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n. a natural family comprising the true toads.
Syn. -- family Bufonidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. bufo toad: cf. F. bufonite. ] (Paleon.) An old name for a fossil consisting of the petrified teeth and palatal bones of fishes belonging to the family of Pycnodonts (thick teeth), whose remains occur in the oölite and chalk formations; toadstone; -- so named from a notion that it was originally formed in the head of a toad. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F., lit., rag. See Chiffonier. ] 1. Any merely ornamental adjunct of a woman's dress, as a bunch of ribbon, lace, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. A kind of soft gauzy material used for ruches, trimmings, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

{ fem. - } n. [ F. chiffonnier, fem. chiffonnière, fr. chiffon rag, fr. chiffe a rag, flimsy cloth. ] 1. One who gathers rags and odds and ends; a ragpicker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A receptacle for rags or shreds. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A movable and ornamental closet or piece of furniture with shelves or drawers. G. Eliot. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ F. crédit credit & foncier relating to land, landed. ] A company licensed for the purpose of carrying out improvements, by means of loans and advances upon real securities. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. fāni silly, fāna to act silly, Sw. fåne fool. Cf. Fond, a. ] A fool; an idiot. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

obs. imp. of Find. Found. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Compar. Fonder superl. Fondest. ] [ For fonned, p. p. of OE. fonnen to be foolish. See Fon. ] 1. Foolish; silly; simple; weak. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Grant I may never prove so fond
To trust man on his oath or bond. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Foolishly tender and loving; weakly indulgent; over-affectionate. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Affectionate; loving; tender; -- in a good sense; as, a fond mother or wife. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Loving; much pleased; affectionately regardful, indulgent, or desirous; longing or yearning; -- followed by of (formerly also by on). [ 1913 Webster ]

More fond on her than she upon her love. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

You are as fond of grief as of your child. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

A great traveler, and fond of telling his adventures. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Doted on; regarded with affection. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Nor fix on fond abodes to circumscribe thy prayer. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Trifling; valued by folly; trivial. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To caress; to fondle. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The Tyrian hugs and fonds thee on her breast. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To be fond; to dote. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. L. fundus. See Fund. ] [ Obs., or used as a French word ] 1. Foundation; bottom; groundwork; specif.: (a) (Lace Making) The ground. (b) (Cookery) The broth or juice from braised flesh or fish, usually served as a sauce. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. Fund, stock, or store. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n. [ F., lit., melting, p. pr. of fondre to melt, L. fundere. See Found to cast. ] A kind of soft candy, made of a thick creamy sugar paste by boiling solutions to the point of crystallization, and usually molded; as, cherry fondant. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. + WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. & i. [ AS. fandian to try. ] To endeavor; to strive; to try. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Fondled p. pr. & vb. n. Fondling ] [ From Fond, v. ] To treat or handle with tenderness or in a loving manner; to caress; as, a nurse fondles a child.

Syn.- See Caress. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who fondles. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Fondle. ] The act of caressing; manifestation of tenderness. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cyrus made no . . . amorous fondling
To fan her pride, or melt her guardless heart. Mickle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Fond + -ling. ] 1. A person or thing fondled or caressed; one treated with foolish or doting affection. [ 1913 Webster ]

Fondlings are in danger to be made fools. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A fool; a simpleton; a ninny. [ Obs. ] Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. Foolishly. [ Archaic ] Verstegan (1673). [ 1913 Webster ]

Make him speak fondly like a frantic man. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. In a fond manner; affectionately; tenderly. [ 1913 Webster ]

My heart, untraveled, fondly turns to thee. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The quality or state of being fond; foolishness. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Fondness it were for any, being free,
To covet fetters, though they golden be. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Doting affection; tender liking; strong appetite, propensity, or relish; as, he had a fondness for truffles. [ 1913 Webster ]

My heart had still some foolish fondness for thee. Addison.

Syn. -- Attachment; affection; love; kindness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. fondant flux. ] (Metal.) A large copper vessel used for hot amalgamation. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖a. [ F. fondu, p.p. of fondre to melt, blend. See Found to cast. ] 1. Blended; gradually changing or passing into each other by subtle gradations; -- said of colors or of the surface or material on which the colors are laid.

2. Melted. [ Also spelled fondue. ] [ PJC ]

‖n. [ Also erroneously . ] [ F. See Fondu; cf. Fondant. ] 1. (Cookery) A dish made of cheese, eggs, butter, etc., often seasoned with kirsch and white wine, melted together, and usually used as a dip for pieces of bread. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. (Cookery) A dish consisting of pieces of solid food cooked in or dipped into a hot sauce; as, beef fondue. [ PJC ]

a. [ F. fondu, p.p. of fondre to melt, blend. See Found to cast. ] Melted. [ Also spelled fondu. ] [ PJC ]

‖n. [ F. fondu, prop. p. p. of fondre to melt, blend. See Found to cast. ] A style of printing calico, paper hangings, etc., in which the colors are in bands and graduated into each other. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. of Foe. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See Fang, v. t. ] To take; to receive. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ See Fon. ] Foolishly; fondly. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A fon. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. fonte, fr. fondre to melt or cast. See Found to cast, and cf. Fount a font. ] (Print.) A complete assortment of printing type of one size, including a due proportion of all the letters in the alphabet, large and small, points, accents, and whatever else is necessary for printing with that variety of types; a fount. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. font, fant, fr. L. fons, fontis, spring, fountain; cf. OF. font, funt, F. fonts, fonts baptismaux, pl. See Fount. ] 1. A fountain; a spring; a source. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bathing forever in the font of bliss. Young. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A basin or stone vessel in which water is contained for baptizing. [ 1913 Webster ]

That name was given me at the font. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to a font, fountain, source, or origin; original; primitive. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

From the fontal light of ideas only can a man draw intellectual power. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. fontanelle, prop., a little fountain, fr. fontaine fountain. See Fountain. ] 1. (Med.) An issue or artificial ulcer for the discharge of humors from the body.[ Obs. ] Wiseman. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Anat.) One of the membranous intervals between the incompleted angles of the parietal and neighboring bones of a fetal or young skull; -- so called because it exhibits a rhythmical pulsation. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In the human fetus there are six fontanels, of which the anterior, or bregmatic, situated at the junction of the coronal and sagittal sutures, is much the largest, and remains open a considerable time after birth. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. ] (Anat.) Same as Fontanel, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F., from the name of the first wearer, Mlle. de Fontanges, about 1679. ] A kind of tall headdress formerly worn. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ OE. griffin, griffon, griffoun, F. griffon, fr. L. gryphus, equiv to gryps, Gr. &unr_;; -- so called because of the hooked beak, and akin to grypo`s curved, hook-nosed. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Myth.) A fabulous monster, half lion and half eagle. It is often represented in Grecian and Roman works of art. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Her.) A representation of this creature as an heraldic charge. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) A species of large vulture (Gyps fulvus) found in the mountainous parts of Southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor; -- called also gripe, and grype. It is supposed to be the “eagle” of the Bible. The bearded griffin is the lammergeir. [ Written also gryphon. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

4. An English early apple. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ] One of a European breed of rough-coated dogs, somewhat taller than the setter and of a grizzly liver color. They are used in hunting game birds. The Brussels griffon is a very small, wiry-coated, short-nosed pet dog of Belgian origin. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Obs. ] See Griffin. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Fond to excess. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- O"ver*fond"ly, adv. -- O"ver*fond"ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Chin. peh tung. ] (Metal.) A Chinese alloy of nickel, zinc, and copper, resembling German silver. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Packfong. [ 1913 Webster ]