*stab*

a. Capable of being adjusted. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the doctrine or political position that opposes the withdrawal of state recognition of an established church; -- used especially concerning the Anglican Church in England. Opposed to disestablishmentarianism. [ PJC ]

n. [ Auto- + stability. ] (Mechanics) Automatic stability; also, inherent stability. An aëroplane is inherently stable if it keeps in steady poise by virtue of its shape and proportions alone; it is automatically stable if it keeps in steady poise by means of self-operative mechanism. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. Joint establishment. Bp. Watson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. conestable, constable, a constable (in sense 1), OF. conestable, F. connétable, LL. conestabulus, constabularius, comes stabuli, orig., count of the stable, master of the horse, equerry; comes count (L. companion) + L. stabulum stable. See Count a nobleman, and Stable. ] 1. A high officer in the monarchical establishments of the Middle Ages. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The constable of France was the first officer of the crown, and had the chief command of the army. It was also his duty to regulate all matters of chivalry. The office was suppressed in 1627. The constable, or lord high constable, of England, was one of the highest officers of the crown, commander in chief of the forces, and keeper of the peace of the nation. He also had judicial cognizance of many important matters. The office was as early as the Conquest, but has been disused (except on great and solemn occasions), since the attainder of Stafford, duke of Buckingham, in the reign of Henry VIII. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) An officer of the peace having power as a conservator of the public peace, and bound to execute the warrants of judicial officers. Bouvier. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In England, at the present time, the constable is a conservator of the peace within his district, and is also charged by various statutes with other duties, such as serving summons, precepts, warrants, etc. In the United States, constables are town or city officers of the peace, with powers similar to those of the constables of England. In addition to their duties as conservators of the peace, they are invested with others by statute, such as to execute civil as well as criminal process in certain cases, to attend courts, keep juries, etc. In some cities, there are officers called high constables, who act as chiefs of the constabulary or police force. In other cities the title of constable, as well as the office, is merged in that of the police officer. [ 1913 Webster ]

High constable, a constable having certain duties and powers within a hundred. [ Eng. ] --
Petty constable, a conservator of the peace within a parish or tithing; a tithingman. [ Eng. ] --
Special constable, a person appointed to act as constable of special occasions. --
To
overrun the constable, or
outrun the constable, to spend more than one's income; to get into debt. [ Colloq. ] Smollett. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. conestablerie. Cf. Constabulary. ] 1. The constabulary. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The district or jurisdiction of a constable. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The office or functions of a constable. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The wife of a constable. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Constable + wick a village ] The district to which a constable's power is limited. [ Obs. ] Sir M. Hale. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. constabularius an equerry. See Constable. ] Of or pertaining to constables; consisting of constables. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The collective body of constables in any town, district, or country. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A constabulary. [ Obs. ] Bp. Burnet. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. contestable. ] Capable of being contested; debatable. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Capacity of being odious. [ R. ] Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. detestabilis: cf. F. détestable. ] Worthy of being detested; abominable; extremely hateful; very odious; deserving abhorrence; as, detestable vices. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou hast defiled my sanctuary will all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations. Ezek. v. 11.

Syn. -- Abominable; odious; execrable; abhorred. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

adv. In a detestable manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To unsettle; to break up (anything established); to deprive, as a church, of its connection with the state. M. Arnold. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act or process of unsettling or breaking up that which has been established; specifically, the withdrawal of the support of the state from an established church; as, the disestablishment and disendowment of the Irish Church by Act of Parliament. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The condition of being disestablished. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The doctrine or political position that advocates abrogating the establishment of a church as the official state religion.. [ PJC ]

Prior to the Puritans, very few earlier believers contended for any form of disestablishmentarianism. David. W. Hall (Savior or Servant? Putting Government in Its Place: The Covenant Foundation, 1996)

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Established p. pr. & vb. n. Establishing. ] [ OE. establissen, OF. establir, F. établir, fr. L. stabilire, fr. stabilis firm, steady, stable. See Stable, a., -ish, and cf. Stablish. ] 1. To make stable or firm; to fix immovably or firmly; to set (a thing) in a place and make it stable there; to settle; to confirm. [ 1913 Webster ]

So were the churches established in the faith. Acts xvi. 5. [ 1913 Webster ]

The best established tempers can scarcely forbear being borne down. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Confidence which must precede union could be established only by consummate prudence and self-control. Bancroft. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To appoint or constitute for permanence, as officers, laws, regulations, etc.; to enact; to ordain. [ 1913 Webster ]

By the consent of all, we were established
The people's magistrates. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed. Dan. vi. 8. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To originate and secure the permanent existence of; to found; to institute; to create and regulate; -- said of a colony, a state, or other institutions. [ 1913 Webster ]

He hath established it [ the earth ], he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited. Is. xlv. 18. [ 1913 Webster ]

Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and establisheth a city by iniquity! Hab. ii. 12. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To secure public recognition in favor of; to prove and cause to be accepted as true; as, to establish a fact, usage, principle, opinion, doctrine, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established. Deut. xix. 15. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To set up in business; to place advantageously in a fixed condition; -- used reflexively; as, he established himself in a place; the enemy established themselves in the citadel. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. brought about or set up or accepted; especially long and widely accepted; as, distrust of established authority; a team established as a member of a major league; enjoyed his prestige as an established writer; an established precedent; the established Church. Contrasted with unestablished. [ Narrower terms: entrenched; implanted, planted, rooted; official; recognized ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. securely established; as, an established reputation.
Syn. -- firm. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. settled securely and unconditionally.
Syn. -- accomplished, effected. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

4. conforming with accepted standards. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

5. shown to be valid beyond a reasonable doubt; as, the established facts in the case.
Syn. -- proved. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

6. (Bot.) introduced from another region and persisting without cultivation; -- of plants.
Syn. -- naturalized. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

. (Contract bridge, Whist) A plain suit in which a player (or side) could, except for trumping, take tricks with all his remaining cards. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. One who establishes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OF. establissement, F. établissement. ] 1. The act of establishing; a ratifying or ordaining; settlement; confirmation. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being established, founded, and the like; fixed state. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. That which is established; as: (a) A form of government, civil or ecclesiastical; especially, a system of religion maintained by the civil power; as, the Episcopal establishment of England. (b) A permanent civil, military, or commercial, force or organization. (c) The place in which one is permanently fixed for residence or business; residence, including grounds, furniture, equipage, etc.; with which one is fitted out; also, any office or place of business, with its fixtures; that which serves for the carrying on of a business; as, to keep up a large establishment; a manufacturing establishment. [ 1913 Webster ]

Exposing the shabby parts of the establishment. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

Establishment of the port (Hydrography), a datum on which the tides are computed at the given port, obtained by observation, viz., the interval between the moon's passage over the meridian and the time of high water at the port, on the days of new and full moon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who regards the Church primarily as an establishment formed by the State, and overlooks its intrinsic spiritual character. Shipley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the doctrine or political position that advocates establishment of a church as the official state religion; -- applied especially to the Church of England.. [ PJC ]

a. [ See Gust, v. ] [ Obs. ] 1. Capable of being tasted; tastable. [ 1913 Webster ]

This position informs us of a vulgar error, terming the gall
bitter; whereas there is nothing gustable sweeter. Harvey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Pleasant to the taste; toothsome; savory. [ 1913 Webster ]

A gustable thing, seen or smelt, excites the appetite, and affects the glands and parts of the mouth. Derham. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Anything that can be tasted. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

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

a. [ Pref. in- not + contestable: cf. F. incontestable. ] Not contestable; not to be disputed; that cannot be called in question or controverted; incontrovertible; indisputable; as, incontestable evidence, truth, or facts. Locke.

Syn. -- Incontrovertible; indisputable; irrefragable; undeniable; unquestionable; intuitable; certain.

-- In`con*test"a*ble*ness, n. -- In`con*test"a*bly, adv. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. ingustabilis. See Gustable. ] Tasteless; insipid. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Instabilities [ L. instabilitas: cf. F. instabilité. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The quality or condition of being unstable; lack of stability, firmness, or steadiness; liability to give way or to fail; insecurity; precariousness; as, the instability of a building. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Lack of determination of fixedness; inconstancy; fickleness; mutability; changeableness; as, instability of character, temper, custom, etc. Addison.

Syn. -- Inconstancy; fickleness; changeableness; wavering; unsteadiness; unstableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. instabilis: cf. F. instable. See In- not, and Stable, a., and cf. Unstable. ] Not stable; not standing fast or firm; unstable; prone to change or recede from a purpose; mutable; inconstant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Instability; unstableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Incapable of being tasted; tasteless; unsavory. [ R. ] Grew. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. intestabilis: cf. F. intestable. See In- not, and Testable. ] (Law) Not capable of making a will; not legally qualified or competent to make a testament. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>n. A stable where horses are kept for hire, and where stabling is provided. See Livery, n., 3 (e) (f) & (g). [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Such as can be manifested. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ n. Also }. [ Ar. maçtabah a large stone bench. ] 1. In Muslim countries, a fixed seat, common in dwellings and in public places. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. (Egyptology) A type of tomb, of the time of the Memphite dynasties, comprising an oblong structure with sloping sides (sometimes containing a decorated chamber, sometimes of solid masonry), and connected with a mummy chamber in the rock beneath. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. Capable of being carried by, or as by, post. [ Obs. ] W. Montagu. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To establish beforehand. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Settlement beforehand. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Payable. [ Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To establish anew; to fix or confirm again; to restore; as, to reestablish a covenant; to reestablish health. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who establishes again. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act reestablishing; the state of being reestablished. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Etymol. uncertain. ] A laborer, especially a deck hand, on a river steamboat, who moves the cargo, loads and unloads wood, and the like; in an opprobrious sense, a shiftless vagrant who lives by chance jobs. [ Western U.S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]