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n. [ OE. afiaunce trust, confidence, OF. afiance, fr. afier to trust, fr. LL. affidare to trust; ad + fidare to trust, fr. L. fides faith. See Faith, and cf. Affidavit, Affy, Confidence. ] 1. Plighted faith; marriage contract or promise. [ archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Trust; reliance; faith; confidence. [ archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Such feelings promptly yielded to his habitual affiance in the divine love. Sir J. Stephen. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lancelot, my Lancelot, thou in whom I have
Most joy and most affiance. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. affianced p. pr. & vb. n. affiancing ] [ Cf. OF. afiancier, fr. afiance. ] 1. To betroth; to pledge one's faith to for marriage, or solemnly promise (one's self or another) in marriage. [ 1913 Webster ]

To me, sad maid, he was affianced. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To assure by promise. [ Obs. ] Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who makes a contract of marriage between two persons. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From p. pr. of OF. afier, LL. affidare. See Affidavit. ] (Law) One who makes an affidavit. [ U. S. ] Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Deponent. See Deponent. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. alcalifiable. ] Capable of being alkalified, or converted into an alkali. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Physiol.) See Calorificient. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. presenting symptoms of mental illness sufficient for legal commitment to a mental institution.
Syn. -- certified. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. capable of being guaranteed or certified: a certifiable fact. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Capable of being classified. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. defiance, desfiance, challenge, fr. desfier to challenge, F. défier. See Defy. ] 1. The act of defying, putting in opposition, or provoking to combat; a challenge; a provocation; a summons to combat. [ 1913 Webster ]

A war without a just defiance made. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Stood for her cause, and flung defiance down. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A state of opposition; willingness to flight; disposition to resist; contempt of opposition. [ 1913 Webster ]

He breathed defiance to my ears. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A casting aside; renunciation; rejection. [ Obs. ] “Defiance to thy kindness.” Ford. [ 1913 Webster ]

To bid defiance,
To set at defiance, to defy; to disregard recklessly or contemptuously. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. défiant, p. pr. of défier. See Defy. ] Full of defiance; bold; insolent; as, a defiant spirit or act. [ 1913 Webster ]

In attitude stern and defiant. Longfellow.

-- De*fi"ant*ly, adv. -- De*fi"ant*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Defy. ] Bidding or manifesting defiance. [ Obs. ] Shelford. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or capacity of being diversifiable. Earle. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being diversified or varied. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of receiving electricity, or of being charged with it. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. That can be exemplified. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. OF. falsifiable. ] 1. Capable of being falsified, counterfeited, or corrupted. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. able to be proven false, and therefore testable; as, most religious beliefs are not falsifiable, and are therefor outside the scope of experimental science. [ PJC ]

adj. Of or pertaining to Falstaff, a character in Shakespeare's plays. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ F. ] A kind of French hackney coach. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ F. fiancer. See Affiance. ] To betroth; to affiance. [ Obs. ] Harmar. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. ] A betrothed man; the man to whom one is betrothed. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

‖n. [ F. ] A betrothed woman; the woman to whom one is betrothed. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. [ F. fiente dung. ] The dung of the fox, wolf, boar, or badger. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Feuar. ] 1. (Scots Law) One in whom the property of an estate is vested, subject to the estate of a life renter. [ 1913 Webster ]

I am fiar of the lands; she a life renter. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. pl. The price of grain, as legally fixed, in the counties of Scotland, for the current year. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Fiascoes [ It. ] A complete or ridiculous failure, esp. of a musical performance, or of any pretentious undertaking. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., let it be done, 3d pers. sing., subj. pres., fr. fieri, used as pass. of facere to make. Cf. Be. ] 1. An authoritative command or order to do something; an effectual decree. [ 1913 Webster ]

His fiat laid the corner stone. Willis. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Eng. Law) (a) A warrant of a judge for certain processes. (b) An authority for certain proceedings given by the Lord Chancellor's signature. [ 1913 Webster ]

Fiat money, irredeemable paper currency, not resting on a specie basis, but deriving its purchasing power from the declaratory fiat of the government issuing it. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Commission; fiat; order; decree. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. OF. fortifiable. ] Capable of being fortified. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Pertaining to, or discovered by, Regnier de Graaf, a Dutch physician. [ 1913 Webster ]

Graafian follicles or vesicles, small cavities in which the ova are developed in the ovaries of mammals, and by the bursting of which they are discharged. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being identified. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not admitting of being vitrified, or converted into glass. Kirwan. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. justifiable. See Justify. ] Capable of being justified, or shown to be just. [ 1913 Webster ]

Just are the ways of God,
And justifiable to men. Milton.

Syn. -- Defensible; vindicable; warrantable; excusable; exculpable; authorizable.

-- Jus"ti*fi`a*ble*ness, n. -- Jus"ti*fi`a*bly, adv. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. liquéfiable. See Liquefy. ] Capable of being changed from a solid to a liquid state. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖‖, n. [ It. maffia. ] 1. A secret society which organized in Sicily as a political organization, but is now widespread among Italians, and is used to further or protect private interests, reputedly by illegal methods; called also the Sicilian Mafia. [ wns=2 ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. A group of loosely associated of criminal organizations in the United States, some having ties to the Sicilian Mafia, and organized in “families”; the term is applied to the entire group of organizations, or to any one local group. Also, loosely, organized groups of criminals anywhere, as the Russian mafia. [ wns=1 ]
Syn. -- syndicate, mob, Cosa Nostra, La Cosa Nostra, organized crime. [ WordNet 1.6 + PJC ]

3. Any tightly knit group of trusted associates having strong control or influence in some area; as, Kennedy and his Irish Mafia. [ informal ] [ wns=3 ] [ PJC ]

{ ‖‖, n. see maffia, maffioso. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. [ From Magnify. ] Such as can be magnified, or extolled. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Capability of being modified; state or quality of being modifiable. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From Modify. ] Capable of being modified; liable to modification. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being mollified. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. oléfiant, fr.L. oleum oil + -ficare (in comp.). Cf. -Fy. ] (Chem.) Forming or producing an oil; specifically, designating a colorless gaseous hydrocarbon called ethylene (olefiant gas). [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being pacified or appeased; placable. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being qualified; abatable; modifiable. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A fibrous material used for tying plants, said to come from the leaves of a palm tree of the genus Raphia. J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants). [ 1913 Webster ]

(a) A pinnate-leaved palm (Raphia ruffia) native of Madagascar, and of considerable economic importance on account of the strong fiber (raffia) obtained from its leafstalks. (b) The jupati palm. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. [ Cf. F. raréfiable. ] Capable of being rarefied. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. Malay arak arrack + tāfīa a spirit distilled from molasses. ] A spirituous liquor flavored with the kernels of cherries, apricots, peaches, or other fruit, spiced, and sweetened with sugar; -- a term applied to the liqueurs called noyau, curaçao, etc. [ Written also ratifia and ratafee. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Capable of being rectified; as, a rectifiable mistake. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Math.) Admitting, as a curve, of the construction of a straight line equal in length to any definite portion of the curve. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. rufien, OF. ruffien, ruffian, pimp, libertine, rake; cf. Pr. & Sp. rufian, It. ruffiano; all perhaps of German or Dutch origin; cf. G. raufen to pluck, scuffle, fight, OD. roffen to pander. Cf. Ruffle to grow turbulent. ] 1. A pimp; a pander; also, a paramour. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He [ her husband ] is no sooner abroad than she is instantly at home, reveling with her ruffians. Bp. Reynolds. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A boisterous, cruel, brutal fellow; a desperate fellow ready for murderous or cruel deeds; a cutthroat. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wilt thou on thy deathbed play the ruffian? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: A tough, lawless or bullying person. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Brutal; cruel; savagely boisterous; murderous; as, ruffian rage. [ 1913 Webster ]