Emily Dickinson Lexicon

COM-MU'NI-CA-BLE, a. [Fr.]

1. That may be communicated; capable of being imparted from one to another; as, knowledge is communicable by words. Lost bliss, to thee no more communicable. – Milton. Eternal life is communicable to all. – Hooker.
2. That may be recounted. – Milton.
3. Communicative; ready to impart. [Not used.] – B. Jonson.

COM-MU'NI-CA-BLE-NESS, n.

The state of being communicable.

COM-MU'NI-CA-BLY, adv.

With communication.

COM-MU'NI-CANT, n.

One who communes at the Lord's table; one entitled to partake of the sacrament, at the celebration of the Lord's supper. – Hooker. Atterbury.

COM-MU'NI-CATE, v.i.

1. To partake of the Lord's supper. – Taylor. Instead of this, in America, at least in New England, commune is generally or always used.
2. To have a communication or passage from one to another; to have the means of passing from one to another; as, two houses communicate with each other; a fortress communicates with the country; the canals of the body communicate with each other. – Arbuthnot.
3. To have intercourse; applied to persons.
4. To have, enjoy or suffer reciprocally; to have a share with another. Ye have done well that ye did communicate with my affliction. Phil. iv.

COM-MU'NI-CATE, v.t. [L. communico, from communis, common; It. communicare; Sp. communicar; Fr. communiquer.]

1. To impart; to give to another, as a partaker; to confer for joint possession; to bestow, as that which the receiver is to hold, retain, use or enjoy; with to. Where God is worshiped, there he communicates his blessings and holy influences. – Taylor. Let him that is taught in the word communicate to him that teacheth in all good things. – Gal. vi.
2. To impart reciprocally, or mutually; to have or enjoy a share of; followed by with. Common benefits are to be communicated with all, but peculiar benefits with choice. – Bacon. But Diomede desires my company, / And still communicates his praise with me. – Dryden.
3. To impart, as knowledge; to reveal; to give, as information, either by words, signs or signals; as, to communicate intelligence, news, opinions, or facts. Formerly this verb had with before the person receiving; as, “he communicated those thoughts only with the Lord Digby.” – Clarendon. But now it has to only.
4. To deliver, as to communicate a message; to give, as to communicate motion.

COM-MU'NI-CA-TED, pp.

Imparted from one to another; bestowed; delivered.

COM-MU'NI-CA-TING, ppr.

1. Imparting; giving or bestowing; delivering.
2. Partaking of the sacrament of the Lord's supper.
3. Leading or conducting from place to place, as a passage; connected by a passage or channel, as two lakes communicating with each other.
4. Having intercourse by words, letters or messages; corresponding.

COM-MU-NI-CA'TION, n.

1. The act of imparting, conferring, or delivering, from one to another; as, the communication of knowledge, opinions or facts.
2. Intercourse by words, letters or messages; interchange of thoughts or opinions, by conference or other means. Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought for David in times past to be king over you. – 2 Sam. iii. Let your communication be, yea, yea; nay, nay. – Matth. v. In 1 Cor. xv. 33, “Evil communications corrupt good manners,” the word may signify conversation, colloquial discourses, or customary association and familiarity.
3. Intercourse; interchange of knowledge; correspondence; good understanding between men. Secrets may be carried so far as to stop the communication necessary among all who have the management of affairs. – Swift.
4. Connecting passage; means of passing from place to place; as, a strait or channel between seas or lakes, a road between cities or countries, a gallery between apartments in a house, an avenue between streets, &c. Keep open a communication with the besieged place.
5. That which is communicated or imparted. The house received a communication from the governor, respecting the hospital.
6. In rhetoric, a trope by which a speaker or writer takes his hearer or speaker as a partner in his sentiments, and says we, instead of I or you. – Beattie.

COM-MU'NI-CA-TIVE, a.

1. Inclined to communicate; ready to impart to others. In the sense of liberal of benefits, though legitimate, it is little used.
2. Disposed to impart or disclose, as knowledge, opinions, or facts; free to communicate; not reserved. We have paid for our want of prudence, and determine for the future to be less communicative. – Swift.

COM-MU'NI-CA-TIVE-NESS, n.

The quality of being communicative; readiness to impart to others; freedom from reserve. – Norris.

COM-MU'NI-CA-TOR, n.

One who communicates. – Dwight.

COM-MU'NI-CA-TO-RY, a.

Imparting knowledge. – Barrow.

COM'MUN-ING, n.

Familiar converse; private intercourse. – E. T. Fitch.

COM-MUN'ING, ppr.

Conversing familiarly; having familiar intercourse.

COM-MUN'ION, n. [commu'nyon; L. communio; Fr. communion; It. comunione; Sp. comunion; Port. communham. See Common.]

1. Fellowship; intercourse between two persons or more; interchange of transactions, or offices; a state of giving and receiving; agreement; concord. We are naturally led to seek communion and fellowship with others. – Hooker. What communion hath light with darkness? – 2 Cor. vi. The communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. – 2 Cor. xiii.
2. Mutual intercourse or union in religions worship, or in doctrine and discipline. The Protestant churches have no communion with the Romish church.
3. The body of Christians who have one common faith and discipline. The three grand communions into which the Christian church is divided, are those of the Greek, the Romish and the Protestant churches.
4. The act of communicating the sacrament of the eucharist; the celebration of the Lord's supper; the participation of the blessed sacrament. The fourth council of Lateran decrees that every believer shall receive the communion at least at Easter. – Encyc.
5. Union of professing Christians in a particular church; as, members in full communion. Communion-service, in the liturgy of the Episcopal church, is the office for the administration of the holy sacrament.

COM-MUN'ION-IST, n.

One of the same communion. – Drury.

COM'MU-NISM, n. [Fr. commune, common.]

Community of property among all the citizens of a state; a state of things in which there are no individual or separate rights in property; a new French word nearly synonymous with agrarianism, socialism, and radicalism.

COM'MU-NIST, n.

An advocate for a community of property among citizens. Some persons of this sect contend also for a community of females, or a promiscuous intercourse of the sexes.

COM-MU'NI-TY, n. [L. communitas; It. comunità; Sp. comunidad; Fr. communauté. See Common.]

1. Properly, common possession or enjoyment; as, a community of goods. It is a confirmation of the original community of all things. – Locke.
2. A society of people having common rights and privileges, or common interests, civil, political or ecclesiastical; or living under the same laws and regulations. This word may signify a commonwealth or state, a body politic, or a particular society or order of men within a state, as a community of monks; and it is often used for the public or people in general, without very definite limits.
3. Commonness; frequency. [Obs.] – Shak.

COM-MU-TA-BIL'I-TY, n. [See Commute.]

The quality of being capable of being exchanged or put, one in the place of the other.

COM-MU'TA-BLE, a. [L. commutabilis. See Commute.]

That may be exchanged, or mutually changed; that may be given for another. In philology, that may pass from one into another; as, the letter b commutable with v; or in Celtic, b and mh are commutable.

COM-MU-TA'TION, n. [L. commutatio. See Commute.]

1. Change; alteration; a passing from one state to another. – South.
2. Exchange; the act of giving one thing for another; barter. The uses of money is to save the commutation of more bulky commodities. – Arbuthnot.
3. In law, the change of a penalty or punishment from a greater to a less; as banishment instead of death. Suits are allowable in the spiritual courts for money agreed to be given as a commutation for penance. – Blackstone.

COM-MU'TA-TIVE, a. [Fr. commutatif; It. commutativo. See Commute.]

Relative to exchange; interchangeable; mutually passing from one to another; as, commutative justice, justice which is mutually done and received, between men in society. To cultivate an habitual regard to commutative justice. – Burke.

COM-MU'TA-TIVE-LY, adv.

By way of reciprocal exchange. – Brown.