*thing*

‖n. [ Icel. (modern) alping, earlier alpingi; allr all + ping assembly. See All, and Thing. ] The national assembly or parliament of Iceland. See Thing, n., 8. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. 1. Any object, act, state, event, or fact whatever; thing of any kind; something or other; aught; as, I would not do it for anything. [ 1913 Webster ]

Did you ever know of anything so unlucky? A. Trollope. [ 1913 Webster ]

They do not know that anything is amiss with them. W. G. Sumner. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Expressing an indefinite comparison; -- with as or like. [ Colloq. or Lowx ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I fear your girl will grow as proud as anything. Richardson. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Any thing, written as two words, is now commonly used in contradistinction to any person or anybody. Formerly it was also separated when used in the wider sense. “Necessity drove them to undertake any thing and venture any thing.” De Foe. [ 1913 Webster ]

Anything but, not at all or in any respect. “The battle was a rare one, and the victory anything but secure.” Hawthorne. --
Anything like, in any respect; at all; as, I can not give anything like a fair sketch of his trials. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In any measure; anywise; at all. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mine old good will and hearty affection towards you is not . . . anything at all quailed. Robynson (More's Utopia). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who holds to no particular creed or dogma. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Act of taking a bath or baths. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bathing machine, a small room on wheels, to be driven into the water, for the convenience of bathers, who undress and dress therein. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Naut.) The planking outside of a vessel, above the sheer strake. Smyth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Naut.) Anything added to raise the sides of a ship. Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. the act or process of giving birth. [ PJC ]

n. 1. Respiration; the act of inhaling and exhaling air. [ 1913 Webster ]

Subject to a difficulty of breathing. Melmoth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Air in gentle motion. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Any gentle influence or operation; inspiration; as, the breathings of the Spirit. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Aspiration; secret prayer. “Earnest desires and breathings after that blessed state.” Tillotson. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Exercising; promotion of respiration. [ 1913 Webster ]

Here is a lady that wants breathing too;
And I have heard, you knights of Tyre
Are excellent in making ladies trip. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Utterance; communication or publicity by words. [ 1913 Webster ]

I am sorry to give breathing to my purpose. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Breathing place; vent. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. Stop; pause; delay. [ 1913 Webster ]

You shake the head at so long a breathing. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. Also, in a wider sense, the sound caused by the friction of the outgoing breath in the throat, mouth, etc., when the glottis is wide open; aspiration; the sound expressed by the letter h. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. (Gr. Gram.) A mark to indicate aspiration or its absence. See Rough breathing, Smooth breathing, below. [ 1913 Webster ]

Breathing place. (a) A pause. “That cæsura, or breathing place, in the midst of the verse.” Sir P. Sidney. (b) A vent. --
Breathing time, pause; relaxation. Bp. Hall. --
Breathing while, time sufficient for drawing breath; a short time. Shak. --
Rough breathing (spiritus asper) (&asper_;). See 2d Asper, n. --
Smooth breathing (spiritus lenis), a mark (') indicating the absence of the sound of h, as in 'ie`nai (ienai). [ 1913 Webster ]

[1913 Webster]

n. 1. Garments in general; clothes; dress; raiment; covering. [ 1913 Webster ]

From others he shall stand in need of nothing,
Yet on his brothers shall depend for clothing. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

As for me, . . . my clothing was sackloth. Ps. xxxv. 13 [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The art of process of making cloth. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Instructing [ refugees ] in the art of clothing. Ray. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A covering of non-conducting material on the outside of a boiler, or steam chamber, to prevent radiation of heat. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Mach.) See Card clothing, under 3d Card. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Doing nothing; disinclined to work or exertion; inactive; idle; lazy; -- of people; as, a do-nothing policy. [ prenominal ]
Syn. -- bone-idle, bone-lazy, faineant, indolent, lazy, otiose, shiftless, slothful, workshy, work-shy. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

n. person who does no work.
Syn. -- idler, loafer, layabout, bum, ne'er-do-well, good-for-nothing. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ } n. Inactivity; habitual sloth; idleness. [ Jocular ] Carlyle. Miss Austen. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Whatever pertains to the subject under consideration; all things. [ 1913 Webster ]

More wise, more learned, more just, more everything. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. furthing, AS. feórðung, fr. feórða fourth, feór, feówer, four. See Four. ] 1. The fourth of a penny; a small copper coin of Great Britain, being a cent in United States currency. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A very small quantity or value. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

In her cup was no farthing seen of grease. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A division of land. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Thirty acres make a farthing land; nine farthings a Cornish acre; and four Cornish acres a knight's fee. R. Carew. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. vardingale, fardingale, fr. OF. vertugale, verdugade, F. vertugade, vertugadin, from Sp. verdugado, being named from its hoops, fr. verdugo a young shoot of tree, fr. verde green, fr. L. viridis. See Verdant. ] A hoop skirt or hoop petticoat, or other light, elastic material, used to extend the petticoat. [ 1913 Webster ]

We'll revel it as bravely as the best, . . .
With ruffs and cuffs, and farthingales and things. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Dan. See Folk, and Thing. ] The lower house of the Danish Rigsdag, or Parliament. See Legislature, below. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. Exaggerated declamation; rant. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. The art or business of a gunsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Contempt; scorn. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Breathing or exhaling incense. “Incense-breathing morn.” Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A member of a secret political organization in the United States, the chief objects of which were the proscription of foreigners by the repeal of the naturalization laws, and the exclusive choice of native Americans for office. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The party originated in 1853, and existed for about three years. The members of it were called Know-nothings, because they replied “I don't know, ” to any questions asked them in reference to the party. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The doctrines, principles, or practices, of the Know-nothings. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Norw. lagting, lagthing; lag company, society (akin to E. law, lay) + ting, thing, parliament. See Thing. ] See Legislatature, below. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. [ Dan. landsthing, landsting, fr. land land + thing, ting, parliament. See Land; Thing. ] (Denmark.) See Legislature, below. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. 1. The act or process of covering with laths. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Laths, collectively; a covering of laths. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Extreme disgust; a feeling of aversion, nausea, abhorrence, or detestation. [ 1913 Webster ]

The mutual fear and loathing of the hostile races. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. With loathing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Obs. ] See Niding. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Surv. & Navigation) Distance northward from any point of departure or of reckoning, measured on a meridian; -- opposed to southing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Astron.) The distance of any heavenly body from the equator northward; north declination. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From no, a. + thing. ] 1. Not anything; no thing (in the widest sense of the word thing); -- opposed to anything and something. [ 1913 Webster ]

Yet had his aspect nothing of severe. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Nonexistence; nonentity; absence of being; nihility; nothingness. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A thing of no account, value, or note; something irrelevant and impertinent; something of comparative unimportance; utter insignificance; a trifle. [ 1913 Webster ]

Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought. Is. xli. 24. [ 1913 Webster ]

'T is nothing, says the fool; but, says the friend,
This nothing, sir, will bring you to your end. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Arith.) A cipher; naught. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nothing but, only; no more than. Chaucer. --
To make nothing of. (a) To make no difficulty of; to consider as trifling or important. “We are industrious to preserve our bodies from slavery, but we make nothing of suffering our souls to be slaves to our lusts.” Ray. (b) Not to understand; as, I could make nothing of what he said. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In no degree; not at all; in no wise. [ 1913 Webster ]

Adam, with such counsel nothing swayed. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

The influence of reason in producing our passions is nothing near so extensive as is commonly believed. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nothing off (Naut.), an order to the steersman to keep the vessel close to the wind. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One of no certain belief; one belonging to no particular sect. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Nihility; nothingness. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Nihility; nonexistence. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being of no value; a thing of no value. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. inconsequential conversation; as, they traded a few nothings as they parted. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ Norw. odel odal + ting parliament. ] The lower house of the Norwegian Storthing. See Legislature. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. A thing to play with; a toy; anything that serves to amuse. [ 1913 Webster ]

A child knows his nurse, and by degrees the playthings of a little more advanced age. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A portable device to allow divers to breathe while under water, consisting of one or two tanks of compressed air which are strapped onto the back of the diver, and are connected by tubing to a mouthpiece through which the diver receives the air from the tanks at rate adjustable by a valve; -- called also SCUBA, SCUBA gear, or SCUBA apparatus. [ PJC ]

p. pr. & a. from Sheathe. Inclosing with a sheath; as, the sheathing leaves of grasses; the sheathing stipules of many polygonaceous plants. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. That which sheathes. Specifically: (a) The casing or covering of a ship's bottom and sides; the materials for such covering; as, copper sheathing. (b) (Arch.) The first covering of boards on the outside wall of a frame house or on a timber roof; also, the material used for covering; ceiling boards in general. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act or art of working or forging metals, as iron, into any desired shape. Moxon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. & n. fr. Smooth, v. [ 1913 Webster ]

Smoothing iron, an iron instrument with a polished face, for smoothing clothes; a sadiron; a flatiron. --
Smoothing plane, a short, finely set plane, for smoothing and finishing work. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Anything unknown, undetermined, or not specifically designated; a certain indefinite thing; an indeterminate or unknown event; an unspecified task, work, or thing. [ 1913 Webster ]

There is something in the wind. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The whole world has something to do, something to talk of, something to wish for, and something to be employed about. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

Something attemped, something done,
Has earned a night's repose. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A part; a portion, more or less; an indefinite quantity or degree; a little. [ 1913 Webster ]

Something yet of doubt remains. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Something of it arises from our infant state. I. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A person or thing importance. [ 1913 Webster ]

If a man thinketh himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. Gal. vi. 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In some degree; somewhat; to some extent; at some distance. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

I something fear my father's wrath. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

We have something fairer play than a reasoner could have expected formerly. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

My sense of touch is something coarse. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

It must be done to-night,
And something from the palace. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. & n. from Soothe, v. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a soothing manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Tendency or progress southward; as, the southing of the sun. Emerson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The time at which the moon, or other heavenly body, passes the meridian of a place. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Astron.) Distance of any heavenly body south of the equator; south declination; south latitude. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Surv. & Navigation) Distance southward from any point departure or of reckoning, measured on a meridian; -- opposed to northing. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Norw. storting; stor great + ting court, court of justice; cf. Dan. ting, thing. ] The Parliament of Norway, chosen by indirect election once in three years, but holding annual sessions. [ 1913 Webster ]