%dran%

n. [ Cf. F. cadran. Cf. Quadrant. ] An instrument with a graduated disk by means of which the angles of gems are measured in the process of cutting and polishing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a genus comprising plants often included in the genus Chrysanthemum.
Syn. -- genus Dendranthema. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

imp. of Drink. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. 3d Drake. ] Wild oats, or darnel grass. See Drake a plant. [ Prov. Eng. ] Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. an upright hydrant that can supply large volumes of water to use in fighting a fire. They are commonly placed at intervals at the street edge of a sidewalk, spaced for convenience in suppressing fires in towns.
Syn. -- fireplug, plug. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

A thin quadrant, made of brass, wood, etc., showing a stereographic projection on the plane of the equator. By it are found the hour of the day, the sun's azimuth, the altitude of objects in degrees, etc. See Gunter's scale. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Hinder, v. t. ] 1. The act of hindering, or the state of being hindered. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which hinders; an impediment. [ 1913 Webster ]

What various hindrances we meet. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

Something between a hindrance and a help. Wordsworth.

Syn. -- Impediment; obstruction; obstacle; difficulty; interruption; check; delay; restraint. [ 1913 Webster ]

peop. n. [ NL., fr. Gr. "y`dwr water + &unr_; vessel, capsule: cf. F. hydrangée.] (Bot.) A genus of shrubby plants bearing opposite leaves and large heads of showy flowers, white, or of various colors. Hydrangea hortensis, the common garden species, is a native of China or Japan. [1913 Webster]

prop. n. A natural family of plants including the hydrangeas, sometimes included in the family Saxifragaceae.
Syn. -- family Hydrangeaceae, hydrangea family. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; to irrigate, fr. "y`dwr water. See Hydra.] A discharge pipe with a valve and spout at which water may be drawn from the mains of waterworks; a water plug. [1913 Webster]

n. [ Hydra + Gr. &unr_; a flower. ] (Zool.) One of the nutritive zooids of a hydroid colony. Also applied to the proboscis or manubrium of a hydroid medusa. See Illust. of Hydroidea. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. L. quadrangulum; quattuor four + angulus an angle. See Four, and Angle a corner. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Geom.) A plane figure having four angles, and consequently four sides; any figure having four angles. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A square or quadrangular space or inclosure, such a space or court surrounded by buildings, esp. such a court in a college or public school in England. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. quadrangulaire. ] Having four angles, and consequently four sides; tetragonal. -- Quad*ran"gu*lar*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

‖n.; pl. Quadrantes [ L. ] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) A fourth part of the coin called an as. See 3d As, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The fourth of a penny; a farthing. See Cur. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. quadrans, -antis, a fourth part, a fourth of a whole, fr. quattuor four: cf. F. quadrant, cadran. See Four, and cf. Cadrans. ] 1. The fourth part; the quarter. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Geom.) The quarter of a circle, or of the circumference of a circle, an arc of 90°, or one subtending a right angle at the center. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Anal. (Geom.) One of the four parts into which a plane is divided by the coordinate axes. The upper right-hand part is the first quadrant; the upper left-hand part the second; the lower left-hand part the third; and the lower right-hand part the fourth quadrant. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. An instrument for measuring altitudes, variously constructed and mounted for different specific uses in astronomy, surveying, gunnery, etc., consisting commonly of a graduated arc of 90°, with an index or vernier, and either plain or telescopic sights, and usually having a plumb line or spirit level for fixing the vertical or horizontal direction. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gunner's quadrant, an instrument consisting of a graduated limb, with a plumb line or spirit level, and an arm by which it is applied to a cannon or mortar in adjusting it to the elevation required for attaining the desired range. --
Gunter's quadrant. See Gunter's quadrant, in the Vocabulary. --
Hadley's quadrant, a hand instrument used chiefly at sea to measure the altitude of the sun or other celestial body in ascertaining the vessel's position. It consists of a frame in the form of an octant having a graduated scale upon its arc, and an index arm, or alidade pivoted at its apex. Mirrors, called the index glass and the horizon glass, are fixed one upon the index arm and the other upon one side of the frame, respectively. When the instrument is held upright, the index arm may be swung so that the index glass will reflect an image of the sun upon the horizon glass, and when the reflected image of the sun coincides, to the observer's eye, with the horizon as seen directly through an opening at the side of the horizon glass, the index shows the sun's altitude upon the scale; -- more properly, but less commonly, called an octant. --
Quadrant of altitude, an appendage of the artificial globe, consisting of a slip of brass of the length of a quadrant of one of the great circles of the globe, and graduated. It may be fitted to the meridian, and being movable round to all points of the horizon, serves as a scale in measuring altitudes, azimuths, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. quadrantalis containing the fourth fourth part of a measure. ] (Geom.) Of or pertaining to a quadrant; also, included in the fourth part of a circle; as, quadrantal space. [ 1913 Webster ]

Quadrantal triangle, a spherical triangle having one side equal to a quadrant or arc of 90°. --
Quadrantal versor, a versor that expresses rotation through one right angle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) A cubical vessel containing a Roman cubic foot, each side being a Roman square foot; -- used as a measure. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A cube. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]