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‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. ba`lanos acorn + glw^ssa tongue. ] (Zool.) A peculiar marine worm. See Enteropneusta, and Tornaria. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. blosme, blostme, AS. blōsma, blōstma, blossom; akin to D. bloesem, L. fios, and E. flower; from the root of E. blow to blossom. See Blow to blossom, and cf. Bloom a blossom. ] 1. The flower of a plant, or the essential organs of reproduction, with their appendages; florescence; bloom; the flowers of a plant, collectively; as, the blossoms and fruit of a tree; an apple tree in blossom. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The term has been applied by some botanists, and is also applied in common usage, to the corolla. It is more commonly used than flower or bloom, when we have reference to the fruit which is to succeed. Thus we use flowers when we speak of plants cultivated for ornament, and bloom in a more general sense, as of flowers in general, or in reference to the beauty of flowers. [ 1913 Webster ]

Blossoms flaunting in the eye of day. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A blooming period or stage of development; something lovely that gives rich promise. [ 1913 Webster ]

In the blossom of my youth. Massinger. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The color of a horse that has white hairs intermixed with sorrel and bay hairs; -- otherwise called peach color. [ 1913 Webster ]

In blossom, having the blossoms open; in bloom. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Blossomed p. pr. & vb. n. Blossoming. ] [ AS. bl&unr_;stmian. See Blossom, n. ] 1. To put forth blossoms or flowers; to bloom; to blow; to flower. [ 1913 Webster ]

The moving whisper of huge trees that branched
And blossomed. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To flourish and prosper; to develop into a superior type. [ 1913 Webster ]

Israel shall blossom and bud, and full the face of the world with fruit. Isa. xxvii. 6. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. to appear or grow as if by blossoming; to spread out rapidly. [ PJC ]

n. the process of budding and unfolding of blossoms.
Syn. -- flowering, inflorescence, anthesis, efflorescence. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Without blossoms. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Full of blossoms; flowery. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Buglosses [ F. buglosse, L. buglossa, buglossus, fr. Gr. &unr_; oxtongue &unr_; ox + &unr_; tongue. ] (Bot.) A plant of the genus Anchusa, and especially the Anchusa officinalis, sometimes called alkanet; oxtongue. [ 1913 Webster ]

Small wild bugloss, the Asperugo procumbens and the Lycopsis arvensis. --
Viper's bugloss, a species of Echium. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a candy made by spinning sugar that has been boiled to a high temperature; -- called commonly cotton candy.
Syn. -- spun sugar. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

That which blasts a blossom as a canker does. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

O me! you juggler! you canker blossom!
You thief of Love! Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. colossal, L. colosseus. See Colossus. ] 1. Of enormous size; gigantic; huge; as, a colossal statue. “A colossal stride.” Motley. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Sculpture & Painting) Of a size larger than heroic. See Heroic. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Colossal. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Neut., fr. L. colosseus gigantic. See Coliseum. ] The amphitheater of Vespasian in Rome. [ Also written Coliseum. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. L. Colossi E. Colossuses [ L., fr. Gr. &unr_;. ] 1. A statue of gigantic size. The name was especially applied to certain famous statues in antiquity, as the Colossus of Nero in Rome, the Colossus of Apollo at Rhodes. [ 1913 Webster ]

He doth bestride the narrow world
Like a colossus. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ There is no authority for the statement that the legs of the Colossus at Rhodes extended over the mouth of the harbor. Dr. Wm. Smith. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any man or beast of gigantic size. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Elec.) Energy wasted by hysteresis or eddy currents in the core of an armature, transformer, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. a natural family of fish including the tonguefishes.
Syn. -- family Cynoglossidae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; a beam + &unr_; the tongue. ] (Zool.) An order of gastropods, including the true limpets, and having the teeth on the odontophore or lingual ribbon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a genus of epiphytic ferns of Madagascar to tropical Asia and New Guinea.
Syn. -- genus Drymoglossum. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. To cover or adorn with blossoms. [ 1913 Webster ]

On the white emblossomed spray. J. Cunningham. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Ento- + Gr. &unr_; the tongue. ] (Anat.) Within the tongue; -- applied to the glossohyal bone. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ It. floscio flabby, soft, fr. L. fluxus flowing, loose, slack. See Flux, n. ] 1. (Bot.) The slender styles of the pistillate flowers of maize; also called silk. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Untwisted filaments of silk, used in embroidering. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A body feather of an ostrich. Flosses are soft, and gray from the female and black from the male. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Floss silk, silk that has been twisted, and which retains its loose and downy character. It is much used in embroidery. Called also floxed silk. --
Floss thread, a kind of soft flaxen yarn or thread, used for embroidery; -- called also linen floss, and floss yarn. McElrath. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. G. floss a float. ] 1. A small stream of water. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fluid glass floating on iron in the puddling furnace, produced by the vitrification of oxides and earths which are present. [ 1913 Webster ]

Floss hole. (a) A hole at the back of a puddling furnace, at which the slags pass out. (b) The tap hole of a melting furnace. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Florification. ] A flowering; florification. [ R. ] Craig. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, made of, or resembling, floss; hence, light; downy. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Glossed p. pr. & vb. n. Glossing. ] To give a superficial luster or gloss to; to make smooth and shining; as, to gloss cloth. [ 1913 Webster ]

The glossed and gleamy wave. J. R. Drake. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Icel. glossi a blaze, glys finery, MHG. glosen to glow, G. glosten to glimmer; perh. akin to E. glass. ] 1. Brightness or luster of a body proceeding from a smooth surface; polish; as, the gloss of silk; cloth is calendered to give it a gloss. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is no part . . . to set on the face of this cause any fairer gloss than the naked truth doth afford. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A specious appearance; superficial quality or show. [ 1913 Webster ]

To me more dear, congenial to my heart,
One native charm than all the gloss of art. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. glose, F. glose, L. glossa a difficult word needing explanation, fr. Gr. &unr_; tongue, language, word needing explanation. Cf. Gloze, Glossary, Glottis. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A foreign, archaic, technical, or other uncommon word requiring explanation. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An interpretation, consisting of one or more words, interlinear or marginal; an explanatory note or comment; a running commentary. [ 1913 Webster ]

All this, without a gloss or comment,
He would unriddle in a moment. Hudibras. [ 1913 Webster ]

Explaining the text in short glosses. T. Baker. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A false or specious explanation. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To render clear and evident by comments; to illustrate; to explain; to annotate. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To give a specious appearance to; to render specious and plausible; to palliate by specious explanation. [ 1913 Webster ]

You have the art to gloss the foulest cause. Philips. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To make comments; to comment; to explain. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To make sly remarks, or insinuations. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Glossæ [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; the tongue. ] (Zool.) The tongue, or lingua, of an insect. See Hymenoptera. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to the tongue; lingual. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; tongue + E. anthrax: cf. F. glossanthrax. ] A disease of horses and cattle accompanied by carbuncles in the mouth and on the tongue. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to glosses or to a glossary; containing a glossary. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In the manner of a glossary. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A writer of glosses or of a glossary; a commentator; a scholiast. Tyrwhitt. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Gossaries [ L. glossarium, fr. glossa: cf. F. glossaire. See 3d Gloss. ] A collection of glosses or explanations of words and passages of a work or author; a partial dictionary of a work, an author, a dialect, art, or science, explaining archaic, technical, or other uncommon words. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL. See Glossa. ] (Zool.) The Lepidoptera. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. See 3d Gloss. ] A writer of glosses or comments; a commentator. [ R. ] “The . . . glossators of Aristotle.” Milman. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See 1st Gloss. ] A polisher; one who gives a luster. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See 3d Gloss. ] A writer of glosses; a scholiast; a commentator. L. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. glossa a word requiring a gloss. See 3d Gloss. ] A system of phonetic spelling based upon the present values of English letters, but invariably using one symbol to represent one sound only. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ingglish Glosik konvai·z hwotev·er proanusiai·shon iz inten·ded bei dhi reiter. A. J. Ellis. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a glossy manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A blood-sucking African fly that transmits sleeping sickness etc.; the tsetse fly.
Syn. -- tsetse fly, tsetse, tzetze fly, tzetze. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ From Glossy. ] The condition or quality of being glossy; the luster or brightness of a smooth surface. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A writer of comments. [ Obs. ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; tongue + -itis. ] (Med.) Inflammation of the tongue. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Like gloss; specious. Cowley. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.[ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; a kind of case. ] A kind of hoisting winch. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; tongue + E. epiglottic. ] (Anat.) Pertaining to both tongue and epiglottis; as, glossoepiglottic folds. [ 1913 Webster ]