Emily Dickinson Lexicon

ME'TRE, n. [See METER.]

MET'RIC-AL, a. [L. metricus; Fr. metrique.]

1. Pertaining to measure, or due arrangement or combination of long and short syllables.
2. Consisting of verses; as, metrical compositions.
3. Having the diameter of a French meter, as metrical blocks.

MET'RIC-AL-LY, adv.

According to poetic measure.

ME'TRIST, or ME-TRI'CIAN, n.

A composer of verses.

ME-TROL'O-GY, n. [Gr. μετρον, measure, and λογος, discourse.]

1. A discourse on measures or mensuration; the description of measures.
2. An account of measures, or the science of weights and it measures. J. Q. Adams.

MET'RO-NOME, n. [Gr. μετρεω and νομη, division.]

An instrument, which, by a short pendulum, with a sliding weight, and set in motion by clock work, marks the time in which a composer intends a piece of music to be performed.

ME-TROP'O-LIS, n. [L. from Gr. μητροπολις; μητηρ, mother, and πολις, city. It has no plural.]

Literally, the mother-city, that is, the chief city or capital of a kingdom, state or country, as Paris in France, Madrid in Spain, London in Great Britain. In the United States, Washington, in the District of Columbia, is the metropolis, as being the seat of government; but in several of the states, the largest cities are not the seats of the respective ct governments. Yet New York city, in the state of that name, and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, are the chief cities, and may be called each the metropolis of the state in which it is situated, though neither of them is the seat of government in the state.

MET-RO-POL'I-TAN, a.

Belonging to a metropolis, or to the mother church; residing in the chief city.

MET-RO-POL'I-TAN, n.

The bishop of the mother church; an archbishop. Clarendon.

ME-TROP'O-LITE, n.

A metropolitan. [Not used.]

MET-RO-POL'I-TIC, or MET-RO-PO-LIT'IC-AL, a.

Pertaining to a metropolis; chief or principal of cities; archiepiscopal. Knolles. Milner. Selden.

MET'TLE, n. [met'l; usually supposed to be corrupted from inmetal. But it may be from W. mezwl or methwl, mind, connected with mezu, to be able, and coinciding with the root of the Eng. moody; D. moed, courage, heart, spirit; G. muth, mind, courage; mettle; Sax. mod; Sw. mod; Dan. mod or mood; Goth. mod, angry. The Sax. modig, L. animus, animosus, furnish an analogy in point. The radical sense of mind, is to advance, to push forward, whence the sense of briskness, ardor.]

Spirit; constitutional ardor; that temperament which is susceptible of high excitement. It is not synonymous with courage, though it may be accompanied with it, and is sometimes used for it. The winged courser, like a generous horse, / Shows most true mettle when you check his course. Pope.

MET'TLED, a.

High spirited; ardent; full of fire. Pope.

MET'TLE-SOME, a.

Full of spirit; possessing constitutional ardor brisk; fiery; as, a mettlesome horse. Tatler.

MET'TLE-SOME-LY, adv.

With sprightliness, or high spirit.

MET'TLE-SOME-NESS, n.

The state of being high spirited.

MEW, n.¹ [Sax. mæw; Dan. maage; D. meeuw; G. mewe; Fr. mouette.]

A sea-fowl of the genus Larus; a gull.

MEW, n.² [Fr. mue; Arm. muz; W. mud, a mew and mute; D. muite. See the verb to mew, to shed feathers.]

1. A cage for birds; an inclosure; a place of confinement.
2. A stable.

MEW, v.i.¹ [W. mewian; G. miauen; coinciding probably with L. mugio.]

To cry as a cat.

MEW, v.i.²

To change; to put on a new appearance.

MEW, v.t.¹ [from the noun.]

To shut up; to inclose; to confine, as in a cage or other inclosure. More pity that the eagle should be mew'd. Shak. Close mew'd in their sedans, for fear of air. Dryden.

MEW, v.t.² [W. miw, a shedding of feathers; It. mudare, to mew; Fr. muer; Arm. muza; G. mausen; D. muiten, to, mew or molt, to mutiny; Sp. muda, change, alteration, a mute letter, time of molding or shedding feathers, roost of a hawk; Port. mudar, to change, to mew or cast feathers or a slough; moda, a dumb woman, the mewing or molting of birds. The W. mud, a mew, is also removal, a pass or move, a change of residence, and mute; and the verb mudaw is to change, to remove, comprehending the L. muto and moto. We have then clear evidence that mew, a cage, mew, to molt, and the L. muto, moto, and mutus, and Eng. mutiny, are all from one root. The primary sense is to press or drive, whence to move, to change, and to shut up, that is, to press or drive close; and this is the sense of mute. Mutiny is from motion or change.]

To shed or cast; to change; to molt. The hawk mewed his feathers. Nine times the moon had mew'd her horns. Dryden.

MEW-ING, ppr.

Casting the feathers or skin; crying.

MEWL, v.i. [Fr. miauler; It. miagolare; Sp. maullar or mayar; coinciding in elements with L. mugio, to low; G. mucken; Dan. mukker, to mutter; Gr. μηκαομαι, to bleat; Ir. meigiollam; W. migiaw.]

To cry or squall, as a child. Shak.

MEWL-ER, n.

One that squalls or mewls.