*goose*

n. [ Perh. fr. Gael. & Ir. cir, cior (pronounced kir, kior), crest, comb + E. goose. Cf. Crebe. ] (Zool.) A species of grebe (Podiceps crisratus); the crested grebe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The cormorant; -- so called from its black color. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) See Coalgoose. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Norw. embergaas, hav-imber, hav-immer, Icel. himbrin, himbrimi. ] (Zoöl.) The loon or great northern diver. See Loon. [ Written also emmer-goose and imber-goose. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Geese [ OE. gos, AS. gōs, pl. gēs; akin to D. & G. gans, Icel. gās, Dan. gaas, Sw. gås, Russ. guse. OIr. geiss, L. anser, for hanser, Gr. chh`n, Skr. ha&msdot_;sa. √233. Cf. Gander, Gannet, Ganza, Gosling. ] (Zool.) [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Any large web-footen bird of the subfamily Anserinæ, and belonging to Anser, Branta, Chen, and several allied genera. See Anseres. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The common domestic goose is believed to have been derived from the European graylag goose (Anser anser). The bean goose (A. segetum), the American wild or Canada goose (Branta Canadensis), and the bernicle goose (Branta leucopsis) are well known species. The American white or snow geese and the blue goose belong to the genus Chen. See Bernicle, Emperor goose, under Emperor, Snow goose, Wild goose, Brant. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any large bird of other related families, resembling the common goose. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The Egyptian or fox goose (Alopochen Aegyptiaca) and the African spur-winged geese (Plectropterus) belong to the family Plectropteridæ. The Australian semipalmated goose (Anseranas semipalmata) and Cape Barren goose (Cereopsis Novæ-Hollandiæ) are very different from northern geese, and each is made the type of a distinct family. Both are domesticated in Australia. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A tailor's smoothing iron, so called from its handle, which resembles the neck of a goose. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A silly creature; a simpleton. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A game played with counters on a board divided into compartments, in some of which a goose was depicted. [ 1913 Webster ]

The pictures placed for ornament and use,
The twelve good rules, the royal game of goose. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

A wild goose chase, an attempt to accomplish something impossible or unlikely of attainment. --
Fen goose. See under Fen. --
Goose barnacle (Zool.), any pedunculated barnacle of the genus Anatifa or Lepas; -- called also duck barnacle. See Barnacle, and Cirripedia. --
Goose cap, a silly person. [ Obs. ] Beau. & . --
Goose corn (Bot.), a coarse kind of rush (Juncus squarrosus). --
Goose feast, Michaelmas. [ Colloq. Eng. ] --
Goose grass. (Bot.) (a) A plant of the genus Galium (G. Aparine), a favorite food of geese; -- called also catchweed and cleavers. (b) A species of knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare). (c) The annual spear grass (Poa annua). --
Goose neck, anything, as a rod of iron or a pipe, curved like the neck of a goose; specially (Naut.), an iron hook connecting a spar with a mast. --
Goose quill, a large feather or quill of a goose; also, a pen made from it. --
Goose skin. See Goose flesh, above. --
Goose tongue (Bot.), a composite plant (Achillea ptarmica), growing wild in the British islands. --
Sea goose. (Zool.) See Phalarope. --
Solan goose. (Zool.) See Gannet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Gooseberries [ Corrupted for groseberry or groiseberry, fr. OF. groisele, F. groseille, -- of German origin; cf. G. krausbeere, kräuselbeere (fr. kraus crisp), D. kruisbes, kruisbezie (as if crossberry, fr. kruis cross; for kroesbes, kroesbezie, fr. kroes crisp), Sw. krusbär (fr. krus, krusing, crisp). The first part of the word is perh. akin to E. curl. Cf. Grossular, a. ] 1. (Bot.) Any thorny shrub of the genus Ribes; also, the edible berries of such shrub. There are several species, of which Ribes Grossularia is the one commonly cultivated. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A silly person; a goose cap. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

Barbadoes gooseberry, a climbing prickly shrub (Pereskia aculeata) of the West Indies, which bears edible berries resembling gooseberries. --
Coromandel gooseberry. See Carambola. --
Gooseberry fool. See 1st Fool. --
Gooseberry worm (Zool.), the larva of a small moth (Dakruma convolutella). It destroys the gooseberry by eating the interior. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as gooseflesh. [ PJC ]

. 1. In games, a zero; a score or record of naught; -- so named in allusion to the egglike outline of the zero sign 0. Called also duck egg. [ Slang ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. A bump on the skin caused by a blow, especially one on the head. [ PJC ]

n. (Zool.) See Angler. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A peculiar roughness of the skin produced by cold or fear, in which the hair follicles become erect and form bumps on the skin; -- called also goose skin, goose pimples, goose bumps.
Syn. -- goose bumps, goose pimples, goose skin. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Bot.) A genus of herbs (Chenopodium) mostly annual weeds; pigweed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.), A low-growing perennial (Potentilla anserina) having leaves silvery beneath; foundin Northern U. S., Europe, and Asia.
Syn. -- silverweed, goose-tansy, Potentilla anserina. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. Same as gooseflesh. [ PJC ]

a. (Zool.) Having the tail set low and buttocks that fall away sharply from the croup; -- said of certain horses. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n.; pl. Gooseries 1. A place for keeping geese. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The characteristics or actions of a goose; silliness. [ 1913 Webster ]

The finical goosery of your neat sermon actor. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as gooseflesh. [ PJC ]

n. (Bot.), Same as goose-grass.
Syn. -- silverweed, goose-grass, Potentilla anserina. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Naut.) One of the clews or lower corners of a course or a topsail when the middle part or the rest of the sail is furled. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Naut.) (a) Having a “goosewing.” (b) Said of a fore-and-aft rigged vessel with foresail set on one side and mainsail on the other; wing and wing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The loon. See Ember-goose. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n.; pl. Mongooses /plu> 1. (Zool.) A species of ichneumon (Herpestes griseus), native of India. Applied also to other allied species, as the African banded mongoose (Crossarchus fasciatus). [ Written also mungoose, mungoos, mungous. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ Tamil manegos. ] A Madagascan lemur (Lemur mongos). [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. The supposed author of a book of nursery rhymes first published as “Mother Goose's Melodies, ” and usually called simply “Mother Goose.” The first English edition is said to have been printed in 1719 in London. The actual persons who composed the rhymes is unknown, and earlier similar rhymes in French are a likely source for some of them. Mother Goose is also used as the title of a book of Mother Goose rhymes. [ PJC ]

{ } n. (Zool.) See Mongoose. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Zool.) A phalarope. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ See Sheldrake. ] (Zool.) The common European sheldrake. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Icel. s&unr_;la; akin to Norw. sula. ] (Zool.) The common gannet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Wayz-goose, n., 2. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]