m ['em] -n

  1. the 13th letter of the English alphabet
  2. a graphic representation of this letter
  3. a speech counterpart of orthographic m
  4. one thousand
  5. a graphic device for reproducing the letter m
  6. one designated mesp. as the 13th in order or class
  7. something shaped like the letter M
  8. em
  9. pica
  10. male
  11. manual
  12. married
  13. martyr
  14. masculine
  15. mass
  16. measure
  17. meridian
  18. noon
  19. meter
  20. middle
  21. mile
  22. thousand
  23. milli-
  24. minute
  25. molal; molality
  26. mole
  27. month
  28. moon
  29. morning
  30. muscle

M -abbr

  1. Mach
  2. magnitude
  3. March
  4. May
  5. medium
  6. mega-
  7. million
  8. molar; molarity
  9. monsieur

ma ['mä, 'mȯ] -n

  1. mother

mA -abbr

  1. milliampere

Ma -abbr

  1. million years ago

MA -abbr

  1. master of arts
  2. Massachusetts
  3. mental age
  4. Middle Ages

MAA -abbr

  1. master of applied arts

ma'am ['mam, after “yes” often əm] -n

  1. madam

maandpa [,mä-ən-'pä, ,mȯ-ən-'pȯ] -adj

  1. mom-and-pop

Mab ['mab] -n

  1. a queen of fairies in English literature

mabe pearl ['mä-,bā-] -n

  1. a cultured pearl essentially hemispherical in form called also mabe

mac ['mak] -n

  1. mackintosh

Mac ['mak] -n

  1. fellow used informally to address a man whose name is not known
  2. Machabees
  3. Maccabees

MAC -abbr

  1. military airlift command

ma·ca·bre [mə-'käb; -'kä-brə, -bər; -'käbrᵊ] -adj

  1. having death as a subject : comprising or including a personalized representation of death
  2. dwelling on the gruesome
  3. tending to produce horror in a beholder

mac·ad·am [mə-'ka-dəm] -n

  1. macadamized roadway or pavement esp. with a bituminous binder

mac·a·da·mia nut [,ma-kə-'dā-mē-ə-] -n

  1. a hard-shelled nut somewhat resembling a filbert and produced by an Australian evergreen tree ( Macadamia integrifolia) of the protea family that is cultivated extensively in Hawaii called also macadamia

mac·ad·am·ize [mə-'ka-də-,mīz] -vt

  1. to construct or finish (a road) by compacting into a solid mass a layer of small broken stone on a convex well-drained roadbed and using a binder (as cement or asphalt) for the mass

ma·caque [mə-'kak, -'käk] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Macaca) of chiefly Asian monkeys typically having a sturdy build and including some short-tailed or tailless forms
  2. rhesus monkey

mac·a·ro·ni [,ma-kə-'rō-nē] -n

  1. pasta made from semolina and shaped in the form of slender tubes
  2. a member of a class of traveled young Englishmen of the late 18th and early 19th centuries who affected foreign ways
  3. an affected young man : fop
  4. macaroni penguin

mac·a·ron·ic [-'rä-nik] -adj, n

  1. characterized by a mixture of vernacular words with Latin words or with non-Latin words having Latin endings
  2. characterized by a mixture of two languages

macaroni penguin -n

  1. a small penguin ( Eudyptes chrysolophus) that has an orange, yellow, and black crest on the head and a black chin and that breeds on subantarctic islands

mac·a·roon [,ma-kə-'rün] -n

  1. a small cookie composed chiefly of egg whites, sugar, and ground almonds or coconut

ma·caw [mə-'kȯ] -n

  1. any of numerous parrots (esp. genus Ara) of South and Central America including some of the largest and showiest of parrots

Mac·beth [mək-'beth, mak-] -n

  1. a Scottish general who is the protagonist of Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth

Mac·ca·bees ['ma-kə-(,)bēz] -n pl, adj

  1. a priestly family leading a Jewish revolt begun in 168 b.c.against Hellenism and Syrian rule and reigning over Palestine from 142 b.c.to 63 b.c.
  2. either of two narrative and historical books included in the Roman Catholic canon of the Old Testament and in the Protestant Apocrypha

mace ['mās] -n

  1. an aromatic spice consisting of the dried external fibrous covering of a nutmeg
  2. a heavy often spiked staff or club used esp. in the Middle Ages for breaking armor
  3. a club used as a weapon
  4. an ornamental staff borne as a symbol of authority before a public official or a legislative body
  5. one who carries a mace
  6. to attack with the liquid Mace

Mace ['mās] -trademark

  1. used for a temporarily disabling liquid usu. used as a spray

ma·ce·doine [,ma-sə-'dwän] -n

  1. a confused mixture : medley
  2. a mixture of fruits or vegetables served as a salad or cocktail or in a jellied dessert or used in a sauce or as a garnish

Mac·e·do·nian [,ma-sə-'dō-nyən, -nē-ən] -n

  1. the language of ancient Macedonia of uncertain affinity but generally assumed to be Indo-European
  2. a native or inhabitant of Macedonia
  3. the Slavic language of modern Macedonia

mac·er·ate ['ma-sə-,rāt] -vb, n

  1. to cause to waste away by or as if by excessive fasting
  2. to cause to become soft or separated into constituent elements by or as if by steeping in fluid
  3. steep, soak
  4. to soften and wear away esp. as a result of being wetted or steeped

Mac·Guf·fin [mə-'gə-fən] -n

  1. an object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usu. lacking intrinsic importance

mach -abbr

  1. machine; machinery; machinist

Mach ['mäk] -n

  1. a usu. high speed expressed by a Mach number
    • an airplane flying at Mach 2

Mach·a·bees ['ma-kə-(,)bēz] -n pl but sing in constr

  1. maccabees

mache ['mäsh] -n

  1. corn salad

ma·chete [mə-'she-tē, -'che-; -'shet] -n

  1. a large heavy knife used for cutting sugarcane and underbrush and as a weapon

Ma·chi·a·vel·lian [,ma-kē-ə-'ve-lē-ən, -'vel-yən] -adj, n

  1. of or relating to Machiavelli or Machiavellianism
  2. suggesting the principles of conduct laid down by Machiavelli
  3. marked by cunning, duplicity, or bad faith

Ma·chi·a·vel·lian·ism [-'ve-lē-ə-,ni-zəm, -'vel-yə-,ni-zəm] -n

  1. the political theory of Machiavelli
  2. the view that politics is amoral and that any means however unscrupulous can justifiably be used in achieving political power

ma·chic·o·la·tion [mə-,chi-kə-'lā-shən] -n, adj

  1. an opening between the corbels of a projecting parapet or in the floor of a gallery or roof of a portal for discharging missiles upon assailants below
  2. a gallery or parapet containing such openings
  3. construction imitating medieval machicolation

mach·i·nate ['ma-kə-,nāt, 'ma-shə-] -vb, n

  1. to plan or plot esp. to do harm
  2. to scheme or contrive to bring about : plot

mach·i·na·tion [,ma-kə-'nā-shən, ,ma-shə-] -n

  1. an act of machinating
  2. a scheming or crafty action or artful design intended to accomplish some usu. evil end
    • backstage machination s ...that have dominated the film industry -- Peter Bogdanovich

ma·chine [mə-'shēn] -n

  1. a constructed thing whether material or immaterial
  2. conveyance, vehicle
  3. automobile
  4. a military engine
  5. any of various apparatuses formerly used to produce stage effects
  6. an assemblage of parts that transmit forces, motion, and energy one to another in a predetermined manner
  7. an instrument (as a lever) designed to transmit or modify the application of power, force, or motion
  8. a mechanically, electrically, or electronically operated device for performing a task
  9. a coin-operated device
    • a cigarette machine
  10. machinery used with the or in pl.
  11. a living organism or one of its functional systems
  12. one that resembles a machine (as in being methodical, tireless, or consistently productive)
    • a gifted publicist and quote machine -- John Lancaster
  13. a combination of persons acting together for a common end along with the agencies they use
  14. a highly organized political group under the leadership of a boss or small clique
  15. a literary device or contrivance introduced for dramatic effect

machine [-,shē-nə-'bi-lə-tē] -vt, n, adj

  1. to process by or as if by machine
  2. to reduce or finish by or as if by turning, shaping, planing, or milling by machine-operated tools

ma·chinegun [mə-'shēn-,gən] -adj

  1. characterized by rapidity and sharpness : rapid-fire
    • a comic's machinegun delivery

machine gun -n, vb

  1. a gun for sustained rapid fire that uses bullets
  2. an automatic weapon

machine language -n

  1. the set of symbolic instruction codes usu. in binary form that is used to represent operations and data in a machine (as a computer) called also machine code
  2. assembly language

ma·chine·like [mə-'shēn-,līk] -adj

  1. resembling or suggesting a machine esp. in regularity of action or stereotyped uniformity of product

machine pistol -n

  1. a small submachine gun with a pistol grip

machinereadable -adj

  1. directly usable by a computer
    • machinereadable text

ma·chin·ery [mə-'shē-nə-rē, -'shēn-rē] -n

  1. machines in general or as a functioning unit
  2. the working parts of a machine
  3. the means or system by which something is kept in action or a desired result is obtained
    • the machinery of government
    • genetic machinery of cells

machine shop -n

  1. a workshop in which work is machined to size and assembled

machine tool -n

  1. a machine designed for shaping solid work

ma·chin·ist [mə-'shē-nist] -n

  1. a worker who fabricates, assembles, or repairs machinery
  2. a craftsman skilled in the use of machine tools
  3. one who operates a machine
  4. a person in charge of the mechanical aspects of a theatrical production
  5. a warrant officer who supervises machinery and engine operation

ma·chis·mo [mä-'chēz-(,)mō, mə-, -'kēz-, -'kiz-, -'chiz-] -n

  1. a strong sense of masculine pride : an exaggerated masculinity
  2. an exaggerated or exhilarating sense of power or strength

Mach number ['mäk-] -n

  1. a number representing the ratio of the speed of a body (as an aircraft) to the speed of sound in a surrounding medium (as air)

ma·cho ['mä-(,)chō] -adj

  1. characterized by machismo : aggressively virile

macho -n

  1. one who exhibits machismo
  2. machismo

mack ['mak] -n

(variant of mac)

  1. mackintosh

mack daddy ['mak-] -n

  1. a conspicuously successful pimp
  2. a slick womanizer
  3. one that is the best

mack·er·el ['ma-k(ə-)rəl] -n

  1. a scombroid fish ( Scomber scombrusof the family Scombridae) of the No. Atlantic that is green above with dark blue bars and silvery below and is a commercially important food fish
  2. any of various fishes (as the wahoo and king mackerel) in the same family as the mackerel esp. when distinguished from the related bonito or tuna by a comparatively smaller size

mackerel shark -n

  1. any of a family (Lamnidae) of large pelagic sharks including the great white shark and mako sharks
  2. porbeagle

mackerel sky -n

  1. a sky covered with rows of altocumulus or cirrocumulus clouds resembling the patterns on a mackerel's back

mack·i·naw ['ma-kə-,nȯ] -n

  1. a heavy woolen blanket formerly distributed by the U.S. government to the Indians
  2. a heavy cloth of wool or wool and other fibers often with a plaid design and usu. heavily napped and felted
  3. a short coat of mackinaw or similar heavy fabric
  4. mackinaw trout

mackinaw trout -n

  1. a large dark No. American char ( Salvelinus namaycush) that is an important commercial food fish in northern lakes called also lake trout mackinaw

mack·in·tosh ['ma-kən-,täsh] -n

  1. raincoat
  2. a lightweight waterproof fabric orig. of rubberized cotton

Mac·lau·rin series [mə-'klȯr-ən(z)-] -n

  1. a Taylor's series that is expanded about the reference point zero and that takes the form subject to the conditions holding for a Taylor's series called also Maclaurin's series

ma·cle ['ma-kəl] -n, adj

  1. a twin crystal
  2. a flat often triangular diamond that is usu. a twin crystal

ma·con [ma-'kōⁿ] -n

  1. a dry red or white wine produced in the area around Macon, France

Mac·Pher·son strut [mək-'fir-sᵊn-, -'fər-] -n

  1. a component of an automobile suspension consisting of a shock absorber mounted within a coil spring

macr- -comb form

  1. long
    • macro biotic
  2. large
    • macro molecule

mac·ra·me ['ma-krə-,mā] -n

  1. a coarse lace or fringe made by knotting threads or cords in a geometrical pattern
  2. the art of tying knots in patterns

mac·ro ['ma-(,)krō] -adj

  1. being large, thick, or exceptionally prominent
  2. of, involving, or intended for use with relatively large quantities or on a large scale
  3. of or relating to macroeconomics
  4. gross
  5. of or relating to a macro lens or to close-up photography

macro -n

  1. a single computer instruction that stands for a sequence of operations

mac·ro·ag·gre·gate [,ma-krō-'a-gri-gət] -n, adj

  1. a relatively large particle (as of soil)

mac·ro·bi·ot·ic [-bī-'ä-tik, -bē-] -adj, n pl but sing in constr

  1. of, relating to, or being a diet based on the Chinese cosmological principles of yin and yang that consists of whole cereals and grains supplemented esp. with beans and vegetables and that in its esp. former more restrictive forms has been linked to nutritional deficiencies

mac·ro·cosm ['ma-krə-,kä-zəm] -n, adj, adv

  1. the great world : universe
  2. a complex that is a large-scale reproduction of one of its constituents

mac·ro·cy·clic [,ma-krō-'si-klik, -'sī-] -adj

  1. containing or being a chemical ring that consists usu. of 15 or more atoms

mac·ro·cyte ['ma-krə-,sīt] -n, adj

  1. an exceptionally large red blood cell occurring chiefly in anemias

mac·ro·cy·to·sis [,ma-krə-sī-'tō-səs, -krə-sə-] -n

  1. the occurrence of macrocytes in the blood

mac·ro·eco·nom·ics ['ma-krō-,e-kə-'nä-miks, -,ē-kə-] -n pl but usu sing in constr, adj

  1. a study of economics in terms of whole systems esp. with reference to general levels of output and income and to the interrelations among sectors of the economy

mac·ro·evo·lu·tion ['ma-krō-,e-və-'lü-shən also -,ē-və-] -n, adj

  1. evolution that results in relatively large and complex changes (as in species formation)

mac·ro·fos·sil ['ma-krō-,fä-səl] -n

  1. a fossil large enough to be observed by direct inspection

mac·ro·ga·mete [,ma-krō-'ga-,mēt also -gə-'mēt] -n

  1. the larger and usu. female gamete of a heterogamous organism

mac·ro·glob·u·lin [-'glä-byə-lən] -n

  1. a highly polymerized globulin (as IgM) of high molecular weight

mac·ro·glob·u·li·ne·mia [-,glä-byə-lə-'nē-mē-ə] -n, adj

  1. a disorder characterized by increased blood serum viscosity and the presence of macroglobulins in the serum

mac·ro·in·struc·tion [,ma-krō-in-'strək-shən] -n

  1. macro

macro lens -n

  1. a camera lens designed to focus at very short distances with up to life-size magnification of the image

mac·ro·lep·i·dop·tera ['ma-krō-,le-pə-'däp-tə-rə] -n pl

  1. lepidoptera (as butterflies, skippers, saturniids, and noctuids) that include most of the large forms and none of the minute ones

mac·ro·mere ['ma-krə-,mir] -n

  1. a large blastomere

mac·ro·mol·e·cule [,ma-krō-'mä-li-,kyü(ə)l] -n, adj

  1. a very large molecule (as of a protein or rubber)

ma·cron ['mā-,krän, 'ma-, -krən] -n

  1. a mark placed over a vowel to indicate that the vowel is long or placed over a syllable or used alone to indicate a stressed or long syllable in a metrical foot

mac·ro·nu·cle·us [,ma-krō-'nü-klē-əs, -'nyü-] -n, adj

  1. a relatively large densely staining nucleus of most ciliate protozoans that is derived from micronuclei and controls various nonreproductive functions

mac·ro·nu·tri·ent [-'nü-trē-ənt, -'nyü-] -n

  1. a chemical element (as nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium) of which relatively large quantities are essential to the growth and health of a plant
  2. a substance (as protein or carbohydrate) essential in large amounts to the growth and health of an animal

mac·ro·phage ['ma-krə-,fāj] -n, adj

  1. a phagocytic tissue cell of the immune system that may be fixed or freely motile, is derived from a monocyte, functions in the destruction of foreign antigens (as bacteria and viruses), and serves as an antigen-presenting cell

mac·ro·pho·tog·ra·phy [,ma-krō-fə-'tä-grə-fē] -n

  1. the making of photographs in which the object is either unmagnified or slightly magnified up to a limit often of about 10 diameters

mac·ro·phyte ['ma-krə-,fīt] -n, adj

  1. a member of the macroscopic plant life esp. of a body of water

mac·rop·ter·ous [ma-'kräp-tə-rəs] -adj

  1. having long or large wings
    • macropterous insects

mac·ro·scale ['ma-krō-,skāl] -n

  1. a large often macroscopic scale

mac·ro·scop·ic [,ma-krə-'skä-pik] -adj, adv

  1. observable by the naked eye
  2. involving large units or elements

mac·ro·struc·ture ['ma-krō-,strək-chər] -n, adj

  1. the structure (as of metal, a body part, or the soil) revealed by visual examination with little or no magnification

mac·u·la ['ma-kyə-lə] -n, adj

  1. spot, blotch
  2. macule
  3. an anatomical structure having the form of a spot differentiated from surrounding tissues
  4. macula lutea

macula lu·tea [-'lü-tē-ə] -n

  1. a small yellowish area lying slightly lateral to the center of the retina that constitutes the region of maximum visual acuity called also yellow spot

macular degeneration -n

  1. a gradual loss of the central part of the field of vision usu. affecting both eyes that occurs esp. in the elderly and that in a slowly progressing form is marked esp. by accumulation of yellow deposits in and thinning of the macula lutea and in a rapidly progressing form by scarring produced by bleeding and fluid leakage below the macula lutea

mac·u·late ['ma-kyə-lət] -adj

  1. marked with spots : blotched
  2. impure, besmirched

mac·u·la·tion [,ma-kyə-'lā-shən] -n

  1. the state of being spotted
  2. a blemish in the form of a discrete spot
    • acne scars and maculation s
  3. the arrangement of spots and markings on an animal or plant

mac·ule ['ma-(,)kyü(ə)l] -n

  1. a patch of skin that is altered in color but usu. not elevated and that is a characteristic feature of various diseases (as smallpox)

ma·cum·ba [mə-'küm-bə] -n

  1. a polytheistic religion of African origin involving syncretistic elements and practiced mainly by Brazilian blacks in urban areas

mad ['mad] -adj

  1. disordered in mind : insane
  2. completely unrestrained by reason and judgment
    • driven mad by the pain
  3. incapable of being explained or accounted for
    • a mad decision
  4. carried away by intense anger : furious
    • mad about the delay
  5. carried away by enthusiasm or desire
    • mad about horses
  6. affected with rabies : rabid
  7. marked by wild gaiety and merriment : hilarious
  8. intensely excited : frantic
  9. marked by intense and often chaotic activity : wild
    • a mad scramble
  10. madden
  11. a fit or mood of bad temper
  12. anger, fury

MAD -abbr

  1. mutual assured destruction; mutually assured destruction

Mad·a·gas·car periwinkle [,ma-də-'gas-kər-] -n

  1. rosy periwinkle

mad·am ['ma-dəm] -n

  1. lady used without a name as a form of respectful or polite address to a woman
  2. mistress used as a title formerly with the given name but now with the surname or esp. with a designation of rank or office
    • Madam Chairman
    • Madam President
  3. the female head of a house of prostitution
  4. the female head of a household : wife

ma·dame [mə-'dam, ma-', before a surname also 'ma-dəm] -n

  1. used as a title equivalent to Mrs. for a married woman not of English-speaking nationality
  2. madam

madbrained ['mad-'brānd] -adj

  1. rash, hotheaded

mad·cap ['mad-,kap] -adj, n

  1. marked by capriciousness, recklessness, or foolishness

mad cow disease -n

  1. bovine spongiform encephalopathy

mad·den ['ma-dᵊn] -vb

  1. to become or act as if mad
  2. to drive mad : craze
  3. to make intensely angry : enrage

maddening [-lē] -adj, adv

  1. tending to craze
  2. tending to infuriate
  3. tending to vex : irritating

mad·der ['ma-dər] -n

  1. a Eurasian herb ( Rubia tinctorumof the family Rubiaceae, the madder family) with whorled leaves and small yellowish panicled flowers succeeded by dark berries
  2. any of several related herbs (genus Rubia)
  3. the root of the Eurasian madder used formerly in dyeing
  4. an alizarin dye prepared from it
  5. a moderate to strong red

madding -adj

  1. acting in a frenzied manner usu. used in the phrase madding crowd to denote esp. the crowded world of human activity and strife
    • built his home far from the madding crowd

made ['mād] -adj

  1. fictitious, invented
    • a made excuse
  2. artificially produced
  3. put together of various ingredients
    • a made dish
  4. assured of success
    • a made man
    usu. used in the phrase have it made

Ma·dei·ra [mə-'dir-ə, -'der-] -n

  1. an amber-colored fortified wine from Madeira
  2. a similar wine made elsewhere

mad·e·leine ['ma-də-lən, ,ma-də-'lān] -n

  1. a small rich shell-shaped cake
  2. one that evokes a memory

ma·de·moi·selle [,mad-mwə-'zel, ,ma-də-, -mə-'zel, sometimes mam-'zel] -n

  1. an unmarried French girl or woman used as a title equivalent to Miss for an unmarried woman not of English-speaking nationality
  2. a French governess
  3. silver perch

madetomeasure -adj

  1. fashioned to measurements specifically required : custom-made
    • a madetomeasure suit

madetoorder -adj

  1. produced to supply a special or an individual demand : custom-made
  2. ideally suited (as to a particular purpose)
    • started the double play on a madetoorder grounder

madeup ['mād-'əp] -adj

  1. fully manufactured
  2. marked by the use of makeup
  3. fancifully conceived or falsely devised

mad·house ['mad-,hau̇s] -n

  1. a place where insane persons are detained and treated
  2. a place of uproar or confusion

Mad·i·son Avenue ['ma-də-sən-] -n

  1. the American advertising industry

mad·ly ['mad-lē] -adv

  1. in a mad manner
  2. to an extreme or excessive degree
    • madly in love

mad·man ['mad-,man, -mən] -n

  1. a man who is or acts as if insane

mad money -n

  1. money that a woman carries to pay her fare home in case a date ends in a quarrel
  2. money set aside for an emergency or personal use

mad·ness ['mad-nəs] -n

  1. : the quality or state of being mad: as
  2. rage
  3. insanity
  4. extreme folly
  5. ecstasy, enthusiasm
  6. any of several ailments of animals marked by frenzied behavior
  7. rabies

Ma·don·na [mə-'dä-nə] -n

  1. lady used as a form of respectful address
  2. an Italian lady
  3. virgin mary
  4. an artistic depiction (as a painting or statue) of the Virgin Mary
  5. a morally pure and chaste woman

Madonna lily -n

  1. a widely cultivated Eurasian lily ( Lilium candidum) with bell-shaped to broad funnel-shaped white flowers

ma·dras ['ma-drəs; mə-'dras, -'dräs] -n

  1. a large silk or cotton kerchief usu. of bright colors that is often worn as a turban
  2. a fine plain-woven shirting and dress fabric usu. of cotton with varied designs (as plaid) in bright colors or in white
  3. a light open usu. cotton fabric with a heavy design used for curtains

ma·dras·sa [mə-'dra-sə, -'drä-] -n

  1. a Muslim school, college, or university that is often part of a mosque

mad·re·pore ['ma-drə-,pȯr] -n, adj or n, adj

  1. any of various stony reef-building corals (order Madreporaria) of tropical seas that assume a variety of branching, encrusting, or massive forms

mad·re·por·ite ['ma-drə-,pȯr-,īt] -n

  1. a perforated or porous body that is situated at the distal end of the stone canal in echinoderms

mad·ri·gal ['ma-dri-gəl] -n, adj

  1. a medieval short lyrical poem in a strict poetic form
  2. a complex polyphonic unaccompanied vocal piece on a secular text developed esp. in the 16th and 17th centuries
  3. part-song
  4. glee

ma·dri·lene [,ma-drə-'len, -'lān] -n

  1. a consomme flavored with tomato

ma·dro·ne [mə-'drō-nə] -n

  1. any of several evergreen trees (genus Arbutus) of the heath family
  2. one ( A. menziesii) of the Pacific coast of No. America with smooth red bark, thick shining leaves, and edible red berries

ma·du·ro [mə-'du̇r-(,)ō] -n

  1. a dark-colored relatively strong cigar

mad·wom·an ['mad-,wu̇-mən] -n

  1. a woman who is or acts as if insane

mad·wort [-,wərt, -,wȯrt] -n

  1. alyssum
  2. a low hairy annual European herb ( Asperugo procumbens) of the borage family with blue flowers and a root used as a substitute for madder

MAE -abbr

  1. master of arts in education

Mae·ce·nas [mi-'sē-nəs] -n

  1. a generous patron esp. of literature or art

mael·strom ['māl-strəm, -,sträm] -n

  1. a powerful often violent whirlpool sucking in objects within a given radius
  2. something resembling a maelstrom in turbulence

mae·nad ['mē-,nad] -n, adj

  1. bacchante
  2. an unnaturally excited or distraught woman

mae·sto·so [mī-'stō-(,)sō, -(,)zō] -adj or adv

  1. majestic and stately used as a direction in music

mae·stro ['mī-(,)strō] -n

  1. a master usu. in an art
  2. an eminent composer, conductor, or teacher of music

Mae West ['mā-'west] -n

  1. an inflatable life jacket in the form of a collar extending down the chest that was worn by fliers in World War II

maf·fick ['ma-fik] -vi

  1. to celebrate with boisterous rejoicing and hilarious behavior

Ma·fia ['mä-fē-ə, 'ma-] -n

  1. a secret criminal society of Sicily or Italy
  2. a similarly conceived criminal organization in the U.S.
  3. a similar organization elsewhere
    • the Japanese Mafia
  4. a criminal organization associated with a particular traffic
    • the cocaine Mafia
  5. a group of people likened to the Mafia
  6. a group of people of similar interests or backgrounds prominent in a particular field or enterprise : clique

maf·ic ['ma-fik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being a group of usu. dark-colored minerals rich in magnesium and iron

ma·fi·o·so [,mä-fē-'ō-(,)sō, ,ma-, -(,)zō] -n

  1. a member of the Mafia or a mafia

mag ['mag] -n

  1. magazine
  2. magnesium
  3. magnetism
  4. magneto
  5. magnitude

mag·a·zine ['ma-gə-,zēn, ,ma-gə-'] -n

  1. a place where goods or supplies are stored : warehouse
  2. a room in which powder and other explosives are kept in a fort or a ship
  3. : the contents of a magazine: as
  4. an accumulation of munitions of war
  5. a stock of provisions or goods
  6. a periodical containing miscellaneous pieces (as articles, stories, poems) and often illustrated
  7. such a periodical published online
  8. a similar section of a newspaper usu. appearing on Sunday
  9. a radio or television program presenting usu. several short segments on a variety of topics
  10. : a supply chamber: as
  11. a holder in or on a gun for cartridges to be fed into the gun chamber
  12. a lightproof chamber for films or plates on a camera or for film on a motion-picture projector

mag·a·zin·ist [-,zē-nist, -'zē-] -n

  1. a person who writes for or edits a magazine

mag·da·len ['mag-də-lən] -n

  1. a reformed prostitute
  2. a house of refuge or reformatory for prostitutes

Mag·da·le·ni·an [,mag-də-'lē-nē-ən] -adj

  1. of or relating to an Upper Paleolithic culture characterized by flint, bone, and ivory implements, carving, and paintings

mage ['māj] -n

  1. magus

Mag·el·lan·ic Cloud [,ma-jə-'la-nik-, chiefly Brit ,ma-gə-] -n

  1. either of the two small galaxies that appear as conspicuous patches of light near the south celestial pole and are companions to the Milky Way galaxy

Magellanic penguin -n

  1. a penguin ( Spheniscus magellanicus) of the southern tip of So. America and surrounding islands that has a pink mark above the eyes and two broad black bands on the neck and upper chest

Ma·gen Da·vid ['mȯ-gən-'dȯ-vid, -'də-; 'mō-gən-'dā-vəd] -n

  1. a hexagram used as a symbol of Judaism

ma·gen·ta [mə-'jen-tə] -n

  1. fuchsin
  2. a deep purplish red

mag·got ['ma-gət] -n, adj

  1. a soft-bodied legless grub that is the larva of a dipterous insect (as the housefly)
  2. a fantastic or eccentric idea : whim

magi ['mā-gəs] -n

(variant of magus)

  1. a member of a hereditary priestly class among the ancient Medes and Persians
  2. one of the traditionally three wise men from the East paying homage to the infant Jesus
  3. magician, sorcerer

Ma·gi·an ['mā-jē-ən] -n

  1. magus
  2. of or relating to the Magi

mag·ic ['ma-jik] -n

  1. the use of means (as charms or spells) believed to have supernatural power over natural forces
  2. magic rites or incantations
  3. an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source
  4. something that seems to cast a spell : enchantment
  5. the art of producing illusions by sleight of hand

magic ['ma-ji-kəl] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to magic
  2. having seemingly supernatural qualities or powers
  3. giving a feeling of enchantment
  4. to produce, remove, or influence by magic

magic bullet -n

  1. a substance or therapy capable of destroying pathogens (as bacteria or cancer cells) or providing an effective remedy for a disease or condition without deleterious side effects
  2. something providing an effective solution to a difficult or previously unsolvable problem
    • a magic bullet to stem voter apathy

ma·gi·cian [mə-'ji-shən] -n

  1. one skilled in magic
  2. sorcerer
  3. one who performs tricks of illusion and sleight of hand

magic lantern -n

  1. an early form of optical projector of still pictures using a transparent slide

Magic Marker -trademark

  1. used for a felt-tipped pen

magic mushroom -n

  1. a fungus (as genus Psilocybe) containing hallucinogenic alkaloids (as psilocybin)

magic realism -n

  1. painting in a meticulously realistic style of imaginary or fantastic scenes or images
  2. a literary genre or style associated esp. with Latin America that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction called also magical realism

magic square -n

  1. a square containing a number of integers arranged so that the sum of the numbers is the same in each row, column, and main diagonal and often in some or all of the other diagonals

Ma·gi·not Line ['ma-zhə-,nō-, 'ma-jə-] -n

  1. a line of defensive fortifications built before World War II to protect the eastern border of France but easily outflanked by German invaders
  2. a defensive barrier or strategy that inspires a false sense of security

mag·is·te·ri·al [,ma-jə-'stir-ē-əl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a master or teacher : authoritative
  2. marked by an overbearingly dignified or assured manner or aspect
  3. of, relating to, or required for a master's degree
  4. of or relating to a magistrate or a magistrate's office or duties

mag·is·te·ri·um [,ma-jə-'stir-ē-əm] -n

  1. teaching authority esp. of the Roman Catholic Church

mag·is·tra·cy ['ma-jə-strə-sē] -n

  1. the state of being a magistrate
  2. the office, power, or dignity of a magistrate
  3. a body of magistrates
  4. the district under a magistrate

ma·gis·tral ['ma-jə-strəl, mə-'jis-trəl] -adj, adv

  1. magisterial

mag·is·trate ['ma-jə-,strāt, -strət] -n, adj

  1. : an official entrusted with administration of the laws: as
  2. a principal official exercising governmental powers over a major political unit (as a nation)
  3. a local official exercising administrative and often judicial functions
  4. a local judiciary official having limited original jurisdiction esp. in criminal cases

magistrate's court -n

  1. police court
  2. a court that has minor civil and criminal jurisdiction

mag·is·tra·ture ['ma-jə-,strā-chər, -strə-,chu̇r] -n

  1. magistracy

mag·lev ['mag-lev] -n

  1. the use of the physical properties of magnetic fields generated by superconducting magnets to cause an object (as a vehicle) to float above a solid surface
  2. a train utilizing maglev technology

mag·ma ['mag-mə] -n, adj

  1. dregs, sediment
  2. a thin pasty suspension (as of a precipitate in water)
  3. molten rock material within the earth from which igneous rock results by cooling

Mag·na Car·ta ['mag-nə-'kär-tə] -n

  1. a charter of liberties to which the English barons forced King John to give his assent in June 1215 at Runnymede
  2. a document constituting a fundamental guarantee of rights and privileges

mag·na cum lau·de ['mäg-nə-(,)ku̇m-'lau̇-də, -'lau̇-dē; 'mag-nə-,kəm-'lȯ-dē] -adv or adj

  1. with great distinction
    • graduated magna cum laude

mag·na·nim·i·ty [,mag-nə-'ni-mə-tē] -n

  1. the quality of being magnanimous : loftiness of spirit enabling one to bear trouble calmly, to disdain meanness and pettiness, and to display a noble generosity
  2. a magnanimous act

mag·nan·i·mous [mag-'na-nə-məs] -adj, adv, n

  1. showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit
    • the irreproachable lives and magnanimous sufferings of their followers -- Joseph Addison
  2. showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind
    • too sincere for dissimulation, too magnanimous for resentment -- Ellen Glasgow

mag·nate ['mag-,nāt, -nət] -n

  1. a person of rank, power, influence, or distinction often in a specified area

mag·ne·sia [mag-'nē-shə, -zhə] -n, adj

  1. magnesium oxide

mag·ne·site ['mag-nə-,sīt] -n

  1. native magnesium carbonate used esp. in making refractories and magnesium oxide

mag·ne·sium [mag-'nē-zē-əm, -zhəm] -n

  1. a silver-white malleable ductile light metallic element that occurs abundantly in nature and is used in metallurgical and chemical processes, in photography, signaling, and pyrotechnics because of the intense white light it produces on burning, and in construction esp. in the form of light alloys

magnesium carbonate -n

  1. a carbonate of magnesium
  2. a white crystalline salt MgCO 3that occurs naturally as dolomite and magnesite

magnesium chloride -n

  1. a bitter deliquescent salt MgCl 2used esp. as a source of magnesium metal

magnesium hydroxide -n

  1. a slightly alkaline crystalline compound Mg(OH) 2used esp. as a laxative and gastric antacid

magnesium oxide -n

  1. a white highly infusible compound MgO used esp. in refractories, cements, insulation, and fertilizers, in rubber manufacture, and in medicine as an antacid and mild laxative

magnesium sulfate -n

  1. : a sulfate of magnesium: as
  2. a white salt MgSO 4used in medicine and in industry
  3. epsom salts

mag·net ['mag-nət] -n

  1. lodestone
  2. a body having the property of attracting iron and producing a magnetic field external to itself
  3. a mass of iron, steel, or alloy that has this property artificially imparted
  4. something that attracts
    • a box-office magnet

magnet- -comb form

  1. magnetic force
    • magneto meter
  2. magnetism : magnetic
    • magneto electric
    • magnet on
  3. magnetoelectric
    • magneto resistance
  4. magnetosphere
    • magneto pause

mag·net·ic [mag-'ne-tik] -adj, adv

  1. possessing an extraordinary power or ability to attract
    • a magnetic personality
  2. of or relating to a magnet or to magnetism
  3. of, relating to, or characterized by the earth's magnetism
  4. magnetized or capable of being magnetized
  5. actuated by magnetic attraction

magnetic -n

  1. a magnetic substance

magnetic bubble -n

  1. a tiny movable magnetized cylindrical volume in a thin magnetic material that along with other like volumes can be used to represent a bit of information (as in a computer)

magnetic disk -n

  1. disk

magnetic equator -n

  1. an imaginary line roughly parallel to the geographical equator and passing through those points where a magnetic needle has no dip

magnetic field -n

  1. the portion of space near a magnetic body or a current-carrying body in which the magnetic forces due to the body or current can be detected

magnetic flux -n

  1. a measure of magnetic induction represented by lines of force

magnetic levitation -n

  1. maglev

magnetic mirror -n

  1. a magnetic field that confines a plasma by reflecting ions back toward the main plasma concentration

magnetic moment -n

  1. a vector quantity that is a measure of the torque exerted on a magnetic system (as a bar magnet or dipole) when placed in a magnetic field and that for a magnet is the product of the distance between its poles and the strength of either pole

magnetic north -n

  1. the northerly direction in the earth's magnetic field indicated by the north-seeking pole of a compass needle

magnetic pole -n

  1. either of two small regions which are located respectively in the polar areas of the northern and southern hemispheres and toward which a compass needle points from any direction throughout adjacent regions
  2. either of two comparable regions on a celestial body
  3. either of the poles of a magnet

magnetic quantum number -n

  1. an integer that expresses the component of the quantized angular momentum of an electron, atom, or molecule in the direction of an externally applied magnetic field

magnetic recording -n

  1. the process of recording sound, data (as for a computer), or a television program by producing varying local magnetization of a moving tape or disc

magnetic resonance -n

  1. the excitation of particles (as atomic nuclei or electrons) in a magnetic field by exposure to electromagnetic radiation of a specific frequency

magnetic resonance imaging -n

  1. a noninvasive diagnostic technique that produces computerized images of internal body tissues and is based on nuclear magnetic resonance of atoms within the body induced by the application of radio waves abbr. MRI

magnetic storm -n

  1. a marked temporary disturbance of the earth's magnetic field held to be related to sunspots

magnetic tape -n

  1. a thin ribbon (as of plastic) coated with a magnetic material on which information (as sound or television images) may be stored

mag·ne·tise ['mag-nə-,tīz] -vt, adj, n

(variant of magnetize)

  1. to induce magnetic properties in
  2. to attract like a magnet : charm

mag·ne·tism ['mag-nə-,ti-zəm] -n

  1. a class of physical phenomena that include the attraction for iron observed in lodestone and a magnet, are inseparably associated with moving electricity, are exhibited by both magnets and electric currents, and are characterized by fields of force
  2. a science that deals with magnetic phenomena
  3. an ability to attract or charm

mag·ne·tite ['mag-nə-,tīt] -n

  1. a black isometric mineral of the spinel group that is an oxide of iron and an important iron ore

mag·ne·ti·za·tion [,mag-nə-tə-'zā-shən] -n

  1. an instance of magnetizing or the state of being magnetized
  2. the degree to which a body is magnetized

mag·ne·tize ['mag-nə-,tīz] -vt, adj, n

  1. to induce magnetic properties in
  2. to attract like a magnet : charm

mag·ne·to [mag-'nē-(,)tō] -n

  1. a magnetoelectric machine
  2. an alternator with permanent magnets used to generate current for the ignition in an internal combustion engine

mag·ne·to·elec·tric [-,nē-tō-ə-'lek-trik, -,ne-] -adj

  1. relating to or characterized by electromotive forces developed by magnetic means

mag·ne·to·en·ceph·a·log·ra·phy [mag-,nē-tō-in-,se-fə-'lä-grə-fē, -,ne-] -n

  1. a noninvasive technique that detects and records the magnetic field associated with electrical activity in the brain

mag·ne·to·flu·id·dy·nam·ics [-,nē-tō-,flü-ə-dī-'na-miks, -,ne-, -də-'] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. the study of magnetohydrodynamic phenomena
  2. magnetohydrodynamics

mag·ne·to·graph [-,graf] -n

  1. an automatic instrument for recording measurements of a magnetic field (as of the earth or the sun)

mag·ne·to·hy·dro·dy·nam·ic [mag-,nē-tō-,hī-drə-dī-'na-mik, -'ne-, -də-'] -adj, n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. of, relating to, or being phenomena arising from the motion of electrically conducting fluids (as plasmas) in the presence of electric and magnetic fields

mag·ne·tom·e·ter [,mag-nə-'tä-mə-tər] -n, adj

  1. an instrument used to detect the presence of a metallic object or to measure the intensity of a magnetic field

mag·ne·to·mo·tive force [mag-,nē-tə-'mō-tiv-, -,ne-] -n

  1. a force that is the cause of a flux of magnetic induction

mag·ne·ton ['mag-nə-,tän] -n

  1. a unit of the quantized magnetic moment of a particle (as an atom)

mag·ne·toop·tic [mag-,nē-tō-'äp-tik, -,ne-] -adj, n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. of, relating to, or utilizing the influence of a magnetic field upon light
    • a magnetooptic disk drive

mag·ne·to·pause [mag-'nē-tə-,pȯz, -'ne-] -n

  1. the outer boundary of a magnetosphere

mag·ne·to·re·sis·tance [-,nē-tō-ri-'zis-tən(t)s, -,ne-] -n, adj

  1. a change in electrical resistance due to the presence of a magnetic field

mag·ne·to·sphere [mag-'nē-tə-,sfir, -'ne-] -n, adj

  1. a region of space surrounding a celestial object (as a planet or star) that is dominated by the object's magnetic field so that charged particles are trapped in it

mag·ne·to·stat·ic [mag-,nē-tō-'sta-tik, -,ne-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being a stationary magnetic field

mag·ne·to·stric·tion [-'strik-shən] -n, adj, adv

  1. the change in the dimensions of a ferromagnetic body caused by a change in its state of magnetization

mag·ne·tron ['mag-nə-,trän] -n

  1. a vacuum tube in which the flow of electrons is controlled by an applied magnetic field to generate power at microwave frequencies

magnet school -n

  1. a school with superior facilities and staff and often a specialized curriculum designed to attract pupils from throughout a city or school district

mag·nif·ic [mag-'ni-fik] -adj, adv

  1. magnificent
  2. imposing in size or dignity
    • a magnific temple
  3. sublime, exalted
  4. characterized by grandiloquence : pompous
    • commenced the conversation in the most magnific style -- S. T. Coleridge

mag·nif·i·cat [mag-'ni-fi-,kat, -,kät; män-'yi-fi-,kät] -n

  1. the canticle of the Virgin Mary in Luke 1:4655
  2. a musical setting for the Magnificat
  3. an utterance of praise

mag·ni·fi·ca·tion [,mag-nə-fə-'kā-shən] -n

  1. the act of magnifying
  2. the state of being magnified
  3. the apparent enlargement of an object by an optical instrument called also power

mag·nif·i·cence [mag-'ni-fə-sən(t)s, məg-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being magnificent
  2. splendor of surroundings

mag·nif·i·cent [-sənt] -adj, adv

  1. great in deed or exalted in place used only of former famous rulers
    • Lorenzo the Magnificent
  2. marked by stately grandeur and lavishness
    • a magnificent way of life
  3. sumptuous in structure and adornment
    • a magnificent cathedral
  4. strikingly beautiful or impressive
    • a magnificent physique
  5. impressive to the mind or spirit : sublime
    • magnificent prose
  6. exceptionally fine
    • a magnificent day

mag·nif·i·co [mag-'ni-fi-,kō] -n

  1. a nobleman of Venice
  2. a person of high position

mag·ni·fi·er ['mag-nə-,fī(-ə)r] -n

  1. one that magnifies
  2. a lens or combination of lenses that makes something appear larger

mag·ni·fy ['mag-nə-,fī] -vb

  1. extol, laud
  2. to cause to be held in greater esteem or respect
  3. to increase in significance : intensify
  4. exaggerate
    • magnifies every minor issue to crisis proportions
  5. to enlarge in fact or in appearance
  6. to have the power of causing objects to appear larger than they are

mag·nil·o·quence [mag-'ni-lə-kwən(t)s] -n

  1. the quality or state of being magniloquent

mag·nil·o·quent [-kwənt] -adj, adv

  1. speaking in or characterized by a high-flown often bombastic style or manner
    • magniloquent boasts

mag·ni·tude ['mag-nə-,tüd, -,tyüd] -n

  1. great size or extent
  2. spatial quality : size
  3. quantity, number
  4. the importance, quality, or caliber of something
  5. a number representing the intrinsic or apparent brightness of a celestial body on a logarithmic scale in which an increase of one unit corresponds to a reduction in the brightness of light by a factor of 2.512
  6. a numerical quantitative measure expressed usu. as a multiple of a standard unit
  7. the intensity of an earthquake represented by a number on an arbitrary scale
    • a magnitude six earthquake

mag·no·lia [mag-'nōl-yə] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Magnoliaof the family Magnoliaceae, the magnolia family) of American and Asian shrubs and trees with entire evergreen or deciduous leaves and usu. showy white, yellow, rose, or purple flowers usu. appearing in early spring

mag·num ['mag-nəm] -n

  1. a large wine bottle holding about 1.5 liters

Magnum -trademark

  1. used for revolvers

mag·num opus ['mag-nəm-'ō-pəs] -n

  1. a great work
  2. the greatest achievement of an artist or writer

mag·pie ['mag-,pī] -n

  1. any of various birds (esp. Pica pica) related to the jays but having a long graduated tail and black-and-white or brightly colored plumage
  2. a person who chatters noisily
  3. one who collects indiscriminately

magpie -adj

  1. collected indiscriminately : miscellaneous
    • magpie compilations of unrelated tidbits -- Helen R. Cross
  2. given to indiscriminate collecting : acquisitive
    • what possible magpie instinct had impelled me to retain them -- S. J. Perelman

mag tape ['mag-] -n

  1. magnetic tape

ma·guey [mə-'gā] -n

  1. any of various fleshy-leaved agaves (as the century plant)
  2. any of several hard fibers derived from magueys
  3. cantala

ma·gus ['mā-gəs] -n

  1. a member of a hereditary priestly class among the ancient Medes and Persians
  2. one of the traditionally three wise men from the East paying homage to the infant Jesus
  3. magician, sorcerer

Mag·yar ['mag-,yär, 'mäg-; 'mä-,jär] -n, adj

  1. a member of the dominant people of Hungary
  2. hungarian

ma·ha·ra·ja [,mä-hə-'rä-jə, -'rä-zhə] -n

  1. a Hindu prince ranking above a raja

ma·ha·ra·ni [-'rä-nē] -n

  1. the wife of a maharaja
  2. a Hindu princess ranking above a rani

ma·ha·ri·shi [,mä-hə-'rē-shē, -hä-, -'ri-] -n

  1. a Hindu teacher of mystical knowledge

ma·hat·ma [mə-'hät-mə, -'hat-] -n

  1. a person to be revered for high-mindedness, wisdom, and selflessness
  2. a person of great prestige in a field of endeavor

Ma·ha·ya·na [,mä-hə-'yä-nə] -n, n or adj, adj

  1. a liberal and theistic branch of Buddhism comprising sects chiefly in China and Japan, recognizing a large body of scripture in addition to the Pali canon, and teaching social concern and universal salvation

Mah·di ['mä-dē] -n

  1. the expected messiah of Muslim tradition
  2. a Muslim leader who assumes a messianic role

Ma·hi·can [mə-'hē-kən] -n

  1. a member of an American Indian people of the upper Hudson River valley
  2. the extinct Algonquian language of the Mahican people

ma·hi·ma·hi [,mä-hē-'mä-(,)hē] -n

  1. the flesh of a dolphinfish ( Coryphaena hippurus) used for food
  2. the fish

mahjongg [,mä-'zhäŋ, -'jäŋ, -'zhȯŋ, -'jȯŋ, 'mä-,] -n

  1. a game of Chinese origin usu. played by four persons with 144 tiles that are drawn and discarded until one player secures a winning hand

mahlstick ['mȯl-stik] -n

(variant of maulstick)

  1. a stick used by painters as a rest for the hand while working

ma·hoe [mə-'hō, 'mä-,] -n

  1. either of two tropical hibiscus trees ( Hibiscus elatusand H. tiliaceus)

ma·hog·a·ny [mə-'hä-gə-nē] -n

  1. : the wood of any of various chiefly tropical trees (family Meliaceae, the mahogany family):
  2. the durable yellowish-brown to reddish-brown usu. moderately hard and heavy wood of a West Indian tree ( Swietenia mahagoni) that is widely used for cabinetwork and fine finish work
  3. a wood similar to mahogany from a congeneric tropical American tree (esp. S. macrophylla)
  4. the rather hard heavy usu. odorless wood of any of several African trees (genus Khaya)
  5. the rather lightweight cedar-scented wood of any of several African trees (genus Entandrophragma) that varies in color from pinkish to deep reddish brown
  6. any of various woods resembling or substituted for mahogany obtained from trees of the mahogany family
  7. a tree that yields mahogany
  8. a moderate reddish brown

ma·ho·nia [mə-'hō-nē-ə] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Mahonia) of American and Asian shrubs (as the Oregon grape) of the barberry family

ma·hout [mə-'hau̇t] -n

  1. a keeper and driver of an elephant

ma huang ['mä-'hwäŋ] -n

  1. any of several eastern Asian ephedras (esp. Ephedra sinica) having stems and roots yielding ephedrine
  2. ephedra

maid ['mād] -n

  1. an unmarried girl or woman esp. when young : virgin
  2. maidservant
  3. a woman or girl employed to do domestic work

maid·en ['mā-dᵊn] -n

  1. an unmarried girl or woman : maid
  2. a former Scottish beheading device resembling the guillotine
  3. a horse that has never won a race

maiden -adj

  1. not married
    • a maiden aunt
  2. virgin
  3. never yet mated
  4. never having borne young
  5. of, relating to, or befitting a maiden
  6. first, earliest
    • a ship's maiden voyage
    • the maiden flight of a spacecraft

maid·en·hair fern [-,her-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Adiantum) of ferns with delicate palmately branched fronds called also maidenhair

maidenhair tree -n

  1. ginkgo

maid·en·head ['mā-dᵊn-,hed] -n

  1. the quality or state of being a maiden : virginity
  2. hymen

maid·en·hood [-,hu̇d] -n

  1. the quality, state, or time of being a maiden

maid·en·li·ness [-lē-nəs] -n

  1. conduct or traits befitting a maiden

maid·en·ly [-lē] -adj

  1. of, resembling, or suitable to a maiden

maiden name -n

  1. the surname of a woman before she marries

maid·hood ['mād-,hu̇d] -n

  1. maidenhood

maidinwait·ing ['mād-ᵊn-'wā-tiŋ] -n

  1. a young woman of a queen's or princess's household appointed to attend her

Maid Mar·i·an [-'mer-ē-ən] -n

  1. a companion of Robin Hood in some forms of his legend

maid of honor

  1. an unmarried lady usu. of noble birth whose duty it is to attend a queen or a princess
  2. a bride's principal unmarried wedding attendant

maid·ser·vant ['mād-,sər-vənt] -n

  1. a female servant

ma·ieu·tic [mā-'yü-tik, mī-] -adj

  1. relating to or resembling the Socratic method of eliciting new ideas from another

mail ['māl] -n

  1. payment, rent
  2. bag, wallet
  3. material sent or carried in the postal system
  4. a conveyance that transports mail
  5. e-mail
  6. a nation's postal system often used in pl.
  7. to send by mail : post
  8. armor made of metal links or sometimes plates
  9. a hard enclosing covering of an animal (as a tortoise)

mail·bag ['māl-,bag] -n

  1. a letter carrier's shoulder bag
  2. a pouch used in the shipment of mail

mail·box [-,bäks] -n

  1. a box at or near a dwelling for the occupant's mail
  2. a public box for deposit of outgoing mail
  3. a computer file in which e-mail is collected

mail carrier -n

  1. letter carrier

mail drop -n

  1. an address used in transmitting secret communications
  2. a receptacle or a slot for deposit of mail

mai·le ['mī-lē] -n

  1. a Pacific island vine ( Alyxia oliviformis) of the dogbane family with fragrant leaves and bark that are used for decoration and in Hawaii for leis

mailed fist -n

  1. a threat of armed or overbearing force

mail·er ['mā-lər] -n

  1. one that mails
  2. a container for mailing something
  3. something (as an advertisement) sent by mail

Mail·gram ['māl-,gram] -service mark

  1. used for a message sent by wire to a post office that delivers it to the addressee

mail·ing ['mā-liŋ] -n

  1. mail sent at one time to multiple addressees by a sender (as for promotional purposes)

Mail·lard reaction [mə-'lärd-, -'yär-] -n

  1. a nonenzymatic reaction between sugars and proteins that occurs upon heating and that produces browning of some foods (as meat and bread)

mail·lot [mī-'ō, mä-'yō] -n

  1. tights for dancers or gymnasts
  2. jersey
  3. a woman's one-piece bathing suit

mail·man ['māl-,man] -n

  1. a man who delivers mail called also postman

mail order [-,ȯr-dər] -n, adj

  1. an order for goods that is received and filled by mail

maim ['mām] -vt, n

  1. to commit the felony of mayhem upon
  2. to mutilate, disfigure, or wound seriously
  3. serious physical injury
  4. loss of a member of the body
  5. a serious loss

main ['mān] -n

  1. physical strength : force used in the phrase with might and main
  2. mainland
  3. high sea
  4. the chief part : essential point
    • they are in the main well-trained
  5. a pipe, duct, or circuit which carries the combined flow of tributary branches of a utility system
  6. mainmast
  7. mainsail
  8. chief, principal
    • the main idea
  9. fully exerted : sheer
    • main force
    • by main strength
  10. of or relating to a broad expanse (as of sea)
  11. connected with or located near the mainmast or mainsail
  12. expressing the chief predication in a complex sentence
    • the main clause

main chance -n

  1. the best chance for personal or financial gain
    • kept an eye on the main chance

Maine coon -n

  1. any of a breed of large long-haired domestic cats that have a very full tapered tail called also coon cat Maine cat

main·frame ['mān-,frām] -n

  1. a computer with its cabinet and internal circuits
  2. a large fast computer that can handle multiple tasks concurrently

main·land ['mān-,land, -lənd] -n

  1. a continent or the main part of a continent as distinguished from an offshore island or sometimes from a cape or peninsula

main·line ['mān-,līn] -vt

  1. to take by or as if by injecting into a principal vein
  2. to mainline a narcotic drug

mainline -adj

  1. being part of an established group
  2. being in the mainstream

main line -n

  1. a principal highway or railroad line
  2. a principal vein of the circulatory system

main·ly ['mān-lē] -adv

  1. in a forceful manner
  2. for the most part : chiefly

main man -n

  1. best male friend
  2. a man whose character or work is most admired
  3. most significant or important person
  4. chief

main·mast ['mān-,mast, -məst] -n

  1. a sailing ship's principal mast

mains ['mānz] -adj

  1. of or relating to utility distribution mains
    • mains voltage
    • mains water

main·sail ['mān-,sāl, 'mān(t)-səl] -n

  1. the principal sail on the mainmast

main sequence -n

  1. the group of stars that on a graph of spectrum versus luminosity forms a band comprising 90 percent of stellar types and that includes stars representative of the stages a normal star passes through during the majority of its lifetime

main·sheet ['mān-,shēt] -n

  1. a line by which the mainsail is trimmed and secured

main·spring ['mān-,spriŋ] -n

  1. the chief spring in a mechanism esp. of a watch or clock
  2. the chief or most powerful motive, agent, or cause

main·stay ['mān-,stā] -n

  1. a ship's stay extending from the maintop forward usu. to the foot of the foremast
  2. a chief support

main stem -n

  1. : a main trunk or channel: as
  2. the main course of a river or stream
  3. the main street of a city or town

main·stream ['mān-,strēm] -n, adj

  1. a prevailing current or direction of activity or influence
  2. to place (as a disabled child) in regular school classes
  3. to incorporate in the mainstream

Main Street ['mān-,strē-tər] -n

  1. the principal street of a small town
  2. the sections of a country centering about its small towns
  3. a place or environment characterized by materialistic self-complacent provincialism
  4. middle america

main·tain [mān-'tān, mən-] -vt, n, adj

  1. to keep in an existing state (as of repair, efficiency, or validity) : preserve from failure or decline
    • maintain machinery
  2. to sustain against opposition or danger : uphold and defend
    • maintain a position
  3. to continue or persevere in : carry on, keep up
    • couldn't maintain his composure
  4. to support or provide for
    • has a family to maintain
  5. sustain
    • enough food to maintain life
  6. to affirm in or as if in argument : assert
    • maintain ed that the earth is flat

main·te·nance ['mānt-nən(t)s, 'mān-tə-nən(t)s] -n

  1. the act of maintaining : the state of being maintained : support
  2. something that maintains
  3. the upkeep of property or equipment
  4. an officious or unlawful intermeddling in a legal suit by assisting either party with means to carry it on

main·top ['mān-,täp] -n

  1. a platform about the head of the mainmast of a square-rigged ship

maintop·mast [mān-'täp-,mast, -məst] -n

  1. a mast next above the mainmast

main yard -n

  1. the yard of a mainsail

mair ['mȯr] -adj

(variant of more)

  1. greater
    • something more than she expected
  2. additional, further
    • more guests arrived
  3. in addition
    • a couple of times more
  4. moreover
  5. to a greater or higher degree often used with an adjective or adverb to form the comparative
    • more evenly matched
  6. a greater quantity, number, or amount
    • liked the idea better the more I thought about it
  7. something additional : an additional amount
  8. persons of higher rank
  9. additional persons or things or a greater amount
    • more will arrive shortly
    • more was spilled

mai·son·ette [,mā-zə-'net, -sə-] -n

  1. a small house
  2. an apartment often on two floors

mai tai ['mī-,tī] -n

  1. a cocktail made with rum, curaao, orgeat, lime, and fruit juices

mai·tre d' [,mā-trə-'dē, ,me-, -tər-] -n

  1. maitre d'hotel, headwaiter

mai·tre d'ho·tel [,mā-trə-(,)dō-'tel, ,me-; ,māt-dō-, ,met-] -n

  1. majordomo
  2. headwaiter
  3. a sauce of butter, parsley, salt, pepper, and lemon juice called also maitre d'hotel butter

maize ['māz] -n

  1. indian corn

Maj -abbr

  1. major

ma·jes·tic [mə-'jes-tik] -adj, adv

  1. having or exhibiting majesty : stately

maj·es·ty ['ma-jə-stē] -n

  1. sovereign power, authority, or dignity
  2. used in addressing or referring to reigning sovereigns and their consorts
    • Your Majesty
    • Her Majesty's Government
  3. royal bearing or aspect : grandeur
  4. greatness or splendor of quality or character

Maj Gen -abbr

  1. major general

ma·jol·i·ca [mə-'jä-li-kə] -n

  1. earthenware covered with an opaque tin glaze and decorated on the glaze before firing
  2. an Italian ware of this kind
  3. a 19th century earthenware modeled in naturalistic shapes and glazed in lively colors

ma·jor ['mā-jər] -adj

  1. greater in dignity, rank, importance, or interest
    • one of the major poets
  2. greater in number, quantity, or extent
    • the major part of his work
  3. having attained majority
  4. notable or conspicuous in effect or scope : considerable
    • a major improvement
  5. prominent or significant in size, amount, or degree
    • earned some major cash
  6. involving grave risk : serious
    • a major illness
  7. of or relating to a subject of academic study chosen as a field of specialization
  8. having half steps between the third and fourth and the seventh and eighth degrees
    • major scale
  9. based on a major scale
    • major key
  10. equivalent to the distance between the keynote and another tone (except the fourth and fifth) of a major scale
    • major third
  11. having a major third above the root
    • major triad

major -n

  1. a person who has attained majority
  2. one that is superior in rank, importance, size, or performance
    • economic power of the oil major s
  3. a major musical interval, scale, key, or mode
  4. a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps ranking above a captain and below a lieutenant colonel
  5. an academic subject chosen as a field of specialization
  6. a student specializing in such a field
    • a history major
  7. major league baseball used with the
  8. any of several high-level tournaments in professional golf
  9. to pursue an academic major
    • major ed in English

major axis -n

  1. the axis passing through the foci of an ellipse

major depression -n

  1. major depressive disorder
  2. an episode of depression characteristic of major depressive disorder

major depressive disorder -n

  1. a mood disorder having a clinical course involving one or more episodes of serious psychological depression lasting two or more weeks each with no intervening episodes of mania

ma·jor·do·mo [,mā-jər-'dō-(,)mō] -n

  1. a head steward of a large household (as a palace)
  2. butler, steward
  3. a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another
  4. the person who runs an enterprise
    • the majordomo of the fair

ma·jor·ette [,mā-jə-'ret] -n

  1. drum majorette

major general -n

  1. a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps who ranks above a brigadier general and whose insignia is two stars

major histocompatibility complex -n

  1. a group of genes in mammals that code for cell-surface polymorphic glycoprotein molecules which display antigenic peptide fragments for T cell recognition and aid in the ability of the immune system to determine self from nonself

ma·jor·i·tar·i·an [mə-,jȯr-ə-'ter-ē-ən, -,jär-] -n, adj

  1. a person who believes in or advocates majoritarianism

ma·jor·i·tar·i·an·ism [-ē-ə-,ni-zəm] -n

  1. the philosophy or practice according to which decisions of an organized group should be made by a numerical majority of its members

ma·jor·i·ty [mə-'jȯr-ə-tē, -'jär-] -n, adj

  1. the quality or state of being greater
  2. the age at which full civil rights are accorded
  3. the status of one who has attained this age
  4. a number or percentage equaling more than half of a total
    • a majority of voters
    • a two-thirds majority
  5. the excess of a majority over the remainder of the total : margin
    • won by a majority of 10 votes
  6. the greater quantity or share
    • the majority of the time
  7. the group or political party having the greater number of votes (as in a legislature)
  8. the military office, rank, or commission of a major

majority leader -n

  1. a leader of the majority party in a legislative body (as the U.S. Senate)

majority rule -n

  1. a political principle providing that a majority usu. constituted by fifty percent plus one of an organized group will have the power to make decisions binding upon the whole

major league -n, adj

  1. a league of highest classification in U.S. professional baseball
  2. a league of major importance in any of various sports
  3. big time

ma·jor·ly ['mā-jər-lē] -adv

  1. in a major way
  2. primarily
    • was majorly a poet
  3. extremely
    • was majorly annoyed

majormedical -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being a form of insurance designed to pay all or part of the medical bills of major illnesses usu. after deduction of a fixed initial sum

major order -n

  1. one of the Roman Catholic or Eastern clerical orders that are sacramentally conferred and have a sacred character that implies major religious obligations (as clerical celibacy) usu. used in pl.

major party -n

  1. a political party having electoral strength sufficient to permit it to win control of a government usu. with comparative regularity and when defeated to constitute the principal opposition to the party in power

major penalty -n

  1. a 5-minute suspension of a player in ice hockey or lacrosse

major premise -n

  1. the premise of a syllogism containing the major term

major seminary -n

  1. a Roman Catholic seminary giving usu. the entire six years of senior college and theological training required for major orders

major suit -n

  1. either of the suits hearts or spades having superior scoring value in bridge

major term -n

  1. the term of a syllogism constituting the predicate of the conclusion

ma·jus·cule ['ma-jəs-,kyül, mə-'jəs-] -n, adj

  1. a large letter (as a capital)

makable ['mā-kə-bəl] -adj

(variant of makeable)

  1. capable of being made
  2. reasonably likely to be made
    • a makeable putt

Ma·kah ['mä-(,)kä] -n

  1. a member of an American Indian people of the Pacific Northwest
  2. the Wakashan language of the Makah people

mak·ar ['mä-kər, 'mā-] -n

  1. poet

make ['māk] -vb

  1. behave, act
  2. to begin or seem to begin (an action)
    • made to go
  3. to cause to happen to or be experienced by someone
    • made trouble for us
  4. to cause to exist, occur, or appear : create
    • make a disturbance
  5. to favor the growth or occurrence of
    • haste make s waste
  6. to fit, intend, or destine by or as if by creating
    • was made to be an actor
  7. to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material : fashion
    • make a dress
  8. compose, write
    • make verses
  9. to lay out and construct
    • make a road
  10. to frame or formulate in the mind
    • make plans
  11. to put together from components : constitute
    • houses made of stone
  12. to compute or estimate to be
  13. to form and hold in the mind
    • make no doubt of it
  14. to assemble and set alight the materials for (a fire)
  15. to set in order
    • make beds
  16. prepare, fix
    • make dinner
  17. to shuffle (a deck of cards) in preparation for dealing
  18. to prepare (hay) by cutting, drying, and storing
  19. to cause to be or become
    • made them happy
    • make s it possible
  20. appoint
    • made him bishop
  21. enact, establish
    • make laws
  22. to execute in an appropriate manner
    • make a will
  23. set, name
    • make a price
  24. shut
    • the doors are made against you -- Shak.
  25. to cause (an electric circuit) to be completed
  26. to conclude as to the nature or meaning of something
    • what do you make of this development?
  27. to regard as being
    • not the fool some make him
  28. to carry out (an action indicated or implied by the object)
    • make war
    • make a speech
    • make a detour
  29. to perform with a bodily movement
    • make a sweeping gesture
  30. to produce as a result of action, effort, or behavior with respect to something
    • make a mess of the job
    • tried to make a thorough job of it
  31. to turn into another language by translation
  32. to cause to act in a certain way : compel
    • make her give it back
  33. to cause or assure the success or prosperity of
    • can either make you or break you
  34. to amount to in significance
    • make s a great difference
  35. to form the essential being of
    • clothes make the man
  36. to form by an assembling of individuals
    • make a quorum
  37. to count as
    • that make s the third time you've said it
  38. to be or be capable of being changed or fashioned into
    • rags make the best paper
  39. to develop into
    • she will make a fine judge
  40. form
  41. reach, attain
    • made port before the storm
    often used with it
    • you'll never make it that far
  42. to gain the rank of
    • make major
  43. to gain a place on or in
    • make the team
    • the story made the papers
  44. to succeed in providing or obtaining
    • make bail
  45. to gain (as money) by working, trading, or dealing
    • make a living
  46. to act so as to earn or acquire
    • make s friends easily
    • make s poor grades
  47. to score in a game or sport
    • make a field goal
    • make a birdie
  48. to convert (a split) into a spare in bowling
  49. to succeed in holing
    • make a putt
  50. to fulfill (a contract) in a card game
  51. to win a trick with (a card)
  52. to include in a route or itinerary
    • make New York on the return trip
    often used with it
    • make it to the party
  53. catch
    • made the bus just in time
  54. to persuade to consent to sexual intercourse : seduce
  55. to provide the most enjoyable or satisfying experience of
    • meeting the star of the show really made our day
  56. to compose poetry
  57. behave, act
  58. to begin or seem to begin a certain action
    • made as though to hand it to me
  59. to act so as to be or to seem to be
    • make merry
  60. to play a part usu. used with like
  61. set out, head
    • made after the fox
    • made straight for home
  62. to increase in height or size
    • the tide is making now
  63. to reach or extend in a certain direction
  64. to have considerable effect
    • courtesy make s for safer driving
  65. to undergo manufacture or processing
    • the silk make s up beautifully
  66. the manner or style in which a thing is constructed
  67. brand
  68. the physical, mental, or moral constitution of a person
    • men of his make are rare
  69. the action of producing or manufacturing
  70. the actual yield or amount produced over a specified period : output
  71. the act of shuffling cards
  72. turn to shuffle

make·able ['mā-kə-bəl] -adj

  1. capable of being made
  2. reasonably likely to be made
    • a makeable putt

make·bate ['māk-,bāt] -n

  1. one that excites contention and quarrels

makebe·lieve ['māk-bə-,lēv] -n

  1. a pretending that what is not real is real
    • a fiction writer's childish willingness to immerse himself in makebelieve -- John Updike

makebelieve -adj

  1. imaginary, pretended

makedo ['māk-'dü] -adj, n

  1. makeshift

make·fast [-,fast] -n

  1. something (as a post or buoy) to which a boat can be fastened

make off -vi

  1. to leave in haste

makeorbreak ['māk-ər-'brāk] -adj

  1. allowing no middle ground between success and failure

make out -vt

  1. to complete (as a printed form) by supplying required information
    • make out a check
  2. to find or grasp the meaning of
    • tried to make out what had really happened
  3. to form an opinion or idea about : conclude
    • how do you make that out
  4. to represent as being
    • made them out to be losers
  5. to pretend to be true
    • made out that he had never heard of me
  6. to represent or delineate in detail
  7. to see and identify with difficulty or effort : discern
    • make out a ship through the fog
  8. get along, fare
    • how are you making out with the new job
  9. to engage in sexual intercourse
  10. neck

make·over ['māk-,ō-vər] -n

  1. an act or instance of making over
    • a makeover of the tax system
  2. a changing of a person's appearance (as by the use of cosmetics or a different hairdo)

make over -vt

  1. to transfer the title of (property)
  2. remake, remodel, redesign
    • made the whole house over
  3. reform

mak·er ['mā-kər] -n

  1. : one that makes: as
  2. god
  3. poet
  4. a person who borrows money on a promissory note
  5. manufacturer

make·ready ['māk-,re-dē] -n

  1. final preparation (as of a form on a printing press) for running

make·shift ['māk-,shift] -n, adj

  1. a usu. crude and temporary expedient : substitute

make·up ['mā-,kəp] -n

  1. the way in which the parts or ingredients of something are put together : composition
  2. physical, mental, and moral constitution
  3. the operation of making up esp. pages for printing
  4. design or layout of printed matter
  5. cosmetics used to color and beautify the face
  6. a cosmetic applied to other parts of the body
  7. materials (as wigs and cosmetics) used in making up or in special costuming (as for a play)
  8. replacement
  9. material added (as in a manufacturing process) to replace material that has been used up
    • makeup water
  10. something that makes up for a previous postponement, omission, failure, or deficiency
    • a makeup exam

make up -vt

  1. to form by fitting together or assembling
    • make up a train of cars
  2. to arrange typeset matter in (as pages) for printing
  3. to combine to produce (a sum or whole)
  4. constitute, compose
    • 10 chapters make up this volume
  5. to compensate for (as a deficiency or omission)
    • make up the difference in lost pay
  6. to do or take in order to correct an omission
    • make up a history exam
  7. settle, decide
    • made up my mind to depart
  8. to wrap or fasten up
    • make the books up into a parcel
  9. to prepare in physical appearance for a role
  10. to apply cosmetics to
  11. invent, improvise
    • make up a story
  12. to set in order
    • rooms are made up daily
  13. to become reconciled
    • quarreled but later made up
  14. to act ingratiatingly and flatteringly
    • made up to his aunt for a new bicycle
  15. to make advances : court
  16. compensate
    • make up for lost time
  17. to put on costumes or makeup (as for a play)
  18. to apply cosmetics

make·weight ['māk-,wāt] -n

  1. something thrown into a scale to bring the weight to a desired value
  2. something of little independent value thrown in to fill a gap
  3. counterweight, counterpoise

makework ['māk-,wərk] -n

  1. work assigned or done chiefly to keep one busy

ma·ki·mo·no [,mä-ki-'mō-(,)nō] -n

  1. a horizontal Japanese ornamental pictorial or calligraphic scroll

making -n

  1. the act or process of forming, causing, doing, or coming into being
    • spots problems in the making
  2. a process or means of advancement or success
  3. something made
  4. a quantity produced at one time : batch
  5. potentiality often used in pl.
    • had the making s of a great artist
  6. the material from which something is to be made
  7. paper and tobacco for rolling cigarettes by hand

ma·ko shark ['mā-(,)kō-, 'mä-] -n

  1. either of two relatively slender mackerel sharks ( Isurus paucusand I. oxyrinchus) that are dark blue above and white below with long pointed snouts and that are notable sport fish called also mako

makuta [li-'kü-tə] -n

(variant of likuta)

  1. a former monetary unit equal to zaire

Mal -abbr

  1. Malachi

mal- -comb form

  1. bad
    • mal practice
  2. badly
    • mal odorous
  3. abnormal
    • mal formation
  4. abnormally
    • mal formed
  5. inadequate
    • mal adjustment
  6. inadequately
    • mal nourished

mal·ab·sorp·tion [,ma-ləb-'sȯrp-shən, -'zȯrp-] -n

  1. faulty absorption esp. of nutrient materials from the gastrointestinal tract

ma·lac·ca [mə-'la-kə] -adj, n

  1. made or consisting of the cane of an Asian rattan palm ( Calamus rotang)
    • an umbrella with a malacca handle

Mal·a·chi ['ma-lə-,kī] -n

  1. a prophetic book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture
  2. used as the conventional name for the unidentified fifth century b.c. writer of the book of Malachi

Mal·a·chi·as [,ma-lə-'kī-əs] -n

  1. malachi

mal·a·chite ['ma-lə-,kīt] -n

  1. a green mineral that is a basic carbonate of copper used esp. for making ornamental objects

mal·a·col·o·gy [,ma-lə-'kä-lə-jē] -n, adj

  1. a branch of zoology dealing with mollusks

mal·a·cos·tra·can [,ma-lə-'käs-tri-kən] -n, adj

  1. any of a large subclass (Malacostraca) of crustaceans having a thorax consisting of eight segments usu. covered by a carapace and including the decapods and isopods

mal·ad·ap·ta·tion [,ma-,la-,dap-'tā-shən] -n

  1. poor or inadequate adaptation

mal·adapt·ed [,ma-lə-'dap-təd] -adj

  1. unsuited or poorly suited (as to a particular use, purpose, or situation)

mal·adap·tive [-tiv] -adj

  1. marked by poor or inadequate adaptation
  2. not conducive to adaptation

mal·ad·just·ed [,ma-lə-'jəs-təd] -adj

  1. poorly or inadequately adjusted
  2. lacking harmony with one's environment from failure to adjust one's desires to the conditions of one's life

mal·ad·jus·tive [-'jəs-tiv] -adj

  1. not conducive to adjustment

mal·ad·just·ment [-'jəs(t)-mənt] -n

  1. poor, faulty, or inadequate adjustment

mal·ad·min·is·tra·tion [,ma-ləd-,mi-nə-'strā-shən] -n, vt

  1. corrupt or incompetent administration (as of a public office)
  2. incorrect administration (as of a drug)

mal·adroit [,ma-lə-'drȯit] -adj, adv, n

  1. lacking adroitness : inept

mal·a·dy ['ma-lə-dē] -n

  1. a disease or disorder of the animal body
  2. an unwholesome or disordered condition

ma·la fi·de [,ma-lə-'fī-dē, -də] -adv or adj

  1. with or in bad faith
    • claimed the government acted mala fide

Ma·la·ga ['ma-lə-gə] -n

  1. a sweet brown fortified wine from Malaga, Spain
  2. a similar wine made elsewhere

Mal·a·gasy [,ma-lə-'ga-sē; ,mä-lə-'gä-sē, -shē] -n, adj

  1. a member of a people of Indonesian and African origin who inhabit Madagascar
  2. the Austronesian language of the Malagasy people

ma·la·gue·na [,ma-lə-'gān-yə, ,mä-] -n

  1. a folk tune native to Malaga that is similar to a fandango
  2. a Spanish dance for couples that is similar to a fandango

mal·aise [mə-'lāz, ma-, -'lez] -n

  1. an indefinite feeling of debility or lack of health often indicative of or accompanying the onset of an illness
  2. a vague sense of mental or moral ill-being
    • a malaise of cynicism and despair -- Malcolm Boyd

mal·a·mute ['ma-lə-,myüt, -,müt] -n

  1. a sled dog of northern No. America
  2. alaskan malamute

ma·lan·ga [mə-'läŋ-gə] -n

  1. taro
  2. yautia

mal·a·pert [,ma-lə-'pərt] -adj

  1. impudently bold : saucy

mal·ap·por·tioned [,ma-lə-'pȯr-shənd] -adj, n

  1. characterized by an inequitable or unsuitable apportioning of representatives to a legislative body

mal·a·prop ['ma-lə-,präp] -n

  1. an example of malapropism
    • was famed for malaprop s: he always said polo bears and Remember Pearl Island and neon stockings -- Time

malaprop [,ma-lə-'prä-pē-ən] -adj

  1. using or marked by the use of malapropisms

mal·a·prop·ism ['ma-lə-,prä-,pi-zəm] -n

  1. the usu. unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase
  2. the use of a word sounding somewhat like the one intended but ludicrously wrong in the context
  3. malaprop

mal·ap·ro·pos [,ma-,la-prə-'pō] -adv, adj

  1. in an inappropriate or inopportune way

ma·lar ['mā-lər, -,lär] -adj

  1. of or relating to the cheek or the side of the head

malar -n

  1. zygomatic bone called also malar bone

ma·lar·ia [mə-'ler-ē-ə] -n, adj

  1. air infected with a noxious substance capable of causing disease
  2. miasma
  3. a human disease that is caused by sporozoan parasites (genus Plasmodium) in the red blood cells, is transmitted by the bite of anopheline mosquitoes, and is characterized by periodic attacks of chills and fever
  4. any of various diseases of birds and mammals caused by blood protozoans

ma·lar·i·ol·o·gy [-,ler-ē-'ä-lə-jē] -n

  1. the scientific study of malaria

ma·lar·key [mə-'lär-kē] -n

  1. insincere or foolish talk : bunkum

ma·late ['ma-,lāt, 'mā-] -n

  1. a salt or ester of malic acid

mal·a·thi·on [,ma-lə-'thī-ən, -,än] -n

  1. an organophosphate broad-spectrum insecticide C 10H 19O 6PS 2that is considerably less toxic to mammals than parathion

Ma·lay [mə-'lā, 'mā-(,)lā] -n, adj, n or adj

  1. a member of a people of the Malay Peninsula, eastern Sumatra, parts of Borneo, and some adjacent islands
  2. the Austronesian language of the Malays

Mal·a·ya·lam [,ma-lə-'yä-ləm, ,mä-] -n

  1. the Dravidian language of Kerala, southwest India, closely related to Tamil

mal·con·tent [,mal-kən-'tent] -n

  1. : a discontented person:
  2. one who bears a grudge from a sense of grievance or thwarted ambition
  3. one who is in active opposition to an established order or government : rebel

malcontent -adj

  1. dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs : discontented

mal·con·tent·ed [-'ten-təd] -adj, adv, n

  1. malcontent

mal de mer [,mal-də-'mer] -n

  1. seasickness

mal·dis·tri·bu·tion [,mal-,dis-trə-'byü-shən] -n

  1. bad or faulty distribution : undesirable inequality or unevenness of placement or apportionment (as of population, resources, or wealth) over an area or among members of a group

male ['māl] -n

  1. a male person : a man or a boy
  2. an individual that produces small usu. motile gametes (as spermatozoa or spermatozoids) which fertilize the eggs of a female
  3. a staminate plant
  4. of, relating to, or being the sex that produces gametes which fertilize the eggs of a female
  5. staminate
  6. having only staminate flowers and not producing fruit or seeds
    • a male holly
  7. of, relating to, or characteristic of the male sex
    • a deep male voice
  8. made up of usu. adult male individuals
    • a male choir
  9. masculine
  10. designed with a projecting part for fitting into a corresponding female part
    • male hose coupling

male alto -n

  1. countertenor

ma·le·ate ['mā-lē-,āt, -lē-ət] -n

  1. a salt or ester of maleic acid

mal·e·dict [,ma-lə-'dikt] -adj

  1. accursed

maledict -vt

  1. curse, execrate

mal·e·dic·tion [,ma-lə-'dik-shən] -n, adj

  1. curse, execration

mal·e·fac·tion [,ma-lə-'fak-shən] -n

  1. an evil deed : crime

mal·e·fac·tor ['ma-lə-,fak-tər] -n

  1. one who commits an offense against the law
  2. felon
  3. one who does ill toward another

male fern -n

  1. a fern ( Dryopteris filix-mas) producing an oleoresin used in expelling tapeworms

ma·lef·ic [mə-'le-fik] -adj

  1. having malignant influence : baleful
  2. malicious

ma·lef·i·cence [mə-'le-fə-sən(t)s] -n

  1. the act of committing harm or evil
  2. a harmful or evil act
  3. the quality or state of being maleficent

ma·lef·i·cent [-sənt] -adj

  1. working or productive of harm or evil : baleful

ma·le·ic acid [mə-'lē-ik-, -'lā-] -n

  1. a crystalline dicarboxylic acid C 4H 4O 4that is isomeric with fumaric acid and is used esp. in organic synthesis

maleic anhydride -n

  1. a caustic crystalline cyclic anhydride C 4H 2O 3used esp. in making resins

maleic hydrazide -n

  1. a crystalline cyclic hydrazide C 4H 4N 2O 2used to retard plant growth

male menopause -n

  1. andropause

malemute ['ma-lə-,myüt, -,müt] -n

(variant of malamute)

  1. a sled dog of northern No. America
  2. alaskan malamute

malepattern baldness -n

  1. typical hereditary baldness in the male characterized by loss of hair on the crown and temples

malester·ile ['māl-'ster-əl] -adj

  1. having male gametes lacking or nonfunctional
    • malesterile plants

ma·lev·o·lence [mə-'le-və-lən(t)s] -n

  1. the quality or state of being malevolent
  2. malevolent behavior

ma·lev·o·lent [-lənt] -adj, adv

  1. having, showing, or arising from intense often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred
  2. productive of harm or evil

mal·fea·sance [,mal-'fē-zᵊn(t)s] -n

  1. wrongdoing or misconduct esp. by a public official

mal·for·ma·tion [,mal-fȯr-'mā-shən, -fər-] -n

  1. irregular, anomalous, abnormal, or faulty formation or structure

mal·formed [,mal-'fȯrmd] -adj

  1. characterized by malformation : badly or imperfectly formed : misshapen

mal·func·tion [,mal-'fəŋ(k)-shən] -vi, n

  1. to function imperfectly or badly : fail to operate normally

mal·gre [mal-'grā, 'mal-,] -prep

  1. despite

ma·lic ['ma-lik, 'mā-] -adj

  1. involved in and esp. catalyzing a reaction in which malic acid participates
    • malic dehydrogenase

malic acid -n

  1. a crystalline dicarboxylic acid C 4H 6O 5
  2. the levorotatory isomer of malic acid that is found in various fruits (as apples) and is formed as an intermediate in the Krebs cycle

mal·ice ['ma-ləs] -n

  1. desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another
  2. intent to commit an unlawful act or cause harm without legal justification or excuse

ma·li·cious [mə-'li-shəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. given to, marked by, or arising from malice
    • malicious gossip

malicious mischief -n

  1. willful, wanton, or reckless damage to or destruction of another's property

ma·lign [mə-'līn] -adj, adv

  1. evil in nature, influence, or effect : injurious
    • the malign effects of illicit drugs
  2. malignant, virulent
  3. having or showing intense often vicious ill will : malevolent

malign -vt

  1. to utter injuriously misleading or false reports about : speak evil of

ma·lig·nance [mə-'lig-nən(t)s] -n

  1. malignancy

ma·lig·nan·cy [-nən(t)-sē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being malignant
  2. exhibition (as by a tumor) of malignant qualities : virulence
  3. a malignant tumor

ma·lig·nant [mə-'lig-nənt] -adj, adv

  1. malcontent, disaffected
  2. evil in nature, influence, or effect : injurious
  3. passionately and relentlessly malevolent : aggressively malicious
  4. tending to produce death or deterioration
    • malignant malaria
  5. tending to infiltrate, metastasize, and terminate fatally
    • a malignant tumor

malignant melanoma -n

  1. melanoma

ma·lig·ni·ty [mə-'lig-nə-tē] -n

  1. malignancy, malevolence
  2. an instance of malignant or malicious behavior or nature

ma·li·hi·ni [,mä-li-'hē-nē] -n

  1. a newcomer or stranger among the people of Hawaii

ma·lines [mə-'lēn] -n

  1. mechlin
  2. a fine stiff net with a hexagonal mesh that is usu. made of silk or rayon and that is often used for veils

ma·lin·ger [mə-'liŋ-gər] -vi, n

  1. to pretend or exaggerate incapacity or illness (as to avoid duty or work)

Ma·lin·ke [mə-'liŋ-kē] -n

  1. a member of a people of Mandingo affiliation widespread in the western part of Africa
  2. the language of the Malinke people

Ma·li·nois [,ma-lən-'wä] -n

  1. belgian malinois

mal·i·son ['ma-lə-sən, -zən] -n

  1. curse, malediction

mal·kin ['mȯ(l)-kən, 'mal-] -n

  1. an untidy woman : slattern
  2. cat
  3. hare

mall ['mȯl, esp Brit & for 1 'mal] -n

  1. an alley used for pall-mall
  2. a usu. public area often set with shade trees and designed as a promenade or as a pedestrian walk
  3. a usu. paved or grassy strip between two roadways
  4. an urban shopping area featuring a variety of shops surrounding a usu. open-air concourse reserved for pedestrian traffic
  5. a usu. large suburban building or group of buildings containing various shops with associated passageways

mal·lard ['ma-lərd] -n

  1. a common and widely distributed wild duck ( Anas platyrhynchos) of the northern hemisphere the males of which have a green head and white-ringed neck and which is the source of the domestic ducks

mal·lea·ble ['ma-lē-ə-bəl, 'mal-yə-bəl, 'ma-lə-bəl] -adj, n

  1. capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer or by the pressure of rollers
  2. capable of being altered or controlled by outside forces or influences
  3. having a capacity for adaptive change

mal·lee ['ma-lē] -n

  1. any of various low-growing shrubby Australian eucalypts (as Eucalyptus dumosaand E. oleosa)
  2. a dense thicket or growth of mallees
  3. land covered by such growth

mal·let ['ma-lət] -n

  1. : a hammer with a typically barrel-shaped head: as
  2. a tool with a large head for driving another tool or for striking a surface without marring it
  3. a long-handled wooden implement used for striking a ball (as in polo or croquet)
  4. a light hammer with a small rounded or spherical usu. padded head used in playing certain musical instruments (as a vibraphone)

mal·le·us ['ma-lē-əs] -n

  1. the outermost of a chain of three small bones of the mammalian middle ear called also hammer

mal·low ['ma-(,)lō] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Malvaof the family Malvaceae, the mallow family) of herbs with palmately lobed or dissected leaves, usu. showy flowers, and a disk-shaped fruit

malm·sey ['mäm-zē, 'mälm-] -n

  1. the sweetest variety of Madeira wine

mal·nour·ished [,mal-'nər-isht, -'nə-risht] -adj

  1. undernourished

mal·nu·tri·tion [,mal-nu̇-'tri-shən, -nyu̇-] -n

  1. faulty nutrition due to inadequate or unbalanced intake of nutrients or their impaired assimilation or utilization

mal·oc·clu·sion [,ma-lə-'klü-zhən] -n

  1. improper occlusion
  2. abnormality in the coming together of teeth

mal·odor [,mal-'ō-dər] -n

  1. an offensive odor

mal·odor·ous [-'ō-də-rəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. having a bad odor
  2. highly improper
    • malodorous practices and chicanery in high financial places -- New Republic

ma·lo·lac·tic [,ma-lō-'lak-tik, ,mā-] -adj

  1. relating to or involved in the bacterial conversion of malic acid to lactic acid in wine
    • malolactic fermentation

Mal·pi·ghi·an corpuscle [mal-'pi-gē-ən-, -'pē-] -n

  1. the part of a nephron that consists of a glomerulus and Bowman's capsule called also Malpighian body

Malpighian layer -n

  1. the deeper part of the epidermis consisting of cells whose protoplasm has not yet changed into horny material

Malpighian tubule -n

  1. any of a group of long blind vessels opening into the posterior part of the alimentary canal in most insects and some other arthropods and functioning primarily as excretory organs called also Malpighian tube

mal·po·si·tion [,mal-pə-'zi-shən] -n

  1. wrong or faulty position

mal·prac·tice [,mal-'prak-təs] -n

  1. a dereliction of professional duty or a failure to exercise an ordinary degree of professional skill or learning by one (as a physician) rendering professional services which results in injury, loss, or damage
  2. an injurious, negligent, or improper practice : malfeasance

mal·prac·ti·tio·ner [,mal-prak-'ti-sh(ə-)nər] -n

  1. one who engages in or commits malpractice

MALS -abbr

  1. master of arts in liberal studies
  2. master of arts in library science

malt ['mȯlt] -n, adj

  1. grain (as barley) softened by steeping in water, allowed to germinate, and used esp. in brewing and distilling
  2. malt liquor
  3. malted milk
  4. to convert into malt
  5. to make or treat with malt or malt extract
  6. to become malt
  7. to make grain into malt

malt·ase ['mȯl-,tās, -,tāz] -n

  1. an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of maltose to glucose

malted milk -n

  1. a soluble powder prepared from dried milk and malted cereals
  2. a beverage made by dissolving malted milk in milk and usu. adding ice cream and flavoring called also malted

Mal·tese [mȯl-'tēz, -'tēs] -n, adj

  1. a native or inhabitant of Malta
  2. the Semitic language of the Maltese people
  3. any of a breed of toy dogs with a long silky white coat, a black nose, and very dark eyes

Maltese cross -n

  1. a cross formee
  2. a cross that resembles the cross formee but has the outer face of each arm indented in a V
  3. a Eurasian herb ( Lychnis chalcedonica) of the pink family cultivated for its usu. scarlet flowers

Mal·thu·sian [mal-'thü-zhən, mȯl-, -'thyü-] -adj, n

  1. of or relating to Malthus or to his theory that population tends to increase at a faster rate than its means of subsistence and that unless it is checked by moral restraint or disaster (as disease, famine, or war) widespread poverty and degradation inevitably result

malt liquor -n

  1. a fermented liquor (as beer) made with malt

malto·dex·trin [,mȯl-tō-'dek-strən] -n

  1. any of various carbohydrates derived from the partial hydrolysis of starch (as of corn or potatoes) and used in prepared foods esp. as a filler and to enhance texture and flavor

malt·ose ['mȯl-,tōs, -,tōz] -n

  1. a crystalline dextrorotatory fermentable sugar C 12H 22O 11formed esp. from starch by amylase

mal·treat [,mal-'trēt] -vt, n

  1. to treat cruelly or roughly : abuse

malt·ster ['mȯlt-stər] -n

  1. a maker of malt

malt sugar -n

  1. maltose

malt whiskey -n

  1. scotch

mal·va·sia [,mal-və-'zē-ə, -'sē-] -n

  1. a medium to large cultivated grape of Mediterranean regions that is often blended with other grape varieties to produce aromatic dry or sweet wines

mal·ver·sa·tion [,mal-vər-'sā-shən] -n

  1. misbehavior and esp. corruption in an office, trust, or commission
  2. corrupt administration

mal·ware ['mal-,wer] -n

  1. software designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning

ma·ma ['mä-mə, chiefly Brit mə-'mä] -n

  1. mother
  2. wife, woman

mama's boy -n

  1. a usu. polite or timid boy or man who is extremely or excessively close to and solicitous of his mother

mam·ba ['mäm-bə, 'mam-] -n

  1. any of several chiefly arboreal venomous green or black elapid snakes (genus Dendroaspis) of sub-Saharan Africa

mam·bo ['mäm-(,)bō] -n, vi

  1. a ballroom dance of Cuban origin that resembles the rumba and the cha-cha
  2. the music for this dance

ma·mey [ma-'mē] -n

  1. an evergreen tree ( Mammea americanaof the family Guttiferae) native to the West Indies and tropical America that has an ovoid fruit with thick russet leathery rind and yellow or reddish juicy sweet flesh
  2. the fruit

Mam·luk ['mam-,lük] -n

  1. a member of a politically powerful Egyptian military class occupying the sultanate from 1250 to 1517
  2. a white or east Asian slave in Muslim countries

mam·ma ['ma-mə] -n

  1. a mammary gland and its accessory parts

mam·mal ['ma-məl] -n, adj or n

  1. any of a class (Mammalia) of warm-blooded higher vertebrates (as placentals, marsupials, or monotremes) that nourish their young with milk secreted by mammary glands, have the skin usu. more or less covered with hair, and include humans

mam·mal·o·gy [mə-'ma-lə-jē, ma-'ma-, -'mä-] -n

  1. a branch of zoology dealing with mammals

mam·ma·ry ['ma-mə-rē] -adj

  1. of, relating to, lying near, or affecting the mammae

mammary gland -n

  1. any of the large compound modified sebaceous glands that in female mammals are modified to secrete milk, are situated ventrally in pairs, and usu. terminate in a nipple

mam·mer -vi

  1. waver, hesitate

mam·mil·la·ry ['ma-mə-,ler-ē, ma-'mi-lə-rē] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or resembling the breasts
  2. studded with breast-shaped protuberances

mam·mil·lat·ed ['ma-mə-,lā-təd] -adj

  1. having nipples or small protuberances
  2. having the form of a bluntly rounded protuberance

mam·mock ['ma-mək] -n

  1. a broken piece : scrap

mammock -vt

  1. to tear into fragments : mangle

mam·mo·gram ['ma-mə-,gram] -n

  1. a photograph of the breasts made by X-rays
  2. the procedure for producing a mammogram

mam·mog·ra·phy [ma-'mä-grə-fē] -n, adj

  1. X-ray examination of the breasts (as for early detection of cancer)

mam·mon ['ma-mən] -n

  1. material wealth or possessions esp. as having a debasing influence
    • you cannot serve God and mammon -- Mt 6:24(RSV)

mam·mon·ist [-mə-nist] -n

  1. one devoted to the ideal or pursuit of wealth

mam·moth ['ma-məth] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Mammuthus) of extinct Pleistocene mammals of the elephant family distinguished from recent elephants by highly ridged molars, usu. large size, very long tusks that curve upward, and well-developed body hair
  2. something immense of its kind
    • a mammoth company

mammoth -adj

  1. of very great size

mam·my ['ma-mē] -n

  1. mama
  2. a black woman serving as a nurse to white children esp. formerly in the southern U.S.

man ['man, in compounds ,man or mən] -n, adj

  1. an individual human
  2. an adult male human
  3. a man belonging to a particular category (as by birth, residence, membership, or occupation) usu. used in combination
    • council man
  4. husband
  5. lover
  6. the human race : humankind
  7. a bipedal primate mammal ( Homo sapiens) that is anatomically related to the great apes but distinguished esp. by notable development of the brain with a resultant capacity for articulate speech and abstract reasoning, is usu. considered to form a variable number of freely interbreeding races, and is the sole living representative of the hominid family
  8. any living or extinct hominid
  9. one possessing in high degree the qualities considered distinctive of manhood
  10. the quality or state of being manly : manliness
  11. fellow, chap used as mode of familiar address
  12. used interjectionally to express intensity of feeling
    • man, what a game
  13. individual, person
    • a man could get killed there
  14. the individual who can fulfill or who has been chosen to fulfill one's requirements
    • she's your man
  15. a feudal tenant : vassal
  16. an adult male servant
  17. the working force as distinguished from the employer and usu. the management
  18. one of the distinctive objects moved by each player in various board games
  19. one of the players on a team
  20. an alumnus of or student at a college or university
    • a Bowdoin man
  21. the compound idea of infinite Spirit : the spiritual image and likeness of God : the full representation of Mind
  22. police
    • when I heard the siren, I knew it was the Man -- Amer. Speech
  23. the white establishment : white society
    • surprise that any black...should take on so about The Man -- Peter Goldman
  24. one extremely fond of or devoted to something specified
    • strictly a vanilla ice cream man
  25. to supply with people (as for service)
    • man a fleet
  26. to station members of a ship's crew at
    • man the capstan
  27. to serve in the force or complement of
    • man the ticket booth
  28. to accustom (as a hawk) to humans and the human environment
  29. to furnish with strength or powers of resistance : brace
  30. manual

Man -abbr

  1. Manitoba

ma·na ['mä-nə] -n

  1. the power of the elemental forces of nature embodied in an object or person
  2. moral authority : prestige

manabouttown [,man-ə-,bau̇t-'tau̇n] -n

  1. a worldly and socially active man

man·a·cle ['ma-ni-kəl] -n

  1. a shackle for the hand or wrist : handcuff usu. used in pl.
  2. something used as a restraint

manacle [-k(ə-)liŋ] -vt

  1. to confine (the hands) with manacles
  2. to make fast or secure : bind
  3. to restrain from movement, progress, or action

man·age ['ma-nij] -vb

  1. : to handle or direct with a degree of skill: as
  2. to make and keep compliant
    • can't manage their child
  3. to treat with care : husband
    • managed his resources carefully
  4. to exercise executive, administrative, and supervisory direction of
    • manage a business
    • manage a bond issue
    • manage a baseball team
  5. to work upon or try to alter for a purpose
    • manage the press
    • manage stress
  6. to succeed in accomplishing : contrive
    • managed to escape from prison
  7. to direct the professional career of
    • an agency that manage s entertainers
  8. to direct or carry on business or affairs
  9. to direct a baseball team
  10. to admit of being carried on
  11. to achieve one's purpose

manage -n

  1. the action and paces of a trained riding horse
  2. the schooling or handling of a horse
  3. a riding school
  4. management

man·age·able ['ma-ni-jə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being managed

managed care -n

  1. a system of health care (as by an HMO or PPO) that controls costs by placing limits on physicians' fees and by restricting the patient's choice of physicians

man·age·ment ['ma-nij-mənt] -n, adj

  1. the act or art of managing : the conducting or supervising of something (as a business)
  2. judicious use of means to accomplish an end
  3. the collective body of those who manage or direct an enterprise

man·ag·er ['ma-ni-jər] -n, adj, adv

  1. : one that manages: as
  2. a person who conducts business or household affairs
  3. a person whose work or profession is management
  4. a person who directs a team or athlete
  5. a student who in scholastic or collegiate sports supervises equipment and records under the direction of a coach

man·ag·er·ess ['ma-ni-jə-rəs] -n

  1. a woman who is a manager

managing editor -n

  1. an editor in executive and supervisory charge of all editorial activities of a publication (as a newspaper)

ma·a·na [mən-'yä-nə] -n

  1. an indefinite time in the future

maana -adv

  1. at an indefinite time in the future

man ape -n

  1. great ape
  2. any of various fossil primates intermediate in characters between recent humans and the great apes

Ma·nas·seh [mə-'na-sə] -n

  1. a son of Joseph and the traditional eponymous ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel
  2. a king of Judah reigning in the seventh century b.c.and noted for his attempt to establish polytheism

manatarms [,man-ət-'ärmz] -n

  1. soldier
  2. a heavily armed and usu. mounted soldier

man·a·tee ['ma-nə-,tē] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Trichechusof the family Trichechidae) of chiefly tropical aquatic sirenian mammals that differ from the related dugong esp. in having the tail rounded

Man·ches·ter terrier ['man-,ches-tər-, -chə-stər-] -n

  1. any of a breed of small short-haired black-and-tan terriers developed in England

manchild ['man-,chī(-ə)ld] -n

  1. a male child : son

man·chi·neel [,man-chə-'nēl] -n

  1. a poisonous tropical American tree ( Hippomane mancinella) of the spurge family having a blistering milky juice and apple-shaped fruit

Man·chu ['man-(,)chü, man-'] -n, adj

  1. a member of an indigenous people of Manchuria who conquered China and established a dynasty there in 1644
  2. the Tungusic language of the Manchu people

man·ci·ple ['man(t)-sə-pəl] -n

  1. a steward or purveyor esp. for a college or monastery

MA -abbr

  1. mergers and acquisitions

Man·dae·an [man-'dē-ən] -n, adj

  1. a member of a Gnostic sect of the lower Tigris and Euphrates regions
  2. a form of Aramaic found in documents written by Mandaeans

man·da·la ['mən-də-lə] -n, adj

  1. a Hindu or Buddhist graphic symbol of the universe
  2. a circle enclosing a square with a deity on each side that is used chiefly as an aid to meditation
  3. a graphic and often symbolic pattern usu. in the form of a circle divided into four separate sections or bearing a multiple projection of an image

man·da·mus [man-'dā-məs] -n

  1. a writ issued by a superior court commanding the performance of a specified official act or duty

Man·dan ['man-,dan, -dən] -n

  1. a member of an American Indian people of the Missouri River valley in No. Dakota
  2. the Siouan language of the Mandans

man·da·rin ['man-d(ə-)rən] -n, adj

  1. a public official in the Chinese Empire of any of nine superior grades
  2. a pedantic official
  3. bureaucrat
  4. a person of position and influence often in intellectual or literary circles
  5. an elder and often traditionalist or reactionary member of such a circle
  6. a form of spoken Chinese used by the court and the official classes of the Empire
  7. the group of closely related Chinese dialects that are spoken in about four fifths of the country and have a standard variety centering about Beijing
  8. a small spiny orange tree ( Citrus reticulata) of southeastern Asia with yellow to reddish-orange loose-rinded fruits
  9. a tree (as the satsuma) developed in cultivation from the mandarin by artificial selection or hybridization
  10. the fruit of a mandarin

mandarin -adj

  1. of, relating to, or typical of a mandarin
    • mandarin graces
  2. marked by polished ornate complexity of language
    • mandarin prose

man·da·rin·ate ['man-d(ə-)rə-,nāt] -n

  1. the office or status of a mandarin
  2. a body of mandarins
  3. rule by mandarins

mandarin collar -n

  1. a narrow stand-up collar usu. open in front

mandarin orange -n

  1. mandarin

man·da·tary ['man-də-,ter-ē] -n

  1. mandatory

man·date ['man-,dāt] -n

  1. an authoritative command
  2. a formal order from a superior court or official to an inferior one
  3. an authorization to act given to a representative
    • accepted the mandate of the people
  4. an order or commission granted by the League of Nations to a member nation for the establishment of a responsible government over a former German colony or other conquered territory
  5. a mandated territory

mandate -vt

  1. to administer or assign (as a territory) under a mandate
  2. to make mandatory : order
  3. direct, require

man·da·tor ['man-,dā-tər] -n

  1. one that gives a mandate

man·da·to·ry ['man-də-,tȯr-ē] -adj, adv

  1. containing or constituting a command : obligatory
    • the mandatory retirement age
  2. of, by, relating to, or holding a League of Nations mandate

mandatory -n

  1. one given a mandate
  2. a nation holding a mandate from the League of Nations

manday ['man-'dā] -n

  1. a unit of one day's work by one person

Man·de ['män-,dā, män-'] -n

  1. mandingo
  2. a branch of the Niger-Congo language family spoken primarily in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, and Burkina Faso

Man·del·brot set ['man-dəl-,brät-, -,brȯt-] -n

  1. a fractal that when plotted on a computer screen roughly resembles a series of heart-shaped disks to which smaller disks are attached and that consists of a connected set of all points cin the complex plane for which the recursive expression z n +1= z n 2+ cfor n= 0, 1, 2, 3,...with the starting value z 0= 0 remains bounded as napproaches infinity

man·di·ble ['man-də-bəl] -n, adj

  1. jaw
  2. a lower jaw consisting of a single bone or of completely fused bones
  3. the lower jaw with its investing soft parts
  4. either the upper or lower segment of the bill of a bird
  5. any of various invertebrate mouthparts serving to hold or bite food materials
  6. either member of the anterior pair of mouth appendages of an arthropod often forming strong biting jaws

Man·din·go [man-'diŋ-(,)gō] -n

  1. a member of a people of western Africa in or near the upper Niger valley
  2. the language of the Mandingo

Man·din·ka [man-'diŋ-kə] -n

  1. malinke

mandioca ['ma-nē-,äk] -n

(variant of manioc)

  1. cassava

man·do·la [man-'dō-lə] -n

  1. a 16th and 17th century lute that is the ancestor of the smaller mandolin

man·do·lin [,man-də-'lin, 'man-də-lən] -n

  1. a musical instrument of the lute family that has a usu. pear-shaped body and fretted neck and four to six pairs of strings
  2. a kitchen utensil with a blade for slicing and shredding

man·drag·o·ra [man-'dra-gə-rə] -n

  1. mandrake

man·drake ['man-,drāk] -n

  1. a Mediterranean herb ( Mandragora officinarum) of the nightshade family with large ovate leaves, greenish-yellow or purple flowers, and a large usu. forked root resembling a human in form and formerly credited with magical properties
  2. the root of a mandrake formerly used esp. to promote conception, as a cathartic, or as a narcotic and soporific
  3. mayapple

man·drel ['man-drəl] -n

  1. a usu. tapered or cylindrical axle, spindle, or arbor inserted into a hole in a piece of work to support it during machining
  2. a metal bar that serves as a core around which material (as metal) may be cast, molded, forged, bent, or otherwise shaped
  3. the shaft and bearings on which a tool (as a circular saw) is mounted

man·drill ['man-drəl] -n

  1. a large baboon ( Mandrillus sphinxsyn. Papio sphinx) of central Africa west of the Congo River with the male having a bright red and blue muzzle

mane ['mān] -n, adj

  1. long and heavy hair growing about the neck and head of some mammals (as horses and lions)
  2. long heavy hair on a person's head

maneat·er ['man-,ē-tər] -n, adj

  1. : one that has or is thought to have an appetite for human flesh: as
  2. cannibal
  3. mackerel shark
  4. great white shark called also man-eater shark man-eating shark
  5. a large feline (as a lion or tiger) that has acquired the habit of feeding on human flesh

maned wolf -n

  1. a yellowish-red wild canid ( Chrysocyon brachyurus) of So. American grasslands having black coloration on the nape and lower legs

ma·nege [ma-'nezh, mə-, -'nāzh] -n

  1. a school for teaching horsemanship and for training horses
  2. the art of horsemanship or of training horses
  3. the movements or paces of a trained horse

ma·nes ['mä-,nās, 'mā-,nēz] -n pl

  1. the deified spirits of the ancient Roman dead honored with graveside sacrifices
  2. the venerated or appeased spirit of a dead person

ma·neu·ver [mə-'nü-vər, -'nyü-] -n

  1. a military or naval movement
  2. an armed forces training exercise
  3. an extended and large-scale training exercise involving military and naval units separately or in combination often used in pl.
  4. a procedure or method of working usu. involving expert physical movement
  5. evasive movement or shift of tactics
  6. an intended and controlled variation from a straight and level flight path in the operation of an airplane
  7. an action taken to gain a tactical end
  8. an adroit and clever management of affairs often using trickery and deception

maneuver [-'nü-və-riŋ, -'nyü-; -'n(y)üv-riŋ] -vb, n, adj

  1. to perform a movement in military or naval tactics in order to secure an advantage
  2. to make a series of changes in direction and position for a specific purpose
  3. to use stratagems : scheme
  4. to cause to execute tactical movements
  5. to manage into or out of a position or condition : manipulate
  6. to guide with adroitness and design
  7. to bring about or secure as a result of skillful management

manforman [,man-fər-'man] -adj

  1. man-to-man

man Friday -n

  1. an efficient and devoted aide or employee : a right-hand man

man·ful ['man-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. having or showing courage and resolution

man·ga ['mäŋ-gə] -n

  1. a Japanese comic book or graphic novel

man·ga·bey ['maŋ-gə-(,)bē] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Cercocebus) of slender long-tailed African monkeys

mangan- -comb form

  1. manganese
    • mangan ate

man·ga·nate ['maŋ-gə-,nāt] -n

  1. a salt containing manganese in the anion MnO 4
  2. manganite

man·ga·nese ['maŋ-gə-,nēz, -,nēs] -n, adj

  1. a grayish-white usu. hard and brittle metallic element that resembles iron but is not magnetic and is used esp. in alloys, batteries, and plant fertilizers

manganese dioxide -n

  1. a dark insoluble compound MnO 2used esp. as an oxidizing agent, as a depolarizer of dry cells, and in making glass and ceramics

man·gan·ic [man-'ga-nik, maŋ-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or derived from manganese
  2. containing this element with a valence of three or six

man·ga·nite ['maŋ-gə-,nīt] -n

  1. a metallic gray to black mineral MnO(OH) that is a hydroxide and minor ore of manganese
  2. any of various unstable salts made by reaction of manganese dioxide with a base

man·ga·nous [-nəs] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or derived from manganese
  2. containing this element with a valence of two

mange ['mānj] -n

  1. any of various persistent contagious skin diseases marked esp. by eczematous inflammation and loss of hair, affecting domestic animals or sometimes humans, and caused by a minute parasitic mite

man·gel ['maŋ-gəl] -n

  1. a large coarse yellow- to reddish-orange beet grown chiefly as food for cattle

man·gelwur·zel [-,wər-zəl] -n

  1. mangel

man·ger ['mān-jər] -n

  1. a trough or open box in a stable designed to hold feed or fodder for livestock

man·gle ['maŋ-gəl] -vt, n

  1. to injure with deep disfiguring wounds by cutting, tearing, or crushing
    • people... mangled by sharks -- V. G. Heiser
  2. to spoil, injure, or make incoherent esp. through ineptitude
    • a story mangled beyond recognition

mangle -n

  1. a machine for ironing laundry by passing it between heated rollers
  2. to press or smooth (as damp linen) with a mangle

man·go ['maŋ-(,)gō] -n

  1. a tropical usu. large ovoid or oblong fruit with a firm yellowish-red skin, hard central stone, and juicy aromatic pulp
  2. an evergreen tree ( Mangifera indica) of the cashew family that bears mangoes
  3. sweet pepper

man·go·nel ['maŋ-gə-,nel] -n

  1. a military engine formerly used to throw missiles

man·go·steen ['maŋ-gə-,stēn] -n

  1. a dark reddish-purple fruit of southeastern Asia with a thick rind and juicy flesh having a flavor suggestive of both peach and pineapple
  2. a tree ( Garcinia mangostana) of the Saint-John's-wort family that bears mangosteens

man·grove ['man-,grōv, 'maŋ-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Rhizophora,esp. R. mangleof the family Rhizophoraceae) of tropical maritime trees or shrubs that send out many prop roots and form dense masses important in coastal land building and as foundations of unique ecosystems
  2. any of numerous trees (as of the genera Avicenniaof the vervain family or Sonneratiaof the family Sonneratiaceae) with growth habits like those of the true mangroves

mangy ['mān-jē] -adj, n

  1. affected with or resulting from mange
  2. having many worn or bare spots
    • a mangy rug
  3. seedy, shabby
    • a mangy office

man·han·dle ['man-,han-dᵊl] -vt

  1. to handle roughly
  2. to move or manage by human force
    • manhandled the posts into place

man·hat·tan [man-'ha-tᵊn, mən-] -n

  1. a cocktail consisting of vermouth, whiskey, and sometimes a dash of bitters

Manhattan clam chowder -n

  1. chowder made with chopped clams, tomatoes, vegetables, and seasonings

man·hole ['man-,hōl] -n

  1. a hole through which one may go esp. to gain access to an underground or enclosed structure

man·hood ['man-,hu̇d] -n

  1. the condition of being a human being
  2. qualities associated with men : manliness
  3. the condition of being an adult male as distinguished from a child or female
  4. adult males : men
  5. penis

manhour ['man-'au̇(-ə)r] -n

  1. a unit of one hour's work by one person that is used esp. as a basis for cost accounting and wages

man·hunt ['man-,hənt] -n

  1. an organized and usu. intensive hunt for a person and esp. for one charged with a crime

ma·nia ['mā-nē-ə, -nyə] -n

  1. excitement manifested by mental and physical hyperactivity, disorganization of behavior, and elevation of mood
  2. the manic phase of bipolar disorder
  3. excessive or unreasonable enthusiasm
    • a mania for saving things
    often used in combination
  4. the object of such enthusiasm

ma·ni·ac ['mā-nē-,ak] -n

  1. madman, lunatic
  2. a person characterized by an inordinate or ungovernable enthusiasm for something

ma·ni·a·cal [mə-'nī-ə-kəl] -adj, adv

  1. affected with or suggestive of madness
    • maniacal laughter
  2. characterized by ungovernable excitement or frenzy : frantic
    • a maniacal mob

man·ic ['ma-nik] -adj, n, adv

  1. affected with, relating to, characterized by, or resulting from mania

manic depression -n

  1. bipolar disorder

man·icde·pres·sive [,ma-nik-di-'pre-siv] -adj, n

  1. characterized by or affected with either mania or depression or alternating mania and depression (as in bipolar disorder)

manicdepressive illness -n

  1. bipolar disorder

Man·i·chae·an [,ma-nə-'kē-ən] -n, adj

  1. a believer in a syncretistic religious dualism originating in Persia in the third century a.d.and teaching the release of the spirit from matter through asceticism
  2. a believer in religious or philosophical dualism

man·i·cot·ti [,ma-nə-'kä-tē] -n

  1. tubular pasta shells that may be stuffed with ricotta or a meat mixture
  2. a dish of stuffed manicotti usu. with tomato sauce

man·i·cure ['ma-nə-,kyu̇r] -n

  1. manicurist
  2. a treatment for the care of the hands and fingernails

manicure -vt

  1. to do manicure work on
  2. to trim and polish the fingernails of
  3. to trim closely and evenly
    • manicured lawns
  4. groom
    • manicured flower beds

man·i·cur·ist [-,kyu̇r-ist] -n

  1. a person who gives manicures

man·i·fest ['ma-nə-,fest] -adj, adv

  1. readily perceived by the senses and esp. by the sight
  2. easily understood or recognized by the mind : obvious

manifest -vt, n

  1. to make evident or certain by showing or displaying
  2. manifestation, indication
  3. manifesto
  4. a list of passengers or an invoice of cargo for a vehicle (as a ship or plane)

man·i·fes·tant [,ma-nə-'fes-tənt] -n

  1. a person who makes or participates in a manifestation

man·i·fes·ta·tion [,ma-nə-fə-'stā-shən, -,fe-'stā-] -n

  1. the act, process, or an instance of manifesting
  2. something that manifests or is manifest
  3. a perceptible, outward, or visible expression
  4. one of the forms in which an individual is manifested
  5. an occult phenomenon
  6. materialization
  7. a public demonstration of power and purpose

manifest destiny -n

  1. a future event accepted as inevitable
    • in the mid-19th century expansion to the Pacific was regarded as the Manifest Destiny of the United States
  2. an ostensibly benevolent or necessary policy of imperialistic expansion

man·i·fes·to [,ma-nə-'fes-(,)tō] -n

  1. a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer

manifesto -vi

  1. to issue a manifesto

man·i·fold ['ma-nə-,fōld] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by diversity or variety
  2. many
  3. comprehending or uniting various features : multifarious
  4. rightfully so-called for many reasons
    • a manifold liar
  5. consisting of or operating many of one kind combined
    • a manifold bellpull

manifold -adv

  1. many times : a great deal
    • will increase your blessings manifold
  2. to make manifold : multiply
  3. to make several or many copies of
  4. to make several or many copies
  5. : something that is manifold: as
  6. a whole that unites or consists of many diverse elements
    • the manifold of aspirations, passions, frustrations -- Harry Slochower
  7. a pipe fitting with several lateral outlets for connecting one pipe with others
  8. a fitting on an internal combustion engine that directs a fuel and air mixture to or receives the exhaust gases from several cylinders
  9. set
  10. a topological space in which every point has a neighborhood that is homeomorphic to the interior of a sphere in Euclidean space of the same number of dimensions

man·i·kin ['ma-ni-kən] -n

  1. mannequin
  2. a little man : dwarf, pygmy

ma·nila [mə-'ni-lə] -adj, n

  1. made from Manila hemp
  2. made of manila paper

Manila hemp -n

  1. abaca

manila paper -n

  1. a strong and durable paper of a brownish or buff color and smooth finish made orig. from Manila hemp

ma·nille [mə-'nil] -n

  1. the second highest trump in various card games (as ombre)

man in the street

  1. an average or ordinary person

man·i·oc ['ma-nē-,äk] -n

  1. cassava

man·i·ple ['ma-nə-pəl] -n

  1. a long narrow strip of silk formerly worn at mass over the left arm by clerics of or above the order of subdeacon
  2. a subdivision of the Roman legion consisting of either 120 or 60 men

ma·nip·u·la·ble [mə-'ni-pyə-lə-bəl] -adj, n

  1. capable of being manipulated

ma·nip·u·lar [mə-'ni-pyə-lər] -adj

  1. of or relating to the ancient Roman maniple
  2. of, relating to, or performed by manipulation : manipulative

ma·nip·u·late [mə-'ni-pyə-,lāt] -vt, adj, n, adv

  1. to treat or operate with or as if with the hands or by mechanical means esp. in a skillful manner
  2. to manage or utilize skillfully
  3. to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious means esp. to one's own advantage
  4. to change by artful or unfair means so as to serve one's purpose : doctor

ma·nip·u·la·tives [mə-'ni-pyə-,lā-tivz, -lə-] -n pl

  1. objects (as blocks) that a student is instructed to use in a way that teaches or reinforces a lesson

man·i·tou ['ma-nə-,tü] -n

  1. a supernatural force that according to an Algonquian conception pervades the natural world

man jack ['man-'jak] -n

  1. individual man
    • every man jack

man·kind -n sing but sing or pl in constr

  1. the human race : the totality of human beings
  2. men esp. as distinguished from women

man·ly ['man-lē] -adv

  1. in a manly manner

manly -adj, n

  1. having qualities generally associated with a man : strong, virile
  2. appropriate in character to a man
    • manly sports

manmade ['man-'mād, -,mād] -adj

  1. manufactured, created, or constructed by human beings
  2. synthetic
    • manmade fibers

man·na ['ma-nə] -n

  1. food miraculously supplied to the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness
  2. divinely supplied spiritual nourishment
  3. a usu. sudden and unexpected source of gratification, pleasure, or gain
  4. the sweetish dried exudate of a Eurasian ash (esp. Fraxinus ornus) that contains mannitol and has been used as a laxative and demulcent
  5. a similar product excreted by a scale insect ( Trabutina mannipara) feeding on the tamarisk

manna grass -n

  1. any of a genus ( Glyceria) of chiefly No. American perennial grasses of wetland or aquatic habitats

man·nan ['ma-,nan, -nən] -n

  1. any of several polysaccharides that are polymers of mannose and occur esp. in plant cell walls

manned -adj

  1. carrying or performed by a human being
    • manned spaceflight

man·ne·quin ['ma-ni-kən] -n

  1. an artist's, tailor's, or dressmaker's lay figure
  2. a form representing the human figure used esp. for displaying clothes
  3. one employed to model clothing

man·ner ['ma-nər] -n, adj

  1. kind, sort
    • what manner of man is he
  2. kinds, sorts
    • all manner of problems
  3. a characteristic or customary mode of acting : custom
  4. a mode of procedure or way of acting : fashion
  5. method of artistic execution or mode of presentation : style
  6. social conduct or rules of conduct as shown in the prevalent customs
    • Victorian manner s
  7. characteristic or distinctive bearing, air, or deportment
    • his poised gracious manner
  8. habitual conduct or deportment : behavior
    • mind your manner s
  9. good manners
  10. a distinguished or stylish air

man·nered ['ma-nərd] -adj

  1. having manners of a specified kind
    • well- mannered
  2. having or displaying a particular manner
  3. having an artificial or stilted character
    • passages...so mannered as to be unintelligible -- R. G. G. Price

man·ner·ism ['ma-nə-,ri-zəm] -n, n or adj, adj

  1. exaggerated or affected adherence to a particular style or manner : artificiality, preciosity
    • refined almost to the point of mannerism -- Winthrop Sargeant
  2. an art style in late 16th century Europe characterized by spatial incongruity and excessive elongation of the human figures
  3. a characteristic and often unconscious mode or peculiarity of action, bearing, or treatment

man·ner·ly ['ma-nər-lē] -adj, n, adv

  1. showing good manners

man·nish ['ma-nish] -adj, adv, n

  1. resembling or suggesting a man rather than a woman
  2. generally associated with or characteristic of a man rather than a woman
    • her mannish clothes

man·nite ['ma-,nīt] -n

  1. mannitol

man·ni·tol ['ma-nə-,tȯl, -,tōl] -n

  1. a slightly sweet crystalline alcohol C 6H 14O 6found in many plants and used esp. as a diuretic and in testing kidney function

man·nose ['ma-,nōs, -,nōz] -n

  1. an aldose C 6H 12O 6whose dextrorotatory enantiomer occurs esp. as a structural unit of mannans from which it can be recovered by hydrolysis

ma·no ['mä-(,)nō] -n

  1. a stone used as the upper millstone for grinding foods (as Indian corn) by hand in a metate

ma·no a ma·no [,mä-nō-ä-'mä-nō] -adv or adj

  1. in direct competition or conflict esp. between two people

ma·noeu·vre [mə-'nü-vər, -'nyü-] -n

(variant of maneuver)

  1. a military or naval movement
  2. an armed forces training exercise
  3. an extended and large-scale training exercise involving military and naval units separately or in combination often used in pl.
  4. a procedure or method of working usu. involving expert physical movement
  5. evasive movement or shift of tactics
  6. an intended and controlled variation from a straight and level flight path in the operation of an airplane
  7. an action taken to gain a tactical end
  8. an adroit and clever management of affairs often using trickery and deception

man of God

  1. clergyman

man of letters

  1. scholar
  2. author

man of straw

  1. straw man

man of the house

  1. the chief male in a household

man of the world

  1. a practical or worldly-wise man of wide experience

manofwar [,ma-nə(v)-'wȯr] -n

  1. a combatant warship of a recognized navy

ma·nom·e·ter [mə-'nä-mə-tər] -n, adj, adv

  1. an instrument (as a pressure gauge) for measuring the pressure of gases and vapors
  2. sphygmomanometer

man on horseback

  1. a usu. military figure whose ambitions and popularity mark him as a potential dictator
  2. dictator

man on the street

  1. man in the street

man·or ['ma-nər] -n, adj

  1. the house or hall of an estate : mansion
  2. a landed estate
  3. a unit of English rural territorial organization
  4. such a unit in the Middle Ages consisting of an estate under a lord enjoying a variety of rights over land and tenants including the right to hold court
  5. a tract of land in No. America occupied by tenants who pay a fixed rent in money or kind to the proprietor

manor house -n

  1. the house of the lord of a manor

mano'war bird -n

  1. frigate bird

man·pack ['man-,pak] -adj

  1. designed to be carried by one person
    • a manpack communication system

man power -n

  1. power available from or supplied by the physical effort of human beings
  2. the total supply of persons available and fitted for service

man·que [mäⁿ-'kā] -adj

  1. short of or frustrated in the fulfillment of one's aspirations or talents used postpositively
    • a poet manque

man·rope ['man-,rōp] -n

  1. a side rope (as to a ship's gangway or ladder) used as a handrail

man·sard ['man-,särd, -sərd] -n, adj

  1. a roof having two slopes on all sides with the lower slope steeper than the upper one

manse ['man(t)s] -n

  1. the dwelling of a householder
  2. the residence of a minister
  3. the house of a Presbyterian minister
  4. a large imposing residence

man·ser·vant ['man-,sər-vənt] -n

  1. a male servant

man·sion ['man(t)-shən] -n

  1. the act of remaining or dwelling : stay
  2. dwelling, abode
  3. manor house
  4. a large imposing residence
  5. a separate apartment or lodging in a large structure
  6. house
  7. one of the 28 parts into which the moon's monthly course through the heavens is divided

mansize ['man-,sīz] -adj

  1. suitable for or requiring a man
    • a mansize job
  2. larger than others of its kind
    • constructed a mansize model

man·slaugh·ter ['man-,slȯ-tər] -n

  1. the unlawful killing of a human being without express or implied malice

man·slay·er [-,slā-ər] -n

  1. one who commits homicide

man's man -n

  1. a man noted or admired for traditionally masculine interests and activities

man·sue·tude ['man(t)-swi-,tüd, man-'sü-ə-, -,tyüd] -n

  1. the quality or state of being gentle : meekness, tameness

man·ta ['man-tə] -n

  1. a square piece of cloth or blanket used in southwestern U.S. and Latin America usu. as a cloak or shawl
  2. manta ray

mantai·lored ['man-,tā-lərd] -adj

  1. made with the severe simplicity associated with men's coats and suits

manta ray -n

  1. any of several extremely large rays (genera Mantaand Mobula) that are widely distributed in warm seas and have enlarged pectoral fins resembling wings

man·teau [man-'tō, 'man-,] -n

  1. a loose cloak, coat, or robe

man·tel ['man-tᵊl] -n

  1. a beam, stone, or arch serving as a lintel to support the masonry above a fireplace
  2. the finish around a fireplace
  3. a shelf above a fireplace

man·tel·et ['mant-lət, 'man-tᵊl-ət, ,man-tə-'let] -n

  1. a very short cape or cloak
  2. a movable shelter formerly used by besiegers as a protection when attacking

man·tel·piece ['man-tᵊl-,pēs] -n

  1. a mantel with its side elements
  2. mantel

man·tel·shelf [-,shelf] -n

  1. mantel

man·tic ['man-tik] -adj

  1. of or relating to the faculty of divination : prophetic

man·ti·core ['man-ti-,kȯr] -n

  1. a legendary animal with the head of a man, the body of a lion, and the tail of a dragon or scorpion

man·tid ['man-təd] -n

  1. mantis

man·til·la [man-'tē-yə, -'ti-lə] -n

  1. a light scarf worn over the head and shoulders esp. by Spanish and Latin-American women
  2. a short light cape or cloak

man·tis ['man-təs] -n

  1. any of an order or suborder (Mantodea and esp. family Mantidae) of large usu. green insects that feed on other insects and clasp their prey in forelimbs held up as if in prayer

man·tis·sa [man-'ti-sə] -n

  1. the part of a logarithm to the right of the decimal point

mantis shrimp -n

  1. stomatopod

man·tle ['man-tᵊl] -n

  1. a loose sleeveless garment worn over other clothes : cloak
  2. a figurative cloak symbolizing preeminence or authority
    • accepted the mantle of leadership
  3. something that covers, enfolds, or envelops
  4. a fold or lobe or pair of lobes of the body wall of a mollusk or brachiopod that in shell-bearing forms lines the shell and bears shell-secreting glands
  5. the soft external body wall that lines the test or shell of a tunicate or barnacle
  6. the outer wall and casing of a blast furnace above the hearth
  7. an insulated support or casing in which something is heated
  8. the upper back of a bird
  9. a lacy hood or sheath of some refractory material that gives light by incandescence when placed over a flame
  10. regolith
  11. the part of the interior of a terrestrial planet and esp. the earth that lies beneath the crust and above the central core
  12. mantel

mantle ['mant-liŋ, 'man-tᵊl-iŋ] -vb

  1. to cover with or as if with a mantle : cloak
    • the encroaching jungle growth that mantled the building -- Sanka Knox
  2. to become covered with a coating
  3. to spread over a surface
  4. blush
    • her rich face mantling with emotion -- Benjamin Disraeli

mantoman ['man-tə-'man] -adj, adv, n

  1. characterized by frankness and honesty
    • a mantoman talk
  2. of, relating to, or being a system of defense (as in football or basketball) in which each defensive player guards a specified opponent

Man·toux test [,man-'tü-, ,mäⁿ-] -n

  1. an intradermal test for hypersensitivity to tuberculin that indicates past or present infection with tubercle bacilli

man·tra ['män-trə also 'man- or 'mən-] -n, adj

  1. a mystical formula of invocation or incantation (as in Hinduism)
  2. watchword

man·trap ['man-,trap] -n

  1. a trap for catching humans : snare

man·tua ['man(t)-sh(ə-)wə, 'man-tə-wə] -n

  1. a usu. loose-fitting gown worn esp. in the 17th and 18th centuries

Manu ['ma-(,)nü] -n

  1. the progenitor of the human race and giver of the religious laws of Manu according to Hindu mythology

man·u·al ['man-yə-wəl, -yəl, -yü-əl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or involving the hands
    • manual dexterity
  2. worked or done by hand and not by machine
    • a manual transmission
    • manual computation
    • manual indexing
  3. requiring or using physical skill and energy
    • manual labor
    • manual workers

manual -n

  1. a book that is conveniently handled
  2. handbook
    • an instruction manual
  3. the prescribed movements in the handling of a weapon or other military item during a drill or ceremony
    • the manual of arms
  4. a keyboard for the hands
  5. one of the several keyboards of an organ or harpsichord that controls a separate division of the instrument
  6. a device or apparatus intended for manual operation

manual alphabet -n

  1. an alphabet esp. for the deaf in which the letters are represented by finger positions

ma·nu·bri·um [mə-'nü-brē-əm, -'nyü-] -n

  1. : an anatomical process or part shaped like a handle: as
  2. the uppermost segment of the sternum of humans and many other mammals
  3. the process that bears the mouth of a hydrozoan : hypostome

man·u·fac·to·ry [,man-yə-'fak-t(ə-)rē, ,ma-nə-] -n

  1. factory

man·u·fac·ture [,man-yə-'fak-chər, ,ma-nə-] -n

  1. something made from raw materials by hand or by machinery
  2. the process of making wares by hand or by machinery esp. when carried on systematically with division of labor
  3. a productive industry using mechanical power and machinery
  4. the act or process of producing something

manufacture [-'fak-chə-riŋ, -'fak-shriŋ] -vb, n, adj

  1. to make into a product suitable for use
  2. to make from raw materials by hand or by machinery
  3. to produce according to an organized plan and with division of labor
  4. prefabricate
    • a manufactured home
  5. invent, fabricate
    • known to manufacture evidence
  6. to produce as if by manufacturing : create
    • writers who manufacture stories for television
  7. to engage in manufacture

man·u·fac·tur·er [-'fak-chər-ər, -'fak-shrər] -n

  1. one that manufactures
  2. an employer of workers in manufacturing

man·u·mis·sion [,man-yə-'mi-shən] -n

  1. the act or process of manumitting
  2. formal emancipation from slavery

man·u·mit [,man-yə-'mit] -vt

  1. to release from slavery

ma·nure [mə-'nu̇r, -'nyu̇r] -vt, n

  1. cultivate
  2. to enrich (land) by the application of manure

manure [-'n(y)u̇r-ē-əl] -n, adj

  1. material that fertilizes land
  2. refuse of stables and barnyards consisting of livestock excreta with or without litter

ma·nus ['mā-nəs, 'mä-] -n

  1. the distal segment of the vertebrate forelimb from carpus to terminus

man·u·script ['man-yə-,skript] -adj

  1. written by hand or typed
    • manuscript letters

manuscript -n

  1. a written or typewritten composition or document as distinguished from a printed copy
  2. a document submitted for publication
  3. writing as opposed to print

Manx ['maŋ(k)s] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Isle of Man, its people, or the Manx language
  2. the Celtic language of the Manx people
  3. the people of the Isle of Man
  4. manx cat

Manx cat -n

  1. any of a breed of short-haired or long-haired tailless domestic cats

many ['me-nē] -adj

  1. consisting of or amounting to a large but indefinite number
    • worked for many years
  2. being one of a large but indefinite number
    • many a man
    • many another student
  3. a large number of persons or things
    • many are called
  4. a large but indefinite number
    • a good many of them
  5. the great majority of people
    • the many

manyear ['man-'yir] -n

  1. a unit of the work done by one person in a year composed of a standard number of working days

many·fold [,me-nē-'fōld] -adv

  1. by many times
    • aid to research has increased manyfold

manysid·ed [,me-nē-'sī-dəd] -adj, n

  1. having many sides or aspects
  2. having many interests or aptitudes

manyval·ued [,me-nē-'val-(,)yüd, -yəd] -adj

  1. multiple-valued
  2. possessing more than the customary two truth-values of truth and falsehood

Man·za·nil·la [,man-zə-'nē-yə, -'ni-lə] -n

  1. a pale very dry Spanish sherry

man·za·ni·ta [,man-zə-'nē-tə] -n

  1. any of various western No. American evergreen shrubs (genus Arctostaphylos) of the heath family with alternate leaves

MAO -abbr

  1. monoamine oxidase

MAOI -abbr

  1. monoamine oxidase inhibitor

Mao·ism ['mau̇-,i-zəm] -n, n or adj

  1. the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism developed in China chiefly by Mao Zedong

Mao·ri ['mau̇(-ə)r-ē] -n

  1. the Polynesian language of the Maori people
  2. a member of a Polynesian people native to New Zealand

maotai ['mau̇-'tī, -'dī] -n

  1. a strong Chinese liquor made from sorghum

map ['map] -n, adj

  1. a representation usu. on a flat surface of the whole or a part of an area
  2. a representation of the celestial sphere or a part of it
  3. something that represents with a clarity suggestive of a map
    • the Freudian map of the mind -- Harold Bloom
  4. the arrangement of genes on a chromosome called also genetic map
  5. function
  6. to make a map of
    • map the surface of the moon
  7. to delineate as if on a map
    • sorrow was mapped on her face
  8. to make a survey of for or as if for the purpose of making a map
  9. to assign (as a set or element) in a mathematical or exact correspondence
    • map picture elements to video memory
  10. to plan in detail often used with out
    • map out a program
  11. to locate (a gene) on a chromosome
  12. to be located
  13. to be assigned in a relation or connection
    • the major problems confronting humankind...do not map well onto the traditional disciplines -- P. W. Porter

MAP -abbr

  1. modified American plan

ma·ple ['mā-pəl] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Acerof the family Aceraceae, the maple family) of chiefly deciduous trees or shrubs with opposite leaves and a fruit of two united samaras
  2. the hard light-colored close-grained wood of a maple used esp. for flooring and furniture

maple sugar -n

  1. sugar made by boiling maple syrup

maple syrup -n

  1. syrup made by concentrating the sap of maple trees and esp. the sugar maple

map·mak·er ['map-,mā-kər] -n

  1. cartographer

mapping -n

  1. the act or process of making a map
  2. function
    • a one-to-one continuous mapping

Ma·pu·che [mə-'pü-chē] -n

  1. an American Indian people of southern Chile
  2. a member of this people
  3. the Araucanian language of the Mapuche

ma·quette [ma-'ket] -n

  1. a usu. small preliminary model (as of a sculpture or a building)

ma·qui·la·do·ra [mə-,kē-lə-'dȯr-ə, -'thȯr-] -n

  1. a foreign-owned factory in Mexico at which imported parts are assembled by lower-paid workers into products for export

ma·quil·lage [,ma-kē-'yäzh] -n

  1. makeup

ma·quis [ma-'kē, mä-] -n

  1. thick scrubby evergreen underbrush of Mediterranean shores
  2. an area of such underbrush
  3. a guerrilla fighter in the French underground during World War II
  4. a band of maquis

mar ['mär] -vt

  1. to detract from the perfection or wholeness of : spoil
  2. to inflict serious bodily harm on
  3. destroy
  4. something that mars : blemish
  5. maritime

Mar -abbr

  1. March

mar·a·bou ['ma-rə-,bü] -n

  1. a soft feathery fluffy material prepared from turkey feathers or the coverts of marabous and used esp. for trimming women's hats or clothes
  2. a large dark gray African stork ( Leptoptilos crumeniferus) that has a distensible pouch of pink skin at the front of the neck and feeds esp. on carrion called also marabou stork
  3. a thrown silk usu. dyed in the gum
  4. a fabric made of this silk

mar·a·bout ['ma-rə-bü] -n

  1. a dervish in Muslim Africa believed to have supernatural power

ma·ra·ca [mə-'rä-kə, -'ra-] -n

  1. a rattle usu. made from a gourd that is used as a percussion instrument

mar·ag·ing steel ['mär-,ā-jiŋ-] -n

  1. a strong tough low-carbon martensitic steel which contains up to 25 percent nickel and in which hardening precipitates are formed by aging

mar·a·schi·no [,mer-ə-'skē-(,)nō, -'shē-, ,ma-rə-] -n

  1. a sweet liqueur distilled from the fermented juice of a bitter wild cherry
  2. a usu. large cherry preserved in true or imitation maraschino

ma·ras·mus [mə-'raz-məs] -n, adj

  1. a condition of chronic undernourishment occurring esp. in children and usu. caused by a diet deficient in calories and proteins

Ma·ra·tha [mə-'rä-tə] -n

  1. a member of a people of the south central part of the subcontinent of India

Ma·ra·thi [mə-'rä-tē] -n

  1. the chief Indo-Aryan language of the state of Maharashtra in India

mar·a·thon ['mer-ə-,thän, 'ma-rə-] -n

  1. : a long-distance race:
  2. a footrace run on an open course usu. of 26 miles 385 yards (42.2 kilometers)
  3. a race other than a footrace marked esp. by great length
  4. an endurance contest
  5. something (as an event, activity, or session) characterized by great length or concentrated effort

mar·a·thon·er [-,thä-nər] -n

  1. one (as a runner) who takes part in a marathon

ma·raud [mə-'rȯd] -vb, n

  1. to roam about and raid in search of plunder
  2. raid, pillage

mar·ble ['mär-bəl] -n, adj

  1. limestone that is more or less crystallized by metamorphism, that ranges from granular to compact in texture, that is capable of taking a high polish, and that is used esp. in architecture and sculpture
  2. something (as a piece of sculpture) composed of or made from marble
  3. something suggesting marble (as in hardness, coldness, or smoothness)
    • a heart of marble
  4. a little ball made of a hard substance (as glass) and used in various games
  5. any of several games played with these little balls
  6. the rewards to be won in competition esp. for a championship used in the phrase all the marbles
    • a game being played for all the marble s
  7. marbling
  8. elements of common sense
  9. sanity
    • persons who are born without all their marble s -- Arthur Miller

marble [-b(ə-)liŋ] -vt

  1. to give a veined or mottled appearance to
    • marble the edges of a book

marble cake -n

  1. a cake made with light and dark batter so as to have a mottled appearance

mar·bled ['mär-bəld] -adj

  1. made of or covered with marble or marbling
  2. marked by an extensive use of marble as an architectural or decorative feature
    • ancient marbled cities
  3. having markings or coloration suggestive of marble
  4. marked by an intermixture of fat and lean
    • well- marbled beef

mar·ble·ise ['mär-bə-,līz] -vt

(variant of marbleize)

  1. marble

mar·ble·ize ['mär-bə-,līz] -vt

  1. marble

marbling -n

  1. the action or process of making like marble esp. in coloration
  2. coloration or markings resembling or suggestive of marble
  3. an intermixture of fat and lean esp. when evenly distributed in a cut of meat

mar·bly [-b(ə-)lē] -adj

  1. resembling or suggestive of marble

Mar·burg virus ['mär-bərg-] -n

  1. a filovirus (species Lake Victoria marburgvirusof the genus Marburgvirus) that causes an often fatal hemorrhagic fever and was orig. transmitted to humans from green monkeys

marc ['märk] -n

  1. the residue remaining after a fruit has been pressed
  2. the organic residue from an extraction process
    • the protein-rich cottonseed marc
  3. brandy made from the residue of wine grapes after pressing

MARC -abbr

  1. machine-readable cataloging

mar·ca·site ['mär-kə-,sīt, -,zīt; ,mär-kə-'zēt] -n

  1. crystallized pyrite
  2. a pale yellow to white mineral of the same composition and appearance as pyrite but of different crystalline organization and lower specific gravity
  3. a piece of marcasite used in jewelry

mar·ca·to [mär-'kä-(,)tō] -adv or adj

  1. with strong accentuation used as a direction in music

mar·cel [mär-'sel] -n

  1. a deep soft wave made in the hair by the use of a heated curling iron

marcel -vb

  1. to make a marcel in
  2. to make a marcel

march ['märch] -n

  1. a border region : frontier
  2. a district orig. set up to defend a boundary usu. used in pl.
    • the Welsh march es
  3. to have common borders or frontiers
    • a region that march es with Canada in the north and the Pacific in the west
  4. to move along steadily usu. with a rhythmic stride and in step with others
  5. to move in a direct purposeful manner : proceed
  6. to make steady progress : advance
    • time march es on
  7. to stand in orderly array suggestive of marching
  8. to cause to march
    • march ed the children off to bed
  9. to cover by marching : traverse
    • march ed 10 miles
  10. a musical composition that is usu. in duple or quadruple time with a strongly accentuated beat and that is designed or suitable to accompany marching
  11. the action of marching
  12. the distance covered within a specific period of time by marching
  13. a regular measured stride or rhythmic step used in marching
  14. forward movement : progress
    • the march of a movie toward the climax
  15. an organized procession of demonstrators who are supporting or protesting something

March ['märch] -n

  1. the third month of the Gregorian calendar

mar·chen ['mer-k̲ən] -n

  1. tale
  2. folktale

march·er ['mär-chər] -n

  1. one who inhabits a border region

marcher -n

  1. one that marches
  2. one that marches for a specific cause
    • a peace marcher

mar·che·sa [mär-'kā-zə] -n

  1. an Italian woman holding the rank of a marchese : marchioness

mar·che·se [-(,)zā] -n

  1. an Italian nobleman next in rank above a count : marquess

marching orders -n pl

  1. authoritative orders or instructions esp. to set out on or as if on a march

mar·chio·ness ['mär-sh(ə-)nəs] -n

  1. the wife or widow of a marquess
  2. a woman who holds the rank of marquess in her own right

march·pane ['märch-,pān] -n

  1. marzipan

marchpast ['märch-,past] -n

  1. a filing by : procession

Mar·cion·ism ['mär-shə-,ni-zəm, -sē-ə-, -shē-ə-] -n

  1. the doctrinal system of a sect of the second and third centuries a.d.accepting some parts of the New Testament but denying Christ's corporality and humanity and condemning the Creator God of the Old Testament

Marconi rig [mär-'kō-nē-] -n

  1. a fore-and-aft rig in which the sails are triangular and are not supported by gaffs

Mar·di Gras ['mär-dē-,grä, in New Orleans commonly -,grȯ] -n

  1. Shrove Tuesday often observed (as in New Orleans) with parades and festivities
  2. a carnival period climaxing on Shrove Tuesday
  3. a festive occasion resembling a pre-Lenten Mardi Gras

mare -n

  1. an evil preternatural being causing nightmares
  2. a female horse or other equine animal esp. when fully mature or of breeding age

ma·re ['mär-(,)ā] -n

  1. any of several mostly flat dark areas of considerable extent on the surface of the moon or Mars

ma·re clau·sum ['mär-(,)ā-'klau̇-səm, -'klȯ-] -n

  1. a navigable body of water (as a sea) that is under the jurisdiction of one nation and is closed to other nations

Mar·ek's disease ['mer-iks-] -n

  1. a highly contagious virus disease of poultry that is marked esp. by proliferation of lymphoid cells and is caused by either of two herpesviruses (species Gallid herpesvirus 2and Gallid herpesvirus 3of the genus Mardivirus)

ma·re li·be·rum ['mär-(,)ā-'lē-bə-,ru̇m] -n

  1. a navigable body of water (as a sea) that is open to all nations
  2. freedom of the seas

ma·ren·go [mə-'reŋ-(,)gō] -adj

  1. of, consisting of, or served with a sauce of mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, oil, and wine
    • veal marengo

ma·re no·strum ['mär-(,)ā-'nōs-trəm] -n

  1. a navigable body of water (as a sea) that belongs to a single nation or is mutually shared by two or more nations

mare's nest -n

  1. a false discovery, illusion, or deliberate hoax
  2. a place, condition, or situation of great disorder or confusion
    • a mare's nest of intrigue and troubles with the money men -- William Cole

mare's tail -n

  1. a common aquatic plant ( Hippuris vulgarisof the family Hippuridaceae) with elongated shoots having dense whorls of narrow finely tapered leaves
  2. horseweed
  3. a cirrus cloud that has a long slender flowing appearance

Mar·fan syndrome ['mär-,fan-] -n

  1. a disorder of connective tissue that is inherited as a dominant trait and is characterized by abnormal elongation of the long bones and often by ocular and circulatory defects called also Mar*fan's syndrome mar-fanz-

mar·ga·rine ['mär-jə-rən, -,rēn; 'märj-rən] -n

  1. a food product made usu. from vegetable oils churned with ripened skim milk to a smooth emulsion and used like butter

mar·ga·ri·ta [,mär-gə-'rē-tə] -n

  1. a cocktail consisting of tequila, lime or lemon juice, and an orange-flavored liqueur

mar·ga·rite ['mär-gə-,rīt] -n

  1. pearl

mar·gay ['mär-,gā, mär-'] -n

  1. a small American spotted cat ( Felis wiedii) resembling the ocelot and ranging from northern Mexico to Argentina

marge ['märj] -n

  1. margin
  2. margarine

mar·gent ['mär-jənt] -n

  1. margin

mar·gin ['mär-jən] -n, adj

  1. the part of a page or sheet outside the main body of printed or written matter
  2. the outside limit and adjoining surface of something : edge
    • at the margin of the woods
    • continental margin
  3. a spare amount or measure or degree allowed or given for contingencies or special situations
    • left no margin for error
  4. a bare minimum below which or an extreme limit beyond which something becomes impossible or is no longer desirable
    • on the margin of good taste
  5. the limit below which economic activity cannot be continued under normal conditions
  6. an area, state, or condition excluded from or existing outside the mainstream
    • the margin s of critical discourse -- Barbara L. Packer
    • living in society's margin s
  7. the difference which exists between net sales and the cost of merchandise sold and from which expenses are usu. met or profit derived
  8. the excess market value of collateral over the face of a loan
  9. cash or collateral that is deposited by a client with a commodity or securities broker to protect the broker from loss on a contract
  10. the client's equity in securities bought with the aid of credit obtained specif. (as from a broker) for that purpose
  11. a range about a specified figure within which a purchase is to be made
  12. measure or degree of difference
    • the bill passed by a one-vote margin

margin -vt

  1. to provide with an edging or border
  2. to form a margin to : border
  3. to add margin to
    • margin up an account
  4. to use as margin
    • margin bonds to buy stock
  5. to provide margin for
    • margin a transaction
  6. to buy (securities) on margin

mar·gin·al ['märj-nəl, 'mär-jə-nᵊl] -adj, n, adv

  1. written or printed in the margin of a page or sheet
    • marginal notes
  2. of, relating to, or situated at a margin or border
  3. not of central importance
    • regards violence as a marginal rather than a central problem
  4. limited in extent, significance, or stature
    • had only marginal success with the business
  5. occupying the borderland of a relatively stable territorial or cultural area
    • marginal tribes
  6. characterized by the incorporation of habits and values from two divergent cultures and by incomplete assimilation in either
    • the marginal cultural habits of new immigrant groups
  7. excluded from or existing outside the mainstream of society, a group, or a school of thought
    • marginal voters
  8. located at the fringe of consciousness
    • marginal sensations
  9. close to the lower limit of qualification, acceptability, or function : barely exceeding the minimum requirements
    • a semiliterate person of marginal ability
  10. having a character or capacity fitted to yield a supply of goods which when marketed at existing price levels will barely cover the cost of production
    • marginal land
  11. of, relating to, or derived from goods produced and marketed with such result
    • marginal profits
  12. relating to or being a function of a random variable that is obtained from a function of several random variables by integrating or summing over all possible values of the other variables
    • a marginal probability function

mar·gi·na·lia [,mär-jə-'nā-lē-ə] -n pl

  1. marginal notes or embellishments (as in a book)
  2. nonessential items
    • the meat and marginalia of American politics -- Saturday Rev.

mar·gin·al·ize ['märj-nə-,līz, 'mär-jə-nᵊl-,īz] -vt, n

  1. to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group

marginal utility -n

  1. the amount of additional utility provided by an additional unit of an economic good or service

mar·gin·ate ['mär-jə-,nāt] -vt, n

  1. margin
  2. margin
  3. marginalize

mar·gin·at·ed [-,nā-təd] -adj

  1. having a distinct margin

mar·gra·vate ['mär-grə-,vāt] -n

  1. the territory of a margrave

mar·grave ['mär-,grāv] -n, adj

  1. the military governor esp. of a German border province
  2. a member of the German nobility corresponding in rank to a British marquess

mar·gra·vine ['mär-grə-,vēn, ,mär-grə-'] -n

  1. the wife of a margrave

mar·gue·rite [,mär-gə-'rēt, -gyə-] -n

  1. daisy
  2. any of various single-flowered chrysanthemums
  3. one ( Chrysanthemum frutescenssyn. Argyranthemum frutescens) of the Canary Islands

maria -n

(variant of mare)

  1. an evil preternatural being causing nightmares
  2. a female horse or other equine animal esp. when fully mature or of breeding age

ma·ri·a·chi [,mär-ē-'ä-chē, ,mer-] -n

  1. a Mexican street band
  2. a musician belonging to such a band
  3. the music performed by a mariachi

Mar·i·an ['mer-ē-ən, 'mā-rē-] -adj

  1. of or relating to Mary Tudor or her reign
  2. of or relating to the Virgin Mary

Mar·i·an·ist [-ə-nist] -n

  1. a member of the Roman Catholic Society of Mary of Paris founded by William Joseph Chaminade in France in 1817 and devoted esp. to education

Ma·ria The·re·sa dollar [mə-'rē-ə-tə-'rā-sə-, -'rā-zə-] -n

  1. a 1780 silver trade coin used in the Middle East

mari·cul·ture ['mer-ə-,kəl-chər, 'ma-rə-] -n

  1. the cultivation of marine organisms in their natural environment

mari·gold ['mer-ə-,gōld] -n

  1. pot marigold
  2. any of a genus ( Tagetes) of composite herbs with showy usu. yellow, orange, or maroon flower heads

mar·i·jua·na [,mer-ə-'wä-nə, ,ma-rə- also -'hwä-] -n

  1. hemp
  2. the dried leaves and flowering tops of the pistillate hemp plant that yield THC and are smoked in cigarettes for their intoxicating effect

ma·rim·ba [mə-'rim-bə] -n

  1. a xylophone of southern Africa and Central America with resonators beneath each bar
  2. a modern form of this instrument

ma·ri·na [mə-'rē-nə] -n

  1. a dock or basin providing secure moorings for pleasure boats and often offering supply, repair, and other facilities

mar·i·nade [,mer-ə-'nād, ,ma-rə-] -n

  1. a savory usu. acidic sauce in which meat, fish, or a vegetable is soaked to enrich its flavor or to tenderize it

marinade -vt

  1. marinate

mar·i·na·ra [,mer-ə-'ner-ə, -'när-] -adj

  1. made with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and spices
    • marinara sauce
  2. served with marinara sauce
    • spaghetti marinara

mar·i·nate ['mer-ə-,nāt, 'ma-rə-] -vb, n

  1. to steep (meat, fish, or vegetables) in a marinade
  2. to become marinated

ma·rine [mə-'rēn] -adj

  1. of or relating to the sea
    • marine life
    • marine biology
  2. of or relating to the navigation of the sea : nautical
    • a marine chart
  3. of or relating to the commerce of the sea : maritime
    • marine law
  4. depicting the sea, seashore, or ships
    • a marine painter
  5. of or relating to marines
    • marine barracks

marine -n

  1. the mercantile and naval shipping of a country
  2. seagoing ships esp. in relation to nationality or class
  3. one of a class of soldiers serving on shipboard or in close association with a naval force
  4. a member of the U.S. Marine Corps
  5. an executive department (as in France) having charge of naval affairs
  6. a marine picture : seascape

marine architect -n

  1. naval architect

marine iguana -n

  1. a shore-dwelling seaweed-eating iguana ( Amblyrhynchus cristatus) of the Galapagos Islands that often feeds in the sea

mar·i·ner ['mer-ə-nər, 'ma-rə-] -n

  1. a person who navigates or assists in navigating a ship : seaman, sailor

mariner's compass -n

  1. a compass used in navigation that consists of parallel magnetic needles or bundles of needles permanently attached to a card marked to indicate direction and degrees of a circle

Mar·i·ol·a·try [,mer-ē-'ä-lə-trē, ,mā-rē-] -n

  1. excessive veneration of the Virgin Mary

Mar·i·ol·o·gy [-'ä-lə-jē] -n, adj

  1. study or doctrine relating to the Virgin Mary

mar·i·on·ber·ry ['mer-ē-ən-,ber-ē] -n

  1. the large black juicy fruit of a cultivar of a hybrid blackberry that originated in Oregon and is grown chiefly in the northwestern U.S.
  2. a bramble bearing marionberries

mar·i·o·nette [,mer-ē-ə-'net] -n

  1. a small-scale usu. wooden figure (as of a person) with jointed limbs that is moved from above by manipulation of the attached strings or wires

mar·i·po·sa lily [,ma-rə-'pō-zə-, -sə-] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Calochortus) of western No. American plants of the lily family with showy flowers having three petals and three sepals called also mariposa tulip

mar·ish ['ma-rish] -n

  1. marsh

Mar·ist ['mer-ist] -n

  1. a member of the Roman Catholic Society of Mary founded by Jean Claude Colin in France in 1816 and devoted to education

mar·i·tal ['mer-ə-tᵊl, 'ma-rə-] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to marriage or the married state
    • marital vows
  2. of or relating to a husband and his role in marriage

mar·i·time ['mer-ə-,tīm, 'ma-rə-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or bordering on the sea
    • a maritime province
  2. of or relating to navigation or commerce on the sea
  3. having the characteristics of a mariner

mar·jo·ram ['mär-jə-rəm, 'märj-rəm] -n

  1. any of various usu. fragrant and aromatic Old World mints (genus Origanum) often used as seasoning

mark ['märk] -n

  1. a boundary land
  2. a conspicuous object serving as a guide for travelers
  3. something (as a line, notch, or fixed object) designed to record position
  4. one of the bits of leather or colored bunting placed on a sounding line at intervals
  5. target
  6. the starting line or position in a track event
  7. goal, object
  8. an object of attack, ridicule, or abuse
  9. a victim or prospective victim of a swindle
  10. the point under discussion
  11. condition of being correct or accurate
    • her observations are on the mark
  12. a standard of performance, quality, or condition : norm
    • not feeling up to the mark lately
  13. sign, indication
    • gave her the necklace as a mark of his esteem
  14. an impression (as a scratch, scar, or stain) made on something
  15. a distinguishing trait or quality : characteristic
    • the mark s of an educated person
  16. a symbol used for identification or indication of ownership
  17. a cross made in place of a signature
  18. trademark
  19. used with a numeral to designate a particular model of a weapon or machine
    • Mark II
  20. a written or printed symbol (as a comma or colon)
  21. postmark
  22. a symbol used to represent a teacher's estimate of a student's work or conduct
  23. grade
  24. a figure registering a point or level reached or achieved
    • the halfway mark in the first period of play
  25. record
  26. attention, notice
    • nothing worthy of mark
  27. importance, distinction
    • stands out as a person of mark
  28. a lasting or strong impression
  29. an assessment of merits : rating
    • got high mark s for honesty
  30. to fix or trace out the bounds or limits of
  31. to plot the course of : chart
  32. to set apart by or as if by a line or boundary usu. used with off
  33. to designate as if by a mark
  34. to make or leave a mark on
  35. to furnish with natural marks
    • wings mark ed with white
  36. to label so as to indicate price or quality
  37. to make notations in or on
  38. to make note of in writing : jot
    • mark ing the date in his journal
  39. to indicate by a mark or symbol
    • mark an accent
  40. register, record
  41. to determine the value of by means of marks or symbols : grade
    • mark term papers
  42. characterize, distinguish
    • the flamboyance that mark s her style
  43. signalize
    • this year mark s our 50th anniversary
  44. to take notice of : observe
    • mark my words
  45. to pick up (one's golf ball) from a putting green and substitute a marker
  46. to take careful notice
  47. any of various old European units of weight used esp. for gold and silver
  48. a unit equal to about eight ounces (248 grams)
  49. : a unit of value:
  50. an old English unit equal to 13 s4 d
  51. any one of various old Scandinavian or German units of value
  52. a unit and corresponding silver coin of the 16th century worth taler
  53. deutsche mark
  54. the basic monetary unit of East Germany replaced in 1990 by the West German deutsche mark
  55. markka

Mark ['märk] -n

  1. an early Jewish Christian traditionally identified as the writer of the Gospel of Mark called also John Mark
  2. the second Gospel in the New Testament
  3. a king of Cornwall, uncle of Tristram, and husband of Isolde

mark·down ['märk-,dau̇n] -n

  1. a lowering of price
  2. the amount by which an original selling price is reduced

mark down -vt

  1. to put a lower price on

marked ['märkt] -adj, adv, n

  1. having an identifying mark
  2. having a distinctive or emphasized character
    • has a marked drawl
  3. enjoying fame or notoriety
  4. being an object of attack, suspicion, or vengeance
  5. overtly signaled by a linguistic feature
    • with most English nouns the plural is the marked number

mark·er ['mär-kər] -n

  1. one that marks
  2. something used for marking
  3. score
  4. run
  5. promissory note, iou
  6. : something that serves to identify, predict, or characterize: as
  7. biomarker
  8. genetic marker

mar·ket ['mär-kət] -n

  1. a meeting together of people for the purpose of trade by private purchase and sale and usu. not by auction
  2. the people assembled at such a meeting
  3. a public place where a market is held
  4. a place where provisions are sold at wholesale
    • a farmers' market
  5. a retail establishment usu. of a specified kind
    • a fish market
  6. the act or an instance of buying and selling
  7. the rate or price offered for a commodity or security
  8. a geographic area of demand for commodities or services
  9. a specified category of potential buyers
    • the youth market
  10. the course of commercial activity by which the exchange of commodities is effected : extent of demand
    • the market is dull
  11. an opportunity for selling
    • a good market for used cars
  12. the available supply of or potential demand for specified goods or services
    • the labor market
  13. the area of economic activity in which buyers and sellers come together and the forces of supply and demand affect prices
    • producing goods for market rather than for consumption

market -vt

  1. to expose for sale in a market
  2. sell
  3. to deal in a market

mar·ket·able ['mär-kə-tə-bəl] -adj, n

  1. fit to be offered for sale in a market
    • food that is not marketable
  2. wanted by purchasers or employers : salable
    • marketable securities
    • marketable skills
  3. of or relating to buying or selling

market basket -n

  1. a variety of consumer goods and services used to calculate a consumer price index

market capitalization -n

  1. capitalization

market economy -n

  1. an economy in which most goods and services are produced and distributed through free markets

mar·ke·teer [,mär-kə-'tir] -n

  1. a specialist in promoting or selling a product or service

mar·ket·er ['mär-kə-tər] -n

  1. one that deals in a market
  2. one that promotes or sells a product or service

market garden -n

  1. truck farm

mar·ket·ing ['mär-kə-tiŋ] -n

  1. the act or process of selling or purchasing in a market
  2. the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service
  3. an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer

marketing research -n

  1. research into the means of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service

mar·ket·i·za·tion [,mär-kə-tə-'zā-shən] -n

  1. the act or process of entering into, participating in, or introducing a free market economy

market maker -n

  1. an intermediary in a stock exchange who controls buy and sell orders (as by purchase and resale) for a particular stock or group of stocks

market order -n

  1. an order to buy or sell securities or commodities immediately at the best price obtainable in the market

mar·ket·place ['mär-kət-,plās] -n

  1. an open square or place in a town where markets or public sales are held
  2. market
    • the marketplace is the interpreter of supply and demand
  3. the world of trade or economic activity : the everyday world
    • a conviction that religion belongs in the marketplace -- Current Biog.
  4. a sphere in which intangible values compete for acceptance
    • the marketplace of ideas

market price -n

  1. a price actually given in current market dealings

market research -n

  1. research into the size, location, and makeup of a product market

market share -n

  1. the percentage of the market for a product or service that a company supplies

mark·ing ['mär-kiŋ] -n

  1. the act, process, or an instance of making or giving a mark
  2. a mark made
  3. arrangement, pattern, or disposition of marks

mark·ka ['mär-,kä] -n

  1. the basic monetary unit of Finland from 1917 to 2001

Markov chain -n

  1. a usu. discrete stochastic process (as a random walk) in which the probabilities of occurrence of various future states depend only on the present state of the system or on the immediately preceding state and not on the path by which the present state was achieved called also Markoff chain

Mar·kov·ian [mär-'kō-vē-ən, -'kȯ-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or resembling a Markov process or Markov chain esp. by having probabilities defined in terms of transition from the possible existing states to other states

Markov process -n

  1. a stochastic process (as Brownian motion) that resembles a Markov chain except that the states are continuous
  2. markov chain called also Markoff process

marks·man ['märks-mən] -n

  1. a person skilled in shooting at a mark or target

marks·wom·an ['märks-,wu̇-mən] -n

  1. a woman skilled in shooting at a mark or target

mark·up ['märk-,əp] -n

  1. an amount added to the cost price to determine the selling price
  2. profit
  3. a U.S. Congressional committee session at which a bill is put into final form before it is reported out

mark up -vt

  1. to put a markup on

markup language -n

  1. a system (as HTML or SGML) for marking or tagging a document that indicates its logical structure (as paragraphs) and gives instructions for its layout on the page esp. for electronic transmission and display

marl ['mär(-ə)l] -n, adj

  1. a loose or crumbling earthy deposit (as of sand, silt, or clay) that contains a substantial amount of calcium carbonate

mar·lin ['mär-lən] -n

  1. any of several large marine billfishes (genera Makairaand Tetrapturus) that are notable sport fishes

mar·line ['mär-lən] -n

  1. a small usu. tarred line of two strands twisted loosely left-handed that is used esp. for seizing and as a covering for wire rope

mar·line·spike ['mär-lən-,spīk] -n

  1. a tool (as of wood or iron) that tapers to a point and is used to separate strands of rope or wire (as in splicing)

marl·stone ['mär(-ə)l-,stōn] -n

  1. a rock that consists of a mixture of clay materials and calcium carbonate and often contains kerogen

mar·ma·lade ['mär-mə-,lād] -n

  1. a clear sweetened jelly in which pieces of fruit and fruit rind are suspended

mar·mite ['mär-,mīt, mär-'mēt] -n

  1. a usu. tall covered cooking pot

Mar·mite ['mär-,mīt] -trademark

  1. used for an edible yeast extract

mar·mo·re·al [mär-'mȯr-ē-əl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or suggestive of marble or a marble statue esp. in coldness or aloofness

mar·mo·set ['mär-mə-,set, -,zet] -n

  1. any of numerous small soft-furred So. and Central American monkeys (family Callithricidae) with claws instead of nails on all the digits except the big toe

mar·mot ['mär-mət] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Marmota) of stout-bodied short-legged chiefly herbivorous burrowing rodents of the squirrel family that have coarse fur, a short bushy tail, and very small ears and that hibernate during the winter

mar·o·cain ['ma-rə-,kān] -n

  1. a ribbed crepe fabric used in women's clothing

Mar·o·nite ['ma-rə-,nīt] -n

  1. a member of a Uniate church chiefly in Lebanon having a Syriac liturgy and married clergy

ma·roon [mə-'rün] -n

  1. a fugitive black slave of the West Indies and Guiana in the 17th and 18th centuries
  2. a descendant of such a slave
  3. a person who is marooned

maroon -vt

  1. to put ashore on a desolate island or coast and leave to one's fate
  2. to place or leave in isolation or without hope of ready escape
  3. a dark red

mar·plot ['mär-,plät] -n

  1. one who frustrates or ruins a plan or undertaking by meddling

marque ['märk] -n

  1. reprisal, retaliation
  2. letters of marque
  3. a brand or make of a product (as a sports car)

mar·quee [mär-'kē] -n

  1. a large tent set up for an outdoor party, reception, or exhibition
  2. a permanent canopy often of metal and glass projecting over an entrance (as of a hotel or theater)
  3. a sign usu. over the entrance of a theater or arena that displays the names of featured attractions and principal performers

marquee -adj

  1. having or associated with the name recognition and attraction of one whose name appears on a marquee : big-name, star
    • marquee athletes
    • marquee events

Mar·que·san [mär-'kā-zᵊn, -sᵊn] -n, adj

  1. a native or inhabitant of the Marquesas Islands
  2. the Polynesian language of the Marquesans

mar·quess ['mär-kwəs] -n

  1. a nobleman of hereditary rank in Europe and Japan
  2. a member of the British peerage ranking below a duke and above an earl

mar·que·try ['mär-kə-trē] -n

  1. decorative work in which elaborate patterns are formed by the insertion of pieces of material (as wood, shell, or ivory) into a wood veneer that is then applied to a surface (as of a piece of furniture)

mar·quise [mär-'kēz] -n

  1. marchioness
  2. marquee
  3. a gem or a ring setting or bezel usu. elliptical in shape but with pointed ends

mar·qui·sette [,mär-kwə-'zet, -kə-] -n

  1. a sheer meshed fabric used for clothing, curtains, and mosquito nets

mar·ram grass ['ma-rəm-] -n

  1. any of several beach grasses (genus Ammophilaand esp. A. arenaria)

Mar·ra·no [mə-'rä-(,)nō] -n

  1. a Christianized Jew of medieval Spain

mar·riage ['mer-ij, 'ma-rij] -n

  1. the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law
  2. the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage
    • same-sex marriage
  3. the mutual relation of married persons : wedlock
  4. the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage
  5. an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected
  6. the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities
  7. an intimate or close union
    • the marriage of painting and poetry -- J. T. Shawcross

mar·riage·able ['mer-i-jə-bəl, 'ma-ri-] -adj, n

  1. fit for or capable of marriage
    • not yet of marriageable age

marriage of convenience

  1. a marriage contracted for social, political, or economic advantage rather than for mutual affection
  2. a union or cooperation formed solely for pragmatic reasons

married -adj

  1. being in the state of matrimony : wedded
  2. of or relating to marriage : connubial
  3. united, joined
  4. a married person
    • young married s are paid undue...attention -- Paul Goodman

married name -n

  1. a surname acquired by a woman through marriage

mar·ron [ma-'rōⁿ] -n

  1. spanish chestnut
  2. chestnuts and esp. Spanish chestnuts preserved in vanilla-flavored syrup

mar·rons gla·ces [ma-'rōⁿ-gla-'sā] -n pl

  1. marron

mar·row ['mer-(,)ō, 'ma-(,)rō] -n, adj

  1. bone marrow
  2. the substance of the spinal cord
  3. the choicest of food
  4. the seat of animal vigor
  5. the inmost, best, or essential part : core
    • personal liberty is the marrow of the American tradition -- Clinton Rossiter
  6. vegetable marrow

marrow -n

  1. one of a pair

mar·row·bone ['mer-ə-,bōn, -ō-,bōn] -n

  1. a bone (as a shinbone) rich in marrow
  2. knees

mar·row·fat [-ə-,fat, -ō-,fat] -n

  1. any of several wrinkled-seeded garden peas

mar·ry ['mer-ē, 'ma-rē] -vb

  1. to join in marriage according to law or custom
  2. to give in marriage
    • married his daughter to his partner's son
  3. to take as spouse : wed
    • married the girl next door
  4. to perform the ceremony of marriage for
    • a priest will marry them
  5. to obtain by marriage
    • marry wealth
  6. to unite in close and usu. permanent relation
  7. to take a spouse : wed
  8. combine, unite
    • seafood marries with other flavors

marry -interj

  1. used for emphasis and esp. to express amused or surprised agreement

Mars ['märz] -n

  1. the Roman god of war
  2. the planet fourth in order from the sun and conspicuous for its red color

mar·sa·la [mär-'sä-lə] -n

  1. a fortified Sicilian wine that varies from dry to sweet and is often used in cooking

marse ['märs] -n

  1. master

Mar·seilles [mär-'sālz] -n

  1. a firm cotton fabric that is similar to pique

marsh ['märsh] -n

  1. a tract of soft wet land usu. characterized by monocotyledons (as grasses or cattails)

mar·shal ['mär-shəl] -n

  1. a high official in the household of a medieval king, prince, or noble orig. having charge of the cavalry but later usu. in command of the military forces
  2. a person who arranges and directs the ceremonial aspects of a gathering
  3. field marshal
  4. a general officer of the highest military rank
  5. an officer having charge of prisoners
  6. a ministerial officer appointed for a judicial district (as of the U.S.) to execute the process of the courts and perform various duties similar to those of a sheriff
  7. a city law officer entrusted with particular duties
  8. the administrative head of a city police department or fire department

marshal ['märsh-(ə-)liŋ] -vb

  1. to place in proper rank or position
    • marshal ing the troops
  2. to bring together and order in an appropriate or effective way
    • marshal arguments
  3. to lead ceremoniously or solicitously : usher
    • marshal ing her little group of children down the street
  4. to take form or order
    • ideas marshal ing neatly

marshal of the Royal Air Force

  1. the highest ranking officer in the British air force

marsh elder -n

  1. any of a genus ( Iva) of coarse shrubby composite plants of moist areas in eastern and central No. America

marsh gas -n

  1. methane

marsh hawk -n

  1. northern harrier

marsh hen -n

  1. any of various American rails
  2. bittern

marsh·land ['märsh-,land] -n

  1. a marshy tract or area : marsh

marsh·mal·low ['märsh-,me-lō, -,ma-] -n, adj

  1. a pink-flowered European perennial herb ( Althaea officinalis) of the mallow family that is naturalized in the eastern U.S. and has flowers, leaves, and roots used in herbal remedies
  2. a sweet white confection usu. in the form of a spread or small spongy cylindrical pieces now usu. made from corn syrup, sugar, albumen, and gelatin but formerly from the marshmallow's root
  3. one of these spongy pieces
    • toasted marshmallow s on sticks over a campfire

marsh marigold -n

  1. a swamp herb ( Caltha palustris) of the buttercup family that occurs in Europe and No. America and has bright yellow flowers called also cowslip kingcup

marshy ['mär-shē] -adj, n

  1. resembling or constituting a marsh
    • marshy ground
  2. relating to or occurring in marshes
    • marshy vegetation

mar·su·pi·al [mär-'sü-pē-əl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being a marsupial
  2. of, relating to, or forming a marsupium

marsupial -n

  1. any of an order (Marsupialia) of mammals comprising kangaroos, wombats, bandicoots, opossums, and related animals that do not develop a true placenta and that usu. have a pouch on the abdomen of the female which covers the teats and serves to carry the young

mar·su·pi·um [mär-'sü-pē-əm] -n

  1. an abdominal pouch that is formed of a fold of the skin and encloses the mammary glands of most marsupials
  2. any of several structures in various invertebrates (as a bryozoan or mollusk) for enclosing or carrying eggs or young

mart ['märt] -n

  1. a coming together of people to buy and sell : fair
  2. the activity of buying and selling
  3. bargain
  4. market
  5. to deal in : sell

mar·tel·lo tower [mär-'te-lō-] -n

  1. a circular masonry fort or blockhouse

mar·ten ['mär-tᵊn] -n

  1. any of several semiarboreal slender-bodied carnivorous mammals (genus Martes) of the weasel family that occur in the northern hemisphere
  2. the fur or pelt of a marten

mar·tens·ite ['mär-tᵊn-,zīt] -n, adj, adv

  1. the hard constituent that is the chief component of quenched steel

Mar·tha ['mär-thə] -n

  1. a sister of Lazarus and Mary and friend of Jesus

mar·tial ['mär-shəl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or suited for war or a warrior
  2. relating to an army or to military life
  3. experienced in or inclined to war : warlike

martial art -n

  1. any of several arts of combat and self defense (as karate and judo) that are widely practiced as sport

martial law -n

  1. the law applied in occupied territory by the military authority of the occupying power
  2. the law administered by military forces that is invoked by a government in an emergency when the civilian law enforcement agencies are unable to maintain public order and safety

mar·tian ['mär-shən] -adj, n

  1. of or relating to the planet Mars or its hypothetical inhabitants

mar·tin ['mär-tᵊn] -n

  1. a small Eurasian bird ( Delichon urbica) of the swallow family with a forked tail, bluish-black head and back, and white rump and underparts
  2. any of various birds (esp. genus Progne) of the swallow family other than the Eurasian martin

mar·ti·net [,mär-tə-'net] -n

  1. a strict disciplinarian
  2. a person who stresses a rigid adherence to the details of forms and methods

mar·tin·gale ['mär-tᵊn-,gāl, -tiŋ-] -n

  1. a device for steadying a horse's head or checking its upward movement that typically consists of a strap fastened to the girth, passing between the forelegs, and bifurcating to end in two rings through which the reins pass
  2. a lower stay of rope or chain for the jibboom used to sustain the strain of the forestays and fastened to or rove through the dolphin striker
  3. dolphin striker
  4. any of several systems of betting in which a player increases the stake usu. by doubling each time a bet is lost

mar·ti·ni [mär-'tē-nē] -n

  1. a cocktail made of gin and dry vermouth
  2. vodka martini

Mar·tin Lu·ther King Day ['mär-tᵊn-'lü-thər-'kiŋ-] -n

  1. the third Monday in January observed as a legal holiday in some states of the U.S.

Mar·tin·mas ['mär-tᵊn-məs, -,mas] -n

  1. November 11 celebrated as the feast of Saint Martin

mart·let ['märt-lət] -n

  1. martin

mar·tyr ['mär-tər] -n, vt

  1. a person who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty of witnessing to and refusing to renounce a religion
  2. a person who sacrifices something of great value and esp. life itself for the sake of principle
  3. victim
  4. a great or constant sufferer
    • a martyr to asthma all his life -- A. J. Cronin

martyr -vt

  1. to put to death for adhering to a belief, faith, or profession
  2. to inflict agonizing pain on : torture

mar·tyr·dom ['mär-tər-dəm] -n

  1. the suffering of death on account of adherence to a cause and esp. to one's religious faith
  2. affliction, torture

mar·tyr·ol·o·gist [,mär-tə-'rä-lə-jist] -n

  1. a writer of or a specialist in martyrology

mar·tyr·ol·o·gy [-jē] -n

  1. a catalog of Roman Catholic martyrs and saints arranged by the dates of their feasts
  2. ecclesiastical history treating the lives and sufferings of martyrs

mar·tyry ['mär-tə-rē] -n

  1. a shrine erected in honor of a martyr

mar·vel ['mär-vəl] -n

  1. one that causes wonder or astonishment
    • her talent is a marvel to behold
  2. intense surprise or interest : astonishment

marvel ['märv-liŋ, 'mär-və-] -vb

  1. to become filled with surprise, wonder, or amazed curiosity
    • marvel ed at the magician's skill
  2. to feel astonishment or perplexity at or about
    • marvel ed that they had escaped

mar·vel·ous ['märv-(ə-)ləs] -adj, adv, n

  1. causing wonder : astonishing
  2. miraculous, supernatural
    • Gothic tales of marvelous and bizarre happenings
  3. of the highest kind or quality : notably superior
    • has a marvelous way with children

Marx·ian ['märk-sē-ən] -adj

  1. of, developed by, or influenced by the doctrines of Marx
    • Marxian socialism

Marx·ism ['märk-,si-zəm] -n, n or adj

  1. the political, economic, and social principles and policies advocated by Marx
  2. a theory and practice of socialism including the labor theory of value, dialectical materialism, the class struggle, and dictatorship of the proletariat until the establishment of a classless society

Marx·ismLe·nin·ism ['märk-,si-zəm-'le-nə-,ni-zəm] -n, n or adj

  1. a theory and practice of communism developed by Lenin from doctrines of Marx

Mary ['mer-ē, 'ma-rē, 'mā-rē] -n

  1. the mother of Jesus
  2. a sister of Lazarus and Martha and a friend of Jesus

Mary Jane [-'jān] -n

  1. marijuana

Mary·knoll·er [-,nō-lər] -n

  1. a member of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America founded by T. F. Price and J. A. Walsh at Maryknoll, N.Y. in 1911

Mary Mag·da·lene [-'mag-də-lən, -,lēn; -,mag-də-'lē-nē] -n

  1. a woman who was healed of evil spirits by Jesus and who saw the risen Christ near his sepulchre

mar·zi·pan ['märt-sə-,pän, -,pan; 'mär-zə-,pan] -n

  1. a confection of crushed almonds or almond paste, sugar, and egg whites that is often shaped into various forms

ma·sa ['mä-sə] -n

  1. a dough used in Mexican cuisine (as for tortillas and tamales) that is made from ground corn soaked in a lime and water solution
  2. masa harina

masa ha·ri·na [-ä-'rē-nä, -nə] -n

  1. a flour made from dried masa

Ma·sai [mä-'sī, 'mä-,] -n

  1. a member of a pastoral and hunting people of Kenya and Tanzania
  2. the Nilotic language of the Masai people

ma·sa·la [mä-'sä-lä, -lə, mə-] -n

  1. a varying blend of spices used in Indian cooking

masc -abbr

  1. masculine

mas·cara [ma-'sker-ə, -'ska-rə] -n, adj

  1. a cosmetic esp. for making the eyelashes darker and more prominent

mas·car·po·ne [,mas-kär-'pō-(,)nā] -n

  1. an Italian cream cheese

mas·con ['mas-,kän] -n

  1. any of the high-density regions below the surface of lunar maria that are held to perturb the motion of spacecraft in lunar orbit

mas·cot ['mas-,kät also -kət] -n

  1. a person, animal, or object adopted by a group as a symbolic figure esp. to bring them good luck
    • the team had a mountain lion as their mascot

mas·cu·line ['mas-kyə-lən] -adj, adv, n

  1. male
  2. having qualities appropriate to or usu. associated with a man
  3. of, relating to, or constituting the gender that ordinarily includes most words or grammatical forms referring to males
    • masculine nouns
  4. having or occurring in a stressed final syllable
    • masculine rhyme
  5. having the final chord occurring on a strong beat
    • masculine cadence

masculine -n

  1. the masculine gender
  2. a noun, pronoun, adjective, or inflectional form or class of the masculine gender
  3. a male person

mas·cu·lin·ise ['mas-kyə-lə-,nīz] -vt, n

(variant of masculinize)

  1. to give a chiefly masculine character to
  2. to cause (a female) to take on male characteristics

mas·cu·lin·ist ['mas-kyə-lə-(,)nist] -n, adj

  1. an advocate of male superiority or dominance

mas·cu·lin·ize ['mas-kyə-lə-,nīz] -vt, n

  1. to give a chiefly masculine character to
  2. to cause (a female) to take on male characteristics

ma·ser ['mā-zər] -n

  1. a device or object that emits coherent microwave radiation produced by the natural oscillations of atoms or molecules between energy levels

mash ['mash] -vt

  1. to reduce to a soft pulpy state by beating or pressure
  2. crush, smash
    • mash a finger
  3. to subject (as crushed malt) to the action of water with heating and stirring in preparing wort
  4. a mixture of ground feeds for livestock
  5. crushed malt or grain meal steeped and stirred in hot water to produce wort
  6. a soft pulpy mass
  7. mashed potatoes
  8. crush
  9. to flirt with or seek the affection of

MASH -abbr

  1. mobile army surgical hospital

mash·er ['ma-shər] -n

  1. one that mashes
    • a potato masher

masher -n

  1. a man who makes passes at women

mash note -n

  1. a usu. sentimental or effusive note or letter expressing affection for the recipient

mask ['mask] -n

  1. a cover or partial cover for the face used for disguise
  2. a person wearing a mask : masker
  3. a figure of a head worn on the stage in antiquity to identify the character and project the voice
  4. a grotesque false face worn at carnivals or in rituals
  5. an often grotesque carved head or face used as an ornament (as on a keystone)
  6. a sculptured face or a copy of a face made by means of a mold
  7. something that serves to conceal or disguise : pretense, cloak
    • aware of the mask s, facades and defenses people erect to protect themselves -- Kenneth Keniston
  8. something that conceals from view
  9. a translucent or opaque screen to cover part of the sensitive surface in taking or printing a photograph
  10. a pattern of opaque material used to shield selected areas of a surface (as of a semiconductor) in deposition or etching (as in producing an integrated circuit)
  11. a protective covering for the face
  12. gas mask
  13. a device covering the mouth and nose to facilitate inhalation
  14. a comparable device to prevent exhalation of infective material
  15. a cosmetic preparation for the skin of the face that produces a tightening effect as it dries
  16. the head or face of an animal (as a fox or dog)
  17. an area (as the one around the eyes) of an animal's face that is distinguished by usu. darker coloring
  18. to take part in a masquerade
  19. to assume a mask
  20. to disguise one's true character or intentions
  21. : to provide or conceal with a mask: as
  22. to conceal from view
    • mask a gun battery
  23. to make indistinct or imperceptible
    • mask s undesirable flavors
  24. to cover up
    • mask ed his real purpose
  25. to cover for protection
  26. to modify the size or shape of (as a photograph) by means of an opaque border

masked ['maskt] -adj

  1. marked by the use of masks
    • a masked ball
  2. failing to present or produce the usual symptoms : latent
    • a masked infection
    • a masked virus

mask·er ['mas-kər] -n

  1. a person who wears a mask
  2. a participant in a masquerade

mask·ing tape ['mas-kiŋ-] -n

  1. a tape with adhesive on one side that has a variety of uses (as to cover a surface when painting near it)

mas·och·ism ['ma-sə-,ki-zəm, 'ma-zə- also 'mā-] -n, adj, adv

  1. a sexual perversion characterized by pleasure in being subjected to pain or humiliation esp. by a love object
  2. pleasure in being abused or dominated : a taste for suffering

ma·son ['mā-sᵊn] -n

  1. a skilled worker who builds by laying units of substantial material (as stone or brick)
  2. freemason

Ma·son·ic [mə-'sä-nik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Freemasons or Freemasonry

Ma·son·ite ['mā-sə-,nīt] -trademark

  1. used for fiberboard

mason jar -n

  1. a widemouthed jar used esp. for home canning

ma·son·ry ['mā-sᵊn-rē] -n

  1. something constructed of materials used by masons
  2. the art, trade, or occupation of a mason
  3. work done by a mason
  4. freemasonry

mason wasp -n

  1. any of various solitary vespid wasps (subfamily Eumeninae) that construct nests of hardened mud

Ma·so·ra [mə-'sȯr-ə] -n

  1. a body of notes on the textual traditions of the Hebrew Scripture compiled by scribes during the first millennium of the Christian era

Mas·o·rete ['ma-sə-,rēt] -n, adj

  1. one of the scribes who compiled the Masora

masque ['mask] -n

  1. masquerade
  2. a short allegorical dramatic entertainment of the 16th and 17th centuries performed by masked actors

masquer ['mas-kər] -n

(variant of masker)

  1. a person who wears a mask
  2. a participant in a masquerade

mas·quer·ade [,mas-kə-'rād] -n

  1. a social gathering of persons wearing masks and often fantastic costumes
  2. a costume for wear at such a gathering
  3. an action or appearance that is mere disguise or show

masquerade -vi, n

  1. to disguise oneself
  2. to go about disguised
  3. to take part in a masquerade
  4. to assume the appearance of something one is not

mass ['mas] -n

  1. the liturgy of the Eucharist esp. in accordance with the traditional Latin rite
  2. a celebration of the Eucharist
    • Sunday mass es held at three different hours
  3. a musical setting for the ordinary of the Mass
  4. a quantity or aggregate of matter usu. of considerable size
  5. expanse, bulk
  6. massive quality or effect
    • impressed me with such mass and such vividness -- F. M. Ford
  7. the principal part or main body
    • the great mass of the continent is buried under an ice cap -- Walter Sullivan
  8. aggregate, whole
    • men in the mass
  9. the property of a body that is a measure of its inertia and that is commonly taken as a measure of the amount of material it contains and causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
  10. a large quantity, amount, or number
    • a great mass of material
  11. a large body of persons in a compact group : a body of persons regarded as an aggregate
  12. the great body of the people as contrasted with the elite often used in pl.
    • the underprivileged and disadvantaged mass es -- C. A. Buss
  13. to form or collect into a mass
  14. to assemble in a mass
    • three thousand students had mass ed in the plaza -- A. E. Neville
  15. of or relating to the mass of the people
    • mass market
    • mass education
  16. being one of or at one with the mass : average, commonplace
    • mass man
  17. participated in by or affecting a large number of individuals
    • mass destruction
    • mass demonstrations
  18. having a large-scale character
    • mass plantings of tulips
  19. viewed as a whole : total
    • the mass effect of a design

Mass -abbr

  1. Massachusetts

mas·sa ['ma-sə] -n

  1. master

Mas·sa·chu·sett [,ma-sə-'chü-sət, -zət also ,mas-'chü-] -n

  1. a member of an American Indian people of Massachusetts
  2. the extinct Algonquian language of the Massachusett people

mas·sa·cre ['ma-si-kər] -n

  1. the act or an instance of killing a number of usu. helpless or unresisting human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty
  2. a cruel or wanton murder
  3. a wholesale slaughter of animals
  4. an act of complete destruction
    • the author's massacre of traditional federalist presuppositions -- R. G. McCloskey

massacre [-k(ə-)riŋ] -vt, n

  1. to kill by massacre : slaughter
  2. mangle
    • words were misspelled and syntax massacred -- Bice Clemow

mas·sage [mə-'säzh, -'säj] -n

  1. manipulation of tissues (as by rubbing, kneading, or tapping) with the hand or an instrument for therapeutic purposes

massage -vt, n

  1. to subject to massage
  2. to treat flatteringly : blandish
  3. manipulate, doctor
    • massaged the data to help his cause

massage parlor -n

  1. an establishment that provides massage treatments
  2. one offering sexual services in addition to or in lieu of massage

mas·sa·sau·ga [,ma-sə-'sȯ-gə] -n

  1. a small No. American rattlesnake ( Sistrurus catenatus)

mass card -n

  1. a card notifying the recipient (as a bereaved family) that a mass is to be offered for the repose of the soul of a specified deceased person

mass driver -n

  1. a large electromagnetic catapult designed to hurl material (as from an asteroid) into space

mas·se [ma-'sā] -n

  1. a shot in billiards or pool made by hitting the cue ball vertically or nearly vertically on the side to drive it around one ball in order to strike another

mas·se·ter [mə-'sē-tər, ma-] -n, adj

  1. a large muscle that raises the lower jaw and assists in mastication

mas·seur [ma-'sər, mə-] -n

  1. a man who practices massage

mas·seuse [-'sə(r)z, -'süz] -n

  1. a woman who practices massage

mas·sif [ma-'sēf] -n

  1. a principal mountain mass
  2. a block of the earth's crust bounded by faults or flexures and displaced as a unit without internal change

mas·sive ['ma-siv] -adj, adv, n

  1. : forming or consisting of a large mass:
  2. bulky
  3. weighty, heavy
    • massive walls
    • a massive volume
  4. impressively large or ponderous
  5. having no regular form but not necessarily lacking crystalline structure
    • massive sandstone
  6. large, solid, or heavy in structure
    • massive jaw
  7. large in scope or degree
    • the feeling of frustration, of being ineffectual, is massive -- David Halberstam
  8. large in comparison to what is typical
    • a massive dose of penicillin
  9. being extensive and severe
    • massive hemorrhage
    • massive collapse of a lung
  10. imposing in excellence or grandeur : monumental
    • massive simplicity
  11. having mass
    • a massive boson

massively parallel -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being a computer system that uses a large number of separate processors simultaneously to increase power and speed

mass·less ['mas-ləs] -adj

  1. having no mass
    • a massless particle

massmar·ket ['mas-'mär-kət] -adj

  1. sold through such retail outlets as supermarkets and drugstores as well as through bookstores
    • a massmarket paperback
  2. of, relating to, or publishing mass-market materials
  3. appealing or sold to a general audience

mass medium -n

  1. a medium of communication (as newspapers, radio, or television) that is designed to reach the mass of the people usu. used in pl.

mass noun -n

  1. a noun (as sandor water) that characteristically denotes in many languages a homogeneous substance or a concept without subdivisions and that in English is preceded in indefinite singular constructions by somerather than aor an

mass number -n

  1. an integer that approximates the mass of an isotope and designates the number of nucleons in the nucleus

masspro·duce [,mas-prə-'düs, -'dyüs] -vt, n

  1. to produce in quantity usu. by machinery

mass spectrograph -n

  1. an instrument used to separate and often to determine the masses of isotopes

mass spectrometry -n, adj

  1. an instrumental method for identifying the chemical constitution of a substance by means of the separation of gaseous ions according to their differing mass and charge called also mass spectroscopy

mass spectrum -n

  1. the spectrum of a stream of gaseous ions separated according to their differing mass and charge

massy ['ma-sē] -adj

  1. massive, weighty

mast ['mast] -n, adj

  1. a long pole or spar rising from the keel or deck of a ship and supporting the yards, booms, and rigging
  2. a slender vertical or nearly vertical structure (as an upright post in various cranes)
  3. a disciplinary proceeding at which the commanding officer of a naval unit hears and disposes of cases against enlisted men called also captain's mast
  4. to furnish with a mast
  5. nuts (as acorns) accumulated on the forest floor and often serving as food for animals

mas·ta·ba ['mas-tə-bə] -n

  1. an Egyptian tomb of the time of the Memphite dynasties that is oblong in shape with sloping sides and a flat roof

mast cell ['mast-] -n

  1. a granulocyte that occurs esp. in connective tissue and has basophilic granules containing substances (as histamine and heparin) which mediate allergic reactions

mas·tec·to·my [ma-'stek-tə-mē] -n

  1. surgical removal of all or part of the breast and sometimes associated lymph nodes and muscles

mas·ter ['mas-tər] -n

  1. a male teacher
  2. a person holding an academic degree higher than a bachelor's but lower than a doctor's
  3. a revered religious leader
  4. a worker or artisan qualified to teach apprentices
  5. an artist, performer, or player of consummate skill
  6. a great figure of the past (as in science or art) whose work serves as a model or ideal
  7. one having authority over another : ruler, governor
  8. one that conquers or masters : victor, superior
    • in the new challenger the champion found his master
  9. a person licensed to command a merchant ship
  10. one having control
  11. an owner esp. of a slave or animal
  12. the employer esp. of a servant
  13. husband
  14. the male head of a household
  15. mr.
  16. a youth or boy too young to be called mister used as a title
  17. the eldest son of a Scottish viscount or baron
  18. a presiding officer in an institution or society (as a college)
  19. any of several officers of court appointed to assist (as by hearing and reporting) a judge
  20. a master mechanism or device
  21. an original from which copies can be made
  22. a master recording (as a magnetic tape)

master -adj

  1. : being or relating to a master: as
  2. having chief authority : dominant
  3. skilled, proficient
    • a prosperous master builder -- Current Biog.
  4. principal, predominant
  5. superlative often used in combination
    • a master -liar
  6. being a device or mechanism that controls the operation of another mechanism or that establishes a standard (as a dimension or weight)
  7. being or relating to a master from which duplicates are made
  8. to become master of : overcome
    • master ed his fears
  9. to become skilled or proficient in the use of
    • master a foreign language
  10. to gain a thorough understanding of
    • had master ed every aspect of publishing -- Current Biog.
  11. to produce a master recording of (as a musical rendition)

masteratarms -n

  1. a petty officer charged with maintaining discipline aboard ship

master bedroom -n

  1. a large or principal bedroom

master chief petty officer -n

  1. an enlisted man in the navy or coast guard ranking above a senior chief petty officer

master chief petty officer of the coast guard

  1. the ranking petty officer in the coast guard serving as adviser to the commandant

master chief petty officer of the navy

  1. the ranking petty officer in the navy serving as adviser to the chief of naval operations

master class -n

  1. a seminar for advanced music students conducted by a master musician

mas·ter·ful ['mas-tər-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. inclined and usu. competent to act as master
  2. suggestive of a domineering nature
  3. having or reflecting the power and skill of a master

master gunnery sergeant -n

  1. a noncommissioned officer in the marine corps ranking above a master sergeant

master key -n

  1. a key designed to open several different locks

mas·ter·ly ['mas-tər-lē] -adj, n, adv

  1. suitable to or resembling that of a master
  2. indicating thorough knowledge or superior skill and power
    • a masterly performance
  3. having the power and skill of a master
    • she's masterly at description -- Caroline Knapp

mas·ter·mind ['mas-tər-,mīnd, ,mas-tər-'] -n

  1. a person who supplies the directing or creative intelligence for a project

mastermind -vt

  1. to be the mastermind of

master of arts

  1. the recipient of a master's degree that usu. signifies that the recipient has passed an integrated course of study in one or more of the humanities and sometimes has completed a thesis involving research or a creative project and that typically requires two years of work beyond a bachelor's degree
  2. the degree making one a master of arts abbr. MA, AM

master of ceremonies

  1. a person who determines the forms to be observed on a public occasion
  2. a person who acts as host at a formal event
  3. a person who acts as host for a program of entertainment (as on television)

master of science

  1. the recipient of a master's degree that usu. signifies that the recipient has passed an integrated course of study in one or more of the sciences and sometimes has completed a thesis involving research and that typically requires two years of work beyond a bachelor's degree
  2. the degree making one a master of science abbr. MS, MSc

mas·ter·piece ['mas-tər-,pēs] -n

  1. a work done with extraordinary skill
  2. a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement
  3. a piece of work presented to a medieval guild as evidence of qualification for the rank of master

master plan -n

  1. a plan giving overall guidance

master race -n

  1. a people held to be racially preeminent and hence fitted to rule or enslave other peoples

mas·ters ['mas-tərz] -adj

  1. competing in, relating to, or being a competition for athletes over a specified age (as 40)
    • a masters runner

master's -n

  1. a master's degree

master sergeant -n

  1. a noncommissioned officer ranking in the army above a sergeant first class and below a staff sergeant major, in the air force above a technical sergeant and below a senior master sergeant, and in the marine corps above a gunnery sergeant and below a master gunnery sergeant

mas·ter·sing·er ['mas-tər-,siŋ-ər] -n

  1. meistersinger

mas·ter·stroke [-,strōk] -n

  1. a masterly performance or move

mas·ter·work [-,wərk] -n

  1. masterpiece

mas·tery ['mas-t(ə-)rē] -n

  1. the authority of a master : dominion
  2. the upper hand in a contest or competition : superiority, ascendancy
  3. possession or display of great skill or technique
  4. skill or knowledge that makes one master of a subject : command

mast·head ['mast-,hed] -n

  1. the top of a mast
  2. the printed matter in a newspaper or periodical that gives the title and details of ownership, advertising rates, and subscription rates
  3. the name of a publication (as a newspaper) displayed on the top of the first page

mas·tic ['mas-tik] -n

  1. an aromatic resinous exudate from mastic trees used chiefly in varnishes
  2. any of various pasty materials used as protective coatings or cements

mas·ti·cate ['mas-tə-,kāt] -vb, n

  1. to grind or crush (food) with or as if with the teeth : chew
  2. to soften or reduce to pulp by crushing or kneading
  3. chew

mas·ti·ca·to·ry ['mas-ti-kə-,tȯr-ē] -n

  1. a substance chewed to increase saliva

masticatory -adj

  1. used for or adapted to chewing
    • masticatory limbs of an arthropod
  2. of, relating to, or involving the organs of mastication
    • masticatory paralysis

mastic tree -n

  1. a small Mediterranean evergreen tree ( Pistacia lentiscus) of the cashew family that yields mastic

mas·tiff ['mas-təf] -n

  1. any of a breed of very large massive powerful smooth-coated dogs that are apricot, fawn, or brindle and are often used as guard dogs

mas·ti·goph·o·ran [,mas-tə-'gä-fə-rən] -n, adj

  1. any of a subphylum (Mastigophora) of protozoans comprising forms with flagella and including many often treated as algae

mas·ti·tis [ma-'stī-təs] -n, adj

  1. inflammation of the breast or udder usu. caused by infection

mas·to·don ['mas-tə-,dän, -dən] -n, adj, adj or n

  1. any of various extinct mammals (genus Mammutsyn. Mastodon) of the elephant family existing from the Miocene through the Pleistocene that are distinguished from the related mammoths chiefly by molar teeth with cone-shaped cusps
  2. one that is unusually large

mas·toid ['mas-,tȯid] -adj

  1. being the process of the temporal bone behind the ear
  2. being any of several bony elements that occupy a similar position in the skull of lower vertebrates
  3. of, relating to, or occurring in the region of the mastoid process

mastoid -n

  1. a mastoid bone or process

mastoid cell -n

  1. one of the small cavities in the mastoid process that develop after birth and are filled with air

mas·toid·ec·to·my [,mas-,tȯi-'dek-tə-mē] -n

  1. surgical removal of part of the mastoid process of the temporal bone

mas·toid·itis [,mas-,tȯi-'dī-təs] -n

  1. inflammation of the mastoid and esp. of the mastoid cells

mas·tur·bate ['mas-tər-,bāt] -vb, n

  1. to practice masturbation
  2. to practice masturbation on

mas·tur·ba·tion [,mas-tər-'bā-shən] -n

  1. erotic stimulation esp. of one's own genital organs commonly resulting in orgasm and achieved by manual or other bodily contact exclusive of sexual intercourse, by instrumental manipulation, occas. by sexual fantasies, or by various combinations of these agencies

mas·tur·ba·to·ry ['mas-tər-bə-,tȯr-ē] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or involving masturbation
    • masturbatory fantasies
  2. excessively self-absorbed or self-indulgent
    • write tedious, masturbatory books...about themselves for people to read...with envy -- D. R. Katz

mat ['mat] -n

  1. a piece of coarse, woven, plaited, or felted fabric used esp. as a floor covering or a support
  2. a piece of material placed at a door for wiping soiled shoe soles
  3. a decorative piece of material used under a small item (as a dish) esp. for support or protection
  4. a large thick pad or cushion used as a surface for wrestling, tumbling, and gymnastics
  5. something made up of densely tangled or adhering filaments or strands esp. of organic matter
    • an algal mat
    • a mat of unkempt hair
  6. a large slab usu. of reinforced concrete used as the supporting base of a building
  7. to provide with a mat or matting
  8. to form into a tangled mass
    • dirt and filth matted her hair
  9. to pack down so as to form a dense mass
  10. to become matted
  11. to make (as a metal, glass, or color) matte
  12. to provide (a picture) with a mat

(variant of matte)

  1. : lacking or deprived of luster or gloss: as
  2. having a usu. smooth even surface free from shine or highlights
    • matte metals
    • a matte finish
  3. having a rough or granular surface
  4. a crude mixture of sulfides formed in smelting sulfide ores of metals (as copper, lead, or nickel)
  5. a motion-picture effect in which part of a scene is blocked out and later replaced by footage containing other material (as a background painting)

mat·a·dor ['ma-tə-,dȯr] -n

  1. a bullfighter who has the principal role and who kills the bull in a bullfight

match ['mach] -n

  1. a person or thing equal or similar to another
  2. one able to cope with another
  3. an exact counterpart
  4. a pair suitably associated
    • carpet and curtains are a match
  5. a contest between two or more parties
    • a golf match
    • a soccer match
    • a shouting match
  6. a contest (as in tennis or volleyball) completed when one player or side wins a specified number of sets or games
  7. a marriage union
  8. a prospective partner in marriage
  9. to encounter successfully as an antagonist
  10. to set in competition or opposition
  11. to provide with a worthy competitor
  12. to set in comparison
  13. to join or give in marriage
  14. to put in a set possessing equal or harmonizing attributes
  15. to cause to correspond : suit
    • match ed programs to local needs
  16. to be the counterpart of
  17. to compare favorably with
  18. to harmonize with
    • the jacket match ed the pants
  19. to provide with a counterpart
  20. to provide funds complementary to
    • employers may match the employee contribution -- D. J. Miller
  21. to fit together or make suitable for fitting together
  22. to flip or toss (coins) and compare exposed faces
  23. to toss coins with
  24. to be a counterpart
  25. a chemically prepared wick or cord formerly used in firing firearms or powder
  26. a short slender piece of flammable material (as wood) tipped with a combustible mixture that bursts into flame when slightly heated through friction (as by being scratched against a rough surface)

match·board ['mach- ,bȯrd] -n

  1. a board with a groove cut along one edge and a tongue along the other so as to fit snugly with the edges of similarly cut boards

match·book [-,bu̇k] -n

  1. a small folder containing rows of paper matches

match·box [-,bäks] -n

  1. a box for matches

match·less [-ləs] -adj, adv

  1. having no equal : peerless
    • a matchless view of the valley

match·lock [-,läk] -n

  1. a musket equipped with a matchlock
  2. a slow-burning match lowered over a hole in the breech of a musket to ignite the charge

match·mak·er [-,mā-kər] -n

  1. one that arranges a match
  2. one who tries to bring two unmarried individuals together in an attempt to promote a marriage

match play -n

  1. golf competition in which the winner is the person or team winning the greater number of holes

match point -n

  1. a situation (as in tennis) in which one player or side will win the match by winning the next point
  2. the point itself

match·stick ['mach-,stik] -n

  1. a slender piece esp. of wood from which a match is made
  2. something resembling a matchstick esp. in slenderness
    • cut a carrot into matchstick s

match·up [-,əp] -n

  1. match

match·wood [-,wu̇d] -n

  1. small pieces of wood : splinters

mate ['māt] -vt

  1. checkmate
  2. checkmate
  3. associate, companion
  4. an assistant to a more skilled worker : helper
  5. friend, buddy often used as a familiar form of address
  6. match, peer
  7. a deck officer on a merchant ship ranking below the captain
  8. : one of a pair: as
  9. either member of a couple and esp. a married couple
  10. either member of a breeding pair of animals
  11. either of two matched objects
  12. equal, match
  13. to join or fit together : couple
  14. to join together as mates
  15. to provide a mate for
  16. to become mated
    • gears that mate well
  17. copulate

ma·te ['mä-,tā] -n

  1. a tealike beverage drunk esp. in So. America
  2. a So. American shrub or tree ( Ilex paraguariensis) of the holly family whose leaves and shoots are used in making mate
  3. these leaves and shoots

mate·lot ['mat-,lō, 'ma-tə-] -n

  1. sailor

ma·te·lote [,ma-tə-'lōt, mat-'lōt] -n

  1. a stew made usu. of fish in a seasoned wine sauce

ma·ter ['mā-tər] -n

  1. mother

ma·ter·fa·mil·i·as [,mā-tər-fə-'mi-lē-əs, ,mä-] -n

  1. a woman who is head of a household

ma·te·ri·al [mə-'tir-ē-əl] -adj, adv, n

  1. relating to, derived from, or consisting of matter
  2. physical
    • the material world
  3. bodily
    • material needs
  4. of or relating to matter rather than form
    • material cause
  5. of or relating to the subject matter of reasoning
  6. empirical
    • material knowledge
  7. having real importance or great consequences
    • facts material to the investigation
  8. being of a physical or worldly nature
  9. relating to or concerned with physical rather than spiritual or intellectual things
    • material progress

material -n

  1. the elements, constituents, or substances of which something is composed or can be made
  2. matter that has qualities which give it individuality and by which it may be categorized
    • sticky material
    • explosive material s
  3. something (as data) that may be worked into a more finished form
    • material for a biography
  4. something used for or made the object of study
    • material for the next semester
  5. a performer's repertoire
    • a comedian's material
  6. matter
  7. cloth
  8. a person potentially suited to some pursuit
    • varsity material
    • leadership material
  9. apparatus necessary for doing or making something
    • writing material s
  10. materiel

ma·te·ri·al·ise [mə-'tir-ē-ə-,līz] -vb, n

(variant of materialize)

  1. to make material : objectify
  2. to cause to appear in bodily form
    • materialize the spirits of the dead
  3. to cause to be materialistic
  4. to assume bodily form
  5. to appear esp. suddenly
  6. to come into existence

ma·te·ri·al·ism [mə-'tir-ē-ə-,li-zəm] -n, n or adj, adj, adv

  1. a theory that physical matter is the only or fundamental reality and that all being and processes and phenomena can be explained as manifestations or results of matter
  2. a doctrine that the only or the highest values or objectives lie in material well-being and in the furtherance of material progress
  3. a doctrine that economic or social change is materially caused
  4. a preoccupation with or stress upon material rather than intellectual or spiritual things

ma·te·ri·al·i·ty [mə-,tir-ē-'a-lə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being material
  2. something that is material

ma·te·ri·al·i·za·tion [mə-,tir-ē-ə-lə-'zā-shən] -n

  1. the action of materializing or becoming materialized
  2. something that has been materialized
  3. apparition

ma·te·ri·al·ize [mə-'tir-ē-ə-,līz] -vb, n

  1. to make material : objectify
  2. to cause to appear in bodily form
    • materialize the spirits of the dead
  3. to cause to be materialistic
  4. to assume bodily form
  5. to appear esp. suddenly
  6. to come into existence

materials science -n

  1. the scientific study of the properties and applications of materials of construction or manufacture (as ceramics, metals, polymers, and composites)

ma·te·ria med·i·ca [mə-'tir-ē-ə-'me-di-kə] -n

  1. substances used in the composition of medical remedies : drugs, medicine
  2. a branch of medical science that deals with the sources, nature, properties, and preparation of drugs
  3. a treatise on materia medica

ma·te·ri·el [mə-,tir-ē-'el] -n

  1. equipment, apparatus, and supplies used by an organization or institution

ma·ter·nal [mə-'tər-nᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, belonging to, or characteristic of a mother : motherly
  2. related through a mother
    • his maternal aunt
  3. inherited or derived from the female parent
    • maternal genes

ma·ter·ni·ty [mə-'tər-nə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being a mother : motherhood
  2. the qualities of a mother : motherliness
  3. a hospital facility designed for the care of women before and during childbirth and for the care of newborn babies

maternity -adj

  1. designed for wear during pregnancy
    • a maternity dress
  2. effective for the period close to and including childbirth
    • maternity leave

mat·ey ['mā-tē] -adj, n

  1. companionable

math ['math] -n

  1. mathematics
  2. mathematical; mathematician

math·e·mat·i·cal [,math-'ma-ti-kəl, ,ma-thə-] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or according with mathematics
  2. rigorously exact : precise
  3. certain
  4. possible but highly improbable
    • only a mathematical chance

mathematical expectation -n

  1. expected value

mathematical induction -n

  1. induction

mathematical logic -n

  1. symbolic logic

math·e·ma·ti·cian [,math-mə-'ti-shən, ,ma-thə-] -n

  1. a specialist or expert in mathematics

math·e·mat·ics [,math-'ma-tiks, ,ma-thə-] -n pl but usu sing in constr

  1. the science of numbers and their operations, interrelations, combinations, generalizations, and abstractions and of space configurations and their structure, measurement, transformations, and generalizations
  2. a branch of, operation in, or use of mathematics
    • the mathematics of physical chemistry

math·e·ma·ti·za·tion [,math-mə-tə-'zā-shən, ,ma-thə-] -n, vb

  1. reduction to mathematical form

maths ['maths] -n pl

  1. mathematics

mat·in ['ma-tᵊn] -adj

  1. of or relating to matins or to early morning

mat·in·al ['ma-tə-nəl] -adj

  1. of or relating to matins
  2. early

mat·i·nee [,ma-tə-'nā] -n

  1. a musical or dramatic performance or social or public event held in the daytime and esp. the afternoon

matinee idol -n

  1. a handsome male performer

mat·ins ['ma-tᵊnz] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. the night office forming with lauds the first of the canonical hours
  2. morning prayer

matr- -comb form

  1. mother
    • matri arch
    • matr onymic

ma·tri·arch ['mā-trē-,ärk] -n, adj

  1. a woman who rules or dominates a family, group, or state
  2. a mother who is head and ruler of her family and descendants

ma·tri·ar·chate ['mā-trē-,är-kət, -,kāt] -n

  1. matriarchy

ma·tri·ar·chy ['mā-trē-,är-kē] -n

  1. a family, group, or state governed by a matriarch
  2. a system of social organization in which descent and inheritance are traced through the female line

ma·tri·cide ['ma-trə-,sīd, 'mā-] -n, adj

  1. murder of a mother by her son or daughter
  2. one that murders his or her mother

ma·tric·u·late [mə-'tri-kyə-,lāt] -vb, n

  1. to enroll as a member of a body and esp. of a college or university
  2. to become matriculated

ma·tri·lin·eal [,ma-trə-'li-nē-əl, ,mā-] -adj, adv

  1. relating to, based on, or tracing descent through the maternal line
    • matrilineal society

mat·ri·mo·nial [,ma-trə-'mō-nē-əl, -nyəl] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to marriage, the married state, or married persons

mat·ri·mo·ny ['ma-trə-,mō-nē] -n

  1. the union of man and woman as husband and wife : marriage

matrimony vine -n

  1. a shrub or vine (genus Lycium) of the nightshade family with often showy flowers and usu. red berries

ma·trix ['mā-triks] -n

  1. something within or from which something else originates, develops, or takes form
  2. a mold from which a relief surface (as a piece of type) is made
  3. die
  4. an engraved or inscribed die or stamp
  5. an electroformed impression of a phonograph record used for mass-producing duplicates of the original
  6. the natural material (as soil or rock) in which something (as a fossil or crystal) is embedded
  7. material in which something is enclosed or embedded (as for protection or study)
  8. the extracellular substance in which tissue cells (as of connective tissue) are embedded
  9. the thickened epithelium at the base of a fingernail or toenail from which new nail substance develops
  10. a rectangular array of mathematical elements (as the coefficients of simultaneous linear equations) that can be combined to form sums and products with similar arrays having an appropriate number of rows and columns
  11. something resembling a mathematical matrix esp. in rectangular arrangement of elements into rows and columns
  12. an array of circuit elements (as diodes and transistors) for performing a specific function
  13. a main clause that contains a subordinate clause

ma·tron ['mā-trən] -n

  1. a married woman usu. marked by dignified maturity or social distinction
  2. a woman who supervises women or children (as in a school or police station)
  3. the chief officer in a women's organization
  4. a female animal kept for breeding

ma·tron·ly ['mā-trən-lē] -adj

  1. having the character of or suitable to a matron

matron of honor

  1. a bride's principal married wedding attendant

mat·ro·nym·ic [,ma-trə-'ni-mik] -n

  1. a name derived from that of the mother or a maternal ancestor

mat·su·ta·ke [,mät-su̇-'tä-kē, -kā] -n

  1. a large brownish edible Japanese mushroom ( Tricholoma matsutake) having firm flesh and a spicy aroma
  2. a large whitish mushroom ( Tricholoma magniveleresyn. Armillaria ponderosa) of northern No. America that is similar to the Japanese matsutake

Matt -abbr

  1. Matthew

matte ['mat] -n

(variant of mat)

  1. a piece of coarse, woven, plaited, or felted fabric used esp. as a floor covering or a support
  2. a piece of material placed at a door for wiping soiled shoe soles
  3. a decorative piece of material used under a small item (as a dish) esp. for support or protection
  4. a large thick pad or cushion used as a surface for wrestling, tumbling, and gymnastics
  5. something made up of densely tangled or adhering filaments or strands esp. of organic matter
    • an algal mat
    • a mat of unkempt hair
  6. a large slab usu. of reinforced concrete used as the supporting base of a building
  7. to provide with a mat or matting
  8. to form into a tangled mass
    • dirt and filth matted her hair
  9. to pack down so as to form a dense mass
  10. to become matted
  11. to make (as a metal, glass, or color) matte
  12. to provide (a picture) with a mat

mat·ter ['ma-tər] -n

  1. a subject under consideration
  2. a subject of disagreement or litigation
  3. the events or circumstances of a particular situation
  4. the subject or substance of a discourse or writing
  5. something of an indicated kind or having to do with an indicated field or situation
    • this is a serious matter
    • as a matter of policy
    • matter s of faith
  6. something to be proved in law
  7. sensible or serious material as distinguished from nonsense or drollery
  8. reason, cause
  9. a source esp. of feeling or emotion
  10. problem, difficulty
  11. the substance of which a physical object is composed
  12. material substance that occupies space, has mass, and is composed predominantly of atoms consisting of protons, neutrons, and electrons, that constitutes the observable universe, and that is interconvertible with energy
  13. a material substance of a particular kind or for a particular purpose
    • vegetable matter
  14. material (as feces or urine) discharged from the living body
  15. material discharged by suppuration : pus
  16. the indeterminate subject of reality
  17. the element in the universe that undergoes formation and alteration
  18. the formless substratum of all things which exists only potentially and upon which form acts to produce realities
  19. a more or less definite amount or quantity
    • cooks in a matter of minutes
  20. something written or printed
  21. mail
  22. the illusion that the objects perceived by the physical senses have the reality of substance

matter -vi

  1. to form or discharge pus : suppurate
    • matter ing wound
  2. to be of importance : signify

matter of course

  1. something that is to be expected as a natural or logical consequence

mat·teroffact [,ma-tər-ə(v)-'fakt] -adj, adv, n

  1. adhering to the unembellished facts
  2. being plain, straightforward, or unemotional

mat·tery ['ma-tə-rē] -adj

  1. producing or containing pus or material resembling pus
    • eyes all mattery

Mat·the·an [ma-'thē-ən, mə-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the evangelist Matthew or the gospel ascribed to him

Mat·thew ['ma-(,)thyü also -(,)thü] -n

  1. an apostle traditionally identified as the author of the first Gospel in the New Testament
  2. the first Gospel in the New Testament

matting -n

  1. material for mats
  2. mats
  3. a dull lusterless surface (as on gilding, metalwork, or satin)

mat·tins ['ma-tᵊnz] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

(variant of matins)

  1. the night office forming with lauds the first of the canonical hours
  2. morning prayer

mat·tock ['ma-tək] -n

  1. a digging and grubbing tool with features of an adze and an ax or pick

mat·tress ['ma-trəs] -n

  1. a fabric case filled with resilient material (as cotton, hair, feathers, foam rubber, or an arrangement of coiled springs) used either alone as a bed or on a bedstead
  2. an inflatable airtight sack for use as a mattress
  3. a device (as of interwoven brush and poles) used to protect a shoreline, bank, or streambed from erosion

mat·u·rate ['ma-chə-,rāt] -vb

  1. mature

mat·u·ra·tion [,ma-chə-'rā-shən] -n, adj

  1. the process of becoming mature
  2. the emergence of personal and behavioral characteristics through growth processes
  3. the final stages of differentiation of cells, tissues, or organs
  4. the entire process by which diploid gamete-producing cells are transformed into haploid gametes that includes both meiosis and physiological and structural changes
  5. spermiogenesis

ma·ture [mə-'tu̇r, -'tyu̇r also -'chu̇r] -adj, adv

  1. based on slow careful consideration
    • a mature judgment
  2. having completed natural growth and development : ripe
  3. having undergone maturation
  4. having attained a final or desired state
    • mature wine
  5. having achieved a low but stable growth rate
    • paper is a mature industry
  6. of, relating to, or being an older adult : elderly
    • airline discounts for mature travelers
  7. of or relating to a condition of full development
  8. characteristic of or suitable to a mature individual
    • mature outlook
    • a show with mature content
  9. due for payment
    • a mature loan
  10. belonging to the middle portion of a cycle of erosion

mature -vb

  1. to bring to maturity or completion
  2. to become fully developed or ripe
  3. to become due

ma·tu·ri·ty [mə-'tu̇r-ə-tē, -'tyu̇r- also -'chu̇r-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being mature
  2. full development
  3. termination of the period that an obligation has to run

ma·tu·ti·nal [,ma-chu̇-'tī-nᵊl; mə-'tüt-nəl, -'tyüt-, -'tü-tə-nəl, -'tyü-] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or occurring in the morning : early

MATV -abbr

  1. master antenna television

mat·zo ['mät-sə also -(,)sō] -n

  1. unleavened bread eaten esp. at the Passover
  2. a wafer of matzo

matzo ball -n

  1. a small ball-shaped dumpling made from matzo meal

maud·lin ['mȯd-lən] -adj

  1. drunk enough to be emotionally silly
  2. weakly and effusively sentimental

mau·gre ['mȯ-gər] -prep

  1. in spite of

maul ['mȯl] -n

  1. a heavy often wooden-headed hammer used esp. for driving wedges
  2. a tool like a sledgehammer with one wedge-shaped end that is used to split wood
  3. beat, bruise
  4. mangle
  5. to handle roughly

maul·stick ['mȯl-stik] -n

  1. a stick used by painters as a rest for the hand while working

maumau ['mau̇-,mau̇] -vb

  1. to intimidate (as an official) by hostile confrontation or threats
  2. to engage in mau-mauing someone

maun ['mȯn, 'män, mən] -verbal auxiliary

  1. must

maun·der ['mȯn-dər, 'män-] -vi, n

  1. grumble
  2. to wander slowly and idly
  3. to speak indistinctly or disconnectedly

Maun·dy Thursday ['mȯn-dē-, 'män-] -n

  1. the Thursday before Easter observed in commemoration of the institution of the Eucharist

mau·so·le·um [,mȯ-sə-'lē-əm, ,mȯ-zə-] -n

  1. a large tomb
  2. a usu. stone building with places for entombment of the dead above ground
  3. a large gloomy building or room

mauve ['mȯv, 'mōv] -n, adj

  1. a moderate purple, violet, or lilac color
  2. a strong purple
  3. a dyestuff that produces a mauve color

ma·ven ['mā-vən] -n

  1. one who is experienced or knowledgeable : expert
  2. freak

mav·er·ick ['mav-rik, 'ma-və-] -n

  1. an unbranded range animal
  2. a motherless calf
  3. an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party

maverick -adj

  1. characteristic of, suggestive of, or inclined to be a maverick

ma·vis ['mā-vəs] -n

  1. song thrush

ma·vour·neen [mə-'vu̇r-,nēn] -n

  1. my darling

maw ['mȯ] -n

  1. : the receptacle into which food is taken by swallowing:
  2. stomach
  3. crop
  4. the throat, gullet, or jaws esp. of a voracious animal
  5. something suggestive of a gaping maw

mawk·ish ['mȯ-kish] -adj, adv, n

  1. having an insipid often unpleasant taste
  2. sickly or puerilely sentimental

max ['maks] -n, adj

  1. maximum
  2. maximum

maxi ['mak-sē] -n

  1. a long skirt, dress, or coat

maxi- -comb form

  1. extra long
    • maxi skirt
  2. extra large
    • maxi- problems

max·il·la [mak-'si-lə] -n, adj or n

  1. jaw
  2. an upper jaw esp. of humans and other mammals in which the bony elements are closely fused
  3. either of the two bones that lie with one on each side of the upper jaw lateral to the premaxilla and that in higher vertebrates bear most of the teeth
  4. one of the first or second pair of mouthparts posterior to the mandibles in many arthropods (as insects or crustaceans)

max·il·li·ped [mak-'si-lə-,ped] -n

  1. any of the crustacean appendages that comprise the first pair or first three pairs situated next behind the maxillae

max·il·lo·fa·cial [mak-,si-(,)lō-'fā-shəl, ,mak-sə-(,)lō-] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or treating the maxilla and the face
    • maxillofacial surgeons

max·im ['mak-səm] -n

  1. a general truth, fundamental principle, or rule of conduct
  2. a proverbial saying

max·i·mal ['mak-s(ə-)məl] -adj, adv

  1. being an upper limit : highest
  2. most comprehensive : complete

max·i·mal·ist [-s(ə-)mə-list] -n, adj

  1. one who advocates immediate and direct action to secure the whole of a program or set of goals

maxi·min ['mak-sə-,min] -n

  1. the maximum of a set of minima
  2. the largest of a set of minimum possible gains each of which occurs in the least advantageous outcome of a strategy followed by a participant in a situation governed by game theory

max·i·mise ['mak-sə-,mīz] -vt, n

(variant of maximize)

  1. to increase to a maximum
  2. to make the most of
  3. to find a maximum value of

max·i·mize ['mak-sə-,mīz] -vt, n

  1. to increase to a maximum
  2. to make the most of
  3. to find a maximum value of

max·i·mum ['mak-s(ə-)məm] -n, adj

  1. the greatest quantity or value attainable or attained
  2. the period of highest, greatest, or utmost development
  3. an upper limit allowed (as by a legal authority) or allowable (as by the circumstances of a particular case)
  4. the largest of a set of numbers
  5. the largest value assumed by a real-valued continuous function defined on a closed interval

maximum likelihood -n

  1. a statistical method for estimating population parameters (as the mean and variance) from sample data that selects as estimates those parameter values maximizing the probability of obtaining the observed data

ma·xixe [mə-'shēsh, -'shē-shə] -n

  1. a ballroom dance of Brazilian origin that resembles the two-step

max out -vi

  1. to reach an upper limit or a peak
    • the car maxed out at 85 mph
  2. to push to a limit or an extreme
  3. to use up all available credit on
    • maxed out the credit cards

max·well ['maks-,wel, -wəl] -n

  1. the centimeter-gram-second electromagnetic unit of magnetic flux equal to the flux per square centimeter of normal cross section in a region where the magnetic induction is one gauss : 10 8weber

may ['mā] -verbal auxiliary

  1. have the ability to
  2. have permission to
    • you may go now
    : be free to
    • a rug on which children may sprawl -- C. E. Silberman
    used nearly interchangeably with can
  3. used to indicate possibility or probability
    • you may be right
    • things you may need
    sometimes used interchangeably with can
    • one of those slipups that may happen from time to time -- Jessica Mitford
    sometimes used where might would be expected
    • you may think from a little distance that the country was solid woods -- Robert Frost
  4. used in auxiliary function to express a wish or desire esp. in prayer, imprecation, or benediction
    • long may he reign
    • may the best man win
  5. used in auxiliary function expressing purpose or expectation
    • I laugh that I may not weep
    or contingency
    • she'll do her duty come what may
    or concession
    • he may be slow but he is thorough
    or choice
    • the angler may catch them with a dip net, or he may cast a large, bare treble hook -- Nelson Bryant
  6. shall, must used in law where the sense, purpose, or policy requires this interpretation
  7. maiden

May ['mā] -n

  1. the fifth month of the Gregorian calendar
  2. the early vigorous blooming part of human life : prime
  3. the festivities of May Day
  4. green or flowering branches used for May Day decorations
  5. : a plant that yields may: as
  6. hawthorn
  7. a spring-flowering spirea

ma·ya ['mä-yə, 'mī-ə] -n

  1. the sense-world of manifold phenomena held in Vedanta to conceal the unity of absolute being
  2. illusion

Ma·ya ['mī-ə] -n

  1. a Mayan language of the ancient Maya peoples recorded in inscriptions
  2. yucatec
  3. the older form of that language known from documents of the Spanish period
  4. a member of a group of Indian peoples chiefly of Yucatan, Belize, and Guatemala whose languages are Mayan

Ma·yan ['mī-ən] -n, adj

  1. a member of the peoples speaking Mayan languages
  2. an extensive language family of Central America and Mexico

Mayanist ['mī-ə-nist] -n

  1. a specialist in Mayan civilization and often languages

may·ap·ple ['mā-,a-pəl] -n

  1. a No. American herb ( Podophyllum peltatum) of the barberry family with a poisonous rootstock, one or two large-lobed peltate leaves, and a single large white flower followed by a yellow egg-shaped edible fruit
  2. its fruit

may·be ['mā-bē also 'me-] -adv

  1. perhaps

maybe -n

  1. uncertainty

May·day ['mā-,dā]

  1. an international radio-telephone signal word used as a distress call

May Day ['mā-,dā] -n

  1. May 1 celebrated as a springtime festival and in some countries as Labor Day

may·est ['mā] -verbal auxiliary

(variant of may)

  1. have the ability to
  2. have permission to
    • you may go now
    : be free to
    • a rug on which children may sprawl -- C. E. Silberman
    used nearly interchangeably with can
  3. used to indicate possibility or probability
    • you may be right
    • things you may need
    sometimes used interchangeably with can
    • one of those slipups that may happen from time to time -- Jessica Mitford
    sometimes used where might would be expected
    • you may think from a little distance that the country was solid woods -- Robert Frost
  4. used in auxiliary function to express a wish or desire esp. in prayer, imprecation, or benediction
    • long may he reign
    • may the best man win
  5. used in auxiliary function expressing purpose or expectation
    • I laugh that I may not weep
    or contingency
    • she'll do her duty come what may
    or concession
    • he may be slow but he is thorough
    or choice
    • the angler may catch them with a dip net, or he may cast a large, bare treble hook -- Nelson Bryant
  6. shall, must used in law where the sense, purpose, or policy requires this interpretation
  7. maiden

may·flow·er ['mā-,flau̇(-ə)r] -n

  1. any of various spring-blooming plants
  2. arbutus

may·fly ['mā-flī] -n

  1. any of an order (Ephemeroptera) of insects with an aquatic nymph and a short-lived fragile adult having membranous wings and two or three long caudal styles called also ephemerid

may·hap ['mā-,hap, mā-'] -adv

  1. perhaps

may·hem ['mā-,hem, 'mā-əm] -n

  1. willful and permanent deprivation of a bodily member resulting in the impairment of a person's fighting ability
  2. willful and permanent crippling, mutilation, or disfigurement of any part of the body
  3. needless or willful damage or violence

may·ing ['mā-iŋ] -n

  1. the celebrating of May Day

mayn't ['mā-ənt, 'mānt]

  1. may not

mayo ['mā-(,)ō] -n

  1. mayonnaise

may·on·naise ['mā-ə-,nāz, ,mā-ə-'] -n

  1. a dressing made of egg yolks, vegetable oils, and vinegar or lemon juice

may·or ['mā-ər, 'mer, esp before names (,)mer] -n, adj

  1. an official elected or appointed to act as chief executive or nominal head of a city, town, or borough

may·or·al·ty ['mā-ə-rəl-tē, 'mer-əl-] -n

  1. the office or term of office of a mayor

may·or·ess ['mā-ə-rəs, 'mer-əs] -n

  1. the wife or official hostess of a mayor
  2. a woman holding the office of mayor

may·pole ['mā-,pōl] -n

  1. a tall flower-wreathed pole forming a center for May Day sports and dances

may·pop ['mā-,päp] -n

  1. a climbing perennial passionflower ( Passiflora incarnata) of the southern U.S. with a large ovoid yellow edible but insipid berry
  2. its fruit

May·time ['mā-,tīm] -n

  1. the month of May

maz·ard ['ma-zərd] -n

  1. head, face

maze ['māz] -vt

  1. stupefy, daze
  2. bewilder, perplex
  3. a confusing intricate network of passages
  4. something confusingly elaborate or complicated
    • a maze of regulations
  5. a state of bewilderment

ma·zel tov ['mä-zəl-,tȯv, -,tȯf] -interj

  1. used to express congratulations

ma·zer ['mā-zər] -n

  1. a large drinking bowl orig. of a hard wood

ma·zur·ka [mə-'zər-kə, -'zu̇r-] -n

  1. a Polish folk dance in moderate triple measure
  2. music for the mazurka or in its rhythm usu. in moderate or time

mazy ['mā-zē] -adj

  1. resembling a maze

maz·zard ['ma-zərd] -n

  1. sweet cherry
  2. wild or seedling sweet cherry used as a rootstock for grafting

mazzard ['ma-zərd] -n

(variant of mazard)

  1. head, face