%kat%

n. [ Malayan kakatūa. ] (Zool.) A bird of the Parrot family, of the subfamily Cacatuinæ, having a short, strong, and much curved beak, and the head ornamented with a crest, which can be raised or depressed at will. There are several genera and many species; as the broad-crested cockatoo (Plictolophus cristatus or Cacatua cristatus), the sulphur-crested (Cacatua galerita or Plictolophus galeritus), etc. The palm cockatoo or great black cockatoo of Australia is Probosciger aterrimus (formerly Microglossus aterrimus). [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. [ OF. cocatrice crocodile, F. cocatrix, cocatrice. The word is a corruption from the same source as E. crocodile, but was confused with cock the bird, F. coq, whence arose the fable that the animal was produced from a cock's egg. See Crocodile. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A fabulous serpent whose breath and look were said to be fatal. See Basilisk. [ 1913 Webster ]

That bare vowel, I, shall poison more
Than the death-darting eye of cockatrice. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Her.) A representation of this serpent. It has the head, wings, and legs of a bird, and tail of a serpent. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Script.) A venomous serpent which which cannot now be identified. [ 1913 Webster ]

The weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's [ Rev. Ver. basilisk's ] den. Is. xi. 8. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Any venomous or deadly thing. [ 1913 Webster ]

This little cockatrice of a king. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Disembarkation. [ 1913 Webster ]

The debarkation, therefore, had to take place by small steamers. U. S. Grant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Demarcation. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of disembarking. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act of putting or going on board of a vessel; as, the embarkation of troops. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is embarked; as, an embarkation of Jesuits. Smollett. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>n. A shoe with a metal runner (called a blade) attached to permit the wearer to glide on ice. [ PJC ]

pos>n. One who skates on ice wearing an ice skate; esp. an athlete who performs athletic or artistic movements on a sheet of ice, wearing ice skates; a speed skater or a figure skater. [ PJC ]

n. (Bot.) An Arabian shrub (Catha edulis) the leaves of which are used as tea by the Arabs. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to catabolism; same as catabolic. [ 1913 Webster + PJC ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; down + &unr_; to throw. ] (Physiol.) Destructive or downward metabolism; regressive metamorphism; same as catabolism (now the more common spelling); -- opposed to anabolism. See Disassimilation. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. (&unr_;) down + (&unr_;) to cause to stand. ] (Physiol.) A substance formed by a catabolic process; -- opposed to anastate. See catabolic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The brambling finch. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. purging of emotional tensions; -- usually spelled catharsis.
Syn. -- catharsis, abreaction. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; a perpendicular line. See Cathetus. ] (Math.) Making a right angle; perpendicular, as two lines or two sides of a triangle, which include a right angle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Cathetometer. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. A natural family of fish which in some classifications is considered a separate family comprising the oceanic bonitos.
Syn. -- family Kasuwonidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

prop. n. A genus of oceanic bonitos; in some classifications it is placed in its own family Katsuwonidae.
Syn. -- genus Katsuwonus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A caoutchouc-like substance obtained from the milky juice of the East Indian Euphorbia Kattimundoo. It is used as a cement. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) A large, green, arboreal, orthopterous insect (Cyrtophyllus concavus) of the family Locustidæ, common in the United States. The males have stridulating organs at the bases of the front wings. During the summer and autumn, in the evening, the males make a peculiar, loud, shrill sound, resembling the combination Katy-did, whence the name. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A collection of knickknacks. Richardson. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ D. ] (Zool.) A South African carnivore (Suricata suricata, formerly Cynictis penicillata), allied to the ichneumons, having a lemurlike face and only four toes; called also yellow mongoose and suricate. [ Also spelled mierkat. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

While his compatrioits scuffle about in the sand for delicious scorpions or fat, tasty mice, one meerkat stands alone, bolt upright on an exposed perch, scanning for hawks with dark eyes wide, ready to call out at the first sign of danger. Like other such guards in the animal kingdom, these endearingly vulnerable meerkat sentinels have long impressed biologists as true altruists -- creatures willing to forgo food and brave danger to protect others.
Now a study in the current Science suggests that these beasts may not be such adorable heroes after all. Researchers have discovered that meerkats abandon their hunting to act as guards only when their bellies are good and full. And they appear to do so, not as an act of noble daring, but because by being the first to see a predator, they can be sure of being the first down a hole and out of harm's way. Standing guard, researchers concluded, may be the safest thing to do once a meerkat has had enough to eat.
. . .
Even the adorable meerkat may yet redeem itself as a bit of an altruist. Although being a sentinel may itself not entail great risk, it is hard to imagine a selfish reason for their giving a shout of warning before dashing for cover. . . . Carol Kaesuk Yoon (N. Y. Times, June 8, 1999 p. F3) [ PJC ]

n. (Zool.) A South African mongooselike viverrine (Suricata suricata) having a lemurlike face and only four toes; called also suricate. [ Also spelled meerkat. ]
Syn. -- meerkat. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. See Muscat. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A putting, or going, on board a vessel again. [ 1913 Webster ]

. to glide on roller skates, as one might on ice skates. [ PJC ]

. 1. a shoe with a set of wheels attached so that the wearer can glide over a flat surface. To move on such a device is reverred to as to skate or to rollerskate. To rollerskate is a form of recreation or sport. [ PJC ]

2. a metal frame of the size of a shoe, with a set of wheels attached, and with adjustable clamps and straps that permit a shoe to be reversibly fastened to the frame. It serves the same purpose as the roller skate having the shoe permanently attached, but is typically less expensive. [ PJC ]

n. A hound. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ G., fr. It. scartare to discard. ] 1. A three-handed card game played with 32 cards, of which two constitute the skat (sense 2), or widow. The players bid for the privilege of attempting any of several games or tasks, in most of which the player undertaking the game must take tricks counting in aggregate at least 61 (the counting cards being ace 11, ten 10, king 4, queen 3, jack 2). The four jacks are the best trumps, ranking club, spade, heart, diamond, and ten outranks king or queen (but when the player undertakes to lose all the tricks, the cards rank as in whist). The value of hands depends upon the game played, trump suit, points taken, and number of matadores. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. (Skat) A widow of two cards. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ D. schaats. Cf. Scatches. ] A metallic runner with a frame shaped to fit the sole of a shoe, -- made to be fastened under the foot, and used for moving rapidly on ice. [ 1913 Webster ]

Batavia rushes forth; and as they sweep,
On sounding skates, a thousand different ways,
In circling poise, swift as the winds, along,
The then gay land is maddened all to joy. Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Roller skate. See under Roller. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Skated; p. pr. & vb. n. Skating. ] To move on skates. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Icel. skata; cf. Prov. G. schatten, meer-schatten, L. squatus, squatina, and E. shad. ] (Zool.) Any one of numerous species of large, flat elasmobranch fishes of the genus Raia, having a long, slender tail, terminated by a small caudal fin. The pectoral fins, which are large and broad and united to the sides of the body and head, give a somewhat rhombic form to these fishes. The skin is more or less spinose. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Some of the species are used for food, as the European blue or gray skate (Raia batis), which sometimes weighs nearly 200 pounds. The American smooth, or barn-door, skate (Raia laevis) is also a large species, often becoming three or four feet across. The common spiny skate (Raia erinacea) is much smaller. [ 1913 Webster ]

Skate's egg. See Sea purse. --
Skate sucker, any marine leech of the genus Pontobdella, parasitic on skates. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who skates. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) Any one of numerous species of hemipterous insects belonging to Gerris, Pyrrhocoris, Prostemma, and allied genera. They have long legs, and run rapidly over the surface of the water, as if skating. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;, dung + -ol. ] (Physiol. Chem.) A constituent of human faeces formed in the small intestines as a product of the putrefaction of albuminous matter. It is also found in reduced indigo. Chemically it is methyl indol, C9H9N. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Succotash. Bartlett. [ 1913 Webster ]