Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

MOLYBDENUM — MONOPHTHONG

MOLYBDENUM, n. A metal which has not been reduced into masses of any magnitude, but has been obtained only in small separate globules, in a blackish, brilliant mass. These are brittle and extremely infusible.

The most common natural compound of this metal is a sulphuret.

MOME, n. A dull, silent person; a stupid fellow; a stock; a post.

MOMENT, n. [L. momentum. This word is contracted from motamentum, or some other word, the radical verb of which signified to move, rush, drive or fall suddenly, which sense gives that of force. The sense of an instant of time is from falling or rushing, which accords well with that of meet.]

1. The most minute and indivisible part of time; an instant.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. 1 Corinthians 15:52.

2. Force; impulsive power.

--Touch with lightest moment of impulse,

His free will.

Little used; but hence,

3. Importance in influence or effect; consequence; weight or value.

It is an abstruse speculation, but also of far less moment to us than the others.

MOMENTAL, a. Important. [Not in use.]

MOMENTALLY, adv. For a moment.

MOMENTANEOUS, MOMENTANY, not used. [See Momentary.]

MOMENTARILY, adv. Every moment.

MOMENTARY, a. Done in a moment; continuing only a moment; lasting a very short time; as a momentary pang.

Momentary as a sound,

Swift as a shadow, short as any dream.

MOMENTLY, adv. For a moment.

1. In a moment; every moment. We momently expect the arrival of the mail.

MOMENTOUS, a. Important; weighty; of consequence. Let no false step be made in the momentous concerns of the soul.

MOMENTUM, n. [L.] In mechanics, impetus; the quantity of motion in a moving body. This is always equal to the quantity of matter multiplied into the velocity.

MOMMERY, MUMMERY, n. An entertainment or frolick in masks; a farcical entertainment in which masked persons play antic tricks.

MOMOT, n. The name of a genus of birds in S. America, whose beak and tongue resemble the toucan’s.

MONACHAL, a. [L. monachus; Gr. a monk.]

Pertaining to monks or a monastic life; monastic.

MONACHISM, n. The state of monks; a monastic life.

MONAD, n. [Gr. unity, from sole.]

1. An ultimate atom, or simple unextended point.

2. An indivisible thing.

MONADELPH, n. [Gr. sole, and brother.] In botany, a plant whose stamens are united in one body by the filaments.

MONADELPHIAN, a. Having the stamens united in one body by the filaments.

MONADIC, MONADICAL, a. Having the nature or character of a monad.

MONANDER, n. [Gr. one, and a male.]

In botany, a plant having one stamen only.

MONANDRIAN, a. Having one stamen only.

MONARCH, n. [Gr. sole, and a chief.]

1. The prince or ruler of a nation, who exercises all the powers of government without control, or who is vested with absolute sovereign power; an emperor, king or prince invested with an unlimited power. This is the strict sense of the word.

2. A king or prince, the supreme magistrate of a nation, whose powers are in some respects limited by the constitution of the government. Thus we call the king of Great Britain a monarch, although he can make no law without the consent of parliament.

3. He or that which is superior to others of the same kind; as, an oak is called the monarch of the forest; a lion the monarch of wild beasts.

4. One that presides; president; as Bacchus, monarch of the vine.

MONARCH, a. Supreme; ruling; as a monarch savage.

MONARCHAL, a. Pertaining to a monarch; suiting a monarch; sovereign; regal; imperial.

Satan, whom now transcendent glory raised

Above his fellows, with monarchial pride--

MONARCHESS, n. A female monarch; an empress.

MONARCHIC, MONARCHICAL, a. Vested in a single ruler; as monarchical government or power.

1. Pertaining to monarchy.

MONARCHIST, n. An advocate of monarchy.

MONARCHIZE, v.i.

1. To play the king; to act the monarch.

2. To convert to a monarchy.

MONARCHIZE, v.t. To rule; to govern.

MONARCHY, n. [Gr. See Monarch.]

1. A state or government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a single person. Such a state is usually called an empire or a kingdom; and we usually give this denomination to a large state only. But the same name is sometimes given to a kingdom or state in which the power of the king or supreme magistrate is limited by a constitution, or by fundamental laws. Such is the British monarchy. Hence we speak of absolute or despotic monarchies, and of limited monarchies.

A free government has a great advantage over a simple monarchy.

2. A kingdom; an empire.

MONASTERY, n. [Low L. monasterium; Gr. from sole, separate.]

A house of religious retirement, or of seclusion from ordinary temporal concerns, whether an abbey, a priory or a nunnery. The word is usually applied to the houses of monks, mendicant friars and nuns.

MONASTIC, MONASTICAL, a. [Low L. monasticus; Gr. sole, separate.]

Pertaining to monasteries, monks and nuns; recluse; secluded from the temporal concerns of life and devoted to religion; as a monastic life; monastic orders.

MONASTIC, n. A monk.

MONASTICALLY, adv. Reclusely; in a retired manner; in the manner of monks.

MONASTICISM, n. Monastic life.

MONDAY, n. The second day of the week.

MONDE, n. The world; also, a glove, an ensign of authority.

MONECIAN, n. [Gr. sole and house.] In botany, one of that class of plants, whose male and female flowers are on the same plant.

MONECIAN, a. Pertaining to the class of plants above described.

MONEY, n. plu. moneys.

1. Coin; stamped metal; any piece of metal, usually gold, silver or copper, stamped by public authority, and used as the medium of commerce. We sometimes give the name of money to other coined metals, and to any other material which rude nations use a medium of trade. But among modern commercial nations, gold, silver and copper are the only metals used for this purpose. Gold and silver, containing great value in small compass, and being therefore of easy conveyance, and being also durable and little liable to diminution by use, are the most convenient metals for coin or money, which is the representative of commodities of all kinds, of lands, and of every thing that is capable of being transferred in commerce.

2. Bank notes or bills of credit issued by authority, and exchangeable for coin or redeemable, are also called money; as such notes in modern times represent coin, and are used as a substitute for it. If a man pays in hand for goods in bank notes which are current, he is said to pay in ready money.

3. Wealth; affluence.

Money can neither open new avenues to pleasure, nor block up the passages of anguish.

MONEYAGE, n. Anciently, in England, a general land tax levied by the two first Norman kings, a shilling on each hearth.

MONEY-BAG, n. A bag or purse for holding money.

MONEY-BOX, n. A box or till to hold money.

MONEY-BROKER, n. A broker who deals in money.

MONEY-CHANGER, n. A broker who deals in money or exchanges.

MONEYED, a. Rich in money; having money; able to command money; used often in opposition to such as have their wealth in real estate.

Invite moneyed men to lend to the merchants.

1. Consisting in money; as moneyed capital.

MONEYER, n. A banker; one who deals in money.

1. A coiner of money. [Little used in either sense.]

MONEY-LENDER, n. One who lends money.

MONEYLESS, a. Destitute of money; pennyless.

MONEY-MATTER, n. An account consisting of charges of money; an account between debtor and creditor.

MONEY-SCRIVENER, n. A person who raises money for others.

MONEY-SPINNER, n. A small spider.

MONEY’S-WORTH, n. Something that will bring money.

1. Full value; the worth of a thing in money.

MONEY-WORT, n. A plant of the genus Lysimachia.

MONGER, n. A trader; a dealer; now used only or chiefly in composition; as a fish-monger, iron-monger, news-monger, cheese-monger.

MONGREL, a. [See Mingle.] Of a mixed breed; of different kinds.

MONGREL, n. An animal of a mixed breed.

MONILIFORM, a. [L. monile, a necklace, and form.]

Like a necklace.

MONIMENT, n. [L. monimemtum, from moneo, to admonish.]

1. An inscription; something to preserve memory.

2. A mark; an image; a superscription.

MONISH, v.t. To admonish; to warn. [Not used.] [See Admonish.]

MONISHER, n. An admonisher, which see.

MONISHMENT, n. Admonition.

MONITION, n. [L. monitio.]

1. Warning; instruction given by way of caution; as the monitions of a friend.

2. Information; indication.

We have no visible monitions of other periods, such as we have of the day by successive light and darkness.

MONITIVE, a. Admonitory; conveying admonition.

MONITOR, n. [L.] One who warns of faults or informs of duty; one who gives advice and instruction by way of reproof or caution.

You need not be a monitor to the king.

1. In schools, a person authorized to look to the scholars in the absence of the instructor, or to notice the absence of faults of the scholars; or to instruct a division of class.

MONITORIAL, a.

1. Relating to a monitor.

2. Performed by monitors or a monitor; as monitorial instruction.

3. Conducted by or under the instruction of monitors, or subordinate teachers; as monitorial schools.

MONITORY, a. Giving admonition; warning; instructing by way of caution.

Losses, miscarriages and disappointments are monitory and instructive.

MONITORY, n. Admonition; warning.

MONITRESS, n. A female monitor.

MONK, n. [L. monachus.] A man who retires from the ordinary temporal concerns of the world, and devotes himself to religion. Monks usually live in monasteries, on entering which they take a vow to observe certain rules. Some however live as hermits in solitude, and others have lived a strolling life without any fixed residence.

MONKERY, n. The life of monks; the monastic life.

MONKEY, n. The popular name of the ape and baboon. But in zoology, monkey is more properly the name of those animals of the genus Simia, which have long tails. Ray distributes animals of this kind into three classes; apes which have no tails; monkeys with long tails; and baboons with short tails.

1. A name of contempt or of slight kindness.

MONKHOOD, n. The character of a monk.

MONKISH, a. Like a monk, or pertaining to monks; monastic; as monkish manners; monkish dress; monkish solitude.

MONK’S HEAD, n. A plant of the genus Leontodon.

MONK’S HOOD, n. A plant of the genus Aconitum.

MONK’S RHUBARB, n. A plant of the genus Rumex, a species of dock.

MONOCEROS, n. [Gr. sole and horn.] The unicorn.

MONOCHORD, n. [Gr. sole, only, and chord.] A musical instrument of one string. As its name imports, it had originally but one string; but it is generally constructed with two, by means of which the musician is better enabled to try the proportions of sounds and intervals, and judge of the harmony of two tempered notes.

In the proper sense of the word, a trumpet marine is considered a monochord.

MONOCHROMATIC, a. [Gr. sole, and color.] Consisting of one color, or presenting rays of light of one color only.

MONOCOTYLE, MONOCOTYLEDONOUS, a. Having only one seed-lobe or seminal leaf.

MONOCOTYLEDON, n. [Gr. sole, and a hollow.] In botany, a plant with only one cotyledon or seed-lobe.

MONOCULAR, MONOCULOUS, a. [Gr. sole, and L. oculus, eye.]

Having one eye only.

MONOCULE, n. [supra.] An insect with one eye.

MONODACTYLOUS, a. [Gr.] Having one toe only, as an animal.

MONODIST, n. One who writes a monody.

MONODON, n. [Gr. having one tooth or shoot.] The unicorn fish, or sea-unicorn, which has a remarkable horn projecting from its head. [This horn is really a tusk, of which there are two, but only one of them is usually developed.]

It is called also the monoceros, or horned narwhal. Its usual size is form sixteen to twenty feet.

MONODY, n. [Gr. sole, and song.]

A song or poem sung by one person only.

MONOGAM, n. [Gr. sole, and marriage.] In botany, a plant that has a simple flower, though the anthers are united.

MONOGAMIAN, a. Pertaining to the order of plants that have a simple flower.

MONOGAMIST, n. [supra.] One who disallows second marriages.

MONOGAMOUS, a. Having one wife only and not permitted to marry a second.

MONOGAMY, n. [supra.] The marriage of one wife only, or the state of such as are restrained to a single wife.

MONOGRAM, n. [Gr. sole and letter.] A character or cypher composed of one, two or more letters interwoven, being an abbreviation of a name; used on seals, etc.

MONOGRAMMAL, a. Sketching in the manner of a monogram.

MONOGRAPH, n. [Gr. sole, and to describe.] An account or description of a single thing or class of things; as a monograph of violets in botany; a monograph of an Egyptian mummy.

MONOGRAPHIC, MONOGRAPHICAL, a. Drawn in lines without colors.

1. Pertaining to a monograph.

MONOGRAPHY, n. [Gr. sole, and to describe.] A description drawn in lines without colors.

MONOGYN, n. [Gr. sole, and a female.] In botany, a plant having only one style or stigma.

MONOGYNIAN, a. Pertaining to the order monogynia; having only one style or stigma.

MONOLOGUE, n. mon’olog. [Gr. sole, and speech.]

1. A soliloquy; a speech uttered by a person alone.

2. A poem, song or scene composed for a single performer.