Emily Dickinson Lexicon

HEP'TARCH-Y, n. [Gr. επτα, seven, and αρχη, rule.]

A government by seven persons, or the country governed by seven persons. But the word is usually applied to England, when under the government of seven kings, or divided into seven kingdoms; as the Saxon heptarchy, which comprehended the whole of England, when subject to seven independent princes. These petty kingdoms were those of Kent, the South Saxons, [Sussex,] West Saxons, East Saxons, [Essex,] the East Angles, Mercia, and Northumberland. Hist. of England.

HEP'TA-TEUCH, n. [Gr. επτα, seven, and τευχος, book.]

The first seven books of the Old Testament. [Little used.]

HEP'-TREE, n.

The wild dog-rose, a species of Rosa, the Rosa canina.

HER, a. [Pronounced hur, an adjective, or pronominal adjective of the third person. Sax. hire, sing. heoru, plur., the possessive case of he, heo; but more properly an adjective, like the L. suus.]

1. Belonging to a female; as, her face; her head.
2. It is used before neuter nouns in personification. Wisdom's ways are way of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. Prov. iii. Her is also used as a pronoun or substitute for a female in the objective case, after a verb or preposition. She gave also to her husband with her, and he did eat. Gen. iii. Hers is primarily the objective or genitive case, denoting something that belongs to a female. But it stands as a substitute in the nominative or objective case. And what his fortune wanted, hers could mend. Dryden. Here hers stands for her fortune, but it must be considered as the nominative to could mend. I will take back my own book and give you hers. Here hers is the object energies.

HER'ALD, n. [Fr. heraut, for herault; Arm. herald or harod; Sp. heraldo; Port. arauto; It. araldo; G. herold; W. herodyr, embassador and herald, from herawd, a defiance or challenge, heriaw, to brandish, to threaten, from hèr, a push, a motion of defiance, a challenge. The primary sense is to send, thrust, or drive.]

1. An officer whose business was to denounce or proclaim war, to challenge to battle, to proclaim peace, and to bear messages from the commander of an army. Hence,
2. A proclaimer; a publisher; as, the herald of another's fame.
3. A forerunner; a precursor; a harbinger. It was the lark, the herald of the morn. Shak.
4. An officer in Great Britain, whose business is to marshal, order and conduct royal cavalcades, ceremonies at coronations, royal marriages, installations, creations of dukes and other nobles, embassies, funeral processions, declarations of war, proclamatione of peace, &c.; also, to record and blazon the arms of the nobility and gentry, and to regulate abuses therein. Encyc.
5. Formerly applied by the French to a minstrel.

HER'ALD, v.t.

To introduce, as by a herald. Shak.

HER'ALD-ED, pp.

Introduced, as by a herald.

HER'ALD-IC, a.

Pertaining to heralds or heraldry; as, heraldic delineations. Warton.

HER'ALD-ING, ppr.

Introducing, as by a herald.

HER'ALD-RY, n.

The art or office of a herald. Heraldry is the art, practice or science of recording genealogies, and blazoning arms or ensigns armorial. It also teaches whatever relates to the marshaling of cavalcades, processions and other public ceremonies. Encyc.

HER'ALD-SHIP, n.

The office of a herald. Selden.

HERB, n. [erb; L. herba; Fr. herbe; It. erba; Sp. yerba; Port. erva; Qu. Ir. forba, glebe, that is, food, pasture, subsistence; Gr. φερβω.]

1. A plant or vegetable with a soft or succulent stalk or stem, which dies to the root every year, and is thus distinguished from a tree and a shrub, which have ligneous or hard woody stems. Milne. Martyn.
2. In the Linnean botany, that part of a vegetable which springs from the root and is terminated by the fructification, including the stem or stalk, the leaves, the fulcra or props, and the hibernacle. Milne. Martyn. The word herb comprehends all the grasses, and numerous plants used for culinary purposes.

HER-BA'CEOUS, a. [L. herbaceus.]

Pertaining to herbs. Herbaceous plants are such as perish annually down to the root; soft, succulent vegetables. So, a herbaceous stem is one which is soft, not woody. Herbaceous, applied to animals by Derham, is not authorized. [See Herbivorous.]

HERB'AGE, n. [Fr. from herbe.]

1. Herbs collectively; grass; pasture; green food for beasts. The influence of true religion is mild, soft and noiseless, and constant, as the descent of the evening dew on the tender herbage. Buckminster.
2. In law, the liberty or right of pasture in the forest or grounds of another man. Encyc.

HERB'AG-ED, a.

Covered with grass. Thomson.

HERB'AL, a.

Pertaining to herbs.

HERB'AL, n.

1. A book that contains the names and descriptions of plants, or the classes, genera, species and qualities of vegetables. Bacon.
2. A hortus siccus, or dry garden; a collection of specimens of plants, dried and preserved. Encyc.

HERB'AL-IST, n.

A person skilled in plants; one who makes collections of plants.

HERB'AR, n.

An herb. [Obs.] Spenser.

HERB'AR-IST, n.

A herbalist. [Little used.] Derham. Boyle.

HER-BA'RI-UM, n.

A collection of dried plants. Med. Repos.

HERB'A-RIZE, v.i. [See HERBORIZE.]

HERB'A-RY, n.

A garden of plants. Warton.

HERB-CHRIST-O-PHER, n.

A plant, of the genus Actæa.

HERB'E-LET, n.

A small herb. Shak.