n. The berry of the pimento (Eugenia pimenta), a tree of the West Indies; a spice of a mildly pungent taste, and agreeably aromatic; Jamaica pepper; pimento. It has been supposed to combine the flavor of cinnamon, nutmegs, and cloves; and hence the name. The name is also given to other aromatic shrubs; as, the
‖n. pl. See Apex. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ L. aruspex: cf. F. aruspice. Cf. Aruspex, Haruspice. ] A soothsayer of ancient Rome. Same as Aruspex.
n.;
Which by his auspice they will nobler make. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]
☞ In this sense the word is generally plural, auspices; as, under the auspices of the king. [ 1913 Webster ]
v. t. To season with spice, or with some spicy drug. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ OF. copeiz, fr. coper, couper, to cut, F. couper, fr. cop, coup, colp, a blow, F. coup, L. colaphus, fr. Gr.
The rate of coppice lands will fall, upon the discovery of coal mines. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]
v. t.
n. [ L. epicedion, Gr. &unr_; dirge, elegy, fr. &unr_; funereal; &unr_; + &unr_; care, sorrow: cf. F. épicède. ] A funeral song or discourse; an elegy. [ R. ] Donne. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. Elegiac; funereal. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. Epicedial. --
‖n. [ L. ] An epicede. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. & n. [ L. epicoenus, Gr. &unr_;; fr.
The literary prigs epicene. Prof. Wilson. [ 1913 Webster ]
He represented an epicene species, neither churchman nor layman. J. A. Symonds. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. [ Pref. epi- + centrum. ] (Anat.) Arising from the centrum of a vertebra. Owen. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. [ Gr. &unr_; tempering the humors;
n. [ F., fr. L. haruspex. ] A diviner of ancient Rome. Same as Aruspice. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ F., fr. L. hospitium hospitality, a place where strangers are entertained, fr. hospes stranger, guest. See Host a landlord. ] A convent or monastery which is also a place of refuge or entertainment for travelers on some difficult road or pass, as in the Alps;
n. [ Hind. paisā ] A small copper coin of the East Indies, worth less than a cent. Malcom. [ 1913 Webster ]
‖n. [ L., the pitch pine, from pix, picis, pitch. ] (Bot.) A genus of coniferous trees of the northen hemisphere, including the Norway spruce and the American black and white spruces. These trees have pendent cones, which do not readily fall to pieces, in this and other respects differing from the firs. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ See Piceous. ] (Chem.) A hydrocarbon (C&unr_;H&unr_;) extracted from the pitchy residue of coal tar and petroleum as a bluish fluorescent crystalline substance. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. [ L. piceus, fr. pix, picis, pitch. ] Of or pertaining to pitch; resembling pitch in color or quality; pitchy. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ F. précipice, L. praecipitium, fr. praeceps, -cipitis, headlong; prae before + caput, capitis, the head. See Pre-, and Chief. ]
Where wealth like fruit on precipices grew. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. [ OE., fr. F. propice, See Propitious. ] Fit; propitious. [ Obs. ] E. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ OE. spice, spece, spice, species, OF. espice, espece, F. épice spice, espèce species, fr. L. species particular sort or kind, a species, a sight, appearance, show, LL., spices, drugs, etc., of the same sort, fr. L. specere to look. See Spy, and cf. Species. ]
The spices of penance ben three. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]
Abstain you from all evil spice. Wyclif (1. Thess, v. 22). [ 1913 Webster ]
Justice, although it be but one entire virtue, yet is described in two kinds of spices. The one is named justice distributive, the other is called commutative. Sir T. Elyot. [ 1913 Webster ]
Hast thou aught in thy purse [ bag ] any hot spices? Piers Plowman. [ 1913 Webster ]
So much of the will, with a spice of the willful. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]
v. t.
She 'll receive thee, but will spice thy bread
With flowery poisons. Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]
In the spiced Indian air, by night. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. (Bot.) Spicewood. [ 1913 Webster ]
A small crisp cake, highly spiced. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ Cf. OF. espicier, F. épicier. ]
n. [ OF. espicerie, F. épicerie. ]
n. (Bot.) An American shrub (Lindera Benzoin), the bark of which has a spicy taste and odor; -- called also
v. i. [ 1st pref. un- + tappice. ] to come out of concealment. [ Obs. ] Massinger. [ 1913 Webster ]