A GLOSSARY

OF THE LATIN, FRENCH, AND OTHER NOT-EASILY-UNDERSTOOD WORDS AND PHRASES.

Acme, the height, or extreme point.

Actinia, the scientific name for the various species of sea-flowers. Aerated, mixed with air.

Alluvial, relating to alluvium.

Alluvium, earth deposited by recent overflows of water. Diluvium, earth deposited by ancient overflows of water.

Alpine, mountainous; a term derived from the mountains called the Alps, and often applied to other elevated regions.

Annelida, a class of worms.

A priori, in the first instance.

Aorta, the main artery of the body, leading from the heart.

Articulata, the class of articulated or jointed animals.

Arum, a class of plants having dart-shaped leaves, (the name in Hebrew signifying dart,) as the wild turnip.

Asterias, the scientific name of the various species of star-fish.

Axil, or axilla, (pl. axils or axilla,) the angle between a leaf and the stem, on the upper side.

Blanche, to make white.

Bonspeil, good sport.

Breadwinner, applied, in Scotland, to the head of a family, or the one who provides food for them.

Cambium, a mucilaginous fluid formed from the proper juices of plants, (these being themselves formed from the sap,) and employed directly in vegetable nutrition and growth. It may be considered as analogous to the chyle in animals. Camera Obscura, literally, a darkened chamber; the name of an optical instrument, by which the images of external objects, received through a double convex glass, are shown distinctly, and in their proper colors, on the wall of, or on a table in, a darkened room. Capsule, that kind of hollow seed-vessel, which becomes dry and opens when ripe.

Caribou, an animal of the deer kind.

Carnivora, flesh-eaters.

Caseous, curd-like, cheese-like, having the qualities of cheese.

Caste, (pl. castes,) a division made in Hindostan, and other parts of India, between different tribes. No Hindoo will intermarry or eat with any person not of his own caste.

Castor and Pollux, twin brothers, who were companions of Jason, in the Argonautic expedition in search of the Golden Fleece. In this

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expedition, during a violent storm, two lights, like flames of fire, were seen to play round their heads, and the tempest immediately ceasing, it was superstitiously supposed that they had power to quell storms; from which circumstance, these ignes fatui, or wild-fires, which are very common in storms at sea, have received the name of Castor and Pollux. From the love of these two brothers for each other, they were said to have been transported to the heavens, and changed into the constellation thence named Gemini, or the twins.

Cereal, relating to corn. Cereal plants are the several kinds of grain. Chelonia, the scientific name of the animals of the tortoise kind. Chives, the stamens of a plant; also a sort of small onion. Chrysalis, (pl. chrysalids and chrysalides,) the state into which an insect passes from the caterpiliar or reptile form, previously to its becoming a butterfly, or moth, &c.

Chyle, a white juice, formed from the chyme, and consisting of the finer and more nutritious parts of the food. It is afterwards converted into blood.

Chyme, the result of the first process which food undergoes in the stomach, previously to its being converted into chyle.

Class, Order, Genus, Species, Family, &c. In Natural History, animals, plants, minerals, &c., are arranged in different divisions, for convenience in systematizing them. The objects are first arranged in Classes, each Class is divided into Orders, each Order into Genera, each Genus into Species, and each Species sometimes into Subspecies. The term Family is sometimes used instead of Genus, and objects are often arranged in Families.

Cocoon, the oval ball or case of silk spun by the silkworm, for a covering while it lies in the chrysalis state.

Cointisies, robes.

Coit, a quoit, a thing thrown at a mark.

Congeners, animals belonging to the same natural order.

Conferva, a tribe of delicate tubular plants, inhabiting fresh water. Crustacea, the class of animals covered with a crustlike shell, as the crab or lobster.

Crustaceans, the animals of the foregoing class.

Curling, a pastime on the ice, peculiar to some parts of Scotland and Holland. In the former country, it is also called golf. The sport consists in striking a ball or stone from one party to another, arranged on opposite sides of a line drawn midway between them; each party endeavoring to prevent the ball or stone, when struck by the other side, from crossing the line.

Dead-light, an imaginary light superstitiously supposed to be sometimes seen, as a token of the death of some person; an evil omen. Denouement, unwinding, explanation, discovery.

Diluvium, see Alluvium.

Drift-way, a passage cut in the earth, to connect two shafts of a mine, or under the bed of a river from side to side.

Drupe, a pulpy fruit containing a stone or nut, like the peach.
Eglantine, the sweetbrier rose.

Elf, a wandering spirit, a fairy, an evil spirit.

Elf-Candle, a light supposed to be held by an elf or fairy, and betokening misfortune to the person who saw it; a bad omen. Embouchure, the mouth of a river.

Eocene, dawning, the earliest division of the tertiary formation of geologists.

Ephemeron, (pl. Ephemera,) an insect of a day.

Et, and.

Exuvia, (pl. exuviæ,) cast-off skin, or other covering.
Family, see Class.

Fecula, starch.

Fera, the third order of mammalia, according to Linnæus, including animals of the cat kind.

Filiform, thread-like, slender.

Frond, the leaf of plants, of the class which includes the Fern species.

Genus, (pl. Genera,) see Class.

Glires, gnawing animals, the fourth order of mammalia, according to Linnæus.

Gramina, grasses.

Gypsum, sulphate of lime, or plaster of Paris.
Helix, (pl. Helices,) the Snail family.

Herbivora, grass-eaters.

Hucho, a species of salmon.

Huso, a species of sturgeon.

Ichthyophagites, fish-eaters.

Ignes fatui, plural of ignis fatuus, or wild-fire.
Imago, the perfect state of insects.

Inertia, inertness.

Insomnium, restless sleep.

Involucre, a covering; a kind of general calyx, (or flower-cup,) serving for many flowers, and usually situated at the base of an umbel, or place where the flower-stalks diverge from one centre like the sticks of an umbrella.

Involute, rolled inwards.

Isochronous, performed in equal times, or in the same space of time. Larva, (pl. larva,) the worm-state, or first form of insects after they leave the egg.

Leaflet, a partial leaf, a constituent of a compound leaf.

Leguminous, pod-bearing. Leguminous plants are those whose seeds are enclosed in pods, as peas, beans, tamarinds, &c.

Lepidoptera, the butterfly tribes.

Lichen, a species of moss.

Lignin, one of the constituents of wood, woody fibre.
Luminiferous, bearing, or giving, light.

Manse, the Scotch name for a parsonage-house.

Mausoleum, (pl. mausolea,) a tomb, so called from a stately sepulchre erected by Artemisia, Queen of Caria, for her husband Mausolus; now applied to any elegant sepulchral monument.

Maximum, highest point.

Medine, a small Turkish coin.

Minimum, lowest point.

Miocene, less recent, the division of the tertiary formation, between the Eocene and Pliocene divisions.

Nebula, (pl. nebulæ,) a mist, or little cloud; applied by astronomers to luminous spots in the heavens, of a misty appearance, like that which the milky way presents to the naked eye.

Order, see Class.

Operculum, a lid, or little door.

Papilla, (pl. papillæ,) the orifice whence the spider secretes the substance of which its web is composed.

Passim, here and there, in various places.

Phenomenon, (pl. phenomena,) a natural appearance, generally of an extraordinary kind.

Pirn, in weaving, the quill of the shuttle.

Planaria, a tribe of flat-shaped aquatic worms.

Plies, folds or plaits.

Pliocene, the third or latest division of the tertiary formation of geologists.

Primates, the first order of mammalia, according to Linnæus, including man.

Protégé, (pl. protégés,) one who is protected by another.

Pupa, (pl. pupa,) the same as Chrysalis, which see.

Redargued, refuted.

Residual, remaining after a part is taken.

Sanctum Sanctorum, the Holy of Holies, or most holy place, often applied to the most important or holiest place in temples, churches, &c.

Shrievedom, the territory within the jurisdiction of a sheriff.

Sisyphus, a person who is fabled to have been condemned to roll to the top of a hill, a large stone, which, just as it had reached the summit, rolled back to the foot of the hill, thus rendering his punishment perpetual.

Somnambulism, sleep-walking.

Spadix, (pl. spadices,) an elongated receptacle of flowers.
Species, see Class.

Spell, a turn of work, applied also to games in which different persons take their turns or spells.

Stamen, in weaving, the warp, the thread, any thing made of threads. In botany, that part of a flower, on which the artificial classification is founded, consisting of the filament or stalk, and the anther, which contains the pollen, or fructifying powder.

Stimulus, (pl. stimuli,) a strong motive or excitement.

Tentacula, feelers.

Testacea, shell-fish.

Tree-hopper, a tree-toad.

Tryst, appointment, rendezvous.

Ultra-zodiacal, without or beyond the zodiac.

Usufructuaries, those who have the use or enjoyment of property for a time, without having the title or property. Vertebrata, the class of vertebrated animals.

Viaticum, provision made for a journey.

Vice versa, things being reversed, or the terms being changed.

Vis inertia, the power of rest, or inertness.
Warp, in weaving, the threads running lengthwise.

Wear, weir, or wier, a dam to raise the water in a river.
Weft, or woof, in weaving, the threads crossing the warp.

Zoophyte, a minute marine animal, which forms the corals and madrepores. These corals are the dwellings of the animals, which received the name Zoophytes, (from two Greek words, signifying animal and plant,) from the erroneous notion which formerly prevailed, that they partook of the nature of animals and plants.

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