*gas"ter (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. middle + belly.] (Anat.) The fold of peritoneum connecting the stomach with the dorsal wall of the abdominal cavity; the mesogastrium.
Mesogastric
Mes`o*gas"tric (?), a. [Meso- + gastric.]
1. (Anat.) (a) Of or pertaining to the middle region of the abdomen, or of the stomach. (b) Of or pertaining to the mesogaster.
2. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the middle gastric lobe of the carapace of a crab.
Mesogastrium
Mes`o*gas"tri*um (?), n. [NL. See Mesogaster.] (Anat.) (a) The umbilical region. (b) The mesogaster.
Mesogla
Mes`o*gl"a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. middle + a glutinous substance.] (Zoöl.) A thin gelatinous tissue separating the ectoderm and endoderm in certain cœlenterates. -- Mes`o*gl"al (#), a.
Mesognathous
Me*sog"na*thous (?), a. [Meso- + Gr. jaw.] (Anat.) Having the jaws slightly projecting; between prognathous and orthognathous. See Gnathic index, under Gnathic.
Mesohepar
Mes`o*he"par (?), n. [NL. See Meso-, and Hepar.] (Anat.) A fold of the peritoneum connecting the liver with the dorsal wall of the abdominal cavity.
Mesohippus
Mes`o*hip"pus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. middle + a horse.] (Paleon.) An extinct mammal of the Horse family, but not larger than a sheep, and having three toes on each foot.
Mesolabe
Mes"o*labe (?), n. [L. mesolabium, Gr. ; middle + to take.] An instrument of the ancients for finding two mean proportionals between two given lines, required in solving the problem of the duplication of the cube. Brande & C.
Mesole
Mes"ole (?), n. [Gr. middle.] (Min.) Same as Thomsonite.
Mesolite
Mes"o*lite (?; 277), n. [Meso- + -lite.] (Min.) A zeolitic mineral, grayish white or yellowish, occuring in delicate groups of crystals, also fibrous massive. It is a hydrous silicate of alumina, lime, and soda.
Mesologarithm
Mes`o*log"a*rithm (?), n. [Meso- + logarithm : cf. F. mésologarithme.] (Math.) A logarithm of the cosine or cotangent. [Obs.] Kepler. Hutton.
Mesometrium
Mes`o*me"tri*um (?), n. [NL. See Meso-, and Metrium.] (Anat.) The fold of the peritoneum supporting the oviduct.
Mesomyodian
Mes`o*my*o"di*an (?), n. (Zoöl.) A bird having a mesomyodous larynx.
Mesomyodous
Mes`o*my"o*dous (?), a. [Meso- + Gr. , , a muscle.] (Zoöl.) Having the intrinsic muscles of the larynx attached to the middle of the semirings.
Meson
Mes"on (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. middle, neut. of , a., middle.] (Anat.) The mesial plane dividing the body of an animal into similar right and left halves. The line in which it meets the dorsal surface has been called the dorsimeson, and the corresponding ventral edge the ventrimeson. B. G. Wilder.
Mesonasal
Mes`o*na"sal (?), a. [Meso- + nasal.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the middle portion of the nasal region.
Mesonephric
Mes`o*neph"ric (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the mesonephros; as, the mesonephric, or Wolffian, duct.
Mesonephros
Mes`o*neph"ros (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. middle + kidney.] (Anat.) The middle one of the three pairs of embryonic renal organs developed in most vertebrates; the Wolffian body.
Mesonotum
Mes`o*no"tum (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. middle + the back.] (Zoöl.) The dorsal portion of the mesothorax of insects.
Mesophlum
Mes`o*phl"um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. middle + bark.] (Bot.) The middle bark of a tree; the green layer of bark, usually soon covered by the outer or corky layer, and obliterated.
Mesophryon
Me*soph"ry*on (?), n. [NL., from Gr. .] (Anat.) See Glabella.
Mesophyllum
Mes`o*phyl"lum (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. middle + leaf.] (Bot.) The parenchyma of a leaf between the skin of the two surfaces. Gray.
Mesoplast
Mes"o*plast (?), n. [Meso- + -plast.] (Biol.) The nucleus of a cell; mesoblast. Agassix.