*stac*

n. 1. the family including the crayfish.
Syn. -- Astacidae, family Astacidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ L. astacus a crab, Gr. &unr_;. ] (Zool.) A genus of crustaceans, containing the crawfish of fresh-water lobster of Europe, and allied species of western North America. See Crawfish. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the part of the chimney that is above the roof; it usually has several flues. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. pl. [ Neut. pl. of NL. crustaceus pert. to the crust or shell, from L. crusta the hard surfsce of a body, rind, shell. ] (Zool.) One of the classes of the arthropods, including lobsters and crabs; -- so called from the crustlike shell with which they are covered. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The body usually consists of an anterior part, made up of the head and thorax combined, called the cephalothorax, and of a posterior jointed part called the abdomen, postabdomen, and (improperly) tail. They breathe by means of gills variously attached to some of the limbs or to the sides the body, according to the group. They are divisible into two subclasses, Entomostraca and Malacostraca, each of which includes several orders. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Of or pertaining to the Crustacea; crustaceous. -- n. An animal belonging to the class Crustacea. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to crustaceology. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One versed in crustaceology; a crustalogist. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Crustacea + -logy. ] That branch of Zoology which treats of the Crustacea; malacostracology; carcinology. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ NL. crustaceous. See crustacea. ] 1. Pertaining to, or of the nature of, crust or shell; having a crustlike shell. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) Belonging to the Crustacea; crustacean. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being crustaceous or having a crustlike shell. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F.; cf. It. steccata, Sp. estacada. Cf. Stake. ] (Mil.) A dike of piles in the sea, a river, etc., to check the approach of an enemy.

a. [ From Eustachi, a learned Italian physician who died in Rome, 1574. ] (Anat.) (a) Discovered by Eustachius. (b) Pertaining to the Eustachian tube; as, Eustachian catheter. [ 1913 Webster ]

Eustachian catheter, a tubular instrument to be introduced into the Eustachian tube so as to allow of inflation of the middle ear through the nose or mouth. --
Eustrachian tube (Anat.), a passage from the tympanum of the ear to the pharynx. See Ear. --
Eustachian valve (Anat.), a crescent-shaped fold of the lining membrane of the heart at the entrance of the vena cava inferior. It directs the blood towards the left auricle in the fetus, but is rudimentary and functionless in the adult. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A stack or conical pile of hay in the open air. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. One of many families or subfamilies into which some classification systems subdivide the Liliaceae but not widely accepted; includes genus Hosta.
Syn. -- family Hostaceae, Funkaceae, family Funkaceae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ From Intestate. ] The state of being intestate, or of dying without having made a valid will. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ] Mustache. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A large bushy moustache.
Syn. -- mustachio, handle-bars. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ F. moustac. ] (Zool.) A small tufted monkey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Mustaches [ Written also moustache. ] [ F. moustache, It. mostaccio visage, mostacchio mustache, fr. Gr. my`stax upper lip and the beard upon it; cf. ma`stax mouth: cf. Sp. mostacho. ] 1. That part of the beard which grows on the upper lip; hair left growing above the mouth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) A West African monkey (Cercopithecus cephus). It has yellow whiskers, and a triangular blue mark on the nose. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) Any conspicuous stripe of color on the side of the head, beneath the eye of a bird. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A stain or discoloration on the upper lip of a person; as, wearing a milk mustache. [ informal ] [ PJC ]

n.; pl. Mustachios A mustache. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having a mustache or mustachios.
Syn. -- mustached. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. my`stax mustache. ] (Zool.) Of or pertaining to the upper lip, or mustache. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. L. obstaculum, fr. obstare to withstand, oppose; ob (see Ob-) + stare to stand. See Stand. and cf. Oust, v. ] That which stands in the way, or opposes; anything that hinders progress; a hindrance; an obstruction, physical or moral. [ 1913 Webster ]

If all obstacles were cut away.
And that my path were even to the crown. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Impediment; obstuction; hindrance; difficulty. See Impediment, and Obstruction. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. pistace, fr. F. pistache. See Pistachio. ] (Bot.) The anacardiaceous tree Pistacia vera, which yields the pistachio nut; also, the nut itself and the flavoring extract prepared from it. Called also pistachio. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ It. pistacchio (cf. Sp. pistacho, F. pistache), fr. L. pistacium, Gr. &unr_;, &unr_;, fr. Per. pistah. Cf. Fistinut. ] (Bot.) The nut of the Pistacia vera, a tree of the order Anacardiaceæ, containing a kernel of a pale greenish color, which has a pleasant taste, resembling that of the almond, and yields an oil of agreeable taste and odor; -- called also pistachio nut. It is wholesome and nutritive. The tree grows in Arabia, Persia, Syria, and Sicily. [ Written also pistachia. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The small anacardiaceous tree (Pistacia vera), of southern Europe and Asia Minor, which bears the pistachio nut. Called also pistache. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

3. (Cookery) The flavor of the pistachio nut, or an ice or confection flavored with it. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

4. Pistachio green. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. A light yellowish green color resembling that of the pistachio nut. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. [ NL. See Pistachio. ] (Bot.) The name of a genus of trees, including the tree which bears the pistachio (Pistacia vera), the Mediterranean mastic tree (Pistacia Lentiscus), and the species (Pistacia Terebinthus) which yields Chian or Cyprus turpentine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. pistacite. So called from its green color. See Pistachio. ] (Min.) Epidote. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An act done afterward. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of a slate color. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Half crustaceous; partially crustaceous. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A chimney; esp., a pipe serving as a chimney, as the pipe which carries off the smoke of a locomotive, the funnel of a steam vessel, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖a. [ It., p. p. of staccare, equivalent to distaccare. See Detach. ] 1. (Mus.) Disconnected; separated; distinct; -- a direction to perform the notes of a passage in a short, distinct, and pointed manner. It is opposed to legato, and often indicated by heavy accents written over or under the notes, or by dots when the performance is to be less distinct and emphatic. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Expressed in a brief, pointed manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

Staccato and peremptory [ literary criticism ]. G. Eliot. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Icel. stakkr; akin to Sw. stack, Dan. stak. Cf. Stake. ] 1. A large and to some degree orderly pile of hay, grain, straw, or the like, usually of a nearly conical form, but sometimes rectangular or oblong, contracted at the top to a point or ridge, and sometimes covered with thatch. [ 1913 Webster ]

But corn was housed, and beans were in the stack. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: An orderly pile of any type of object, indefinite in quantity; -- used especially of piles of wood. A stack is usually more orderly than a pile [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

Against every pillar was a stack of billets above a man's height. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Specifically: A pile of wood containing 108 cubic feet. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Hence: A large quantity; as, a stack of cash. [ Informal ] [ PJC ]

5. (Arch.) (a) A number of flues embodied in one structure, rising above the roof. Hence: (b) Any single insulated and prominent structure, or upright pipe, which affords a conduit for smoke; as, the brick smokestack of a factory; the smokestack of a steam vessel. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Computer programming) (a) A section of memory in a computer used for temporary storage of data, in which the last datum stored is the first retrieved. (b) A data structure within random-access memory used to simulate a hardware stack; as, a push-down stack. [ PJC ]

7. pl. The section of a library containing shelves which hold books less frequently requested. [ PJC ]

Stack of arms (Mil.), a number of muskets or rifles set up together, with the bayonets crossing one another, forming a sort of conical self-supporting pile. --
to blow one's stacks to become very angry and lose one's self-control, and especially to display one's fury by shouting. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Stacked p. pr. & vb. n. Stacking. ] [ Cf. Sw. stacka, Dan. stakke. See Stack, n. ] 1. To lay in a conical or other pile; to make into a large pile; as, to stack hay, cornstalks, or grain; to stack or place wood. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Specifically: To place in a vertical arrangement so that each item in a pile is resting on top of another item in the pile, except for the bottom item; as, to stack the papers neatly on the desk; to stack the bricks. [ PJC ]

3. To select or arrange dishonestly so as to achieve an unfair advantage; as, to stack a deck of cards; to stack a jury with persons prejudiced against the defendant. [ PJC ]

To stack arms (Mil.), to set up a number of muskets or rifles together, with the bayonets crossing one another, and forming a sort of conical pile. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Hay, grain, or the like, in stacks; things stacked. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A tax on things stacked. [ R. ] Holinshed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. estacade and E. stockade. ] (Mil.) A stockade. [ Scot. ] Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A covering or protection, as of canvas, for a stack. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. & n. from Stack. [ 1913 Webster ]

Stacking band,
Stacking belt, a band or rope used in binding thatch or straw upon a stack. --
Stacking stage, a stage used in building stacks. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A staging for supporting a stack of hay or grain; a staddle{ 2 }; a rickstand. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A yard or inclosure for stacks of hay or grain. A. Smith. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., fr. Gr. stakth`, strictly fem. of stakto`s oozing out in drops, fr. sta`zein to drop. ] One of the sweet spices used by the ancient Jews in the preparation of incense. It was perhaps an oil or other form of myrrh or cinnamon, or a kind of storax. Ex. xxx. 34. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Occurring beneath a crust or scab; as, a subcrustaceous cicatrization. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. L. testaceum a shelled anumal. See Testaceous. ] (Zool.) Invertebrate animals covered with shells, especially mollusks; shellfish. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) Onr of the Testacea. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Testacea + -graphy: cf. F. testacéographie. ] The science which treats of testaceans, or shellfish; the description of shellfish. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Testacea + -logy: cf. F. testacéologie. ] The science of testaceous mollusks; conchology. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. testaceus, fr. testa a shell. See Testa. ] 1. Of or pertaining to shells; consisted of a hard shell, or having a hard shell. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot. & Zool.) Having a dull red brick color or a brownish yellow color. [ 1913 Webster ]

Testaceous animals (Zool.), animals having a firm, calcareous shell, as oysters and clams, thus distinguished from crustaceous animals, whose shells are more thin and soft, and consist of several joints, or articulations, as lobsters and crabs. [ 1913 Webster ]