3. (Mus.) (a) Free and florid; as, a figured descant. See Figurate, 3.
(b) Indicated or noted by figures.
Figured bass. See Continued bass, under Continued.
Fig"ure*head` (?), n. 1. (Naut.) The figure, statue, or bust, on the
prow of a ship.
2. A person who allows his name to be used to give standing to
enterprises in which he has no responsible interest or duties; a
nominal, but not real, head or chief.
Fi*gu"ri*al (?), a. Represented by figure or delineation. [R.] Craig.
||Fi`gu`rine" (? or ?), n. [F., dim. of figure.] A very small figure,
||whether human or of an animal; especially, one in terra cotta or the
||like; -- distinguished from statuette, which is applied to small
||figures in bronze, marble, etc.
Fig"ur*ist (?), n. One who uses or interprets figurative expressions.
Waterland.
Fig"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) A genus of herbaceous plants (Scrophularia),
mostly found in the north temperate zones. See Brownwort.
Fi"ji*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to the Fiji islands or their
inhabitants. -- n. A native of the Fiji islands. [Written also
Feejeean, Feejee.]
Fike (?), n. See Fyke.
Fil (?), obs. imp. of Fall, v. i. Fell. Chaucer.
Fi*la"ceous (? or ?), a. [L. filum thread.] Composed of threads. Bacon.
Fil"a*cer (?), n. [OE. filace a file, or thread, on which the records
of the courts of justice were strung, F. filasse tow of flax or hemp,
fr. L. filum thread.] (Eng. Law) A former officer in the English Court
of Common Pleas; -- so called because he filed the writs on which he
made out process. [Obs.] Burrill.
Fil"a*ment (?), n. [F. filament, fr. L. filum thread. See File a row.]
A thread or threadlike object or appendage; a fiber; esp. (Bot.), the
threadlike part of the stamen supporting the anther.
Fil`a*men"ta*ry (?), a. Having the character of, or formed by, a
filament.
Fil"a*men*toid` (?), a. [Filament + -oid.] Like a filament.
Fil`a*men"tous (?), a. [Cf. F. filamenteux.] Like a thread; consisting
of threads or filaments. Gray.
Fil"an*der (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A species of kangaroo (Macropus Brunii),
inhabiting New Guinea.
Fil"an*ders (?), n. pl. [F. filandres, fr. L. filum thread.] (Falconry)
A disease in hawks, characterized by the presence of small threadlike
worms, also of filaments of coagulated blood, from the rupture of a
vein; -- called also backworm. Sir T. Browne.
Fi"lar (?), a. [L. filum a thread.] Of or pertaining to a thread or
line; characterized by threads stretched across the field of view; as,
a filar microscope; a filar micrometer.
||Fi*la"ri*a (?), n. [NL., fr. L. filum a thread.] (Zoˆl.) A genus of
||slender, nematode worms of many species, parasitic in various
||animals. See Guinea worm.
Fil"a*to*ry (?), n. [LL. filatorium place for spinning, fr. filare to
spin, fr. L. filum a thread.] A machine for forming threads. [Obs.] W.
Tooke.
Fil"a*ture (?; 135), n. [LL. filatura, fr. filare to spin: cf. F.
filature. See Filatory.] 1. A drawing out into threads; hence, the
reeling of silk from cocoons. Ure.
2. A reel for drawing off silk from cocoons; also, an establishment for
reeling silk.
Fil"bert (?), n. [Perh. fr. fill + bread, as filling the bread or husk;
cf. G. bartnuss (lit., bread nut) filbert; or perh. named from a St.
Philibert, whose day, Aug. 22, fell in the nutting season.] (Bot.) The
fruit of the Corylus Avellana or hazel. It is an oval nut, containing a
kernel that has a mild, farinaceous, oily taste, agreeable to the
palate.
In England filberts are usually large hazelnuts, especially the nuts
from selected and cultivated trees. The American hazelnuts are of two
other species.
Filbert gall (Zoˆl.), a gall resembling a filbert in form, growing in
clusters on grapevines. It is produced by the larva of a gallfly
(Cecidomyia).
Filch (flch), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Filched (flcht); p. pr. & vb. n.
Filching.] [Cf. AS. feolan to stick to, OHG. felhan, felahan, to hide,
Icel. fela, Goth. filhan to hide, bury, Prov. E. feal to hide slyly,
OE. felen.] To steal or take privily (commonly, that which is of little
value); to pilfer.
Fain would they filch that little food away.
Dryden.
But he that filches from me my good name, Robs me of that which not
enriches him, And makes me poor indeed.
Shak.
Filch"er (flch"r), n. One who filches; a thief.
Filch"ing*ly, adv. By pilfering or petty stealing.
<! p. 559 !>
File (fl), n. [F. file row (cf. Pr., Sp., Pg., & It. fila), LL. fila,
fr. L. filum a thread. Cf. Enfilade, Filament, Fillet.] 1. An orderly
succession; a line; a row; as: (a) (Mil) A row of soldiers ranged one
behind another; -- in contradistinction to rank, which designates a row
of soldiers standing abreast; a number consisting the depth of a body
of troops, which, in the ordinary modern formation, consists of two
men, the battalion standing two deep, or in two ranks.
The number of files in a company describes its width, as the number of
ranks does its depth; thus, 100 men in "fours deep" would be spoken of
as 25 files in 4 ranks. Farrow.
(b) An orderly collection of papers, arranged in sequence or classified
for preservation and reference; as, files of letters or of newspapers;
this mail brings English files to the 15th instant. (c) The line, wire,
or other contrivance, by which papers are put and kept in order.
It is upon a file with the duke's other letters.
Shak.
(d) A roll or list. "A file of all the gentry." Shak.