*gan*

a. [ Pref. a- not + ganglionic. ] (Physiol.) Without ganglia. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Named from the inventor, Aimé Argand of Geneva. ] A lamp with a circular hollow wick and glass chimney which allow a current of air both inside and outside of the flame. [ 1913 Webster ]

Argand burner, a burner for an Argand lamp, or a gas burner in which the principle of that lamp is applied. [ 1913 Webster ]

. The system by which a country raises, classifies, arranges, and equips its armed land forces. The usual divisions are: (1) A regular or active army, in which soldiers serve continuously with the colors and live in barracks or cantonments when not in the field; (2) the reserves of this army, in which the soldiers, while remaining constantly subject to a call to the colors, live at their homes, being summoned more or less frequently to report for instruction, drill, or maneuvers; and (3) one or more classes of soldiers organized largely for territorial defense, living at home and having only occasional periods of drill and instraction, who are variously called home reserves (as in the table below), second, third, etc., line of defense (the regular army and its reserves ordinarily constituting the first line of defense), territorial forces, or the like. In countries where conscription prevails a soldier is supposed to serve a given number of years. He is usually enrolled first in the regular army, then passes to its reserve, then into the home reserves, to serve until he reaches the age limit. It for any reason he is not enrolled in the regular army, he may begin his service in the army reserves or even the home reserves, but then serves the full number of years or up to the age limit. In equipment the organization of the army is into the three great arms of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, together with more or less numerous other branches, such as engineers, medical corps, etc., besides the staff organizations such as those of the pay and subsistence departments. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

[ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. L. arrogantia, fr. arrogans. See Arrogant. ] The act or habit of arrogating, or making undue claims in an overbearing manner; that species of pride which consists in exorbitant claims of rank, dignity, estimation, or power, or which exalts the worth or importance of the person to an undue degree; proud contempt of others; lordliness; haughtiness; self-assumption; presumption. [ 1913 Webster ]

I hate not you for her proud arrogance. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Haughtiness; hauteur; assumption; lordliness; presumption; pride; disdain; insolence; conceit; conceitedness. See Haughtiness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Arrogance. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. arrogant, L. arrogans, p. pr. of arrogare. See Arrogate. ] 1. Making, or having the disposition to make, exorbitant claims of rank or estimation; giving one's self an undue degree of importance; assuming; haughty; -- applied to persons. [ 1913 Webster ]

Arrogant Winchester, that haughty prelate. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Containing arrogance; marked with arrogance; proceeding from undue claims or self-importance; -- applied to things; as, arrogant pretensions or behavior. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Magisterial; lordly; proud; assuming; overbearing; presumptuous; haughty. See Magisterial. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an arrogant manner; with undue pride or self-importance. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Arrogance. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Berg, for burrow + gander a male goose? Cf. G. bergente, Dan. gravgaas. ] (Zool.) A European duck (Anas tadorna). See Sheldrake. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. bi`os life + E. organ. ] (Biol.) A physiological organ; a living organ; an organ endowed with function; -- distinguished from idorgan. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Bergander. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ From Bojanus, the discoverer. ] (Zool.) A glandular organ of bivalve mollusca, serving in part as a kidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One of the Brachioganoidei. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl.[ NL., from L. brachium (bracch-) arm + NL. ganoidei. ] (Zool.) An order of ganoid fishes of which the bichir of Africa is a living example. See Crossopterygii. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. brigand, OF. brigant light-armed soldier, fr. LL. brigans light-armed soldier (cf. It. brigante.) fr. brigare to strive, contend, fr. briga quarrel; prob. of German origin, and akin to E. break; cf. Goth. brikan to break, brakja strife. Cf. Brigue. ] 1. A light-armed, irregular foot soldier. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A lawless fellow who lives by plunder; one of a band of robbers; especially, one of a gang living in mountain retreats; a highwayman; a freebooter. [ 1913 Webster ]

Giving them not a little the air of brigands or banditti. Jeffery. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. brigandage. ] Life and practice of brigands; highway robbery; plunder. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. brigandine (cf. It. brigantina), fr. OF. brigant. See Brigand. ] A coast of armor for the body, consisting of scales or plates, sometimes overlapping each other, generally of metal, and sewed to linen or other material. It was worn in the Middle Ages. [ Written also brigantine. ] Jer. xlvi. 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

Then put on all thy gorgeous arms, thy helmet,
And brigandine of brass. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Like a brigand or freebooter; robberlike. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Brigandage. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. brigantin, fr. It. brigantino, originally, a practical vessel. See Brigand, and cf. Brig ] 1. A practical vessel. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A two-masted, square-rigged vessel, differing from a brig in that she does not carry a square mainsail. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. See Brigandine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A stout, coarse shoe; a brogue. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Burgonet. [ 1913 Webster ]

a slightly bow-legged variety of corgi having rounded ears and a long tail.
Syn. -- Cardigan Welsh corgi. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

[ From the Earl of Cardigan, who was famous in the Crimean campaign of 1854-55. ] 1. A warm jacket of knit worsted with or without sleeves, especially a knitted jacket with sleeves that is fastened up the front with buttons or a zipper. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the capital of the ancient Chinese empire.
Syn. -- Sian, Singan, Xian. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. cho`ndros cartilage + NL. ganoidei. See Ganoid. ] (Zool.) An order of ganoid fishes, including the sturgeons; -- so called on account of their cartilaginous skeleton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Disputing or wrangling. [ Obs. ] -- n. One who litigates or wrangles. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Coprophagous. ] (Zool.) A kind of beetle which feeds upon dung. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. corrugans, p. pr. See Corrugate. ] Having the power of contracting into wrinkles. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Of or pertaining to the Cycloganoidei. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) One of the Cycloganoidei. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. ky`klos circle + NL. ganoidei. See Ganoid. ] (Zool.) An order of ganoid fishes, having cycloid scales. The bowfin (Amia calva) is a living example. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. the Mesopotanian god of agriculture and earth; it is a counterpart of Phoenician and Philistine Dagon. See references to Dagon in the Bible and in the opera . [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

a. [ L. derogans, p. pr. ] Derogatory. [ R. ] T. Adams. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. désorganisation. See Disorganize, v. t. ] 1. The act of disorganizing; destruction of system. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being disorganized; as, the disorganization of the body, or of government. [ 1913 Webster ]

The magazine of a pawnbroker in such total disorganization, that the owner can never lay his hands upon any one article at the moment he has occasion for it. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Disorganized p. pr. & vb. n. Disorganizing ] [ Pref. dis- + organize: cf. F. désorganiser. ] To destroy the organic structure or regular system of (a government, a society, a party, etc.); to break up (what is organized); to throw into utter disorder; to disarrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lyford . . . attempted to disorganize the church. Eliot (1809). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who disorganizes or causes disorder and confusion. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ G. ] A spiritual or ghostly double or counterpart; esp., an apparitional double of a living person; a cowalker. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ G. doppelgänger; doppel double + gänger walker. ] An apparition or double of a living person; a doppelgänger.

Either you are Hereward, or you are his doubleganger. C. Kingsley. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ See Dracanth. ] A mucilage obtained from, or containing, gum tragacanth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Ect- + organism. ] (Biol.) An external parasitic organism. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ L. elegantia, fr. elegans, -antis, elegant: cf. F. élégance. ] 1. The state or quality of being elegant; beauty as resulting from choice qualities and the complete absence of what deforms or impresses unpleasantly; grace given by art or practice; fine polish; refinement; -- said of manners, language, style, form, architecture, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

That grace that elegance affords. Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

The endearing elegance of female friendship. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

A trait of native elegance, seldom seen in the masculine character after childhood or early youth, was shown in the General's fondness for the sight and fragrance of flowers. Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is elegant; that which is tasteful and highly attractive. [ 1913 Webster ]

The beautiful wildness of nature, without the nicer elegancies of art. Spectator.

Syn. -- Elegance, Grace. Elegance implies something of a select style of beauty, which is usually produced by art, skill, or training; as, elegance of manners, composition, handwriting, etc.; elegant furniture; an elegant house, etc. Grace, as the word is here used, refers to bodily movements, and is a lower order of beauty. It may be a natural gift; thus, the manners of a peasant girl may be graceful, but can hardly be called elegant. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. elegans, -antis; akin to eligere to pick out, choose, select: cf. F. élégant. See Elect. ] 1. Very choice, and hence, pleasing to good taste; characterized by grace, propriety, and refinement, and the absence of every thing offensive; exciting admiration and approbation by symmetry, completeness, freedom from blemish, and the like; graceful; tasteful and highly attractive; as, elegant manners; elegant style of composition; an elegant speaker; an elegant structure. [ 1913 Webster ]

A more diligent cultivation of elegant literature. Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Exercising a nice choice; discriminating beauty or sensitive to beauty; as, elegant taste.

Syn. -- Tasteful; polished; graceful; refined; comely; handsome; richly ornamental. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a manner to please nice taste; with elegance; with due symmetry; richly. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zoöl.) Relating to the Entomophaga. -- n. One of the Entomophaga. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Ent- + organism. ] (Biol.) An internal parasitic organism. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. e'y^ well + NL. ganoidei. See Ganoid. ] (Zoöl.) A group which includes the bony ganoids, as the gar pikes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. extravagance. See Extravagant, and cf. Extravaganza. ] 1. A wandering beyond proper limits; an excursion or sally from the usual way, course, or limit. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being extravagant, wild, or prodigal beyond bounds of propriety or duty; want of moderation; excess; especially, undue expenditure of money; vaid and superfluous expense; prodigality; as, extravagance of anger, love, expression, imagination, demands. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some verses of my own, Maximin and Almanzor, cry vengeance on me for their extravagance. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

The income of three dukes was enough to supply her extravagance. Arbuthnot.

Syn. -- Wildness; irregularity; excess; prodigality; profusion; waste; lavishness; unreasonableness; recklessness. [ 1913 Webster ]