Emily Dickinson Lexicon

MILD'EST, a. [Superl.]

Most mild.

MILDEW, n. [Sax. mildeaw; L. melligo, from mel, honey; G. mehlthau, as if from mehl, meal.]

1. Honey dew; a thick, clammy, sweet juice, found on the leaves of plants, which is said to injure the plants by corroding them, or otherwise preventing them from coming to perfection. Encyc.
2. Spots on cloth or paper caused by moisture.

MIL'DEW, v.t.

To taint with mildew. Shak.

MIL'DEW-ED, pp.

Tainted or injured by mildew.

MIL'DEW-ING, ppr.

Tainting with mildew.

MILD'LY, adv.

Softly; gently; tenderly; not roughly or violently; moderately; as, to speak mildly; to burn mildly; to operate mildly.

MILD'NESS, n.

1. Softness; gentleness; as, the mildness of words or speech; mildness of voice.
2. Tenderness; mercy; clemency; as, mildness of temper.
3. Gentleness of operation; as, the mildness of a medicine.
4. Softness; the quality that affects the senses pleasantly; as, the mildness of fruit or of liquors.
5. Temperateness; moderate state; as, the mildness of weather.

MILD-SPIR'IT-ED, or MILD-TEM'PER-ED, a.

Having a mild temper. Arbuthnot. Scott.

MILE, n. [L. mille passus, a thousand paces; passus being dropped in common usage, the word became a noun; Sax. mil; Sw. mil; Dan. miil; G. meile; D. myl; Fr. mille; Sp. milla; Port. milha; It. miglio.]

A measure of length or distance, containing eight furlongs, 320 rods, poles or perches, 1760 yards, 5280 feet, or 80 chains. The Roman mile was a thousand paces, equal to 1600 yards English measure.

MILE'AGE, n.

Fees paid for travel by the mile.

MILE'-STONE, n.

A stone set to mark the distance or space of a mile.

MIL'FOIL, n. [L. millefolium, a thousand leaves.]

A plant of the genus Achillea; yarrow.

MIL'IA-RY, a. [Fr. miliaire, L. milium, millet.]

1. Resembling millet seeds; as, a miliary eruption; miliary glands. The miliary glands are the sebaceous glands of the skin. Coxe.
2. Accompanied with an eruption like millet seeds; as, a miliary fever.

MIL'ICE, n. [For Militia, is not in use.]

MIL'IO-LITE, n.

Fossil remains of the Miliola, a genus of univalve shells. Ed. Encyc.

MIL'I-TAN-CY, n.

Warfare. [Little used.] Mountague.

MIL'ITANT, a. [L. militans, milito, to fight.]

1. Fighting; combating; serving as a soldier. Spenser.
2. The church militant, is the Christian church on earth, which is supposed to be engaged in a constant warfare against its enemies; thus distinguished from the church triumphant, or in heaven. Hooker.

MIL'I-TA-RI-LY, adv.

In a soldierly manner.

MIL'I-TA-RY, a. [Fr. militaire; L. militaris, from miles, a soldier; milito, to fight; Gr. αμιλλα, contest.]

1. Pertaining to soldiers or to arms; as, a military parade or appearance; military discipline.
2. Engaged in the service of soldiers or arms; as, a military man.
3. Warlike; becoming a soldier; as, military virtue; military bravery.
4. Derived from the services or exploits of a soldier; as, military renown.
5. Conformable to the customs or rules of armies or militia. The conduct of the officer was not military.
6. Performed or made by soldiers; as, a military election. Bacon. Military tenure, a tenure of land, on condition of performing military service.

MIL'I-TA-RY, n.

The whole body of soldiers; soldiery; militia; an army. United States. Mitford.

MIL'I-TATE, v.i. [L. milito.]

To militate against, is to oppose; to be or to act, in opposition. Smollett. Paley writes, to militate with; but in America, against is generally used.

MI-LI'TIA, n. [L. from miles, a soldier; Ir. mal or mil; W. milwr; Gr. μωλος, war; μωλεω, to fight; αμιλλα, combat, contention. The primary sense of fighting is to strive, struggle, drive, or to strike, to beat, Eng. moil, L. molior, Heb. Ch. Syr. Sam. and Ar. עמל, to labor or toil. So exercitus, from exerceo, to exert, to strive. Class Ml, No. 15.]

The body of soldiers in a state enrolled for discipline, but not engaged in actual service except in emergencies; as distinguished from regular troops, whose sole occupation is war or military service. The militia of a country are the able-bodied men organized into companies, regiments and brigades, with officers of all grades, and required by law to attend military exercises on certain days only, but at other times left to pursue their usual occupations.

MILK, n. [Sax. melce; G. milch; D. melk; Sw. miölka; Dan. mælker; Russ. mleko; or moloko; Bohemian, mliko; Ir. meilg. See the verb.]

1. A white fluid or liquor, secreted by certain glands in female animals, and drawn from the breasts for the nourishment of their young.
2. The white juice of certain plants.
3. Emulsion made by bruising seeds. Bacon.

MILK, v.t. [Sax. melcan, meolcian; G. and D. melken; Sw. miölka; Dan. mælker; Russ. melzyu; L. mulgeo; Gr. αμελγω.]

1. To draw or press milk from the breasts by the hand; as, to milk a cow.
2. To suck. [Not used.] Shak.

MILK'ED, pp.

Drawn from the breasts by the hand.