v. t. [ L ab + stringere, strictum, to press together. ] To unbind. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. See Astringent. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Astringed p. pr. & vb. n. Astringing ] [ L. astringere; ad + stringere to draw tight. Cf. Astrict, and see Strain, v. t. ] 1. To bind fast; to constrict; to contract; to cause parts to draw together; to compress. [ 1913 Webster ]

Which contraction . . . astringeth the moisture of the brain and thereby sendeth tears into the eyes. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To bind by moral or legal obligation. Wolsey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being astringent; the power of contracting the parts of the body; that quality in medicines or other substances which causes contraction of the organic textures; as, the astringency of tannin. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. astringens, p. pr. of astringere: cf. F. astringent. See Astringe. ] 1. Drawing together the tissues; binding; contracting; -- opposed to laxative; as, astringent medicines; a butter and astringent taste; astringent fruit. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Stern; austere; as, an astringent type of virtue. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A medicine or other substance that produces contraction in the soft organic textures, and checks discharges of blood, mucus, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

External astringents are called styptics. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an astringent manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. ostreger, OF. ostrucier, F. autoursier, fr. OF. austour, ostor, hawk, F. autour; cf. L. acceptor, for accipiter, hawk. ] A falconer who keeps a goshawk. [ Obs. ] Shak. Cowell. [ Written also austringer. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To furnish with a fringe; to form a fringe upon; to adorn as with fringe. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a person who rings church bells (as for summoning the congregation).
Syn. -- toller. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. someone who plays musical handbells. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

p. a. 1. Furnished with bowstring. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Put to death with a bowstring; strangled. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who brings. [ 1913 Webster ]

Yet the first bringer of unwelcome news
Hath but a losing office. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bringer in, one who, or that which, introduces. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Constringed p. pr. & vb. n. Constringing. ] [ L. constringere. See onstrain. ] To dawn together; to contract; to force to contract itself; to constrict; to cause to shrink. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Strong liquors . . . intoxicate, constringe, harden the fibers, and coagulate the fluids. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. constringens, p. pr. ] Having the quality of contracting, binding, or compressing. Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Cringed p. pr. & vb. n. Cringing. ] [ As. crincgan, cringan, crincan, to jield, fall; akin to E. crank. ] To draw one's self together as in fear or servility; to bend or crouch with base humility; to wince; hence, to make court in a degrading manner; to fawn. [ 1913 Webster ]

When they were come up to the place where the lions were, the boys that went before were glad to cringe behind, for they were afraid of the lions. Bunyan. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sly hypocrite, . . . who more than thou
Once fawned and cringed, and servilely adored
Heaven's awful monarch? Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Flatterers . . . are always bowing and cringing. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To contract; to draw together; to cause to shrink or wrinkle; to distort. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Till like a boy you see him cringe his face,
And whine aloud for mercy. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Servile civility; fawning; a shrinking or bowing, as in fear or servility. “With cringe and shrug, and bow obsequious.” Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who cringes meanly; a fawner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who cringes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Arch.) One of the ribs in a groined arch, springing from the corners in a diagonal direction. [ See Illustr. of Groined vault. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From the American inventor. ] A kind of short-barreled pocket pistol, of very large caliber, often carrying a half-ounce ball. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Per. Farangī, or Ar. Firanjī, properly, a Frank. ] The name given to Europeans by the Hindus. [ Written also Feringhee. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF, fringe, F. frange, prob. fr. L. fimbria fiber, thread, fringe, cf. fibra fiber, E. fiber, fimbriate. ] 1. An ornamental appendage to the border of a piece of stuff, originally consisting of the ends of the warp, projecting beyond the woven fabric; but more commonly made separate and sewed on, consisting sometimes of projecting ends, twisted or plaited together, and sometimes of loose threads of wool, silk, or linen, or narrow strips of leather, or the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Something resembling in any respect a fringe; a line of objects along a border or edge; a border; an edging; a margin; a confine. [ 1913 Webster ]

The confines of grace and the fringes of repentance. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Opt.) One of a number of light or dark bands, produced by the interference of light; a diffraction band; -- called also interference fringe. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Bot.) The peristome or fringelike appendage of the capsules of most mosses. See Peristome. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Fringed p. pr. & vb. n. Fringing. ] To adorn the edge of with a fringe or as with a fringe. [ 1913 Webster ]

Precipices fringed with grass. Bryant. [ 1913 Webster ]

Fringing reef. See Coral reefs, under Coral. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Furnished with a fringe. [ 1913 Webster ]

Fringed lear (Bot.), a leaf edged with soft parallel hairs. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having no fringe. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Encircling like a fringe; bordering. [ R. ] “The fringent air.” Emerson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An annual herb having pinnatifid basal leaves and slender racemes of small white flowers followed by one-seeded winged silicles.
Syn. -- lacepod. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

. A small oleaceous tree (Chionanthus virginica), of the southern United States, having clusters of snow-white flowers with slender petals. It is often cultivated. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. One who puts rings into the snouts of hogs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a small syringe designed for use together with a hypodermic needle{ 1 } for injection of liquids directly under the skin, or into other parts of the body of an animal. [ PJC ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Infringed p. pr. & vb. n. Infringing ] [ L. infringere; pref. in- in + frangere to break. See Fraction, and cf. Infract . ] 1. To break; to violate; to transgress; to neglect to fulfill or obey; as, to infringe a law, right, or contract. [ 1913 Webster ]

If the first that did the edict infringe,
Had answered for his deed. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The peace . . . was infringed by Appius Claudius. Golding. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To hinder; to destroy; as, to infringe efficacy; to infringe delight or power. [ Obs. ] Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To break, violate, or transgress some contract, rule, or law; to injure; to offend. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To encroach; to trespass; -- followed by on or upon; as, to infringe upon the rights of another. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act of infringing; breach; violation; nonfulfillment; as, the infringement of a treaty, compact, law, or constitution. [ 1913 Webster ]

The punishing of this infringement is proper to that
jurisdiction against which the contempt is. Clarendon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An encroachment on a patent, copyright, or other special privilege; a trespass. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who infringes or violates; a violator. Strype. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ D., lit., cliff springer. ] (Zool.) A small, graceful South African antelope (Nanotragus oreotragus), which, like the chamois, springs from one crag to another with great agility; -- called also kainsi. [ Written also klippspringer. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. Lorraine, a French region rich in iron-ore deposits.
Syn. -- Lorraine. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. the members of a political or social group espousing extreme, fanatical, or seemingly irrational views. [ PJC ]

n. See Murenger. Jacob. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. noncontractive. Opposite of astringent. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ See Obstriction. ] To constrain; to put under obligation. [ R. ] Bp. Gardiner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The osprey. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. perstringere; per + stringere to bind up, to touch upon. ] 1. To touch; to graze; to glance on. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To criticise; to touch upon. [ R. ] Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. pottanger, for pottager; cf. F. potager a soup basin. See Porridge. ] A porridge dish; esp., a bowl or cup from which children eat or are fed; as, a silver porringer. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The power possessed by a substance to refract a ray; as, different substances have different refringencies. Nichol. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. refringens, p. pr. of refringere. See Refract. ] Pertaining to, or possessing, refringency; refractive; refracting; as, a refringent prism of spar. Nichol. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Restringed p. pr. & vb. n. Restringing ] [ L. restringere. See Restrain. ] To confine; to contract; to stringe. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Quality or state of being restringent; astringency. [ Obs. ] Sir W. Petty. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. restringens, p. pr.: cf. F. restringent. ] Restringing; astringent; styptic. [ Obs. ] -- n. A restringent medicine. [ Obs. ] Harvey. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Encircled or marked with, or as with, a ring or rings. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Wearning a wedding ring; hence, lawfully wedded. “A ringed wife.” Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ringed seal (Zool.), a North Pacific seal (Phoca foetida) having ringlike spots on the body. --
Ringed snake (Zool.), a harmless European snake (Tropidonotus natrix) common in England. --
Ringed worm (Zool.), an annelid. [ 1913 Webster ]