3. (Zoöl.) (a) A moth or lepidopterous insect; -- so called because the
wings appear as if covered with white dust or powder, like a miller's
clothes. Called also moth miller. (b) The eagle ray. (c) The hen
harrier. [Prov. Eng.]
Miller's thumb. (Zoöl.) (a) A small fresh-water fish of the genus
Uranidea (formerly Cottus), as the European species (U. gobio), and the
American (U. gracilis); -- called also bullhead. (b) A small bird, as
the gold-crest, chiff-chaff, and long-tailed tit. [Prov. Eng.]
Mil"ler*ite (?), n. A believer in the doctrine of William Miller (d.
1849), who taught that the end of the world and the second coming of
Christ were at hand.
Mil"ler*ite, n. [From W. H. Miller, of Cambridge, Eng.] (Min.) A
sulphide of nickel, commonly occurring in delicate capillary crystals,
also in incrustations of a bronze yellow; -- sometimes called hair
pyrites.
Mil*les"i*mal (?), a. [L. millesimus, fr. mille a thousand.]
Thousandth; consisting of thousandth parts; as, millesimal fractions.
Mil"let (?), n. [F., dim. of mil, L. milium; akin to Gr. &?;, AS. mil.]
(Bot.) The name of several cereal and forage grasses which bear an
abundance of small roundish grains. The common millets of Germany and
Southern Europe are Panicum miliaceum, and Setaria Italica.
Arabian millet is Sorghum Halepense. -- Egyptian or East Indian, millet
is Penicillaria spicata. -- Indian millet is Sorghum vulgare. (See
under Indian.) -- Italian millet is Setaria Italica, a coarse,
rank-growing annual grass, valuable for fodder when cut young, and
bearing nutritive seeds; -- called also Hungarian grass. -- Texas
millet is Panicum Texanum. -- Wild millet, or Millet grass, is Milium
effusum, a tail grass growing in woods.
Mil"li- (?). [From L. mille a thousand.] (Metric System, Elec., Mech.,
etc.) A prefix denoting a thousandth part of; as, millimeter,
milligram, milliampère.
Mil`li*am`père" (?), n. [Milli- + ampère.] (Elec.) The thousandth part
of one ampère.
||Mil`liard" (?), n. [F., from mille, mil, thousand, L. mille.] A
||thousand millions; -- called also billion. See Billion.
Mil"li*a*ry (?), a. [L. milliarius containing a thousand, fr. mille
thousand: cf. F. milliaire milliary. See Mile.] Of or pertaining to a
mile, or to distance by miles; denoting a mile or miles.
A milliary column, from which they used to compute the distance of
all the cities and places of note.
Evelyn.
Mil"li*a*ry, n.; pl. Milliaries (#). [L. milliarium. See Milliary, a.]
A milestone.
||Mil`lier" (?), n. [F., fr. mille thousand.] A weight of the metric
||system, being one million grams; a metric ton.
Mil"li*fold` (?), a. [L. mille thousand + E. fold times.] Thousandfold.
[R.] Davies (Holy Roode).
{ Mil"li*gram, Mil"li*gramme } (?), n. [F. milligramme; milli- milli- +
gramme. See 3d Gram.] A measure of weight, in the metric system, being
the thousandth part of a gram, equal to the weight of a cubic
millimeter of water, or .01543 of a grain avoirdupois.
{ Mil"li*li`ter, Mil"li*li`tre } (?), n. [F. millilitre; milli- milli-
+ litre. See Liter.] A measure of capacity in the metric system,
containing the thousandth part of a liter. It is a cubic centimeter,
and is equal to .061 of an English cubic inch, or to .0338 of an
American fluid ounce.
{ Mil"li*me`ter, Mil"li*me`tre } (?), n. [F. millimètre; milli- milli-
+ mètre. See 3d Meter.] A lineal measure in the metric system,
containing the thousandth part of a meter; equal to .03937 of an inch.
See 3d Meter.
Mil"li*ner (?), n. [From Milaner an inhabitant of Milan, in Italy;
hence, a man from Milan who imported women's finery.]
1. Formerly, a man who imported and dealt in small articles of a
miscellaneous kind, especially such as please the fancy of women.
[Obs.]
No milliner can so fit his customers with gloves.
Shak.
2. A person, usually a woman, who makes, trims, or deals in hats,
bonnets, headdresses, etc., for women.
Man milliner, a man who makes or deals in millinery; hence,
contemptuously, a man who is busied with trifling occupations or
embellishments.
Mil"li*ner*y (?), n. 1. The articles made or sold by milliners, as
headdresses, hats or bonnets, laces, ribbons, and the like.