*moth*

n. [ Heb. behemōth, fr. Egyptian P-ehe-maut hippopotamus. ] 1. An animal, probably the hippopotamus, described in Job xl. 15-24. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. something of large size or great power. [ PJC ]

adj. of or pertaining to chemotherapy; using chemotherapy; having properties beneficial for chemotherapy. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. the use of chemical agents to treat or control disease (or mental illness); -- also used especially in reference to the use of chemicals to treat cancer. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. [ Gr. ko`smos the world + &unr_;&unr_;&unr_; god. ] Same as Pantheism. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. ko`smos universe + &unr_;&unr_;&unr_; to place or arrange. ] (Metaph.) Assuming or positing the actual existence or reality of the physical or external world. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cosmothetic idealists (Metaph.), those who assume, without attempting to prove, the reality of external objects as corresponding to, and being the ground of, the ideas of which only the mind has direct cognizance. [ 1913 Webster ]

The cosmothetic idealists . . . deny that mind is immediately conscious of matter. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zoöl.) The eelpout. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A female ancestor. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ or }. A tussock moth (Lymantria dispar or Porthetria dispar or Ocneria dispar) native of the Old World, but accidentally introduced into eastern Massachusetts about 1869, where its caterpillars have done great damage to fruit, shade, and forest trees of many kinds. The male gypsy moth is yellowish brown, the female white, and larger than the male. In both sexes the wings are marked by dark lines and a dark lunule. The caterpillars, when full-grown, have a grayish mottled appearance, with blue tubercles on the anterior and red tubercles on the posterior part of the body, all giving rise to long yellow and black hairs. They usually pupate in July and the moth appears in August. The eggs are laid on tree trunks, rocks, etc., and hatch in the spring. By 1980 the range of habitat had advanced as far south as New Jersey, and by 1995 significant populations were found as far west as the Mississippi valley. Initial population surges along the advancing front of the inhabited area cause great damage due to defoliation of trees by the caterpillars, but over time predators, disease and other natural controlling factors tend to reduce the populations to levels not so injurious to local foliage. Much money and effort has been expended trying to control, slow, or limit the spread of gypsy moths in the United States. [ PJC ]

n. [ AS. godmōdor. ] A woman who becomes sponsor for a child in baptism. See Godfather [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The mother of one's father or mother. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Like a grandmother in age or manner; kind; indulgent. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The mother of one's grandfather or grandmother. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Zool.) Any moth of the family Sphingidae, of which there are numerous genera and species. They are large, handsome moths with long narrow forewings capable of powerful flight and hovering over flowers to feed. They fly mostly at twilight and hover about flowers like a humming bird, sucking the honey by means of a long, slender proboscis. The larvae are large, hairless caterpillars ornamented with green and other bright colors, and often with a caudal spine. See Sphinx, also Tobacco worm, and Tomato worm.
Syn. -- hawk moth, sphingid, sphinx moth, hummingbird moth. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

Tobacco Hawk Moth (Macrosila Carolina), and its Larva, the Tobacco Worm. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The larvae of several species of hawk moths feed on grapevines. The elm-tree hawk moth is Ceratomia Amyntor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ NL. See Hemo-, and Thorax. ] (Med.) An effusion of blood into the cavity of the pleura. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ A local Orkney name; cf. Icel. hār. ] (Zool.) The basking or liver shark; -- called also homer. See Liver shark, under Liver. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Homo- + Gr. &unr_; heat. ] (Physiol.) Warm-blooded; homoiothermal; hæmatothermal. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Zool.) A large and handsome American moth (Hyperchiria Io), having a large, bright-colored spot on each hind wing, resembling the spots on the tail of a peacock. The larva is covered with prickly hairs, which sting like nettles. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Zool.) A common American moth (Pyrrharctia isabella), of an isabella color. The larva, called woolly bear and hedgehog caterpillar, is densely covered with hairs, which are black at each end of the body, and red in the middle part. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Russ. mâmont, mámant, fr. Tartar mamma the earth. Certain Tartar races, the Tungooses and Yakoots, believed that the mammoth worked its way in the earth like a mole. ] (Zool.) An extinct, hairy, maned elephant (Mammuthus primigenius formerly Elephas primigenius), of enormous size, remains of which are found in the northern parts of both continents. The last of the race, in Europe, were coeval with prehistoric man. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Several specimens have been found in Siberia preserved entire, with the flesh and hair remaining. They were imbedded in the ice cliffs at a remote period, and became exposed by the melting of the ice. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Resembling the mammoth in size; very large; gigantic; as, a mammoth ox. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. mammo`qreptos; ma`mma grandmother + tre`pein to nourish. ] A child brought up by its grandmother; a spoiled child. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

O, you are a more mammothrept in judgment. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A mote. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Moths [ OE. mothe, AS. moððe; akin to D. mot, G. motte, Icel. motti, and prob. to E. mad an earthworm. Cf. Mad, n., Mawk. ] 1. (Zool.) Any nocturnal lepidopterous insect, or any not included among the butterflies; as, the luna moth; Io moth; hawk moth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) Any lepidopterous insect that feeds upon garments, grain, etc.; as, the clothes moth; grain moth; bee moth. See these terms under Clothes, Grain, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) Any one of various other insects that destroy woolen and fur goods, etc., esp. the larvae of several species of beetles of the genera Dermestes and Anthrenus. Carpet moths are often the larvae of Anthrenus. See Carpet beetle, under Carpet, Dermestes, Anthrenus. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Anything which gradually and silently eats, consumes, or wastes any other thing. [ 1913 Webster ]

Moth blight (Zool.), any plant louse of the genus Aleurodes, and related genera. They are injurious to various plants. --
Moth gnat (Zool.), a dipterous insect of the genus Bychoda, having fringed wings. --
Moth hunter (Zool.), the goatsucker. --
Moth miller (Zool.), a clothes moth. See Miller, 3, (a). --
Moth mullein (Bot.), a common herb of the genus Verbascum (Verbascum Blattaria), having large wheel-shaped yellow or whitish flowers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A small sphere of camphor or naphthalene used to keep moths away from stored clothing.
Syn. -- camphor ball. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. To put into long-term storage; as, to mothball the battleships not needed after the war. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. To eat or prey upon, as a moth eats a garment. [ Rarely used except in the form moth-eaten, p. p. or a. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Ruin and neglect have so moth-eaten her. Sir T. Herbert. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. having holes due to eating by moths or moth larvae; -- of cloth or clothing. [ PJC ]

a. Full of moths. [ Obs. ] Fulke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. moder, AS. mōdor; akin to D. moeder, OS. mōdar, G. mutter, OHG. muotar, Icel. mōðir, Dan. & Sw. moder, OSlav. mati, Russ. mate, Ir. & Gael. mathair, L. mater, Gr. mh`thr, Skr. māt&rsdot_;; cf. Skr. mā to measure. √268. Cf. Material, Matrix, Metropolis, Father. ] 1. A female parent; especially, one of the human race; a woman who has borne a child. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which has produced or nurtured anything; source of birth or origin; generatrix. [ 1913 Webster ]

Alas! poor country! . . . it can not
Be called our mother, but our grave. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

I behold . . . the solitary majesty of Crete, mother of a religion, it is said, that lived two thousand years. Landor. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. An old woman or matron. [ Familiar ] [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The female superior or head of a religious house, as an abbess, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Hysterical passion; hysteria. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mother Carey's chicken (Zool.), any one of several species of small petrels, as the stormy petrel (Procellaria pelagica), and Leach's petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa), both of the Atlantic, and Oceanodroma furcata of the North Pacific. --
Mother Carey's goose (Zool.), the giant fulmar of the Pacific. See Fulmar. --
Mother's mark (Med.), a congenital mark upon the body; a birthmark; a naevus. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Received by birth or from ancestors; native, natural; as, mother language; also acting the part, or having the place of a mother; producing others; originating. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is the mother falsehood from which all idolatry is derived. T. Arnold. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mother cell (Biol.), a cell which, by endogenous divisions, gives rise to other cells (daughter cells); a parent cell. --
Mother church, the original church; a church from which other churches have sprung; as, the mother church of a diocese. --
Mother country, the country of one's parents or ancestors; the country from which the people of a colony derive their origin. --
Mother liquor (Chem.), the impure or complex residual solution which remains after the salts readily or regularly crystallizing have been removed. --
Mother queen, the mother of a reigning sovereign; a queen mother. --
Mother tongue. (a) A language from which another language has had its origin. (b) The language of one's native land; native tongue. --
Mother water. See Mother liquor (above). --
Mother wit, natural or native wit or intelligence. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Mothered p. pr. & vb. n. Mothering. ] To adopt as a son or daughter; to perform the duties of a mother to. [ 1913 Webster ]

The queen, to have put lady Elizabeth besides the crown, would have mothered another body's child. Howell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Akin to D. modder mud, G. moder mold, mud, Dan. mudder mud, and to E. mud. See Mud. ] A film or membrane which is developed on the surface of fermented alcoholic liquids, such as vinegar, wine, etc., and acts as a means of conveying the oxygen of the air to the alcohol and other combustible principles of the liquid, thus leading to their oxidation. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The film is composed of a mass of rapidly developing microorganisms of the genus Mycoderma, and in the mother of vinegar the microorganisms (Mycoderma aceti) composing the film are the active agents in the Conversion of the alcohol into vinegar. When thickened by growth, the film may settle to the bottom of the fluid. See Acetous fermentation, under Fermentation. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To become like, or full of, mother, or thick matter, as vinegar. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Shortened from motherfucker as a euphemism. ] 1. Same as motherfucker. [ Vulgar slang ] [ PJC ]

2. A person or thing with some exceptional quality, as great size or power; as, a grizzly stuck his nose in my tent and I grabbed my pistol and shot the mother. [ Slang ] [ PJC ]

n. (Electronics) The board containing the main circuits of an electronic device, especially computers. The term is used primarily in microcomputer literature, where it designates the board containing the main expansion bus, and usually also the cpu. On motherboards designed with an expansion bus, often all of the circuits not contained on an expansion card are on the motherboard. [ PJC ]

a. Thick, like mother; viscid. [ 1913 Webster ]

They oint their naked limbs with mothered oil. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A person who is deemed to be worthless or despicable; -- obscene and highly offensive. [ vulgar slang ]
Syn. -- rotter, rat, skunk, stinker, bum, crumb, lowlife, scum bag, cocksucker, mother. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. Any object viewed as annoying or frustrating; -- usually used as an expression of anger. [ vulgar slang ] [ PJC ]

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. The state of being a mother; the character or office of a mother. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A rural custom in England, of visiting one's parents on Midlent Sunday, -- supposed to have been originally visiting the mother church to make offerings at the high altar. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The mother of one's husband or wife. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The country of one's ancestors; -- same as fatherland. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ AS. mōdorleás. ] Destitute of a mother; having lost a mother; as, motherless children. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. suggestive of or acting like a mother; motherly; maternal. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The state or quality of being motherly. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ AS. mōdorlic. ] Of or pertaining to a mother; like, or suitable for, a mother; tender; maternal; as, motherly authority, love, or care. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Maternal; paternal. -- Motherly, Maternal. Motherly, being Anglo-Saxon, is the most familiar word of the two when both have the same meaning. Besides this, maternal is confined to the feelings of a mother toward her own children, whereas motherly has a secondary sense, denoting a care like that of a mother for her offspring. There is, perhaps, a growing tendency thus to separate the two, confining motherly to the latter signification. “They termed her the great mother, for her motherly care in cherishing her brethren whilst young.” Sir W. Raleigh. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a manner of a mother. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Naked as when born; completely naked.
Syn. -- naked as the day one was born, in one's birthday suit. [ 1913 Webster ]