*antal*

/mhw>, n. [ Pref. anti- + alkali. ] Anything that neutralizes, or that counteracts an alkaline tendency in the system. Hooper. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of power to counteract alkalies. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Assonant. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) (a) Relating to the atlas. (b) Anterior; cephalic. Barclay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cant an external angle + lever a supporter of the roof timber of a house. ] [ Written also cantaliver and cantilever. ] 1. (Arch.) A bracket to support a balcony, a cornice, or the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Engin.) A projecting beam, truss, or bridge unsupported at the outer end; one which overhangs. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cantalever bridge, a bridge in which the principle of the cantalever is applied. It is usually a trussed bridge, composed of two portions reaching out from opposite banks, and supported near the middle of their own length on piers which they overhang, thus forming cantalevers which meet over the space to be spanned or sustain a third portion, to complete the connection. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. cantaloup, It. cantalupo, so called from the caste of Cantalupo, in the Marca d'Ancona, in Italy, where they were first grown in Europe, from seed said to have been imported from Armenia. ] A muskmelon of several varieties, having when mature, a yellowish skin, and flesh of a reddish orange color. [ Written also cantaleup. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of the nature of a consonant; pertaining to consonants. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Dim. of pantaloon. ] One of the legs of the loose drawers worn by children and women; a pant leg; particularly, the lower part of such a garment, coming below the knee, often made in a separate piece; -- chiefly in the plural. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. pantalon, fr. It. pantalone, a masked character in the Italian comedy, who wore breeches and stockings that were all of one piece, from Pantaleone, the patron saint of Venice, which, as a baptismal name, is very frequent among the Venetians, and is applied to them by the other Italians as a nickname, fr. Gr. Pantale`wn, lit., all lion, a Greek personal name. ] 1. A ridiculous character, or an old dotard, in the Italian comedy; also, a buffoon in pantomimes. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. pl. A bifurcated garment for a man, covering the body from the waist downwards, and consisting of breeches and stockings in one. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. pl. In recent times, a loose-fitting variety of Trousers, often of less than ankle length. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. 1. The character or performances of a pantaloon; buffoonery. [ R. ] Lamb. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Materials for pantaloons. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. planta a plant. ] Belonging to plants; as, plantal life. [ Obs. ] Dr. H. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. quadrantalis containing the fourth fourth part of a measure. ] (Geom.) Of or pertaining to a quadrant; also, included in the fourth part of a circle; as, quadrantal space. [ 1913 Webster ]

Quadrantal triangle, a spherical triangle having one side equal to a quadrant or arc of 90°. --
Quadrantal versor, a versor that expresses rotation through one right angle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) A cubical vessel containing a Roman cubic foot, each side being a Roman square foot; -- used as a measure. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A cube. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Santalum + piperonal. ] (Chem.) A colorless crystalline substance, isomeric with piperonal, but having weak acid properties. It is extracted from sandalwood. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) Of or pertaining to a natural order of plants (Santalaceae), of which the genus Santalum is the type, and which includes the buffalo nut and a few other North American plants, and many peculiar plants of the southern hemisphere. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, sandalwood (Santalum); -- used specifically to designate an acid obtained as a resinous or red crystalline dyestuff, which is called also santalin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. santaline. ] (Chem.) Santalic acid. See Santalic. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL. See Sandalwood. ] (Bot.) A genus of trees with entire opposite leaves and small apetalous flowers. There are less than a dozen species, occurring from India to Australia and the Pacific Islands. See Sandalwood. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) A salt of tantalic acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Chem.) Of or pertaining to tantalum; derived from, or containing, tantalum; specifically, designating any one of a series of acids analogous to nitric acid and the polyacid compounds of phosphorus. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Tantalize. ] A punishment like that of Tantalus; a teasing or tormenting by the hope or near approach of good which is not attainable; tantalization. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

Is not such a provision like tantalism to this people? Josiah Quincy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. tantalite. ] (Min.) A heavy mineral of an iron-black color and submetallic luster. It is essentially a tantalate of iron. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of tantalizing, or state of being tantalized. Gayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tantalized p. pr. & vb. n. Tantalizing ] [ From Tantalus: cf. F. tantaliser. ] To tease or torment by presenting some good to the view and exciting desire, but continually frustrating the expectations by keeping that good out of reach; to tease; to torment. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thy vain desires, at strife
Within themselves, have tantalized thy life. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To tease; vex; irritate; provoke. -- Tantalize, Disappoint. To disappoint is literally to do away with what was (or was taken to be) appointed; hence the peculiar pain from hopes thus dashed to the ground. To tantalize, a much stronger term, describes a most distressing form of disappointment, as in the case of Tantalus, the Phrygian king. To tantalize is to visit with the bitterest disappointment -- to torment by exciting hopes or expectations which can never be realized. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who tantalizes. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a tantalizing or teasing manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ NL. So named on account of the perplexity and difficulty encounterd by its discoverer (Ekeberg) in isolating it. See Tantalus. ] (Chem.) A rare nonmetallic element found in certain minerals, as tantalite, samarskite, and fergusonite, and isolated as a dark powder which becomes steel-gray by burnishing. Symbol Ta. Atomic weight 182.0. Formerly called also tantalium. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., from Gr. Ta`ntalos. ] (Gr. Myth.) 1. A Phrygian king who was punished in the lower world by being placed in the midst of a lake whose waters reached to his chin but receded whenever he attempted to allay his thirst, while over his head hung branches laden with choice fruit which likewise receded whenever he stretched out his hand to grasp them. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) A genus of wading birds comprising the wood ibises. [ 1913 Webster ]

Tantalus's cup (Physics), a philosophical toy, consisting of a cup, within which is the figure of a man, and within the figure a siphon, the longer arm of which passes down through the bottom of the cup, and allows the escape of any liquid that may be poured in, when it reaches as high as the bend of the siphon, which is just below the level of the mouth of the figure in the cup. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. tri- + quadrantal. ] (Spherical Trig.) Having three quadrants; thus, a triquadrantal triangle is one whose three sides are quadrants, and whose three angles are consequently right angles. [ 1913 Webster ]