Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CLOSE, a.

1. Shut fast; tight; made fast, so as to have no opening; as, a close box; a close vizard.
2. Having parts firmly united; compact; dense; applied to solid substances of any kind; as, the close texture of wood or metal.
3. Having parts firmly adhering; viscous; tenacious; as oil, or glue. – Wilkins.
4. Confined; stagnant; without ventilation or motion; as, close air.
5. Confined; retired. While David kept himself close. – 1 Chron. xii.
6. Hid; private; secret; as, to keep a purpose close. – Numb. v. Luke ix.
7. Confined within narrow limits; narrow; as, a close alley.
8. Near; within a small distance; as, a close fight or action.
9. Joined; in contact or nearly so; crowded; as, to sit close.
10. Compressed, as thoughts or words; hence, brief; concise; opposed to loose or diffuse. Where the original is close, no version can reach it in the same compass. – Dryden.
11. Very near, in place or time; adjoining, or nearly so. I saw him come close to the ram. – Dan. viii. They sailed close by Crete. Acts xxvii. Some dire misfortune follows close behind. – Pope.
12. Having the quality of keeping secrets, thoughts or designs; cautious; as, a close minister. Hence in friendship, trusty; confidential.
13. Having an appearance of concealment; implying art, craft or wariness; as, a close aspect. – Shak.
14. Intent; fixed; attentive; pressing upon the object; as, to give close attention. Keep your mind or thoughts close to the business or subject. – Locke.
15. Full to the point; home; pressing; as, a close argument; bring the argument close to the question. – Dryden.
16. Pressing; earnest; warm; as, a close debate.
17. Confined; secluded from communication; as, a close prisoner.
18. Covetous; penurious; not liberal; as, a close man.
19. Applied to the weather or air, close, in popular language, denotes warm and damp, cloudy or foggy, or warm and relaxing, occasioning a sense of lassitude and depression. Perhaps originally, confined air.
20. Strictly adhering to the original; as, a close translation.
21. In heraldry, drawn in a coat of arms with the wings close, and in a standing posture. – Bailey. Close election, an election in which the votes for the different candidates are nearly equal. Close communion, with Baptists, communion in the Lord's supper with their own sect only. Close vote, an election in which the number of votes for the different persons or different sides of a question is nearly equal.