Emily Dickinson Lexicon

GAIT'ER, v.t.

To dress with gaiters.

GA'LA, n. [Sp. gala, a court dress; It. gala, finery; Fr. gala, show, pomp.]

A gala day is a day of pomp, show or festivity, when persons appear in their best apparel.

GA-LAC'TITE, n. [Gr. γαλα, γαλακτος, milk.]

A fossil substance resembling the morochthus or French chalk in many respects, but different in color. Immersed or triturated in water, it gives it the color of milk. – Encyc. Morin. Lunier.

GA-LAC-TOPH'O-GIST, n. [Gr. γαλακτος, milk, and φαγω, to eat.]

One who eats or subsists on milk.

GA-LAC-TOPH'OR-OUS, a.

Producing milk.

GA-LAGE', n. [Sp. galocha. See Galoche.]

A wooden shoe. [Obs.] – Spenser.

GA-LAN'GA, n.

A plant; the specific name of a species of Kaempferia, and also of a species of Alpinia, commonly called in English Galangal.

GA-LAN'GAL, n.

A plant; the English name both of Kaempferia Galanga, and Alpinia Galanga.

GA-LA'TIANS, n.

Inhabitants of Galatia, in the Lesser Asia, said to be descendants of the Gauls. [See Paul's epistle to them.]

GAL'AX-Y, n. [Gr. γαλαξιας, from γαλα, milk; Ir. geal, white; W. gâl, clear, fair, whence galaeth, the milky way Gr. καλος, fair.]

1. The milky way; that long, white, luminous track which seems to encompass the heavens like a girdle. This luminous appearance is found by the telescope to be occasioned by a multitude of stars, so small as not to be distinguished by the naked eye. – Encyc.
2. An assemblage of splendid persons or things. – Bp. Hall.

GAL'BAN, or GAL'-BA-NUM, n. [Heb. חלבנה, and in Ch. and Syr. varied in orthography, from חלב to milk.]

The inspissated sap of Galbanum officinale, an umbelliferous plant. It comes in pale-colored, semitransparent, soft tenacious masses, of different shades, from white to brown. It has a strong unpleasant smell, with a bitterish warm taste. It is unctuous to the touch, and softens between the fingers. When distilled with water or spirit, it yields an essential oil, and by distillation in a retort without mixture, it yields an empyreumatic oil of a fine blue color, but this is changed in the air to a purple. – Parr.

GALE, n. [In Dan. gal is furious, and kuler is to blow strong, kuling, a gentle gale, from the root of coal and cold. In Ir. gal is a puff, a blast, and steam. The sense is obvious.]

A current of air; a strong wind. The sense of this word is very indefinite. The poets use it in the sense of a moderate breeze or current of air; as, a gentle gale. A stronger wind is called a fresh gale. In the language of seamen, the word gale, unaccompanied by an epithet, signifies a vehement wind, a storm or tempest. They say, the ship carried away her top-mast in a gale, or gale of wind; the ship rode out the gale. But the word is often qualified; as, a hard or strong gale, a violent gale. A current of wind somewhat less violent is denominated a stiff gale. A less vehement wind is called a fresh gale, which is a wind not too strong for a ship to carry single reefed top-sails, when close hauled. When the wind is not so violent but that a ship will carry her top-sails a-trip or full-spread, it is called a loom-gale. – Mar. Dict. Encyc.

GALE, v.i.

In seamen's language, to sail, or sail fast.

GA'LE-A, n. [L. galea, a helmet.]

A genus of sea hedge-hogs.

GAL'E-AS, n.

A Venetian ship, large, but low built, and moved both by oars and sails.

GA'LE-A-TED, a. [L. galeatus, from galea, a helmet.]

1. Covered as with a helmet. – Woodward.
2. In botany, having a flower like a helmet, as the monk's-hood.

GA-LEE'TO, n.

A fish of the genus Blennius, of a greenish color, sometimes variegated with blue transverse lines, and like the eel, living many hours after being taken from the water.

GA-LE'NA, n. [Gr. γαληνη, tranquillity, so named from its supposed effects in mitigating the violence of disease.]

1. Originally, the name of the theriaca. – Parr.
2. Sulphuret of lead; its common color is that shining bluish gray, usually called lead gray; sometimes it is nearly steel gray. Its streak has a metallic luster, but its fine powder is nearly black. Its structure is commonly foliated, sometimes granular or compact, and sometimes striated or fibrous. It occurs in regular crystals, or more frequently massive. – Cleaveland.

GA-LEN'IC, or GA-LEN'IC-AL, a.

1. Pertaining to or containing galena. – Encyc.
2. [from Galen, the physician.] Relating to Galen or his principles and method of treating diseases. The galenic remedies consist of preparations of herbs and roots, by infusion, decoction, &c. The chimical remedies consist of preparations by means of calcination, digestion, fermentation, &c.

GA'LEN-ISM, n.

The doctrines of Galen.

GA'LEN-IST, n.

A follower of Galen in the preparation of medicine and modes of treating diseases; opposed to the chimists.

GA'LER-ITE, n. [L. galerus, a hat or cap.]

A genus of fossil shells.

GAL-I-LE'AN, n.

A native or inhabitant of Galilee, in Judea. Also, one of a sect among the Jews, who opposed the payment of tribute to the Romans.

GAL-I-MA'TIA, n. [Fr. galimatias.]

Nonsense. – Addison.

GAL'IOT, n. [Fr. galiote; Sp. galeota; It. galeotta; L. galea.]

1. A small galley, or sort of brigantine, built for chase. It is moved both by sails and oars, having one mast and sixteen or twenty seats for rowers. – Dict.
2. Galiot or galliott, a Dutch vessel, carrying a main-mast and a mizzen-mast, and a large gaff main-sail. – Mar. Dict.