Emily Dickinson Lexicon

MEAS-UR-A-BLE-NESS, n. [mezh'urableness.]

The quality of admitting mensuration.

MEAS-UR-A-BLY, adv. [mezh'urably.]

Moderately; in a limited degree.

MEAS-URE, n. [mezh'ur; Fr. mesure; It. misura; Sp. medida; Arm. musur or musul; Ir. meas; W. meidyr and mesur; G. mass, measure, and messen, to measure; D. moat; Sw. matt; Dan. maade, measure, and mode; L. mensura, from mensus, with a casual n, the participle of metior, to measure, Eng. to mete; Gr. μετρον, μετρεω. With these correspond the Eng. meet, fit, proper, and meet, the verb; Sax. gemet, meet, fit; metan and gemettan, to meet or meet with, to find, to mete or measure, and to paint. The sense is, to come to, to fall, to happen, and this sense is connected with that of stretching, extending, that is, reaching to; the latter gives the sense of measure. We find in Heb. מר, measure; מדר, to mete, to measure. This word in Ar. مَدً madda, signifies to stretch or extend, to draw out in length or time; as do other verbs with the same elements, under one of which we find the meta of the Latins. The Ch. מטא signifies to come to, to arrive, to reach, to be mature, and מצא, in Heb. Ch. and Eth. MD, signifies to find, to come to. Now the Saxon verb unites in itself the significations of all three of the oriental verbs.]

1. The whole extent or dimensions of a thing, including length, breadth and thickness. The measure thereof is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. Job xi. It is applied also to length or to breadth separately.
2. That by which extent or dimension is ascertained, either length, breadth, thickness, capacity, or amount; as, a rod or pole is a measure of five yards and a half; an inch, a foot, a yard, are measures of length; a gallon is a measure of capacity. Weights and measures should be uniform. Silver and gold are the common measure of value.
3. A limited or definite quantity; as, a measure of wine or beer.
4. Determined extent or length; limit. Lord, make me to know my end, and the measure of my days. Ps. xxxix.
5. A rule by which any thing is adjusted or proportioned. God's goodness is the measure of his providence. More.
6. Proportion; quantity settled. I enter not into the particulars of the law of nature, or its measures of punishment; yet there is such a law. Locke.
7. Full or sufficient quantity. I'll never pause again, / Till either death hath clos'd these eyes of mine, / Or fortune given me measure of revenge. Shak.
8. Extent of power or office. We will not boast of things without our measure. 2 Cor. x.
9. Portion allotted; extent of ability. If else thou seekest / Aught not surpassing human measure, say. Milton.
10. Degree; quantity indefinite. I have laid down, in some measure, the description of the old world. Abbot. A great measure of discretion is to be used in the performance of confession. Taylor.
11. In music, that division by which the motion of music is regulated; or the interval or space of time between the rising and falling of the hand or foot of him who beats time. This measure regulates the time of dwelling on each note. The ordinary or common measure is one second. Encyc.
12. In poetry, the measure or meter is the manner of ordering and combining the quantities, or the long and short syllables. Thus hexameter, pentameter, Iambic, Sapphic verses, &c., consist of different measures. Encyc.
13. In dancing, the interval between steps, corresponding to the interval between notes in the music. My legs can keep no measure in delight. Shak.
14. In geometry, any quantity assumed as one or unity, to which the ratio of other homogeneous or similar qualities is expressed. Encyc.
15. Means to an end; an act, step or proceeding toward the accomplishment of an object; an extensive signification of the word, applicable to almost every act preparatory to a final end, and by which it is to be attained. Thus we speak of legislative measures, political measures, public measures, prudent measures, a rash measure, effectual measures, inefficient measures. In measure, with moderation; without excess. Without measure, without limits; very largely or copiously. To have hard measure, to be harshly or oppressively treated. Lineal or long measure, measure of length; the measure of lines or distances. Liquid measure, the measure of liquors.

MEAS-URE, v.i.

To be of a certain extent, or to have a certain length, breadth or thickness; as, cloth measures three-fourths of a yard; a tree measures three feet in diameter.

MEAS-URE, v.t. [mezh'ur.]

1. To compute or ascertain extent, quantity, dimensions or capacity by a certain rule; as, to measure land; to measure distance; to measure the altitude of a mountain; to measure the capacity of a ship or of a cask.
2. To ascertain the degree of any thing; as, to measure the degrees of heat, or of moisture.
3. To pass through or over. We must measure twenty miles today. Shak. The vessel plows the sea, / And measures back with speed her former way. Dryden.
4. To judge of distance, extent or quantity; as, to measure any thing by the eye. Great are thy works, Jehovah, infinite / Thy power; what thought can measure thee! Milton.
5. To adjust; to proportion. To secure a contented spirit, measure your desires by your fortunes, not your fortunes by your desires. Taylor.
6. To allot or distribute by measure. With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Matth. vii.

MEAS-UR-ED, pp. [mezh'ured.]

1. Computed or ascertained by a rule; adjusted; proportioned; passed over.
2. adj. Equal; uniform; steady. He walked with measured steps.

MEAS-URE-LESS, a. [mezh'urless.]

Without measure; unlimited; immeasurable. Shak.

MEAS-URE-MENT, n. [mezh'urment.]

The act of measuring; mensuration. Burke.

MEAS-UR-ER, n. [mezh'urer]

. One who measures; one whose occupation or duty is to measure commodities in market.

MEAS-UR-ING, ppr. [mezh'uring.]

1. Computing or ascertaining length, dimensions, capacity or amount.
2. adj. A measuring cast, a throw or cast that requires to be measured, or not to be distinguished from another but by measuring. Waller.

MEAT, n. [Sax. mæte, mete; Goth. mats; Sw. mat; Dan. mad; Hindoo mas. In W. maethu signifies to feed, to nourish, Corn. methia. In the language of the Mohegans, in America, meetseh signifies, eat thou; meetsoo, he eats. Qu. maiz and mast.]

1. Food in general; any thing eaten for nourishment, either by man or beast. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb – to you it shall be for meat. Gen. i. Every moving thing that liveth, shall be meat for you. Gen. ix. Thy carcase shall be meat to all fowls of the air. Deut. xxviii.
2. The flesh of animals used as food. This is now the more usual sense of the word. The meat of carnivorous animals is tough, coarse and ill flavored. The meat of herbivorous animals is generally palatable.
3. In Scripture, spiritual food; that which sustains and nourishes spiritual life or holiness. My flesh is meat indeed. John vi.
4. Spiritual comfort; that which delights the soul. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me. John iv.
5. Products of the earth proper for food. Hab. iii.
6. The more abstruse doctrines of the Gospel, or mysteries of religion. Heb. v.
7. Ceremonial ordinances. Heb. xiii. To sit at meat, to sit or recline at the table. Scripture.

MEAT-ED, a.

Fed; fattened. [Not used.] Tasser.

MEATHE, n. [W. mez. See Mead.]

Liquor or drink. [Not used.] Milton.

MEAT-OF-FER-ING, n.

An offering consisting of meat or food.

MEAT-Y, a.

Fleshy, but not fat. [Local.] Grose.

MEAWL, v.i. [See MEWL.]

MEAZ-LING, ppr.

Falling in small drops; properly mizzling, or rather mistling, from mist. Arbuthnot.

ME-CHAN'IC, or ME-CHAN'IC-AL, a. [L. mechanicus; Fr. mechanique; Gr. μηχανικος, from μηχανη, a machine.]

1. Pertaining to machines, or to the art of constructing machines; pertaining to the art of making wares, goods, instruments, furniture, &c. We say, a man is employed in mechanical labor; he lives by mechanical occupation.
2. Constructed or performed by the rules or laws of mechanics. The work is not mechanical.
3. Skilled in the art of making machines; bred to manual labor. Johnson.
4. Pertaining to artisans or mechanics; vulgar. To make a god, a hero or a king, / Descend to a mechanic dialect. Roscommon.
5. Pertaining to the principles of mechanics, in philosophy; as, mechanical powers or forces; a mechanical principle.
6. Acting by physical power; as mechanical pressure.
7. Acting without design or intelligence. The terms mechanical and chimical, are thus distinguished: those changes which bodies undergo without altering their constitution, that is, losing their identity, such as changes of place, of figure, &c. are mechanical; those which alter the constitution of bodies, making them different substances, as when flour, yeast and water unite to form bread, are chimical. In the one case, the changes relate to masses of matter, as the motions of the heavenly bodies, or the action of the wind on a ship under sail; in the other case, the changes occur between the particles of matter, as the action of heat in melting lead, or the union of sand and lime forming mortar. Most of what are usually called the mechanic arts, are partly mechanical, and partly chimical.

ME-CHAN'IC, n.

1. A person whose occupation is to construct machines, or goods, wares, instruments, furniture, and the like.
2. One skilled in a mechanical occupation or art.

ME-CHAN'IC-AL-LY, adv.

1. According to the laws of mechanism; or good workmanship.
2. By physical force or power.
3. Acting by the laws of motion, without intelligence or design, or by the force of habit. We say, a man arrives to such perfection in playing on an instrument, that his fingers move mechanically. Mechanically turned or inclined, naturally or habitually disposed to use mechanical arts. Swift.

ME-CHAN'IC-AL-NESS, n.

The state of being mechanical, or governed by mechanism.

MECH-A-NI'CIAN, n.

One skilled in mechanics.

ME-CHAN'ICS, n.

That science which treats of the doctrines of motion. It investigates the forces by which bodies are kept either in equilibrium or in motion, and is accordingly divided into statics and dynamics. A mathematical science which shows the effects of powers or moving forces, so far as they are applied to engines, and demonstrates the laws of motion. Harris. It is a well known truth in mechanics, that the actual and theoretical powers of a machine will never coincide. J. Appleton.

MECH'AN-ISM, n.

1. The construction of a machine, engine or instrument, intended to apply power to a useful purpose; the structure of parts, or manner in which the parts of a machine are united to answer its design.
2. Action of a machine, according to the laws of mechanics.

MECH'A-NIST, n.

The maker of machines, or one skilled in mechanics.