Fossil unicorn, or Fossil unicorn's horn (Med.), a substance formerly
of great repute in medicine; — named from having been supposed to be
the bone or the horn of the unicorn. — Unicorn fish, Unicorn whale
(Zoöl.), the narwhal. — Unicorn moth (Zoöl.), a notodontian moth
(Cœlodasys unicornis) whose caterpillar has a prominent horn on its
back; — called also unicorn prominent. — Unicorn root (Bot.), a name of
two North American plants, the yellow-flowered colicroot (Aletris
farinosa) and the blazing star (Chamælirium luteum). Both are used in
medicine. — Unicorn shell (Zoöl.), any one of several species of marine
gastropods having a prominent spine on the lip of the shell. Most of
them belong to the genera Monoceros and Leucozonia.
U`ni*cor"nous (?), a. [See Unicorn.] (Zoöl.) Having but a single horn;
— said of certain insects. "Unicornous beetles." Sir T. Browne.
U`ni*cos"tate (?), a. [Uni- + costate.] (Bot.) Having a single rib or
strong nerve running upward from the base; — said of a leaf.
U`ni*cur"sal (?), a. [Uni- + L. currere, cursum, to run.] (Geom.) That
can be passed over in a single course; — said of a curve when the
coördinates of the point on the curve can be expressed as rational
algebraic functions of a single parameter θ.
As θ varies minus infinity to plus infinity, to each value of θ there
corresponds one, and only one, point of the curve, while to each point
on the curve there corresponds one, and only one, value of θ. Straight
lines, conic sections, curves of the third order with a nodal point,
curves of the fourth order with three double points, etc., are
unicursal.
Un`i*de"aed (?), a. Having no ideas; senseless; frivolous. "Unideaed
girls." Mrs. Hemans.
He [Bacon] received the unideaed page [Villiers] into his intimacy.
Lord Campbell.
Un`i*de"al (?), a. 1. Not ideal; real; unimaginative.