*gad*

n. [ F. brigade, fr. It. brigata troop, crew, brigade, originally, a contending troop, fr. briga trouble, quarrel. See Brigand. ] 1. (Mil.) A body of troops, whether cavalry, artillery, infantry, or mixed, consisting of two or more regiments, under the command of a brigadier general. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Two or more brigades constitute a division, commanded by a major general; two or more divisions constitute an army corps, or corps d'armée. [ U.S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any body of persons organized for acting or marching together under authority; as, a fire brigade. [ 1913 Webster ]

Brigade inspector, an officer whose duty is to inspect troops in companies before they are mustered into service. --
Brigade major, an officer who may be attached to a brigade to assist the brigadier in his duties. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Brigaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Brigading. ] (Mil.) To form into a brigade, or into brigades. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ F. brigadier, fr. brigade. ] (Mil.) An officer in rank next above a colonel, and below a major general. He commands a brigade, and is sometimes called, by a shortening of his title, simple a brigadier. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. demi- brigade. ] A half brigade. [ 1913 Webster ]

interj. [ Euphemistic corruption of the oath, “by God.” ] An exclamation expressing exultation or surprise, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖‖, n. (Mil.) A small mine, in the form of a well sunk from the surface of the ground, charged with explosive and projectiles. It is made in a position likely to be occupied by the enemy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. gad, Icel. gaddr goad, sting; akin to Sw. gadd sting, Goth. gazds, G. gerte switch. See Yard a measure. ] 1. The point of a spear, or an arrowhead. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A pointed or wedge-shaped instrument of metal, as a steel wedge used in mining, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

I will go get a leaf of brass,
And with a gad of steel will write these words. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A sharp-pointed rod; a goad. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A spike on a gauntlet; a gadling. Fairholt. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A wedge-shaped billet of iron or steel. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Flemish steel . . . some in bars and some in gads. Moxon. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A rod or stick, as a fishing rod, a measuring rod, or a rod used to drive cattle with. [ Prov. Eng. Local, U.S. ] Halliwell. Bartlett. [ 1913 Webster ]

Upon the gad, upon the spur of the moment; hastily. [ Obs. ] “All this done upon the gad!” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Gadded; p. pr. & vb. n. Gadding. ] [ Prob. fr. gad, n., and orig. meaning to drive about. ] To walk about; to rove or go about, without purpose; hence, to run wild; to be uncontrolled. “The gadding vine.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? Jer. ii. 36. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A gadder [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The gadfly. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who roves about idly, a rambling gossip. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. & n. Going about much, needlessly or without purpose. [ 1913 Webster ]

Envy is a gadding passion, and walketh the streets. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

The good nuns would check her gadding tongue. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gadding car, in quarrying, a car which carries a drilling machine so arranged as to drill a line of holes. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a roving, idle manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Disposed to gad. -- Gad"dish*nes, n. “Gaddishness and folly.” Abp. Leighton. [1913 Webster]

n. [ Cf. Cod the fish. ] (Zool.) (a) A small British fish (Motella argenteola) of the Cod family. (b) A pike, so called at Moray Firth; -- called also gead. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Gadflies [ Gad + fly. ] (Zool.) Any dipterous insect of the genus Oestrus, and allied genera of botflies. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The sheep gadfly (Oestrus ovis) deposits its young in the nostrils of sheep, and the larvæ develop in the frontal sinuses. The common species which infests cattle (Hypoderma bovis) deposits its eggs upon or in the skin where the larvæ or bots live and produce sores called wormels. The gadflies of the horse produce the intestinal parasites called bots. See Botfly, and Bots. The true horseflies are often erroneously called gadflies, and the true gadflies are sometimes incorrectly called breeze flies. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gadfly petrel (Zool.), one of several small petrels of the genus Oestrelata. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Gael. ] Of, belonging to, or designating, that division of the Celtic languages which includes the Irish, Gaelic, and Manx. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, the cod (Gadus); -- applied to an acid obtained from cod-liver oil, viz., gadic acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. Gaditanus, fr. Gades Cadiz. ] Of or relating to Cadiz, in Spain. -- n. A native or inhabitant of Cadiz. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gad, n. + -ling. ] (Mediæval Armor) [ R. ] See Gad, n., 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Gad, v. i. ] Gadding about. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A roving vagabond. [ Obs. ] Rom. of R. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A gadsman. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ NL. gadus cod + -oid: cf. F. gadoïde gadoid, Gr. &unr_; a sort of fish, F. gade. ] (Zool.) Of or pertaining to the family of fishes (Gadidæ) which includes the cod, haddock, and hake. -- n. One of the Gadidæ. [ Written also gadid. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ NL. See Gadolinite. ] (Chem.) A rare earth associated with yttria and regarded as the oxide (Gd2O3) of a metallic element, gadolinium. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. (Chem.) Pertaining to or containing gadolinium. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Named after Gadolin, a Russian chemist. ] (Min.) A mineral of a nearly black color and vitreous luster, and consisting principally of the silicates of yttrium, cerium, and iron. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ NL. See Gadolinite. ] (Chem.) A rare earth metallic element of the Lanthanide series, with a characteristic spectrum, found associated with yttrium and other rare earth elements. Symbol, Gd; it has an atomic number of 64, an atomic weight of 157.25 (C=12.011), and a valence of +3. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

/mhw>, v. t. & i. To gather. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who uses a gad or goad in driving. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.[ NL. gadus codfish. ] (Chem.) A yellow or brown amorphous substance, of indifferent nature, found in cod-liver oil. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gad to walk about + well. ] (Zool.) A large duck (Anas strepera), valued as a game bird, found in the northern parts of Europe and America; -- called also gray duck. [ Written also gaddwell. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Haggadoth [ Rabbinic haggādhā, fr. Heb. higgīdh to relate. ] A story, anecdote, or legend in the Talmud, to explain or illustrate the text of the Old Testament. [ Written also hagada. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. (Linguistics) A subfamily of Indic languages. [ WordNet 1.6 ]

n. [ Mega- + Gr. &unr_; skin. ] (Zool.) Any one of several species of Old World blood-sucking bats of the genus Megaderma. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Mega- + dyne. ] (Physics) One of the larger measures of force, amounting to one million dynes. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Sp., a sticker. ] (Zool.) A species of remora (Echeneis naucrates). See Remora. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp. renegado, LL. renegatus, fr. renegare to deny; L. pref. re- re- + negare to deny. See Negation, and cf. Runagate. ] One faithless to principle or party. Specifically: (a) An apostate from Christianity or from any form of religious faith. [ 1913 Webster ]

James justly regarded these renegades as the most serviceable tools that he could employ. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

(b) One who deserts from a military or naval post; a deserter. Arbuthnot. (c) A common vagabond; a worthless or wicked fellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp. ] See Renegade. [ 1913 Webster ]