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n. mental ability; intellectual acuity.
Syn. -- brain, learning ability, mental capacity, mentality, wit. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Common; ordinary; trite; as, a commonplace person, or observation. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. An idea or expression wanting originality or interest; a trite or customary remark; a platitude. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A memorandum; something to be frequently consulted or referred to. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whatever, in my reading, occurs concerning this our fellow creature, I do never fail to set it down by way of commonplace. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

Commonplace book, a book in which records are made of things to be remembered. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To enter in a commonplace book, or to reduce to general heads. Felton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To utter commonplaces; to indulge in platitudes. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being commonplace; commonness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (a) A piece or part which passes over the head, as in a bridle. (b) A coin [ In sense (b) properly crown piece. ] See Crown, 19. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From the name of the original maker. Encyc. Dict. ] A kind of small writing table, generally somewhat ornamental, and forming a piece of furniture for the parlor or boudoir. [ 1913 Webster ]

A much battered davenport in one of the windows, at which sat a lady writing. A. B. Edwards. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A pouring or streaming downwards; esp., a heavy or continuous shower. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A pipe used for carrying off surplus water. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F., fr. en bon point in good condition. See Bon, and Point. ] Plumpness of person; -- said especially of persons somewhat corpulent. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To act the part of a patron towards; to patronize. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See Empierce. ] To pierce. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The bichir. See Crossopterygii. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.[ F. gagner to gain + pain bread. ] Bread-gainer; -- a term applied in the Middle Ages to the sword of a hired soldier. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An instance of the firing of small arms with the intent to kill or frighten.
Syn. -- gunfight. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. The muzzle's direction; as, he held me up at gunpoint.
Syn. -- point. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. The open discharging end of a gun.
Syn. -- gun muzzle, muzzle. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Chem.) A black, granular, explosive substance, consisting of an intimate mechanical mixture of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulphur. It is used in gunnery and blasting. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Gunpowder consists of from 70 to 80 per cent of potassium nitraate (niter, saltpeter), with 10 to 15 per cent of each of the other ingredients. Its explosive energy is due to the fact that it contains the necessary amount of oxygen for its own combustion, and liberates gases (chiefly nitrogen and carbon dioxide), which occupy a thousand or fifteen hundred times more space than the powder which generated them. [ 1913 Webster ]

Gunpowder pile driver, a pile driver, the hammer of which is thrown up by the explosion of gunpowder. --
Gunpowder plot (Eng. Hist.), a plot to destroy the King, Lords, and Commons, in revenge for the penal laws against Catholics. As Guy Fawkes, the agent of the conspirators, was about to fire the mine, which was placed under the House of Lords, he was seized, Nov. 5, 1605. Hence, Nov. 5 is known in England as
Guy Fawkes Day. --
Gunpowder tea, a species of fine green tea, each leaf of which is rolled into a small ball or pellet. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Henpecked p. pr. & vb. n. Henpecking. ] To bother persistently with trivial complaints; to subject to petty authority; -- said of a woman who thus treats her male companion, especially of wives who thus dominate their husbands. Commonly used in the past participle (often adjectively); as, henpecked for years, he finally left her. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. The garfish. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Mus.) (a) An instrument of music formerly popular in Wales, consisting of a wooden pipe, with holes at intervals. It was so called because the bell at the open end was sometimes made of horn. (b) A lively tune played on a hornpipe, for dancing; a tune adapted for such playing. [ 1913 Webster ]

Many a hornpipe he tuned to his Phyllis. Sir W. Raleigh.

(c) A dance performed, usually by one person, to such a tune, and popular among sailors. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) See Horned pout, under Horned. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A patient who receives lodging and food, as well as treatment, in a hospital or an infirmary; -- distinguished from outpatient. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Politics) the lowest level of the proletariat, comprising unskilled workers, the unemployed, and the dispossessed, alienated from the class with with they would normally identify and having little or no class solidarity; -- an important element in Marxist theory. [ PJC ]

a. [ OF. main hand + pernable, for prenable, that may be taken, pregnable. See Mainpernor. ] (Law) Capable of being admitted to give surety by mainpernors; able to be mainprised. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. main hand + pernor, for preneor, a taker, F. preneur, fr. prendre to take. ] (Law) A surety, under the old writ of mainprise, for a prisoner's appearance in court at a day. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Mainpernors differ from bail in that a man's bail may imprison or surrender him before the stipulated day of appearance; mainpernors can do neither; they are bound to produce him to answer all charges whatsoever. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Vehicles) A kingbolt. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. main hand + prise a taking, fr. prendre, p. p. pris to take, fr. L. prehendere, prehensum. ] (Law) (a) A writ directed to the sheriff, commanding him to take sureties, called mainpernors, for the prisoner's appearance, and to let him go at large. This writ is now obsolete. Wharton. (b) Deliverance of a prisoner on security for his appearance at a day. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Mainprised p. pr. & vb. n. Mainprising. ] (Law) To suffer to go at large, on his finding sureties, or mainpernors, for his appearance at a day; -- said of a prisoner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) The magpie. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. not parallel; -- of lines or linear objects. Opposite of parallel. [ Narrower terms: bias, catacorner, cata-cornered, catercorner, cater-cornered, catty-corner, catty-cornered, diagonal, kitty-corner, kitty-cornered, oblique, skew, skewed, slanted ; crossed, decussate, intersectant, intersecting; cross-grained ; diagonal; orthogonal, orthographic, rectangular, right-angled ; right, perpendicular; angled ; convergent ] Also See: convergent, divergent, diverging. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. (Computers) Not using parallel processing; -- of computers. [ Narrower terms: serial ] PJC ]

(Biology) adj. Not parasitic.
Syn. -- free-living, nonsymbiotic. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ See Nonpareil, a. ] 1. Something of unequaled excellence; a peerless thing or person; a nonesuch; -- often used as a name. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ F. nonpareille. ] (Print.) A size of type next smaller than minion and next larger than agate (or ruby). [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ This line is printed in the type called nonpareil. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) (a) A beautifully colored finch (Passerina ciris), native of the Southern United States. The male has the head and neck deep blue, rump and under parts bright red, back and wings golden green, and the tail bluish purple. Called also painted bunting and painted finch. (b) Any other similar bird of the same genus. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

4. (Cookery) A small sphere, less than 1 mm diamter, of colored sugar, used to decorate confections; -- usually used in the plural as though the name of a substance; as, sprinkled with nonpareils. [ PJC ]

5. pl. A type of candy chocolate consisting of a small flat disk of chocolate, less than one inch diameter, having nonpareils{ 4 } sprinkled on the top; as, she ate a box of nonpareils at the movie. [ PJC ]

a. [ F., from non not + pareil equal, fr. LL. pariculus, dim. of L. par equal. See Non, and Pair, Peer. ] Having no equal; peerless. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. withdrawing from the activities of a group.
Syn. -- non-engagement, non-involvement. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. not particulate. Opposite of particulate. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. free from party affiliation or bias. Opposite of partisan. [ Narrower terms: bipartisan, bipartizan, two-party, two-way; independent ] [ Narrower terms: nonparty, non-party ]
Syn. -- nonpartizan. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. not affiliated with any one party; as, a nonpartisan commission to study crime. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. An inclination to weigh both views or opinions equally; absence of bias toward any particular party.
Syn. -- impartiality. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. same as nonpartisan, 1.
Syn. -- nonpartisan. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. not based upon or representing political parties; as, a nonparty regime. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. Neglect or failure to pay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Neglect or failure to perform. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. not philosophical. Opposite of philosophical. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. (Biol.) Capable of living without light; as, nonphotobiotic plant cells, or cells which habitually live in darkness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Math.) Not lying in one plane; not planar; -- said of certain curves. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. non not + plus more, further. See Plural. ] A state or condition which baffles reason or confounds judgment; insuperable difficulty; inability to proceed or decide; puzzle; quandary. [ 1913 Webster ]

Both of them are a perfect nonplus and baffle to all human understanding. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Nonplused r Nonplussed; p. pr. & vb. n. Nonplusing or Nonplussing. ] To puzzle; to confound; to perplex; to cause to stop by embarrassment. [ 1913 Webster ]

He has been nonplused by Mr. Dry's desiring him to tell what it was that he endeavored to prove. Spectator. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. not political. Opposite of political. [ Narrower terms: apolitical, unpolitical ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]