*practi*

n. a method of medical treatment that manipulates body structures, especially the spine, in the belief that it restores proper nerve functioning. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n.; pl. Impracticabilities 1. The state or quality of being impracticable; infeasibility. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An impracticable thing. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Intractableness; stubbornness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Not practicable; incapable of being performed, or accomplished by the means employed, or at command; impossible; as, an impracticable undertaking. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not to be overcome, persuaded, or controlled by any reasonable method; unmanageable; intractable; not capable of being easily dealt with; -- used in a general sense, as applied to a person or thing that is difficult to control or get along with. [ 1913 Webster ]

This though, impracticable heart
Is governed by a dainty-fingered girl. Rowe. [ 1913 Webster ]

Patriotic but loyal men went away disgusted afresh with the impracticable arrogance of a sovereign. Palfrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Incapable of being used or availed of; as, an impracticable road; an impracticable method.

Syn. -- Impossible; infeasible. -- Impracticable, Impossible. A thing is impracticable when it can not be accomplished by any human means at present possessed; a thing is impossible when the laws of nature forbid it. The navigation of a river may now be impracticable, but not impossible, because the existing obstructions may yet be removed. “The barons exercised the most despotic authority over their vassals, and every scheme of public utility was rendered impracticable by their continued petty wars with each other.” Mickle. “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matt. xix. 26. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being impracticable; impracticability. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an impracticable manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

Morality not impracticably rigid. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not practical. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Malpractice. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Mal- + practice. ] Evil practice; illegal or immoral conduct; practice contrary to established rules; specifically, the treatment of a case by a surgeon or physician in a manner which is contrary to accepted rules and productive of unfavorable results. [ Written also malepractice. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Wrong practice. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Practical. ] 1. Practical. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Artful; deceitful; skillful. [ Obs. ] “Cunning sleights and practick knavery.” Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being practicable; practicableness; feasibility. “The practicability of such a project.” Stewart. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. practicare to act, transact, fr. L. practicus active, Gr. &unr_;: cf. F. practicable, pratiquer to practice. See Practical. ] 1. That may be practiced or performed; capable of being done or accomplished with available means or resources; feasible; as, a practicable method; a practicable aim; a practicable good. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Capable of being used; passable; as, a practicable weapon; a practicable road. [ 1913 Webster ]

Practicable breach (Mil.), a breach which admits of approach and entrance by an assailing party. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Possible; feasible. -- Practicable, Possible. A thing may be possible, i. e., not forbidden by any law of nature, and yet may not now be practicable for want of the means requisite to its performance. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Prac"ti*ca*ble*ness, n. -- Prac"ti*ca*bly, adv. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. practicus active, Gr. &unr_; fit for doing or performing, practical, active, fr. &unr_; to do, work, effect: cf. F. pratique, formerly also practique. Cf. Pragmatic, Practice. ] 1. Of or pertaining to practice or action. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Capable of being turned to use or account; useful, in distinction from ideal or theoretical; as, practical chemistry. “Man's practical understanding.” South. “For all practical purposes.” Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Evincing practice or skill; capable of applying knowledge to some useful end; as, a practical man; a practical mind. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Derived from practice; as, practical skill. [ 1913 Webster ]

Practical joke, a joke put in practice; a joke the fun of which consists in something done, in distinction from something said; esp., a trick played upon a person. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being practical; practicalness. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To render practical. [ R. ] “Practicalizing influences.” J. S. Mill. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. In a practical way; not theoretically; really; as, to look at things practically; practically worthless. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. By means of practice or use; by experience or experiment; as, practically wise or skillful; practically acquainted with a subject. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. In practice or use; as, a medicine practically safe; theoretically wrong, but practically right. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Almost. [ PJC ]

n. Same as Practicality. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. praktike, practique, F. pratique, formerly also, practique, LL. practica, fr. Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; practical. See Practical, and cf. Pratique, Pretty. ] 1. Frequently repeated or customary action; habitual performance; a succession of acts of a similar kind; usage; habit; custom; as, the practice of rising early; the practice of making regular entries of accounts; the practice of daily exercise. [ 1913 Webster ]

A heart . . . exercised with covetous practices. 2 Pet. ii. 14. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Customary or constant use; state of being used. [ 1913 Webster ]

Obsolete words may be revived when they are more sounding or more significant than those in practice. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Skill or dexterity acquired by use; expertness. [ R. ] “His nice fence and his active practice.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Actual performance; application of knowledge; -- opposed to theory. [ 1913 Webster ]

There are two functions of the soul, -- contemplation and practice. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

There is a distinction, but no opposition, between theory and practice; each, to a certain extent, supposes the other; theory is dependent on practice; practice must have preceded theory. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Systematic exercise for instruction or discipline; as, the troops are called out for practice; she neglected practice in music. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Application of science to the wants of men; the exercise of any profession; professional business; as, the practice of medicine or law; a large or lucrative practice. [ 1913 Webster ]

Practice is exercise of an art, or the application of a science in life, which application is itself an art. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Skillful or artful management; dexterity in contrivance or the use of means; art; stratagem; artifice; plot; -- usually in a bad sense. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

He sought to have that by practice which he could not by prayer. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Math.) A easy and concise method of applying the rules of arithmetic to questions which occur in trade and business. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. (Law) The form, manner, and order of conducting and carrying on suits and prosecutions through their various stages, according to the principles of law and the rules laid down by the courts. Bouvier. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Custom; usage; habit; manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Practiced p. pr. & vb. n. Practicing ] [ Often written practise, practised, practising. ] 1. To do or perform frequently, customarily, or habitually; to make a practice of; as, to practice gaming. “Incline not my heart . . . practice wicked works.” Ps. cxli. 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To exercise, or follow, as a profession, trade, art, etc., as, to practice law or medicine. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To exercise one's self in, for instruction or improvement, or to acquire discipline or dexterity; as, to practice gunnery; to practice music. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To put into practice; to carry out; to act upon; to commit; to execute; to do. “Aught but Talbot's shadow whereon to practice your severity.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

As this advice ye practice or neglect. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To make use of; to employ. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

In malice to this good knight's wife, I practiced Ubaldo and Ricardo to corrupt her. Massinger. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. To teach or accustom by practice; to train. [ 1913 Webster ]

In church they are taught to love God; after church they are practiced to love their neighbor. Landor. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ Often written practise. ] 1. To perform certain acts frequently or customarily, either for instruction, profit, or amusement; as, to practice with the broadsword or with the rifle; to practice on the piano. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To learn by practice; to form a habit. [ 1913 Webster ]

They shall practice how to live secure. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Practice first over yourself to reign. Waller. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To try artifices or stratagems. [ 1913 Webster ]

He will practice against thee by poison. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To apply theoretical science or knowledge, esp. by way of experiment; to exercise or pursue an employment or profession, esp. that of medicine or of law. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ I am ] little inclined to practice on others, and as little that others should practice on me. Sir W. Temple. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Often written practised. ] 1. Experienced; expert; skilled; as, a practiced marksman. “A practiced picklock.” Ld. Lytton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Used habitually; learned by practice. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Often written practiser. ] 1. One who practices, or puts in practice; one who customarily performs certain acts. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who exercises a profession; a practitioner. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One who uses art or stratagem. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. praticien, OF. also practicien. ] One who is acquainted with, or skilled in, anything by practice; a practitioner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Practice. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Practicos /plu>. [ Sp., lit., experienced, skilled. Cf. Practical. ] A guide. [ Cuba & Phil. Islands ] D. C. Worcester. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. An agent or confederate in treachery. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. See Practice. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The analogy of the English language requires that the noun and verb which are pronounced alike should agree in spelling. Thus we have notice (n. & v.), noticed, noticing, noticer; poultice (n. & v.); apprentice (n. & v.); office (n. & v.), officer (n.); lattice (n.), latticed (a.); benefice (n.), beneficed (a.), etc. Cf. sacrifice (&unr_;; n. & v.), surmise (&unr_;; n. & v.), promise (&unr_;; n. & v.); compromise (&unr_;; n. & v.), etc. Contrast advice (&unr_;; n.), and advise (&unr_;); device (&unr_;), and devise (&unr_;), etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A practitioner. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Practician. ] 1. One who is engaged in the actual use or exercise of any art or profession, particularly that of law or medicine. Crabbe. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who does anything customarily or habitually. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A sly or artful person. Whitgift. [ 1913 Webster ]

General practitioner. See under General, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Doing; active. [ Obs. ] Sylvester. -- Prac"tive*ly, adv. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

The preacher and the people both,
Then practively did thrive. Warner. [1913 Webster]

a. Impracticable; not feasible. [ 1913 Webster ]