MAYA, mä'ya, _n_. an illusive appearance, esp. of a celestial maiden
personifying the active will of the creator of the universe. [Hind.]
MAYHEM, m[=a]'hem, _n_. the offence of depriving a person by violence of
any limb, member, or organ, or causing any mutilation of the body.
[_Maim_.]
MAYONNAISE, m[=a]-on-[=a]z', _n_. a sauce composed of the yoke of eggs,
salad-oil, and vinegar or lemon-juice, seasoned: any cold dish of which the
foregoing is an ingredient, as lobster. [Fr.]
MAYOR, m[=a]'ur, _n_. the chief magistrate of a city or borough:--_fem_.
MAY'ORESS.--_adj_. MAY'ORAL.--_ns_. MAY'ORALTY, MAY'ORSHIP, the office of a
mayor. [Fr. _maire_--L. _major_, comp. of _magnus_, great.]
MAZARD, MAZZARD, maz'ard, _n_. (_Shak_.) a head or skull: a wild European
cherry. [Prob. from _mazer_, from the likeness of the skull to a goblet.]
MAZARINADE, maz-a-rin-[=a]d', _n_. a pamphlet or satire against the French
minister, Cardinal _Mazarin_ (1602-61).--_n_. MAZARINE', a rich blue
colour: a blue gown.--MAZARIN BIBLE, the first printed Bible, printed by
Gutenberg and Fust about 1450, so called because Cardinal _Mazarin_
possessed twenty-five copies.
MAZDA, maz'da, _n_. or AHURA MAZDÂH, the supreme deity and creator of the
Zend-Avesta.--_adj_. MAZ'D[=E]AN.--_n_. MAZ'D[=E]ISM, the religious system
of the Zend-Avesta, the ancient sacred writings of the Parsees,
Zoroastrianism. [Zend _ahu_=the living, life, or spirit, root _ah_=to be;
_Mazdâh_, the great Creator, _maz_+_dâ_=Sans. _mahâ_+_dhâ_.]
MAZE, m[=a]z, _n_. a place full of intricate windings: confusion of
thought: perplexity.--_v.t._ to bewilder: to confuse.--_adjs_. MAZE'FUL
(_Spens_.), MAZ'Y, full of mazes or windings: intricate.--_adv_.
MAZ'ILY.--_n_. MAZ'INESS, state or quality of being mazy. [Scand., as in
Ice. _masa_, to jabber.]
MAZER, maz'[.e]r, _n_. (_Spens_.) a kind of hard wood, probably maple: a
cup or goblet made of maple, and usually highly ornamented. [Skeat explains
as Ice. _mösurr_, a maple-tree, lit. 'spot-wood.']
MAZOURKA, MAZURKA, ma-z[=oo]r'ka, _n_. a lively Polish round dance for four
or eight couples: the music such as is played to it.
ME, m[=e], _personal pron_. the objective case of I, including both the old
English accusative and dative of the first personal pronoun. [A.S. _mé_.]
MEACOCK, m[=e]'kok, _adj_. (_Shak_.) timorous, effeminate, cowardly. [Perh.
dim. of _meek_.]
MEAD, m[=e]d, _n_. honey and water fermented and flavoured. [A.S. _medu_;
Ger. _meth_, W. _medd_.]
MEADOW, med'[=o], _n_. a level tract producing grass to be mown down: a
rich pasture-ground--(_poet_.) MEAD.--_ns_. MEAD'OW-FOX'TAIL (see FOXTAIL);
MEAD'OW-GRASS, the larger and more useful kinds of grass, grown in meadows
for hay and pasture; MEAD'OW-HAY, a coarse grass or sedge growing in moist
places, used as fodder or bedding; MEAD'OW-LARK, the American field-lark;
MEAD'OW-SAFF'RON, the colchicum--also _Autumn-crocus_, or _Naked lady;_
MEAD'OW-SWEET, MEAD'OW-WORT, an ornamental shrub or plant with white
flowers, called also _Queen of the meadow.--adj_. MEAD'OWY. [A.S.
_m['æ]d_--_máwan_, to mow; Ger. _mahd_, a mowing, Swiss _matt_, a meadow,
as in Zer_matt_, &c.]
MEAGRE, m[=e]'g[.e]r, _adj_. having little flesh: lean: poor: without
richness or fertility: barren: scanty: without strength.--_adv_.
MEA'GRELY.--_n_. MEA'GRENESS, state or quality of being meagre. [Fr.
_maigre_--L. _macer_, lean; cf. Ger. _mager_.]
MEAL, m[=e]l, _n_. the food taken at one time: the act or the time of
taking food: a breakfast, dinner, or supper.--_ns_. MEAL'ER, one who takes
his meals at a boarding-house, lodging elsewhere; MEAL'-TIME, the time for
meals.--SQUARE MEAL, a full meal. [A.S. _m['æ]l_, time, portion of time;
Dut. _maal_, Ger. _mahl_.]
MEAL, m[=e]l, _n_. grain ground to powder.--_v.i._ to yield or be plentiful
in meal.--_ns_. MEAL'-ARK (_Scot_.), a large chest for holding meal;
MEAL'INESS; MEAL'-MAN, or MEAL'-MONG'ER, one who deals in meal; MEAL'-POCK,
or -POKE, a beggar's meal-bag; MEAL'WORM, the larva of an insect abounding
in granaries and flour-stores.--_adj_. MEAL'Y, resembling meal: covered
with meal or with something like meal: whitish.--_n_. MEAL'Y-BUG, a small
species of cochineal insect covered with a while powdery substance
resembling meal or flour.--_adj_. MEAL'Y-MOUTHED, smooth-tongued.--_n_.
MEAL'Y-MOUTHEDNESS. [A.S. _melu, melo;_ Ger. _mehl_, Dut. _meel_, meal.]
MEALIE, m[=e]l'i, _n_. an ear of maize or Indian corn, esp. in _pl_.,
maize.
MEAN, m[=e]n, _adj_. low in rank or birth: base: sordid: low in worth or
estimation: of little value or importance: poor, humble:
despicable.--_adj_. MEAN'-BORN, of humble origin.--_adv_. MEAN'LY.--_n._
MEAN'NESS, state or quality of being mean: want of nobility or excellence:
a low action.--_adj_. MEAN'-SPIR'ITED, having a mean spirit, base.--_n_.
MEAN'-SPIR'ITEDNESS. [A.S. _m['æ]ne_, wicked, from _mán_, wickedness; perh.
conn. with A.S. _gem['æ]ne_, Ger. _gemein_, common.]
MEAN, m[=e]n, _adj_. middle: coming between two others in size, degree,
quantity, time, &c.: average: moderate.--_n_. the middle point, quantity,
value, or degree: (_math_.) a term interpolated between two terms of a
series, and consequently intermediate in magnitude: (_mus_.) a middle voice
or voice-part, as the tenor or alto, the second or third string in a viol:
instrument or medium: (_pl_.) that by which anything is caused or brought
to pass: income: estate: instrument.--_n_. MEAN'-TIME, the interval between
two given times.--_advs_. MEAN'TIME, MEAN'WHILE, in the intervening
time.--MEANS OF GRACE, divine ordinances, by which divine grace reaches the
hearts of men--word and sacraments.--ARITHMETICAL MEAN, the average
obtained by adding several quantities together and dividing the sum by
their number; HARMONIC MEAN, the reciprocal of the arithmetical mean of the
reciprocals of the quantities concerned; GEOMETRIC MEAN, the mean obtained
by multiplying two quantities together and extracting the square root of
the product; GOLDEN MEAN, the middle course between two extremes: a wise
moderation; QUADRATIC MEAN, the square root of the arithmetical mean of the
squares of the given quantities.--BY ALL MEANS, certainly; BY ANY MEANS, in
any way; BY NO MEANS, certainly not.--IN THE MEAN (_Spens_.), in the
meantime. [O. Fr. _meien_ (Fr. _moyen_)--L. _medianus_, enlarged form of
_medius_.]
MEAN, m[=e]n, _v.t._ to have in the mind or thoughts: to intend, to
purpose: to signify.--_v.i._ to have in the mind: to have meaning or
disposition:--_pr.p._ mean'ing; _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ meant (ment).--_n_.
MEAN'ING, that which is in the mind or thoughts: signification: the sense
intended: purpose.--_adj_. significant.--_adj_. MEAN'INGLESS, without
meaning.--_adv_. MEAN'INGLY. [A.S. _m['æ]nan_; Ger. _meinen_, to think.]
MEAN, m[=e]n, _v.i._ (_Shak_.) to lament, to moan.
MEANDER, m[=e]-an'd[.e]r, _n_. a winding course: a maze: an intricate
variety of fretwork: perplexity.--_v.i._ to flow, run, or proceed in a
winding course: to be intricate.--_v.t._ to wind or flow round.--_adjs._
MEAN'DERED, formed into mazy passages or patterns; MEAN'DERING, winding in
a course; MEAN'DRIAN, MEAN'DROUS, winding.--_n_. a winding course.
[L.,--Gr. _Maiandros_, a winding river in Asia Minor.]
MEANT, _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ of mean (_v.t._).