*reli*

‖n. [ NL., fr. L. aurum gold: cf. F. aurélie. Cf. Chrysalis. ] (Zool.) (a) The chrysalis, or pupa of an insect, esp. when reflecting a brilliant golden color, as that of some of the butterflies. (b) A genus of jellyfishes. See Discophora. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to the aurelia. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An amateur collector and breeder of insects, esp. of butterflies and moths; a lepidopterist. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. bas-relief; bas low + relief raised work, relever to raise: cf. It. bassorilievo. ] Low relief; sculpture, the figures of which project less than half of their true proportions; -- called also bass-relief and basso-rilievo. See Alto-rilievo. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ } n. [ It. basso-rilievo. ] Same as Bas-relief. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Bas-relief. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Cavo-rilievo. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One of the same religion with another. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A co-religion&unr_;ist. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. Half relief. See Demi-rilievo. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. derelictus, p. p. of derelinquere to forsake wholly, to abandon; de- + relinquere to leave. See Relinquish. ] 1. Given up or forsaken by the natural owner or guardian; left and abandoned; as, derelict lands. [ 1913 Webster ]

The affections which these exposed or derelict children bear to their mothers, have no grounds of nature or assiduity but civility and opinion. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Lost; adrift; hence, wanting; careless; neglectful; unfaithful. [ 1913 Webster ]

They easily prevailed, so as to seize upon the vacant, unoccupied, and derelict minds of his [ Chatham's ] friends; and instantly they turned the vessel wholly out of the course of his policy. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

A government which is either unable or unwilling to redress such wrongs is derelict to its highest duties. J. Buchanan. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Law) (a) A thing voluntary abandoned or willfully cast away by its proper owner, especially a ship abandoned at sea. (b) A tract of land left dry by the sea, and fit for cultivation or use. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. derelictio. ] 1. The act of leaving with an intention not to reclaim or resume; an utter forsaking abandonment. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cession or dereliction, actual or tacit, of other powers. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A neglect or omission as if by willful abandonment. [ 1913 Webster ]

A total dereliction of military duties. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The state of being left or abandoned. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) A retiring of the sea, occasioning a change of high-water mark, whereby land is gained. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To make irreligious; to turn from religion. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He would dereligionize men beyond all others. De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

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

n. 1. Want of relish; dislike (of the palate or of the mind); distaste; a slight degree of disgust; as, a disrelish for some kinds of food. [ 1913 Webster ]

Men love to hear of their power, but have an extreme disrelish to be told of their duty. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Absence of relishing or palatable quality; bad taste; nauseousness. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Disrelished p. pr. & vb. n. Disrelishing. ] 1. Not to relish; to regard as unpalatable or offensive; to feel a degree of disgust at. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To deprive of relish; to make nauseous or disgusting in a slight degree. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the light of a fire (especially in a fireplace); as, lovers sitting together in the firelight. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (a piece of) a substance that burns easily and can be used to start a coal or coke fire. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. i. To lie in front of. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Which forelay
Athwart her snowy breast. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To lift up in front. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A lip, commonly the upper one, having a fissure of perpendicular division like that of a hare. -- Hare"lipped` a. [1913 Webster]

n. [ AS. h&ymacr_;reling. See Hire, n., and -ling. ] One who is hired, or who serves for wages; esp., one whose motive and interest in serving another are wholly gainful; a mercenary. “Lewd hirelings.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Serving for hire or wages; venal; mercenary. “Hireling mourners.” Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not admitting relief; incurable; hopeless. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. irreligio: cf. F. irréligion. See In- not, and Religion. ] The state of being irreligious; lack of religion; impiety. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who is irreligious. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. irreligiosus: cf. F. irréligieux. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Destitute of religion; not controlled by religious motives or principles; ungodly. Cf. Impious. [ 1913 Webster ]

Shame and reproach are generally the portion of the impious and irreligious. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Indicating a lack of religion; profane; wicked; as, irreligious speech. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an irreligious manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being irreligious; ungodliness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Mezzo-rilievo. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. False religion. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. To cause to be mongrel; to cross breeds, so as to produce mongrels. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Ottrez, on the borders of Luxembourg. ] (Min.) A micaceous mineral occurring in small scales. It is characteristic of certain crystalline schists. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A printing surface in relief, obtained by photographic means and subsequent manipulations. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Poorly. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. praelibatio, fr. praelibare to taste beforehand: cf. F. prelibation. ] 1. A tasting beforehand, or by anticipation; a foretaste; as, a prelibation of heavenly bliss. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A pouring out, or libation, before tasting. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a preliminary manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. pre + L. liminaris belonging to a threshold, fr. limen, liminis, threshold, entrance: cf. F. préliminaire. Cf. Limit. ] Introductory; previous; preceding the main discourse or business; prefatory; as, preliminary observations to a discourse or book; preliminary articles to a treaty; preliminary measures; preliminary examinations. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Introductory; preparatory; prefatory; proemial; previous; prior; precedent; antecedent. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Preliminaries That which precedes the main discourse, work, design, or business; something introductory or preparatory; as, the preliminaries to a negotiation or duel; to take one's preliminaries the year before entering college. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Introduction; preface; prelude. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To limit previously. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Engaged in a quarrel; apt or disposed to quarrel; as, quarreling factions; a quarreling mood. -- Quar"rel*ing*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

n. The state or quality of being reliable; reliableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Suitable or fit to be relied on; worthy of dependance or reliance; trustworthy. “A reliable witness to the truth of the miracles.” A. Norton. [ 1913 Webster ]

The best means, and most reliable pledge, of a higher object. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

According to General Livingston's humorous account, his own village of Elizabethtown was not much more reliable, being peopled in those agitated times by “unknown, unrecommended strangers, guilty-looking Tories, and very knavish Whigs.” W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Some authors take exception to this word, maintaining that it is unnecessary, and irregular in formation. It is, however, sanctioned by the practice of many careful writers as a most convenient substitute for the phrase to be relied upon, and a useful synonym for trustworthy, which is by preference applied to persons, as reliable is to things, such as an account, statement, or the like. The objection that adjectives derived from neuter verbs do not admit of a passive sense is met by the citation of laughable, worthy of being laughed at, from the neuter verb to laugh; available, fit or able to be availed of, from the neuter verb to avail; dispensable, capable of being dispensed with, from the neuter verb to dispense. Other examples might be added. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Re*li"a*ble*ness, n. -- Re*li"a*bly, adv. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Rely. ] 1. The act of relying, or the condition or quality of being reliant; dependence; confidence; trust; repose of mind upon what is deemed sufficient support or authority. [ 1913 Webster ]

In reliance on promises which proved to be of very little value. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Anything on which to rely; dependence; ground of trust; as, the boat was a poor reliance. Richardson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having, or characterized by, reliance; confident; trusting. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. relique, from L. reliquiae, pl., akin to relinquere to leave behind. See Relinquish. ] [ Formerly written also relique. ] 1. That which remains; that which is left after loss or decay; a remaining portion; a remnant. Chaucer. Wyclif. [ 1913 Webster ]

The relics of lost innocence. Kebe. [ 1913 Webster ]

The fragments, scraps, the bits and greasy relics. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The body from which the soul has departed; a corpse; especially, the body, or some part of the body, of a deceased saint or martyr; -- usually in the plural when referring to the whole body. [ 1913 Webster ]

There are very few treasuries of relics in Italy that have not a tooth or a bone of this saint. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thy relics, Rowe, to this fair urn we trust,
And sacred place by Dryden's awful dust. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Hence, a memorial; anything preserved in remembrance; as, relics of youthful days or friendships. [ 1913 Webster ]

The pearls were spilt;
Some lost, some stolen, some as relics kept. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]