*eps*

n. [ Gr. &unr_;; 'a priv. + &unr_; to seize, comprehend. ] Incomprehensibility of things; the doctrine held by the ancient Skeptic philosophers, that human knowledge never amounts to certainty, but only to probability. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L. ] Animal fat; lard. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ } [ Gr. 'ana`lhpsis a taking up, or again, recovery, from 'analamba`nein. See Analemma. ] (Med.) (a) Recovery of strength after sickness. (b) A species of epileptic attack, originating from gastric disorder. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster + AS ]

‖n. [ NL. See Anti-; Sepsis. ] Prevention of sepsis by excluding or destroying microorganisms. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ NL. apepsia, fr. Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; uncooked, undigested; 'a priv. + &unr_; cooked, &unr_; to cook, digest. ] (Med.) Defective digestion, indigestion. Coxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; priv. + sepsis. ] State of being aseptic; the methods or processes of asepticizing. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; priv. + &unr_; nourishment. ] (Med.) Profound debility of children due to lack of food and to unhygienic surroundings. -- A*threp"tic a. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

n. type genus of the Balaenicipitidae: shoebills.
Syn. -- genus Balaeniceps. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

Steps for mounting a bed of unusual height. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L., two-headed; bis twice + caput head. See Capital. ] (Anat.) A muscle having two heads or origins; -- applied particularly to a flexor in the arm, and to another in the thigh. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ } n. [ NL. catalepsis, fr. Gr. &unr_; a seizure, fr. &unr_; to seize upon; kata` down + &unr_; to take, seize. ] (Med.) A sudden suspension of sensation and volition, the body and limbs preserving the position that may be given them, while the action of the heart and lungs continues. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The European starling. [ Local, Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a genus of fungi parasitic upon the ovaries of various grasses.
Syn. -- genus Claviceps. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. (Zool.) A genus of fresh-water leeches, furnished with a proboscis. They feed upon mollusks and worms. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. from Gr. &unr_;; &unr_; to steal, conceal + &unr_; water. ] A water clock; a contrivance for measuring time by the graduated flow of a liquid, as of water, through a small aperture. See Illust. in Appendix. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ }[ L. dyspepsia, Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; hard to digest; dys- ill, hard + &unr_; to cook, digest; akin to E. cook: cf. F. dyspepsie. See Dys-, and 3d Cook. ] (Med.) A kind of indigestion; a state of the stomach in which its functions are disturbed, without the presence of other diseases, or, if others are present, they are of minor importance. Its symptoms are loss of appetite, nausea, heartburn, acrid or fetid eructations, a sense of weight or fullness in the stomach, etc. Dunglison.

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_;; 'epi` + &unr_; to take up. ] (Rhet.) A figure by which the same word or clause is repeated after intervening matter. Gibbs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. epilepsia, Gr. &unr_; a seizure, the “falling sickness, ” fr. &unr_; to take besides, seize, attack; 'epi` upon, besides + &unr_; to take: cf. F. épilepsie. Cf. Catalepsy. ] (Med.) The “falling sickness, ” so called because the patient falls suddenly to the ground; a disease characterized by paroxysms (or fits) occurring at interval and attended by sudden loss of consciousness, and convulsive motions of the muscles. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Native sulphate of magnesia or Epsom salt.

{ or . (Med.) Sulphate of magnesia having cathartic qualities; -- originally prepared by boiling down the mineral waters at Epsom, England, -- whence the name; afterwards prepared from sea water; but now from certain minerals, as from siliceous hydrate of magnesia. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ } n. [ NL. eupepsia, Fr. Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; easy of digestion; e'y^ well + &unr_; to cook, digest. ] (Med.) Soundness of the nutritive or digestive organs; good concoction or digestion; -- opposed to dyspepsia. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. forceps, -cipis, from the root of formus Hot + capere to take; akin to E. heave. Cf. Furnace. ] 1. A pair of pinchers, or tongs; an instrument for grasping, holding firmly, or exerting traction upon, bodies which it would be inconvenient or impracticable to seize with the fingers, especially one for delicate operations, as those of watchmakers, surgeons, accoucheurs, dentists, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) The caudal forceps-shaped appendage of earwigs and some other insects. See Earwig. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dressing forceps. See under Dressing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Hysteria + epilepsy. ] (Med.) A disease resembling hysteria in its nature, and characterized by the occurrence of epileptiform convulsions, which can often be controlled or excited by pressure on the ovaries, and upon other definite points in the body. -- Hys`ter*o*ep`i*lep"tic a. [1913 Webster]

n. [ Iso- + pepsin. ] (Physiol. Chem.) Pepsin modified by exposure to a temperature of from 40° to 60° C. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Anything kept, or given to be kept, for the sake of the giver; a token of friendship. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Metalepses [ L., fr. Gr. &unr_; participation, alteration, fr. &unr_; to partake, to take in exchange; &unr_; beyond + &unr_; to take. ] (Rhet.) The continuation of a trope in one word through a succession of significations, or the union of two or more tropes of a different kind in one word. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) Exchange; replacement; substitution; metathesis. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. ny`mfh a nymph + lamba`nein to seize. ] A species of demoniac enthusiasm or possession coming upon one who had accidentally looked upon a nymph; ecstasy. [ R. ] De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

The nympholepsy of some fond despair. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL. ] See Paraleipsis. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. [ See Pepsi Cola ] Pepsi Cola; -- a familiar contraction; as, I prefer Pepsi to Coke.
Syn. -- Pepsi Cola. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

prop. n. [ A trademark of the Pepsi-Cola Corporation. ] A carbonated soft drink flavored by extract from the cola nut (kola nut). The nut is found on trees of the species Cola acuminata and Cola nitida. [ Trademark ]
Syn. -- Pepsi [ WordNet 1.5 + PJC ]

n. [ Gr. pe`psis a cooking, digesting, digestion, fr. pe`ptein, pe`ssein, to cook, digest: cf. F. pepsine. Cf. Dyspepsia. ] (Physiol. Chem.) A proteolytic enzyme (MW 34, 500) contained in the secretory glands of the stomach. In the gastric juice it is united with dilute hydrochloric acid (0.2 per cent, approximately) and the two together constitute the active portion of the digestive fluid. It degrades proteins to proteoses and peptides, and is notable for having a very low pH optimum for its activity. It is the active agent in the gastric juice of all animals. [ 1913 Webster + PJC ]

☞ As prepared from the glandular layer of pigs' or calves' stomachs it constitutes an important article of pharmacy. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Physiol. Chem.) Same as Peptohydrochloric. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pepsin + -gen. ] (Physiol. Chem.) A proenzyme, the antecedent of the enzyme pepsin. A substance contained in the form of granules in the peptic cells of the gastric glands. It is readily convertible into pepsin. Also called propepsin. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. L. podex, podicis, anus + pes foot. ] (Zool.) See Grebe. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L., fr. Gr. &unr_;, from &unr_; to take beforehand; &unr_; before + &unr_; to take. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Rhet.) (a) A figure by which objections are anticipated or prevented. Abp. Bramhall. (b) A necessary truth or assumption; a first or assumed principle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Chron.) An error in chronology, consisting in an event being dated before the actual time. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Gram.) The application of an adjective to a noun in anticipation, or to denote the result, of the action of the verb; as, to strike one dumb. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. pro- + pepsin. ] (Physiol. Chem.) See Persinogen. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;; pro`swpon a face, a person + &unr_; a taking, receiving, &unr_; to take. ] Respect of persons; especially, a premature opinion or prejudice against a person, formed from his external appearance. [ R. ] Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. pseydh`s false + ble`psis sight. ] (Med.) False or depraved sight; imaginary vision of objects. Forsyth. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. L. qyattuor four + caput head. ] (Anat.) The great extensor muscle of the knee, divided above into four parts which unite in a single tendon at the knee. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; doubt, fr. &unr_; to consider: cf. G. skepsis. See Skeptic. ] Skepticism; skeptical philosophy. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Among their products were the system of Locke, the scepsis of Hume, the critical philosophy of Kant. J. Martineau. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_; putrefaction. ] (Physiol. Chem.) A soluble poison (ptomaine) present in putrid blood. It is also formed in the putrefaction of proteid matter in general. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_; putrefaction. ] (Med.) The poisoning of the system by the introduction of putrescent material into the blood. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Naut.) A hitch by which a rope may be temporarily shortened. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ So called because of the fancied resemblance of its head and front teeth to those of a sheep. ] (Zool.) A large and valuable sparoid food fish (Archosargus probatocephalus syn. Diplodus probatocephalus) found on the Atlantic coast of the United States. It often weighs from ten to twelve pounds. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The name is also locally, in a loose way, applied to various other fishes, as the butterfish, the fresh-water drumfish, the parrot fish, the porgy, and the moonfish. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The skin of a sheep; or, leather prepared from it. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A diploma; -- so called because usually written or printed on parchment prepared from the skin of the sheep. [ College Cant ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A split of a sheepskin; one of the thin sections made by splitting a sheepskin with a cutting knife or machine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A seamstress. [ Obs. ] Caxton. [ 1913 Webster ]