*gean*

n. Allegation. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'amfi` + &unr_;, &unr_;, the earth. ] Extending over all the zones, from the tropics to the polar zones inclusive. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Connected with the apogee; as, apogean (neap) tides, which occur when the moon has passed her apogee. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to the ship Argo. See Argo. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. (Class. Myth.) Of or pertaining to Augeus, king of Elis, whose stable contained 3000 oxen, and had not been cleaned for 30 years. Hercules cleansed it in a single day. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: Exceedingly filthy or corrupt. [ 1913 Webster ]

Augean stable (Fig.), an accumulation of corruption or filth almost beyond the power of man to remedy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Vengeance. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. chargeant, fr. charger to load. ] Burdensome; troublesome. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

. See under Sergeant. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. See Ægean. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

n. [ F. guigne the fruit of the gean; cf. OHG. wīhsila, G. weichsel. ] (Bot.) A species of cherry tree common in Europe (Prunus avium); also, the fruit, which is usually small and dark in color. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; the earth + E. anticlinal. ] (Geol.) An upward bend or flexure of a considerable portion of the earth's crust, resulting in the formation of a class of mountain elevations called anticlinoria; -- opposed to geosynclinal. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. hypo- + Gr. &unr_; fruit + &unr_; earth. ] (Bot.) Producing fruit below the ground. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. hypo- + Gr. &unr_; earth. ] (Bot.) Hypogeous. [ Written also hypogæan. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. See Laryngeal. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. ligeance, ligance. See Liege. ] (O. Eng. Law) The connection between sovereign and subject by which they were mutually bound, the former to protection and the securing of justice, the latter to faithful service; allegiance. [ Written also ligeancy and liegance. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To exhibit in show; to represent; to mimic. [ R. ] “He pageants us.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of the nature of a pageant; spectacular. “Pageant pomp.” Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. pagent, pagen, originally, a movable scaffold or stage, hence, what was exhibited on it, fr. LL. pagina, akin to pangere to fasten; cf. L. pagina page, leaf, slab, compaginare to join together, compages a joining together, structure. See Pact, Page of a book. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A theatrical exhibition; a spectacle. “A pageant truly played.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

To see sad pageants of men's miseries. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An elaborate exhibition devised for the entertainmeut of a distinguished personage, or of the public; a show, spectacle, or display. [ 1913 Webster ]

The gaze of fools, and pageant of a day! Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

We love the man, the paltry pageant you. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Scenic shows or spectacles, taken collectively; spectacular quality; splendor. [ 1913 Webster ]

Such pageantry be to the people shown. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

The pageantry of festival. J. A. Symonds. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Pomp; parade; show; display; spectacle. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to the perigee. [ 1913 Webster ]

Perigean tides, those spring tides which occur soon after the moon passes her perigee. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Vengeance; revenge. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Sergeancies [ Cf. Sergeanty. ] The office of a sergeant; sergeantship. [ Written also serjeancy. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. sergent, fr. L. serviens, -entis, p. pr. of servire to serve. See Serve, and cf. Servant. ] [ Written also serjeant. Both spellings are authorized. In England serjeant is usually preferred, except for military officers. In the United States sergeant is common for civil officers also. ] 1. Formerly, in England, an officer nearly answering to the more modern bailiff of the hundred; also, an officer whose duty was to attend on the king, and on the lord high steward in court, to arrest traitors and other offenders. He is now called sergeant-at-arms, and two of these officers, by allowance of the sovereign, attend on the houses of Parliament (one for each house) to execute their commands, and another attends the Court Chancery. [ 1913 Webster ]

The sergeant of the town of Rome them sought. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

The magistrates sent the serjeant, saying, Let those men go. Acts xvi. 35. [ 1913 Webster ]

This fell sergeant, Death,
Is strict in his arrest. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mil.) In a company, battery, or troop, a noncommissioned officer next in rank above a corporal, whose duty is to instruct recruits in discipline, to form the ranks, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In the United States service, besides the sergeants belonging to the companies there are, in each regiment, a sergeant major, who is the chief noncommissioned officer, and has important duties as the assistant to the adjutant; a quartermaster sergeant, who assists the quartermaster; a color sergeant, who carries the colors; and a commissary sergeant, who assists in the care and distribution of the stores. Ordnance sergeants have charge of the ammunition at military posts. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) A lawyer of the highest rank, answering to the doctor of the civil law; -- called also serjeant at law. [ Eng. ] Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A title sometimes given to the servants of the sovereign; as, sergeant surgeon, that is, a servant, or attendant, surgeon. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Zool.) The cobia. [ 1913 Webster ]

Drill sergeant. (Mil.) See under Drill. --
Sergeant-at-arms, an officer of a legislative body, or of a deliberative or judicial assembly, who executes commands in preserving order and arresting offenders. See Sergeant, 1. --
Sergeant major. (a) (Mil.) See the Note under def. 2, above. (b) (Zool.) The cow pilot. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Sergeancy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ CF. OF. sergenteric. ] See Sergeanty. [ R. ] [ Written also serjeantry. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The office of sergeant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OF. sergentie, LL. sergentia. See Sergeant. ] (Eng. Law) Tenure of lands of the crown by an honorary kind of service not due to any lord, but to the king only. [ Written also serjeanty. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Grand sergeanty, a particular kind of tenure by which the tenant was bound to do some special honorary service to the king in person, as to carry his banner, his sword, or the like. Tomlins. Cowell. Blackstone. --
Petit sergeanty. See under Petit. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. same as First Sergeant. [ PJC ]

n. [ F. vengeance, fr. venger to avenge, L. vindicare to lay claim to, defend, avenge, fr. vindex a claimant, defender, avenger, the first part of which is of uncertain origin, and the last part akin to dicere to say. See Diction, and cf. Avenge, Revenge, Vindicate. ] 1. Punishment inflicted in return for an injury or an offense; retribution; -- often, in a bad sense, passionate or unrestrained revenge. [ 1913 Webster ]

To me belongeth vengeance and recompense. Deut. xxxii. 35. [ 1913 Webster ]

To execute fierce vengeance on his foes. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Harm; mischief. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

What a vengeance, or
What the vengeance, what! -- emphatically. [ Obs. ] “But what a vengeance makes thee fly!” Hudibras. “What the vengeance! Could he not speak 'em fair?” Shak. --
With a vengeance, (a) with great violence; as, to strike with a vengeance. [ Colloq. ] (b) with even greater intensity; as, to return one's insult with a vengeance. [ 1913 Webster + PJC ]