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‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. 'asth`r star + &unr_; scale. ] (Paleon.) A genus of fishes, some of which were eighteen or twenty feet long, found in a fossil state in the Old Red Sandstone. Hugh Miller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. azerole, the name of the fruit, fr. Ar. az-zo'r&unr_;r: cf. It. azzeruolo, Sp. acerolo. ] (Bot.) The Neapolitan medlar (Cratægus azarolus), a shrub of southern Europe; also, its fruit. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ F. banderole, dim. of bandière, bannière, banner; cf. It. banderuola a little banner. See Banner. ] A little banner, flag, or streamer. [ Written also bannerol. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

From the extremity of which fluttered a small banderole or streamer bearing a cross. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>n. [ F. a saucepan, dim. from casse a basin. ] 1. (Chem.) A small round dish with a handle, usually of porcelain. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Cookery) A mold (in the shape of a hollow vessel or incasement) of boiled rice, mashed potato or paste, baked, and afterwards filled with vegetables or meat. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. ke`ntron center + le`kiqos yolk of an egg. ] (Biol.) Having the food yolk placed at the center of the ovum, segmentation being either regular or unequal. Balfour. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. chlwro`s light green + E. leucite. ] (Bot.) Same as Chloroplastid. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. glycérolé. ] (Med.) Same as Glycerite. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A controller; a public officer whose duty it is to examine certify accounts. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'eryqro`s red + L. oleum oil. ] (Chem.) Having a red color and oily appearance; -- applied to a purple semifluid substance said to be obtained from archil. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Erythroleic. ] (Chem.) A red substance obtained from litmus. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Fr., from OFr. scariole. fr. LL. escariola, L. escarius of food, fit to eat, esca food, fr. edere to eat. ] a variety of endive (Cichorium endivia) often used in salads, having leaves with irregular frilled edges.
Syn. -- endive, curly endive. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ It. fumaruola, fr. fumo smoke, L. fumus: cf. F. fumerolle, fumarolle. ] A hole or spot in a volcanic or other region, from which fumes issue. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. fusarolle, fr. It. fusaruolo, fr. fuso spindle, shaft of a column. See Fusee a conical wheel. ] (Arch.) A molding generally placed under the echinus or quarter round of capitals in the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders of architecture. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. gyro`s round + lepi`s scale. ] (Paleon.) A genus of ganoid fishes, found in strata of the new red sandstone, and the lias bone beds. Agassiz. [ 1913 Webster ]

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 ]

n. [ Pref. met- + acrolein. ] (Chem.) A polymeric modification of acrolein obtained by heating it with caustic potash. It is a crystalline substance having an aromatic odor. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL. See Micro-, and Lepidoptera. ] (Zool.) A tribe of Lepidoptera, including a vast number of minute species, as the plume moth, clothes moth, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., from Gr. mikro`s small + &unr_; a robber. ] (Paleon.) An extinct genus of small Triassic mammals, the oldest yet found in European strata. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ F. muserolle, fr. muserau a muzzle, OF. musel. See Muzzle. ] The nose band of a horse's bridle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ NL., fr. L. nitrum natron + oleum oil. ] (Chem.) Nitroglycerin. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; ocher + &unr_; white. ] Yellowish white; having a faint tint of dingy yellow. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. parole. See Parley, and cf. Parol. ] 1. A word; an oral utterance. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Word of promise; word of honor; plighted faith; especially (Mil.), promise, upon one's faith and honor, to fulfill stated conditions, as not to bear arms against one's captors, to return to custody, or the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

This man had forfeited his military parole. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mil.) A watchword given only to officers of guards; -- distinguished from countersign, which is given to all guards. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) Oral declaration. See 1st Parol, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The release of a prisoner from confinement prior to the end of the original sentence, conditioned on good behavior and often with other specific conditions, such as not to associate with known criminals. Such early release is common where the sentence provides a minimum and maximum term; as, he was released on parole after three years of his five-year sentence; he is out on parole. [ PJC ]

6. A document authorizing a parole{ 5 }. [ PJC ]

a. See 2d Parol. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Paroled p. pr. & vb. n. Paroling. ] (Mil. and Penology) To set at liberty on parole; as, to parole prisoners. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A group of individuals with authority to determine whether a prisoner will be granted parole{ 5 } from a particular prison. [ PJC ]

n. [ F. passe-parole. ] (Mil.) An order passed from front to rear by word of mouth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. & v. See Patrol, n. & v. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ NL., fr. L. petra a rock + oleum oil: cf. F. pétrole. Cf. Petrify, and Oil. ] Rock oil, mineral oil, or natural oil, a dark brown or greenish inflammable liquid, which, at certain points, exists in the upper strata of the earth, from whence it is pumped, or forced by pressure of the gas attending it. It consists of a complex mixture of various hydrocarbons, largely of the methane series, but may vary much in appearance, composition, and properties. It is refined by distillation, and the products include kerosene, benzine, gasoline, paraffin, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Petroleum spirit, a volatile liquid obtained in the distillation of crude petroleum at a temperature of 170° Fahr., or below. The term is rather loosely applied to a considerable range of products, including benzine and ligroin. The terms petroleum ether, and naphtha, are sometimes applied to the still more volatile products, including rhigolene, gasoline, cymogene, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖n. m. ‖n. f. } [ F. ] One who makes use of petroleum for incendiary purposes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) See Primrose. [ Obs. ] “She was a primerole.” Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. pro- for, in place of + leg. ] (Zool.) One of the fleshy legs found on the abdominal segments of the larvæ of Lepidoptera, sawflies, and some other insects. Those of Lepidoptera have a circle of hooks. Called also proped, propleg, and falseleg. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. prolegatus; pro for + legatus legate. ] (Rom. Hist.) The deputy or substitute for a legate. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of the nature of a prolegomenon; preliminary; introductory; prefatory. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Prolegomena [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_;, properly neut. pass. p. pr. of &unr_; to say beforehand; &unr_; before + &unr_; to say. ] A preliminary remark or observation; an introductory discourse prefixed to a book or treatise. D. Stokes (1659). Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L., fr. Gr. &unr_;, from &unr_; to take beforehand; &unr_; before + &unr_; to take. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Rhet.) (a) A figure by which objections are anticipated or prevented. Abp. Bramhall. (b) A necessary truth or assumption; a first or assumed principle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Chron.) An error in chronology, consisting in an event being dated before the actual time. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Gram.) The application of an adjective to a noun in anticipation, or to denote the result, of the action of the verb; as, to strike one dumb. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Gr. &unr_;: cf. F. proleptique. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Of or pertaining to prolepsis; anticipative. “A far-seeing or proleptic wisdom.” De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Previous; antecedent. Glanvill. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Med.) Anticipating the usual time; -- applied to a periodical disease whose paroxysms return at an earlier hour at every repetition. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a proleptical manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Med.) The art and science of predicting in medicine. Laycock. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. See Proletary. ] One of the common people; a low person; also, the common people as a class or estate in a country. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. proletaneus. ] Having a numerous offspring. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. proletarius. See Proletary. ] Of or pertaining to the proletaries; belonging to the commonalty; hence, mean; vile; vulgar. “Every citizen, if he were not a proletarian animal kept at the public cost.” De Quincey. -- n. A proletary. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ] The indigent class in the State; the body of proletarians. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The lower classes; beggars. “The Italian proletariate.” J. A. Symonds. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Proletaries [ L. proletarius, fr. proles offspring. Cf. Prolétaire. ] (Rom. Antiq.) A citizen of the lowest class, who served the state, not with property, but only by having children; hence, a common person. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; flame-colored (from &unr_; fire) + L. oleum oil. ] (Chem.) A nitrogenous heterocyclic base found in coal tar, bone oil, and other distillates of organic substances, and also produced synthetically as a colorless liquid, C4H5N, having on odor like that of chloroform. It is the nucleus and origin of a large number of derivatives. So called because it colors a splinter of wood moistened with hydrochloric acid a deep red. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ For ragman roll. See Ragman's roll. ] A succession of confused or nonsensical statements; foolish talk; nonsense. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Often one's dear friend talks something which one scruples to call rigmarole. De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Consisting of rigmarole; frivolous; nonsensical; foolish. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. See Roll. ] A part, or character, performed by an actor in a drama; hence, a part of function taken or assumed by any one; as, he has now taken the role of philanthropist. [ 1913 Webster ]

Title role, the part, or character, which gives the title to a play, as the part of Hamlet in the play of that name. [ 1913 Webster ]