*ossa*

n. [ F. bossage, fr. bosse. See Boss a stud. ] 1. (Arch.) A stone in a building, left rough and projecting, to be afterward carved into shape. Gwilt. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Arch.) Rustic work, consisting of stones which seem to advance beyond the level of the building, by reason of indentures or channels left in the joinings. Gwilt. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. colossal, L. colosseus. See Colossus. ] 1. Of enormous size; gigantic; huge; as, a colossal statue. “A colossal stride.” Motley. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Sculpture & Painting) Of a size larger than heroic. See Heroic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Russ. kozak', kazak': cf. Turk. kazāk. ] One of a warlike, pastoral people, skillful as horsemen, inhabiting different parts of the Russian empire and furnishing valuable contingents of irregular cavalry to its armies, those of Little Russia and those of the Don forming the principal divisions. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Mil.) An outpost consisting of four men, forming one of a single line of posts substituted for the more formal line of sentinels and line of pickets. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ F. ] Plain India muslin, of various qualities and widths. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; a beam + &unr_; the tongue. ] (Zool.) An order of gastropods, including the true limpets, and having the teeth on the odontophore or lingual ribbon. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. ] (Mus.) A dancing tune in the Scotch style. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Ento- + Gr. &unr_; the tongue. ] (Anat.) Within the tongue; -- applied to the glossohyal bone. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. exossatus, p. p. of exossare to bone , fr. exos without bones; ex out + os, ossis, bone. ] To deprive of bones; to take out the bones of; to bone. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A depriving of bone or of fruit stones. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. fossæ [ L., a ditch. See Fosse. ] (Anat.) A pit, groove, cavity, or depression, of greater or less depth; as, the temporal fossa on the side of the skull; the nasal fossæ containing the nostrils in most birds. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. fossane. ] (Zool.) A species of civet (Viverra fossa) resembling the genet. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Glossæ [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; the tongue. ] (Zool.) The tongue, or lingua, of an insect. See Hymenoptera. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to the tongue; lingual. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; tongue + E. anthrax: cf. F. glossanthrax. ] A disease of horses and cattle accompanied by carbuncles in the mouth and on the tongue. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to glosses or to a glossary; containing a glossary. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In the manner of a glossary. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A writer of glosses or of a glossary; a commentator; a scholiast. Tyrwhitt. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Gossaries [ L. glossarium, fr. glossa: cf. F. glossaire. See 3d Gloss. ] A collection of glosses or explanations of words and passages of a work or author; a partial dictionary of a work, an author, a dialect, art, or science, explaining archaic, technical, or other uncommon words. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL. See Glossa. ] (Zool.) The Lepidoptera. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. See 3d Gloss. ] A writer of glosses or comments; a commentator. [ R. ] “The . . . glossators of Aristotle.” Milman. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. gossomer, gossummer, gosesomer, perh. for goose summer, from its downy appearance, or perh. for God's summer, cf. G. mariengarr gossamer, properly Mary's yarn, in allusion to the Virgin Mary. Perhaps the E. word alluded to a legend that the gossamer was the remnant of the Virgin Mary's winding sheet, which dropped from her when she was taken up to heaven. For the use of summer in the sense of film or threads, cf. G. Mädchensommer, Altweibersommer, fliegender Sommer, all meaning, gossamer. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A fine, filmy substance, like cobwebs, floating in the air, in calm, clear weather, especially in autumn. It is seen in stubble fields and on furze or low bushes, and is formed by small spiders. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any very thin gauzelike fabric; also, a thin waterproof stuff. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. An outer garment, made of waterproof gossamer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gossamer spider (Zool.), any small or young spider which spins webs by which to sail in the air. See Ballooning spider. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Like gossamer; flimsy. [ 1913 Webster ]

The greatest master of gossamery affectation. De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Geol.) Decomposed rock, usually reddish or ferruginous (owing to oxidized pyrites), forming the upper part of a metallic vein. Called also iron hat. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gossan + -ferous. ] Containing or producing gossan. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) A small British marine fish (Motella tricirrata); -- called also whistler and three-bearded rockling. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. gymno`s naked + glw^ssa tongue. ] (Zool.) A division of gastropods in which the odontophore is without teeth.

a. [ Hyo- + Gr. &unr_; tongue. ] (Anat.) (a) Pertaining to or connecting the tongue and hyodean arch; as, the hyoglossal membrane. (b) Of or pertaining to the hyoglossus muscle. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. hypo- + Gr. &unr_; the tongue. ] (Anat.) Under the tongue; -- applied esp., in the higher vertebrates, to the twelfth or last pair of cranial nerves, which are distributed to the base of the tongue. -- n. One of the hypoglossal nerves. [ 1913 Webster ]

interj. A command to a horse, probably meaning “stand still.” [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. A natural family of succulent ferns cosmopolitan in distribution.
Syn. -- family Ophioglossaceae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

prop. n. An order coextensive with the family Ophioglossaceae.
Syn. -- order Ophioglossales. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Pachy- + Gr. glw^ssa tongue. ] (Zool.) Having a thick tongue; -- applied to a group of lizards (Pachyglossæ), including the iguanas and agamas. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Paraglossæ [ NL., from Gr. para` beside + glw^ssa tongue. ] (Zool.) One of a pair of small appendages of the lingua or labium of certain insects. See Illust. under Hymenoptera. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. fanero`s evident + glw`ssa tongue. ] (Zool.) Having a conspicious tongue; -- said of certain reptiles and insects. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr.&unr_; feathered + &unr_; tongue. ] (Zool.) A division of gastropod mollusks having the teeth of the radula arranged in long transverse rows, somewhat like the barbs of a feather. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

a. [ Gr. &unr_; a feather + &unr_; tongue. ] (Zool.) Having the tongue finely notched along the sides, so as to have a featherlike appearance, as the toucans. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL. See Rhachis, and Glossa. ] (Zool.) A division of marine gastropods having a retractile proboscis and three longitudinal rows of teeth on the radula. It includes many of the large ornamental shells, as the miters, murices, olives, purpuras, volutes, and whelks. See Illust. in the Appendix. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_; a fan + &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;&unr_; a tongue. ] (Zool.) A division of gastropod mollusks having a large number of long, divergent, hooklike, lingual teeth in each transverse row. It includes the scutibranchs. See Illustration in Appendix. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. L. saccus a sack + Gr. &unr_; a tongue. ] (Zool.) Same as Pellibranchiata. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Stylo- + glossal. ] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to styloid process and the tongue. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Situated under the tongue; sublingual. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. tachy`s quick + glw^ssa tongue. ] (Zool.) A division of monotremes which comprises the spiny ant-eaters of Australia and New Guinea. See Illust. under Echidna. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. taini`a a ribbon + glw^ssa a tongue. ] (Zool.) An extensive division of gastropod mollusks in which the odontophore is long and narrow, and usually bears seven rows of teeth. It includes a large number of families both marine and fresh-water. [ 1913 Webster ]

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