n. 1. the atmosphere and outer space considered together or as a whole. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. the sector of industry that designs and builds aircraft, rockets, missiles, and devices or vehicles intended to operate in outer space. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. of or pertaining to aerospace in either sense. [ PJC ]

n. 1. the atmosphere above a nation and deemed to be under its jurisdiction. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Sp. alpaca, fr. the original Peruvian name of the animal. Cf. Paco. ] 1. (Zool.) An animal of Peru (Lama paco), having long, fine, wooly hair, supposed by some to be a domesticated variety of the llama. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Wool of the alpaca. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A thin kind of cloth made of the wooly hair of the alpaca, often mixed with silk or with cotton. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Billiards) In the balk-line game, any of eight spaces, 7 inches by 31/2, lying along a cushion and bisected transversely by a balk line. Object balls in an anchor space are treated as in balk. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

adv. [ Pref. a- + pace. OE. a pas at a walk, in which a is the article. See Pace. ] With a quick pace; quick; fast; speedily. [ 1913 Webster ]

His dewy locks did drop with brine apace. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

A visible triumph of the gospel draw&unr_; on apace. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl.; sing. Apache (Ethnol.) A group of nomadic North American Indians including several tribes native of Arizona, New Mexico, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. archi- + episcopacy. ] 1. That form of episcopacy in which the chief power is in the hands of archbishops. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state or dignity of an archbishop. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a bag carried on the back, supported by straps looped over the shoulders.
Syn. -- knapsack; rucksack; haversack. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. i. to hike while carrying a backpack; -- often used in the form go backpacking; as, to backpack through the forest. [ PJC ]

n. one who backpacks; as, two backpackers were mauled by bears in Yellowstone this week. [ PJC ]

v. i. In typing text, to press the backspace key so as to reposition the carriage or cursor on the previous space. [ PJC ]

n. 1. The key on a typewriter or other keyboard used for back spacing.
Syn. -- backspace key. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. i. (Biol.) to become active so as to be able to penetrate an ovum; -- of sperm, in the female reproduction system. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Capacified ] [ L. capax, -acis, capacious + -fy. ] To quality. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The benefice he is capacified and designed for. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. capax, -acis, fr. capere to take. See Heave. ] 1. Having capacity; able to contain much; large; roomy; spacious; extended; broad; as, a capacious vessel, room, bay, or harbor. [ 1913 Webster ]

In the capacious recesses of his mind. Bancroft. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Able or qualified to make large views of things, as in obtaining knowledge or forming designs; comprehensive; liberal. “A capacious mind.” Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a capacious manner or degree; comprehensively. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being capacious, as of a vessel, a reservoir a bay, the mind, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. an electrical phenomenon whereby an electric charge is stored.
Syn. -- electrical capacity, capacity. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. (Electronics) a measure of the ability of a capacitor to store electrical charge; the ratio of the charge on one plate of a capacitor to the potential difference between the plates. [ PJC ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Capacitated; p. pr. & vb. n. Capacitating. ] To render capable; to enable; to qualify. [ 1913 Webster ]

By this instruction we may be capaciated to observe those errors. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. of or pertaining to capacitance. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a device used in electronic circuits to hold electrical charge, consisting of two conducting plates separated by a nonconducting (dielectric) medium; it is characterized by its capacitance.
Syn. -- condenser, electrical condenser. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n.; pl. Capacities [ L. capacitus, fr. capax, capacis; fr. F. capacité. See Capacious. ] 1. The power of receiving or containing; extent of room or space; passive power; -- used in reference to physical things. [ 1913 Webster ]

Had our great palace the capacity
To camp this host, we all would sup together. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The capacity of the exhausted cylinder. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The power of receiving and holding ideas, knowledge, etc.; the comprehensiveness of the mind; the receptive faculty; capability of understanding or feeling. [ 1913 Webster ]

Capacity is now properly limited to these [ the mere passive operations of the mind ]; its primary signification, which is literally room for, as well as its employment, favors this; although it can not be denied that there are examples of its usage in an active sense. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Ability; power pertaining to, or resulting from, the possession of strength, wealth, or talent; possibility of being or of doing. [ 1913 Webster ]

The capacity of blessing the people. Alex. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

A cause with such capacities endued. Blackmore. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Outward condition or circumstances; occupation; profession; character; position; as, to work in the capacity of a mason or a carpenter. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Law) Legal or moral qualification, as of age, residence, character, etc., necessary for certain purposes, as for holding office, for marrying, for making contracts, wills, etc.; legal power or right; competency. [ 1913 Webster ]

Capacity for heat, the power of absorbing heat. Substances differ in the amount of heat requisite to raise them a given number of thermometric degrees, and this difference is the measure of, or depends upon, what is called their capacity for heat. See Specific heat, under Heat.

Syn. -- Ability; faculty; talent; capability; skill; efficiency; cleverness. See Ability. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ or . [ See capitan. ] The chief admiral of the Turkish fleet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ] (Zool.) The thick shell or shield which covers the back of the tortoise, or turtle, the crab, and other crustaceous animals. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. cepa, caepa, onion. ] Of the nature of an onion, as in odor; alliaceous. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Baseball) a baseball pitch thrown with little velocity when the batter is expecting a fastball; -- called also change-up.
Syn. -- change-up, change-of-pace ball, off-speed pitch. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Cinque + pace. ] A lively dance (called also galliard), the steps of which were regulated by the number five. [ Obs. ] Nares. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. grouped closely together.
Syn. -- dense, tight. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

p. p. & a. [ L. compactus, p. p. of compingere to join or unite; com- + pangere to fasten, fix: cf. F. compacte. See Pact. ] 1. Joined or held together; leagued; confederated. [ Obs. ] “Compact with her that's gone.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

A pipe of seven reeds, compact with wax together. Peacham. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Composed or made; -- with of. [ Poetic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A wandering fire,
Compact of unctuous vapor. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Closely or firmly united, as the particles of solid bodies; firm; close; solid; dense. [ 1913 Webster ]

Glass, crystal, gems, and other compact bodies. Sir I. Newton. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Brief; close; pithy; not diffuse; not verbose; as, a compact discourse.

Syn. -- Firm; close; solid; dense; pithy; sententious. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Compacted; p. pr. & vb. n. Compacting. ] 1. To thrust, drive, or press closely together; to join firmly; to consolidate; to make close; -- as the parts which compose a body. [ 1913 Webster ]

Now the bright sun compacts the precious stone. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To unite or connect firmly, as in a system. [ 1913 Webster ]

The whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth. Eph. iv. 16. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. compactum, fr. compacisci, p. p. compactus, to make an agreement with; com- + pacisci to make an agreement. See Pact. ] An agreement between parties; a covenant or contract. [ 1913 Webster ]

The law of nations depends on mutual compacts, treaties, leagues, etc. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wedlock is described as the indissoluble compact. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

The federal constitution has been styled a compact between the States by which it was ratified. Wharton.

Syn. -- See Covenant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a disk-shaped optical data storage medium approximately 4-3/4 in. in diameter, which stores binary data as microscopic nonreflective holes or pits in an otherwise reflective surface, and is recorded and played back by rotation in an electronic device containing a laser. It is often referred to by its abbreviation CD. It is a type of optical data storage medium. Compact disks are used for recordings of music as well as of data for computer applications.
Syn. -- CD. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. an electronic device containing a laser, used to read or play back the data on a compact disk. The term is usually used for the type of device used to play music recordings. That used for data storgage n coputer applications is usually called a CD drive. Called also CD player and informally, CD.
Syn. -- CD player. [ PJC ]

a. Compact; pressed close; concentrated; firmly united. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a compact manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A state of being compact. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who makes a compact. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. That may be compacted. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. compactio. ] The act of making compact, or the state of being compact. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a compact manner; with close union of parts; densely; tersely. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being compact; close union of parts; density. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. compactura. ] Close union or connection of parts; manner of joining; construction. [ Obs. ] “With comely compass and compacture strong.” Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. completely satisfactory.
Syn. -- copesetic, copesettic. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

You had to be a good judge of what a man was like, and the English was copacetic. John O'Hara

[ After Sir William Crookes, English chemist, who first described it. ] (Physics) The dark space within the negative-pole glow at the cathode of a vacuum tube, observed only when the pressure is low enough to give a striated discharge; -- called also Crookes layer. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. To deprive of capacity; to incapacitate. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ Pref. dis- asunder, different ways, to and fro + pace. ] To roam. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

In this fair plot dispacing to and fro. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. drupacé. ] (Bot.) Producing, or pertaining to, drupes; having the form of drupes; as, drupaceous trees or fruits. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., from Gr. 'e`pakros pointed at the end. So called in allusion to the sharply pointed leaves. ] (Bot.) A genus of shrubs, natives of Australia, New Zealand, etc., having pretty white, red, or purple blossoms, and much resembling heaths. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. épacte, fr. Gr. 'epakto`s brought on or in, added, fr. 'epa`gein to bring on or in; 'epi` on, in + 'a`gein to bring or lead. See Epi-, and Act. ] (Chron.) The moon's age at the beginning of the calendar year, or the number of days by which the last new moon has preceded the beginning of the year. [ 1913 Webster ]

Annual epact, the excess of the solar year over the lunar year, -- being eleven days. --
Menstrual epact, or
Monthly epact, the excess of a calendar month over a lunar. [ 1913 Webster ]