n. [ L. abligurito, fr. abligurire to spend in luxurious indulgence; ab + ligurire to be lickerish, dainty, fr. lingere to lick. ] Prodigal expense for food. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F., a needle. See Aglet. ] 1. A needle-shaped peak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An instrument for boring holes, used in blasting. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. See Aglet. ] 1. A point or tag at the end of a fringe or lace; an aglet. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One of the ornamental tags, cords, or loops on some military and naval uniforms. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Aglet. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. ambigu doubtful, L. ambiquus. See Ambiguous. ] An entertainment at which a medley of dishes is set on at the same time. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Ambiguities [ L. ambiguitas, fr. ambiguus: cf. F. ambiguité. ] The quality or state of being ambiguous; doubtfulness or uncertainty, particularly as to the signification of language, arising from its admitting of more than one meaning; an equivocal word or expression. [ 1913 Webster ]

No shadow of ambiguity can rest upon the course to be pursued. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

The words are of single signification, without any ambiguity. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. ambiguus, fr. ambigere to wander about, waver; amb- + agere to drive. ] Doubtful or uncertain, particularly in respect to signification; capable of being understood in either of two or more possible senses; equivocal; as, an ambiguous course; an ambiguous expression. [ 1913 Webster ]

What have been thy answers? What but dark,
Ambiguous, and with double sense deluding? Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Doubtful; dubious; uncertain; unsettled; indistinct; indeterminate; indefinite. See Equivocal. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an ambiguous manner; with doubtful meaning. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Ambiguity. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>n. [ Pref. anti- + guggle or gurgle. ] A crooked tube of metal, to be introduced into the neck of a bottle for drawing out the liquid without disturbing the sediment or causing a gurgling noise. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. attiguus, fr. attingere to touch. See Attain. ] Touching; bordering; contiguous. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

-- At*tig"u*ous*ness, n. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

‖n. [ Native name, fr. Sp. barrigudo big-bellied. ] (Zool.) A large, dark-colored, South American monkey, of the genus Lagothrix, having a long prehensile tail. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. brigue, fr. LL. briga quarrel. See Brigand. ] A cabal, intrigue, faction, contention, strife, or quarrel. [ Obs. ] Chesterfield. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ F. briguer. See Brigue, n. ] To contend for; to canvass; to solicit. [ Obs. ] Bp. Hurd. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ L. configuratus, p. p. of configurare to form or after; con- + figurare to form, figura form. See Figure. ] To take form or position, as the parts of a complex structure; to agree with a pattern. [ 1913 Webster ]

Known by the name of uniformity;
Where pyramids to pyramids relate
And the whole fabric doth configurate. Jordan. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. configuratio. ] 1. Form, as depending on the relative disposition of the parts of a thing; shape; figure. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is the variety of configurations [ of the mouth ] . . . which gives birth and origin to the several vowels. Harris. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Astrol.) Relative position or aspect of the planets; the face of the horoscope, according to the relative positions of the planets at any time. [ 1913 Webster ]

They [ astrologers ] undertook . . . to determine the course of a man's character and life from the configuration of the stars at the moment of his birth. Whewell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Psychol.) an approach to psychology that emphasizes the importance of configurational properties.
Syn. -- Gestalt psychology. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Configured p. pr. & vb. n. Configuring. ] [ L. configurare: cf. F. configurer. See Configurate. ] To arrange or dispose in a certain form, figure, or shape. Bentley. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. contiguatus. ] Contiguous; touching. [ Obs. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. contiguité, LL. contiguitas. ] The state of being contiguous; intimate association; nearness; proximity. [ 1913 Webster ]

The convicinity and contiguity of the two parishes. T. Warton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. contiguus; akin to contigere to touch on all sides. See Contingent. ] In actual contact; touching; also, adjacent; near; neighboring; adjoining. [ 1913 Webster ]

The two halves of the paper did not appear fully divided . . . but seemed contiguous at one of their angles. Sir I. Newton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sees no contiguous palace rear its head. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

Contiguous angles. See Adjacent angles, under Angle.

Syn. -- Adjoining; adjacent. See Adjacent.

-- Con*tig"u*ous*ly, adv. -- Con*tig"u*ous*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Disfiguration; mutilation. [ Obs. ] Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Pref. de- (intens.) + figure. ] To delineate. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

These two stones as they are here defigured. Weever. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ F. See 2d Rigor. ] According to strictness (of etiquette, rule, or the like); obligatory; strictly required. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ F. See Dike. ] A bank; a dike. [ Obs. ] Sir W. Temple. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Disfigure, and cf. Defiguration. ] The act of disfiguring, or the state of being disfigured; defacement; deformity; disfigurement. Gauden. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Disfigured p. pr. & vb. n. Disfiguring. ] [ OF. desfigurer, F. défigurer; pref. des- (L. dis-) + figurer to fashion, shape, fr. L. figurare, fr. figura figure. See Figure, and cf. Defiguration. ] To mar the figure of; to render less complete, perfect, or beautiful in appearance; to deface; to deform. [ 1913 Webster ]

Disfiguring not God's likeness, but their own. Milton.

Syn. -- To deface; deform; mar; injure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Disfigurement; deformity. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. having the appearance spoiled; as, a disfigured face; strip mining left a disfigured landscape. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. Act of disfiguring, or state of being disfigured; deformity. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which disfigures; a defacement; a blot. [ 1913 Webster ]

Uncommon expressions . . . are a disfigurement rather than any embellishment of discourse. Hume. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who disfigures. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. exiguitas, fr. exiguus small: cf. F. exiguité. ] Scantiness; smallness; thinness. [ R. ] Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. exiguus. ] Scanty; small; slender; diminutive. [ R. ] “Exiguous resources.” Carlyle. -- Ex*ig"uous*ness, n. [R.] [1913 Webster]

{ , n. [ Written also fanteague, fanteeg, etc. ] [ Cf. Fantod. ] State of worry or excitment; fidget; ill humor. [ Prov. Eng. ] Dickens. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ F., fr. fatiguer to fatigue, L. fatigare; cf. L. affatim sufficiently. ] 1. Weariness from bodily labor or mental exertion; lassitude or exhaustion of strength. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The cause of weariness; labor; toil; as, the fatigues of war. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The weakening of a metal when subjected to repeated vibrations or strains. [ 1913 Webster ]

Fatigue call (Mil.), a summons, by bugle or drum, to perform fatigue duties. --
Fatigue dress, the working dress of soldiers. --
Fatigue duty (Mil.), labor exacted from soldiers aside from the use of arms. Farrow. --
Fatigue party, a party of soldiers on fatigue duty. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Fatigued p. pr. & vb. n. Fatiguing, n. ] [ Cf. F. fatiguer. See Fatigue, n. ] To weary with labor or any bodily or mental exertion; to harass with toil; to exhaust the strength or endurance of; to tire.

Syn. -- To jade; tire; weary; bore. See Jade. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , a. [ L. figulatus, p. p. of figulare to shape, fr. figulus potter, fr. fingere to shape. ] Made of potter's clay; molded; shaped. [ R. ] Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. L. figulina pottery, fr. figulus. See Figulate. ] A piece of pottery ornamented with representations of natural objects. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whose figulines and rustic wares
Scarce find him bread from day to day. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. figulinus. See Figulate. ] 1. Suitable for the making of pottery; fictile; -- said of clay. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. Made of clay, as by the potter; -- said of vessels, ornamental figures, or the like; as, figuline ware. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Cf. F. figurabilité. ] The quality of being figurable. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. figurare to form, shape, fr. figura figure: cf. F. figurable. See Figure. ] Capable of being brought to a fixed form or shape. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lead is figurable, but water is not. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From Figure. ] 1. Represented by figure or delineation; consisting of figures; as, figural ornaments. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mus.) Figurate. See Figurate. [ 1913 Webster ]

Figural numbers. See Figurate numbers, under Figurate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. masc. [ F., prop. p. pr. of figurer figure, represent, make a figure. ] One who dances at the opera, not singly, but in groups or figures; an accessory character on the stage, who figures in its scenes, but has nothing to say; hence, one who figures in any scene, without taking a prominent part. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. fem. [ F. ] A female figurant; esp., a ballet girl. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. figuratus, p. p. of figurare. See Figure. ] 1. Of a definite form or figure. [ 1913 Webster ]

Plants are all figurate and determinate, which inanimate bodies are not. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Figurative; metaphorical. [ Obs. ] Bale. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mus.) Florid; figurative; involving passing discords by the freer melodic movement of one or more parts or voices in the harmony; as, figurate counterpoint or descant. [ 1913 Webster ]

Figurate counterpoint or
Figurate descant (Mus.), that which is not simple, or in which the parts do not move together tone for tone, but in which freer movement of one or more parts mingles passing discords with the harmony; -- called also figural, figurative, and figured counterpoint or descant (although the term figured is more commonly applied to a bass with numerals written above or below to indicate the other notes of the harmony). --
Figurate numbers (Math.), numbers, or series of numbers, formed from any arithmetical progression in which the first term is a unit, and the difference a whole number, by taking the first term, and the sums of the first two, first three, first four, etc., as the successive terms of a new series, from which another may be formed in the same manner, and so on, the numbers in the resulting series being such that points representing them are capable of symmetrical arrangement in different geometrical figures, as triangles, squares, pentagons, etc. In the following example, the two lower lines are composed of figurate numbers, those in the second line being triangular, and represented thus: --
. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. . . . 1, 3, 6, 10, etc. . . . . . . . etc. 1, 4, 10, 20, etc . . . . . . . . . . . .
[ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having a determinate form. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a figurate manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. figuratio. ] 1. The act of giving figure or determinate form; determination to a certain form. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mus.) Mixture of concords and discords. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. figurativus: cf. F. figuratif. See Figurative. ] 1. Representing by a figure, or by resemblance; typical; representative. [ 1913 Webster ]

This, they will say, was figurative, and served, by God's appointment, but for a time, to shadow out the true glory of a more divine sanctity. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Used in a sense that is tropical, as a metaphor; not literal; -- applied to words and expressions. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Abounding in figures of speech; flowery; florid; as, a highly figurative description. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Relating to the representation of form or figure by drawing, carving, etc. See Figure, n., 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

They belonged to a nation dedicated to the figurative arts, and they wrote for a public familiar with painted form. J. A. Symonds. [ 1913 Webster ]

Figurative counterpoint or
Figurative descant. See under Figurate.

-- Fig"ur*a*tive*ly, adv. -- Fig"ur*a*tive*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., figure, L. figura; akin to fingere to form, shape, feign. See Feign. ] 1. The form of anything; shape; outline; appearance. [ 1913 Webster ]

Flowers have all exquisite figures. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The representation of any form, as by drawing, painting, modeling, carving, embroidering, etc.; especially, a representation of the human body; as, a figure in bronze; a figure cut in marble. [ 1913 Webster ]

A coin that bears the figure of an angel. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A pattern in cloth, paper, or other manufactured article; a design wrought out in a fabric; as, the muslin was of a pretty figure. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Geom.) A diagram or drawing, made to represent a magnitude or the relation of two or more magnitudes; a surface or space inclosed on all sides; -- called superficial when inclosed by lines, and solid when inclosed by surfaces; any arrangement made up of points, lines, angles, surfaces, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The appearance or impression made by the conduct or career of a person; as, a sorry figure. [ 1913 Webster ]

I made some figure there. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gentlemen of the best figure in the county. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Distinguished appearance; magnificence; conspicuous representation; splendor; show. [ 1913 Webster ]

That he may live in figure and indulgence. Law. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A character or symbol representing a number; a numeral; a digit; as, 1, 2, 3, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. Value, as expressed in numbers; price; as, the goods are estimated or sold at a low figure. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

With nineteen thousand a year at the very lowest figure. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. A person, thing, or action, conceived of as analogous to another person, thing, or action, of which it thus becomes a type or representative. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who is the figure of Him that was to come. Rom. v. 14. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. (Rhet.) A mode of expressing abstract or immaterial ideas by words which suggest pictures or images from the physical world; pictorial language; a trope; hence, any deviation from the plainest form of statement. Also called a figure of speech. [ 1913 Webster ]

To represent the imagination under the figure of a wing. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. (Logic) The form of a syllogism with respect to the relative position of the middle term. [ 1913 Webster ]

12. (Dancing) Any one of the several regular steps or movements made by a dancer. [ 1913 Webster ]

13. (Astrol.) A horoscope; the diagram of the aspects of the astrological houses. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

14. (Music) (a) Any short succession of notes, either as melody or as a group of chords, which produce a single complete and distinct impression. Grove.

(b) A form of melody or accompaniment kept up through a strain or passage; a musical phrase or motive; a florid embellishment. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Figures are often written upon the staff in music to denote the kind of measure. They are usually in the form of a fraction, the upper figure showing how many notes of the kind indicated by the lower are contained in one measure or bar. Thus, 2/4 signifies that the measure contains two quarter notes. The following are the principal figures used for this purpose: -- 2/22/42/8 4/22/44/8 3/23/43/8 6/46/46/8 [ 1913 Webster ]

Academy figure,
Canceled figures,
Lay figure, etc. See under Academy, Cancel, Lay, etc. --
Figure caster, or
Figure flinger, an astrologer. “This figure caster.” Milton. --
Figure flinging, the practice of astrology. --
Figure-of-eight knot, a knot shaped like the figure 8. See Illust. under Knot. --
Figure painting, a picture of the human figure, or the act or art of depicting the human figure. --
Figure stone (Min.), agalmatolite. --
Figure weaving, the art or process of weaving figured fabrics. --
To cut a figure, to make a display. [ Colloq. ] Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]