Emily Dickinson Lexicon

ME-ZE'RE-ON, n.

A plant of the genus Daphne. Encyc.

MEZ'ZO, adv.

In music, denotes middle, mean.

MEZ-ZO-RE-LIEV-O, n. [L. mezzorelievo.]

Middle relief.

MEZ-ZO-TINT-O, n. [It. mezzo, middle, half, and tinto, L. tinctus, painted.]

A particular manner of engraving or representation of figures on copper, in imitation of painting in Indian ink. To perform this the plate is scratched and furrowed in different directions; the design is then drawn on the face, then the dents and furrows are erased from the parts where the lights of the piece are to be; the parts which are to represent shades being left. Encyc.

MEZZO-VOCE, adv. [Mezzo voce,]

in music, with a medium fullness of sound.

MI'ASM, or MI-AS'MA, n. [Gr. from μιαινω, to pollute.]

Infecting substances floating in the air; the effluvia or fine particles of any putrefying bodies, rising and floating in the atmosphere, and considered to be noxious to health.

MI-AS'MAL, a.

Containing miasma.

MI-AS-MAT'IC, a.

Pertaining to miasma; partaking of the qualities of noxious effluvia,

MI'CA, n. [L. mica, a grain or particle; mico, to shine.]

A mineral of a foliated structure, consisting of thin flexible lamels or scales, having a shining surface. The scales are sometimes parallel, sometimes interwoven, sometimes wavy or undulated, sometimes representing filaments. It is called also talck, glimmer, muscovy-glass, and glist. Nicholson. Encyc. Jameson subdivides mica into ten subspecies, viz. mica, pinite, lepidolite, chlorite, green earth, talck, nacrite, pot-stone, steatite and figure-stone. It its component part of granite. Ure.

MI-CA'CEOUS, a.

Pertaining to, or containing mica; resembling mica or partaking of its properties.

MIC'A-REL, n.

A species of argillaceous earth; a mineral of a brownish or blackish red color, commonly crystalized in rhomboidal prisms, or in prisms of six sides. Dict.

MICE, n. [plur. of mouse.]

MI'CHA-EL-ITE, n.

A subvariety of silicious sinter, found in the isle of St. Michael. J. W. Webster.

MICH'AEL-MAS, n.

1. The feast of St. Michael, a festival of the Romish chnrch, celebrated September 29th; hence,
2. In colloquial language, autumn.

MICHE, v.i. [allied perhaps to Sw. maka, to withdraw; Sax. smugan, to creep. Meeching or meaching, is still used by some of our common people in the sense of mean, cowardly, retiring.]

1. To lie hid; to skulk; to retire or shrink from view.
2. To pilfer. [Obs.] Shak.

MICH'ER, n.

One who skulks, or creeps out of sight; a thief. [Obs.] Chaucer. Sidney. Shak.

MICH'ER-Y, n.

Theft; cheating. [Obs.] Gower.

MICH'ING, ppr.

Retiring; skulking; creeping from sight; mean; cowardly. [Vulgar.]

MICK'LE, a. [Sax. micel, mucel; Scot. myche, mekyl, muckle; Sw. mycken; Sp. mucho; Gr. μεγαρ, μεγαλη. See Much.]

Much; great. [Obsolete, but retained in the Scottish language.]

MI'CO, n.

A beautiful species of monkey.

MI'CRO-COSM, n. [Gr. μικρος, small, and κοσμος, world.]

Literally, the little world; but used for man, supposed to be an epitome of the universe or great world. Swift. Encyc. Microcosmic salt, a triple salt of soda, ammonia and phosphoric acid, obtained from urine. Ure.

MI-CRO-COS'MIC-AL, a.

Pertaining to the microcosm.

MI-CRO-COS-MOG'RA-PHY, n. [Gr. μικρος and γραφω.]

The description of man as a little world.

MI-CRO-COUS'TIC, n. [Gr. μικρος, small, and ακουω, to hear.]

An instrument to augment small sounds, and assist in hearing.

MI-CROG'RA-PHY, n. [Gr. μικρος, small, and γραφω, to describe.]

The description of objects too small to be discerned without the aid of a microscope. Encyc. Grew.