_Hartshorn_, (spirits of,) a volatile alkali, originally prepared from the horns of the stag or hart, but now procured from various other substances. It is known by the name of ammonia, or spirits of ammonia.
_Hemlock_, see _Cicuta_.
_Horticulturist_, one skilled in horticulture, or the art of cultivating gardens; horticulture being to the garden, what agriculture is to the farm, the application of labor and science to a limited spot, for convenience, for profit, or for ornament,--though implying a higher state of cultivation, than is common in agriculture. It includes the cultivation of culinary vegetables and of fruits, and forcing or exotic gardening, as far as respects useful products.
_Hoskin"s gloves_, gloves made by a person named Hoskin, whose manufacture was formerly much celebrated.
_Hydrogen_, a very light, inflammable gas, of which water is, in part, composed. It is used to inflate balloons.
_Hypochondriasis_, melancholy, dejection, a disorder of the imagination, in which the person supposes he is afflicted with various diseases.
_Hysteria_, or _hysterics_, a spasmodic, convulsive affection of the nerves, to which women are subject. It is somewhat similar to hypochondriasis in men.
_Ingrain_, a kind of carpeting, in which the threads are dyed in the grain, or raw material, before manufacture.
_Ipecac_, (an abbreviation of _ipecacuanha_,) an Indian medicinal plant, acting as an emetic.
_Isingla.s.s_, a fine kind of gelatin, or glue, prepared from the swimming-bladders of fishes, used as a cement, and also as an ingredient in food and medicine. The name is sometimes applied to a transparent mineral substance called mica.
_Kamtschadales_, inhabitants of _Kamtschatka_, a large peninsula situated on the northeastern coast of Asia, having the North Pacific Ocean on the east. It is remarkable for its extreme cold, which is heightened by a range of very lofty mountains, extending the whole length of the peninsula, several of which are volcanic. It is very deficient in vegetable productions, but produces a great variety of animals, from which the richest and most valuable furs are procured. The inhabitants are in general below the common height, but have broad shoulders and large heads. It is under the dominion of Russia.
_Kink_, a knotty twist in a thread or rope.
_Lapland_, a country at the extreme north part of Europe, where it is very cold. It contains lofty mountains, some of which are covered with perpetual snow and ice.
_Latin_, the language of the Latins, or inhabitants of Latium, the princ.i.p.al country of ancient Italy. After the building of Rome, that city became the capital of the whole country.
_Leguminous_, pod-bearing.
_Lent_, a fast of the Christian Church, (lasting forty days, from Ash Wednesday to Easter,) in commemoration of our Saviour"s miraculous fast of forty days and forty nights, in the wilderness. The word Lent means spring; this fast always occurring at that season of the year.
_Levite_, one of the tribe of Levi, the son of Jacob, which tribe was set apart from the others, to minister in the services of the Tabernacle, and the Temple at Jerusalem. The Priests were taken from this tribe. See Numbers i. 47-53.
_Ley_, water which has percolated through ashes, earth, or other substances, dissolving and imbibing a part of their contents. It is generally spelled _lie_, or _lye_.
_Linnaeus_, (Charles,) a native of Sweden, and the most celebrated naturalist of his age. He was born May 13, 1707, and died January 11, 1778. His life was devoted to the study of natural history. The science of botany, in particular, is greatly indebted to his labors. His "_Amoenitates Academicae_" (Academical Recreations) is a collection of the dissertations of his pupils, edited by himself; a work rich in matters relating to the history and habits of plants. He was the first who arranged Natural History into a regular system, which has been generally called by his name. His proper name was Linne.
_Lobe_, a division, a distinct part; generally applied to the two divisions of the lungs.
_Log Cabin_, a cabin or house built of logs, as is generally the case in newly-settled countries.
_Loire_, the largest river of France, being about five hundred and fifty miles in length. It rises in the mountains of Cevennes, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean, about forty miles below the city of Nantes. It divides France into two almost equal parts.
_London Medical Society_, a distinguished a.s.sociation, formed in 1773.
It has published some valuable volumes of its Transactions. It has a library, of about 40,000 volumes, which is kept in a house presented to the Society, in 1788, by the celebrated Dr. Lettsom, who was one of its first members.
_Louis XIV._, a celebrated King of France and Navarre, who was born Sept. 5, 1638, and died Sept. 1, 1715. His mother having before had no children, though she had been married twenty-two years, his birth was considered as a particular favor from heaven, and he was called the "Gift of G.o.d." He is sometimes styled "Louis the Great," and his reign is celebrated as an era of magnificence and learning, and is notorious as a period of licentiousness. He left behind him monuments of unprecedented splendor and expense, consisting of palaces, gardens, and other like works.
_Lumbar_, (from the Latin _lumbus_, the loin,) relating or pertaining to the loins.
_Lunacy, writ of_, a judicial proceeding, to ascertain whether a person be a lunatic.
_Mademoiselle_, the French word for Miss, a young girl.
_Magnesia_, a light and white alkaline earth, which enters into the composition of many rocks, communicating to them a greasy or soapy feeling, and a striped texture, with sometimes a greenish color.
_Malaria_, (Italian, _mal"aria, bad air_,) a noxious vapor or exhalation; a state of the atmosphere or soil, or both, which, in certain regions, and in warm weather, produces fever, sometimes of great violence.
_Mammon_, riches, the Syrian G.o.d of riches. See St. Luke, xvi. 11, 13, St. Matthew, vi. 24.
_Martineau_, (Harriet,) a woman who has become somewhat celebrated by her book of travels in the United States, and by other works.
_Mexico_, a country situated southwest of the United States, and extending to the Pacific Ocean.
_Miasms_, such particles or atoms, as are supposed to arise from distempered, putrefying, or poisonous bodies.
_Michilimackinac_, or _Mackinac_, (now frequently corrupted into _Mackinaw_, which is the usual p.r.o.nunciation of the name,) a military post in the State of Michigan, situated upon an island about nine miles in circuit, in the strait which connects Lakes Michigan and Huron. It is much resorted to by Indians and fur traders. The highest summit of the island is about three hundred feet above the lakes, and commands an extensive view of them.
_Midsummer_, with us, the time when the sun arrives at his greatest distance from the equator, or about the twenty-first of June, called, also, the summer solstice, (from the Latin _sol_, _the sun_, and _sto_, _to stop_ or _stand still_,) because, when the sun reaches this point, he seems to stand still for some time, and then appears to retrace his steps. The days are then longer than at any other time.
_Migrate_, to remove from one place to another; to change residence.
_Mildew_, a disease of plants; a mould, spot, or stain, in paper, cloths, &c., caused by moisture.
_Militate_, to oppose, to operate against.
_Millinet_, a coa.r.s.e kind of stiff muslin, formerly used for the foundation or basis of bonnets, &c.
_Mineralogy_, a science which treats of the inorganic natural substances found upon or in the earth, such as earths, salts, metals, &c., and which are called by the general name of minerals.
_Minutiae_, the smallest particulars.
_Monasticism_, monastic life; religiously recluse life, in a monastery, or house of religious retirement.
_Montagu, Lady Mary Wortley_, one of the most celebrated among the female literary characters of England. She was daughter of Evelyn, Duke of Kingston, and was born about 1690, at Th.o.r.esby, in England. She displayed uncommon abilities, at a very early age, and was educated by the best masters in the English, Latin, Greek, and French, languages.
She accompanied her husband (Edward Wortley Montagu) on an emba.s.sy to Constantinople, and her correspondence with her friends was published and much admired. She introduced the practice of inoculation for the smallpox into England, which proved of great benefit to millions. She died at the age of seventy-two, A. D. 1762.
_Moral Philosophy_, the science which treats of the motives and rules of human actions, and of the ends to which they ought to be directed.
_Moreen_, a kind of woollen stuff used for curtains, covers of cushions, bed hangings, &c.
_Mucous_, having the nature of _mucus_, a glutinous, sticky, thready, transparent fluid, of a salt savor, produced by different membranes of the body, and serving to protect the membranes and other internal parts against the action of the air, food, &c. The fluid of the mouth and nose is mucus.
_Mucous membrane_, that membrane which lines the mouth, nose, intestines, and other open cavities of the body.
_Muriatic acid_, an acid, composed of chlorine and hydrogen, called, also, hydrochloric acid, and spirit of salt.
_Mush-stick_, a stick to use in stirring _mush_, which is corn meal boiled in water.