The terrible coldness of the season.
Clarendon.
Syn. — Terrific; fearful; frightful; formidable; dreadful; horrible;
shocking; awful.
— Ter"ri*ble*ness, n. — Ter"ri*bly, adv.
||Ter*ric"o*læ (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. terra + colere to inhabit.]
||(Zoöl.) A division of annelids including the common earthworms and
||allied species.
||
Ter`ri*en"ni*ak (?), n. (Zoöl.) The arctic fox.
Ter"ri*er (?), n. [CF. L. terere to rub, to rub away, terebra a borer.]
An auger or borer. [Obs.]
Ter"ri*er, n. 1. [F. terrier, chien terrier, from terre the earth, L.
terra; cf. F. terrier a burrow, LL. terrarium a hillock (hence the
sense, a mound thrown up in making a burrow, a burrow). See Terrace,
and cf. Terrier, 2.] (Zoöl.) One of a breed of small dogs, which
includes several distinct subbreeds, some of which, such as the Skye
terrier and Yorkshire terrier, have long hair and drooping ears, while
others, at the English and the black-and-tan terriers, have short,
close, smooth hair and upright ears.
Most kinds of terriers are noted for their courage, the acuteness of
their sense of smell, their propensity to hunt burrowing animals, and
their activity in destroying rats, etc. See Fox terrier, under Fox.
2. [F. terrier, papier terrier, LL. terrarius liber, i.e., a book
belonging or pertaining to land or landed estates. See Terrier, 1, and
cf. Terrar.] (Law) (a) Formerly, a collection of acknowledgments of the
vassals or tenants of a lordship, containing the rents and services
they owed to the lord, and the like. (b) In modern usage, a book or
roll in which the lands of private persons or corporations are
described by their site, boundaries, number of acres, or the like.
[Written also terrar.]
Ter*rif"ic (?), a. [L. terrificus; fr. terrere to frighten + facere to
make. See Terror, and Fact.] Causing terror; adapted to excite great
fear or dread; terrible; as, a terrific form; a terrific sight.