*alma*

n. (Astron.) (a) Same as Almucantar. (b) A recently invented instrument for observing the heavenly bodies as they cross a given almacantar circle. See Almucantar. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖‖ } n. [ F. almadie (cf. Sp. & Pg. almadia), fr. Ar. alma'dīyah a raft, float. ] (Naut.) (a) A bark canoe used by the Africans. (b) A boat used at Calicut, in India, about eighty feet long, and six or seven broad. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. almageste, LL. almageste, Ar. al-majistī, fr. Gr. &unr_; (sc. &unr_;), the greatest composition. ] The celebrated work of Ptolemy of Alexandria, which contains nearly all that is known of the astronomical observations and theories of the ancients. The name was extended to other similar works. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Sp. almagra, almagre, fr. Ar. al-maghrah red clay or earth. ] A fine, deep red ocher, somewhat purplish, found in Spain. It is the sil atticum of the ancients. Under the name of Indian red it is used for polishing glass and silver. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Alme. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ L., fostering mother. ] A college or seminary where one is educated. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ OF. Aleman, F. Allemand, fr. L. Alemanni, ancient Ger. tribes. ] [ Obs. ] 1. A German. Also adj., German. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The German language. J. Foxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A kind of dance. See Allemande. [ 1913 Webster ]

Almain rivets,
Almayne rivets, or
Alman rivets, a sort of light armor from Germany, characterized by overlapping plates, arranged to slide on rivets, and thus afford great flexibility. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. almanac, almanach: cf. F. almanach, Sp. almanaque, It. almanacco, all of uncertain origin. ] A book or table, containing a calendar of days, and months, to which astronomical data and various statistics are often added, such as the times of the rising and setting of the sun and moon, eclipses, hours of full tide, stated festivals of churches, terms of courts, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nautical almanac, an almanac, or year book, containing astronomical calculations (lunar, stellar, etc.), and other information useful to mariners. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. almandina, alamandina, for L. alabandina a precious stone, named after Alabanda, a town in Caria, where it was first and chiefly found: cf. F. almandine. ] (Min.) The common red variety of garnet. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + palmate. ] (Bot.) Palmately branched, with the branches again palmated. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ From Dalman, the geologist. ] (Paleon.) A genus of trilobites, of many species, common in the Upper Silurian and Devonian rocks. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. Same as Dalmania. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to Dalmatia. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dalmatian dog (Zool.), a carriage dog, shaped like a pointer, and having black or bluish spots on a white ground; the coach dog.

n., n. [ LL. dalmatica: cf. F. dalmatique. ] 1. (R. C. Ch.) A vestment with wide sleeves, and with two stripes, worn at Mass by deacons, and by bishops at pontifical Mass; -- imitated from a dress originally worn in Dalmatia. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A robe worn on state ocasions, as by English kings at their coronation. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. "edrai^os steadfast + 'ofqalmo`s the eye.] (Zoöl.) A group of Crustacea in which the eyes are without stalks; the Arthrostraca. [Written also Edriophthalmata.] [1913 Webster]

a. [ L. fissus (p. p. of findere to split) + palma palm. ] (Zool.) Semipalmate and loboped, as a grebe's foot. See Illust. under Aves. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. gymno`s naked + 'ofqalmo`s the eye. ] (Zool.) A group of acalephs, including the naked-eyed medusæ; the hydromedusæ. Most of them are known to be the free-swimming progeny (gonophores) of hydroids. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. "a`lma, fr. "a`llesqai to leap. ] (Greek Antiq.) The long jump, with weights in the hands, -- the most important of the exercises of the Pentathlon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A game played on a board having 256 squares, by two persons with 19 men each, or by four with 13 men each, starting from different corners and striving to place each his own set of men in a corresponding position in the opposite corner by moving them or by jumping them over those met in progress. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Zool.) A spotted trout (Salvelinus malma), inhabiting Northern America, west of the Rocky Mountains; -- called also Dolly Varden trout, bull trout, red-spotted trout, and golet. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F., from native name in Madagascar. ] (Zool.) The tarsius, or spectral lemur. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Metalmen A worker in metals. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , n. (Teut. Law) A man or woman having odal, or able to share in it by inheritance. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. A natural family of chiefly tropical trees and shrubs and vines usually having a tall columnar trunk bearing a crown of very large leaves; coextensive with the order Palmales.
Syn. -- Palmae, family Palmae, family Palmaceae, Arecaceae, family Arecaceae, palm family. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. (Bot.) Of or pertaining to palms; of the nature of, or resembling, palms. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ L., palm of Christ. ] (Bot.) A plant (Ricinus communis) with ornamental peltate and palmately cleft foliage, growing as a woody perennial in the tropics, and cultivated as an herbaceous annual in temperate regions; -- called also castor-oil plant. [ Sometimes corrupted into palmcrist. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Paleon.) A fossil palm. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. A natural family of chiefly tropical trees and shrubs; same as Palmaceae; coextensive with the order Palmales.
Syn. -- family Palmae, Palmaceae, Arecaceae, family Arecaceae, palm family. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

prop. n. A natural family of chiefly tropical trees and shrubs coextensive with the family Palmae; -- the palms.
Syn. -- order Palmales. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ L. palmaris, fr. palma the palm of the hand: cf. F. palmaire. ] 1. (Anat.) Pertaining to, or corresponding with, the palm of the hand. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) Of or pertaining to the under side of the wings of birds. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Palmaria [ NL. See Palmar. ] (Zool.) One of the bifurcations of the brachial plates of a crinoid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Palmar. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. palmarius, palmaris, belonging to palms, deserving the palm or prize, fr. palma a palm. ] Worthy of the palm; palmy; preëminent; superior; principal; chief; as, palmary work. Br. Horne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) A salt of palmic acid; a ricinoleate. [ Obsoles. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. palmatus marked with the palm of a hand, from palma the palm of the hand. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Having the shape of the hand; resembling a hand with the fingers spread. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Spreading from the apex of a petiole, as the divisions of a leaf, or leaflets, so as to resemble the hand with outspread fingers. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) (a) Having the anterior toes united by a web, as in most swimming birds; webbed. See Illust. (i) under Aves. (b) Having the distal portion broad, flat, and more or less divided into lobes; -- said of certain corals, antlers, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a palmate manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. palmatus palmate + root of findere to split. ] (Bot.) Palmate, with the divisions separated but little more than halfway to the common center. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. palmatus palmate + E. lobed. ] (Bot.) Palmate, with the divisions separated less than halfway to the common center. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. palmatus palmate + secare to cut. ] (Bot.) Divided, as a palmate leaf, down to the midrib, so that the parenchyma is interrupted. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. salmigondis, of uncertain origin; perhaps from L. salgama condita, pl.; salgama pickles + condita preserved (see Condite); or from the Countess Salmagondi, lady of honor to Maria de Medici, who is said to have invented it; or cf. It. salame salt meat, and F. salmis a ragout. ] 1. A mixture of chopped meat and pickled herring, with oil, vinegar, pepper, and onions. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence, a mixture of various ingredients; an olio or medley; a potpourri; a miscellany. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. (Zool.) Having the anterior toes joined only part way down with a web; half-webbed; as, a semipalmate bird or foot. See Illust. k under Aves. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. -men A man whose business is to manage or display signals; especially, one employed in setting the signals by which railroad trains are run or warned. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., from Gr. stegano`s covered + 'ofqalmo`s the eye. ] (Zool.) The Discophora, or Phanerocarpae. Called also Steganophthalmia. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. sty^los a column + 'a`galma an image. ] (Arch.) Performing the office of columns; as, Atlantes and Caryatides are stylagalmaic figures or images. [ Written also stylogalmaic. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Talmas [ Prob. so called from Talma, a French actor. ] (a) A kind of large cape, or short, full cloak, forming part of the dress of ladies. (b) A similar garment worn formerly by gentlemen. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. totus all, whole + E. palmate. ] (Zool.) Having all four toes united by a web; -- said of certain sea birds, as the pelican and the gannet. See Illust. under Aves. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. & a. etc. [ Icel. ōðal allodium, an hereditary estate; akin to Sw. odal allodial, Dan. odel. ] Vars. of Odal, etc.; property held by udal, or allodial, right -- Obs. exc. in Shetland and the Orkney Islands, where udal designates a freehold, land held in fee simple without any charter and free of any feudal character. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]