%dill%

n. Asphodel. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 a family comrising the pill bugs.
Syn. -- family Armadillidiidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. 1 the type genus of the Armadillidiidae.
Syn. -- genus Armadillidium. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n.; pl. Armadillos [ Sp. armadillo, dim. of armado armed, p. p. of armar to arm. So called from being armed with a bony shell. ] (Zool.) (a) Any edentate animal if the family Dasypidæ, peculiar to America. The body and head are incased in an armor composed of small bony plates. The armadillos burrow in the earth, seldom going abroad except at night. When attacked, they curl up into a ball, presenting the armor on all sides. Their flesh is good food. There are several species, one of which (the peba) is found as far north as Texas. See Peba, Poyou, Tatouay. (b) A genus of small isopod Crustacea that can roll themselves into a ball. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Prob. from Cadillac, a French town. ] A large pear, shaped like a flattened top, used chiefly for cooking. Johnson.

2. [ From Cadillac, the high-end expensive line of automobiles made by General Motors, often thought of as the best American-made automobile. ] The best; -- metaphorical, from the automobile. Often used in the phrase “the Cadillac of . . . ” [ PJC ]

n. [ Sp. cedilla, cf. F. cédille; dim. of zeta, the Gr. name of the letter z, because this letter was formerly written after the c, to give it the sound of s. ] A mark placed under the letter c [ thus, ç ], to show that it is to be sounded like s, as in façade. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. L. codicula a little tail, dim. of cauda tail. ] (Com.) The coarse tow of flax and hemp. McElrath. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. codile. ] A term at omber, signifying that the game is won. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a handsome shrub (Hamelia patens) with showy orange to scarlet or crimson flowers; it grows from Florida and West Indies to Mexico and Brazil.
Syn. -- scarlet bush, scarlet hamelia, Hamelia patens, Hamelia erecta. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Sp., fr. OSp. cordilla, cordiella, dim. of cuerda a rope, string. See Cord. ] (Geol.) A mountain ridge or chain. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Cordillera is sometimes applied, in geology, to the system of mountain chains near the border of a continent; thus, the western cordillera of North America in the United States includes the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, Coast and Cascade ranges. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS dile; akin to D. dille, OHG. tilli, G. dill, dille, Sw. dill, Dan. dild. ] (Bot.) An herb (Peucedanum graveolens), the seeds of which are moderately warming, pungent, and aromatic, and were formerly used as a soothing medicine for children; -- called also dillseed. Dr. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ OE. dillen, fr. dul dull, a. ] To still; to calm; to soothe, as one in pain. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. any of several evergreen trees or shrubs of the genus Dillenia grown for their foliage and nodding magnolialike flowers which are followed by fruit that is used in curries and jellies and preserves. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a natural family of chiefly tropical shrubs and trees and climbers having leathery leaves or flattened leaflike stems, including the genera Dillenia and Hibbertia.
Syn. -- family Dilleniaceae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a group of families of more or less advanced trees and shrubs and herbs having either polypetalous or gamopetalous corollas and often with ovules attached to the walls of the ovary; it contains 69 families including Ericaceae and Cruciferae and Malvaceae; it is sometimes classified as a superorder.
Syn. -- subclass Dilleniidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A darling; a favorite. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Whilst the birds billing,
Each one with his dilling. Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Min.) A process of sorting ore by washing in a hand sieve. [ Written also deluing. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Contr. fr. diligence. ] A kind of stagecoach. “The Derby dilly.” J. H. Frere. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. something remarkable, highly unusual, or exceptionally effective; as, a dilly of a movie; when I make a mistake, it's a dilly. [ PJC ]

v. i. [ See Dally. ] To loiter or trifle; to waste time. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Sp., dim. of granada pomegranate. See Grenade, Garnet. ] (Bot.) The fruit of certain species of passion flower (esp. Passiflora quadrangularis) found in Brazil and the West Indies. It is as large as a child's head, and is a good dessert fruit. The fruit of Passiflora edulis is used for flavoring ices. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A West Indian tree (Brya ebenus) yielding a fine grade of green ebony.
Syn. -- granadilla tree, Brya ebenus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Sp. granadillo. ] A handsome tropical American wood, much used for making flutes and other wind instruments; -- called also Grenada cocos, or cocus, and red ebony. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A desert shrub (Larrea tridentata) of the Southwestern U.S. and Northern Mexico having persistent resinous aromatic foliage and small yellow flowers.
Syn. -- creosote bush, coville, Larrea tridentata. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Arch.) The space between two modillions. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. modillon, It. modiglione. Cf. Module, n. ] (Arch.) The enriched block or horizontal bracket generally found under the cornice of the Corinthian and Composite entablature, and sometimes, less ornamented, in the Ionic and other orders; -- so called because of its arrangement at regulated distances. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Peccadillos [ Sp. pecadillo, dim. of pecado a sin, fr. L. peccatum. See Peccant. ] A slight trespass or offense; a petty crime; a trifling fault. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ OF. piccagilles the several divisions of pieces fastened together about the brim of the collar of a doublet, a dim. fr. Sp. picado, p. p. of picar to prick. See Pike. ] A high, stiff collar for the neck; also, a hem or band about the skirt of a garment, -- worn by men in the 17th century. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp. cebadilla. ] (Bot.) A Mexican liliaceous plant (Schoenocaulon officinale); also, its seeds, which contain the alkaloid veratrine. It was formerly used in medicine as an emetic and purgative. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Sapodila. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp. zapote, sapotillo, zapotillo, Mexican cochit-zapotl. Cf. Sapota. ] (Bot.) A tall, evergeen, tropical American tree (Achras Sapota); also, its edible fruit, the sapodilla plum. [ Written also sapadillo, sappadillo, sappodilla, and zapotilla. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Sapodilla plum (Bot.), the fruit of Achras Sapota. It is about the size of an ordinary quince, having a rough, brittle, dull brown rind, the flesh being of a dirty yellowish white color, very soft, and deliciously sweet. Called also naseberry. It is eatable only when it begins to be spotted, and is much used in desserts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) See Sapodilla. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. Sp. espadilla, dim. of espada. See Spade a card. ] (Card Playing) The ace of spades in omber and quadrille. [ 1913 Webster ]