%eft%

n. [ OE. cheftayn, chevetayn, OF. chevetain, F. capitaine, LL. capitanus, fr. L. caput head. Cf. Captain, and see chief. ] A captain, leader, or commander; a chief; the head of a troop, army, or clan.

Syn. -- Chief; commander; leader; head. See Chief. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. The rank, dignity, or office of a chieftain. [ 1913 Webster ]

imp. & p. p. from Cleave. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Divided; split; partly divided or split. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Incised nearly to the midrib; as, a cleft leaf. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. clift; cf. Sw. klyft cave, den, Icel. kluft cleft, Dan. klöft, G. kluft. See Cleave to split and cf. 2d Clift, 1st Clough. ] 1. A space or opening made by splitting; a crack; a crevice; as, the cleft of a rock. Is. ii. 21. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A piece made by splitting; as, a cleft of wood. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Far.) A disease in horses; a crack on the band of the pastern. [ 1913 Webster ]

Branchial clefts. See under Branchial.

Syn. -- Crack; crevice; fissure; chink; cranny. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having a cloven foot. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To ingraft by cleaving the stock and inserting a scion. Mortimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ OE. daft, deft, becoming, mild, gentle, stupid (cf. OE. daffe, deffe, fool, coward), AS. dæft (in derivatives only) mild, gentle, fitting, seasonable; akin to dafen, gedafen, becoming, fit, Goth. gadaban to be fit. Cf. Daft, Daff, Dapper. ] 1. Apt; fit; spruce; neat. [ Archaic or Poetic ] “The deftest way.” Shak. “Deftest feats.” Gay. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let me be deft and debonair. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. dexterous; clever; handy; as, a deft feat of legerdemain. [ PJC ]

The limping god, so deft at his new ministry. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ Cf. Defly. ] Aptly; fitly; dexterously; neatly. “Deftly dancing.” Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thyself and office deftly show. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being deft. Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. efete lizard. See Newt. ] (Zoöl.) (a) A European lizard of the genus Seps. (b) A salamander, esp. the European smooth newt (Triton punctatus). [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ AS. eft, æft, again, back, afterward. See Aft, After. ] Again; afterwards; soon; quickly. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I wold never eft comen into the snare. Spenser.

{ } adv. [ OE. eftsone, eftsones; AS. eft + sōna soon. See Eft, and Soon. ] Again; anew; a second time; at once; speedily. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

And, if he fall from his capel [ horse ] eftsone. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

The champion stout eftsoons dismounted. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Haft, n. [ Obs. ] Waller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Heave: cf. hefe weight. Cf. Haft. ] 1. The act or effort of heaving; violent strain or exertion. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He craks his gorge, his sides,
With violent hefts. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Weight; ponderousness. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A man of his age and heft. T. Hughes. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The greater part or bulk of anything; as, the heft of the crop was spoiled. [ Colloq. U. S. ] J. Pickering. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; G. pl. Hefte /plu>. [ G. ] A number of sheets of paper fastened together, as for a notebook; also, a part of a serial publication.

The size of “hefts” will depend on the material requiring attention, and the annual volume is to cost about 15 marks. The Nation. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Hefted (Heft, obs.); p. pr. & vb. n. Hefting. ] 1. To heave up; to raise aloft. [ 1913 Webster ]

Inflamed with wrath, his raging blade he heft. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To prove or try the weight of by raising. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Moderately heavy. [ Colloq. U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Strong; muscular; -- of people. [ PJC ]

3. Substantial; large; as, a hefty increase in annual profits. [ PJC ]

{ } a. Dressed; hooded; covered; wearing a kerchief. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

imp. & p. p. of Leave. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ OE. left, lift, luft; akin to Fries. leeft, OD. lucht, luft; cf. AS. left (equiv. to L. inanis), lyftādl palsy; or cf. AS. lēf weak. ] 1. Of or pertaining to that side of the body in man on which the muscular action of the limbs is usually weaker than on the other side; -- opposed to right, when used in reference to a part of the body; as, the left hand, or arm; the left ear. Also said of the corresponding side of the lower animals. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Situated so that the left side of the body is toward it; as, the left side of a deliberative meeting is that to the left of the presiding officer; the left wing of an army is that to the left of the center to one facing an enemy. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Left bank of a river, that which is on the left hand of a person whose face is turned downstream. --
Left bower. See under 2d Bower. --
Left center, the members whose sympathies are, in the main, with the members of the Left, but who do not favor extreme courses, and on occasions vote with the government. They sit between the Center and the extreme Left. --
Over the left shoulder, or
Over the left, an old but still current colloquialism, or slang expression, used as an aside to indicate insincerity, negation, or disbelief; as, he said it, and it is true, -- over the left. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. That part of surrounding space toward which the left side of one's body is turned; as, the house is on the left when you face North. [ 1913 Webster ]

Put that rose a little more to the left. Ld. Lytton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Those members of a legislative assembly (as in France) who are in the opposition; the advanced republicans and extreme radicals. They have their seats at the left-hand side of the presiding officer. See Center, and Right. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The left cerebral hemisphere of the brain; in humans, it controls motor activity on the right side of the body, and in most people is the primary location for control of language, logic, and mathematical thought. [ PJC ]

a. Of or pertaining to the left cerebral hemisphere of the brain. [ PJC ]

a. Exhibiting intellectual or personality characteristics suggesting dominance of linguistic or logical modes of thought, which are usually controlled by the left cerebral hemisphere; as, left-brained pedants unable to appreciate music; also referred to as linear. See linear{ 3 }. Contrasted with right-brained. [ PJC ]

n. (Baseball) the part of the outfield on the catcher's or batter's left.
Syn. -- left. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Situated on the left; nearer the left hand than the right; as, the left-hand side; the left-hand road. [ 1913 Webster ]

Left-hand rope, rope laid up and twisted over from right to left, or against the sun; -- called also water-laid rope. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Having the left hand or arm stronger and more dexterous than the right; using the left hand and arm with more dexterity than the right. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Clumsy; awkward; unlucky; insincere; sinister; malicious; as, a left-handed compliment. [ 1913 Webster ]

The commendations of this people are not always left-handed and detractive. Landor. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Having a direction contrary to that of the hands of a watch when seen in front; -- said of a twist, a rotary motion, etc., looked at from a given direction. [ 1913 Webster ]

Left-handed marriage, a morganatic marriage. See Morganatic. --
Left-handed screw, a screw constructed to advance away from the observer, when turned, as in a nut, with a left-handed rotation. An ordinary wood screw is right-handed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a person who uses the left hand with greater skill than the right; a left-handed{ 1 } person.
Syn. -- lefty, southpaw. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ } n. The state or quality of being left-handed; awkwardness. [ 1913 Webster ]

An awkward address, ungraceful attitudes and actions, and a certain left-handiness (if I may use the expression) proclaim low education. Chesterfield. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. Inclined toward the political left. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a person who belongs to the political left.
Syn. -- socialist, collectivist, left-winger. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. same as left-wing.
Syn. -- left-of-center, left-wing. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. same as left-wing.
Syn. -- leftist, left-wing. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Laid aside; cast-off. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. not used up; remaining after use of part; as, unusable leftover auto parts.
Syn. -- left over(predicate), left(predicate), odd, remaining, unexpended. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. Specifically: remaining from a previous meal; -- of food; as, leftover food served at a later meal.
Syn. -- cooked-over, warmed-over, reheated. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. An unused part or portion; -- used especially of food remaining uneaten from a previous meal; as, to have leftovers for dinner.
Syn. -- remnant. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

adj. slanting toward the left; -- of handwriting. Such handwriting is usually found in left-handed writers [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. Toward or on the left side. [ 1913 Webster ]

Rightward and leftward rise the rocks. Southey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Those trying to reform the established order, particularly in political matters, to enhance the condition of the common people; -- sometimes applied to those advocating overthrow of an existing government by radical means.
Syn. -- left, left wing, leftists, political left. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. 1. Of or pertaining to the political left or its ideology. [ PJC ]

2. Believing in or supporting tenets of the political left.
Syn. -- leftist, left-of-center. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. a person who belongs to the political left.
Syn. -- socialist, collectivist, leftist. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. a person who uses the left hand with greater skill than the right; a left-handed person.
Syn. -- lefthander, southpaw. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a baseball pitcher who throws the ball with the left hand.
Syn. -- left-handed pitcher, left-hander, southpaw. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A chink; a rift. See Rift. Rom. of R. [ 1913 Webster ]

imp. & p. p. of Reave. Bereft. [ 1913 Webster ]

Reft of thy sons, amid thy foes forlorn. Heber. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having great tenderness; easily moved. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. thefte, AS. þiéfðe, þ&ymacr_;fðe, þeófðe. See Thief. ] 1. (Law) The act of stealing; specifically, the felonious taking and removing of personal property, with an intent to deprive the rightful owner of the same; larceny. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ To constitute theft there must be a taking without the owner's consent, and it must be unlawful or felonious; every part of the property stolen must be removed, however slightly, from its former position; and it must be, at least momentarily, in the complete possession of the thief. See Larceny, and the Note under Robbery. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The thing stolen. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, . . . he shall restore double. Ex. xxii. 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Theft + bote compensation. ] (Law) The receiving of a man's goods again from a thief, or a compensation for them, by way of composition, with the intent that the thief shall escape punishment. [ 1913 Webster ]