from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Tambour \Tam"bour\, n.
1. (Mus.) A kind of small flat drum; a tambourine.
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2. A small frame, commonly circular, and somewhat resembling
a tambourine, used for stretching, and firmly holding, a
portion of cloth that is to be embroidered; also, the
embroidery done upon such a frame; -- called also, in the
latter sense, {tambour work}.
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3. (Arch.) Same as {Drum}, n., 2
(d) .
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4. (Fort.) A work usually in the form of a redan, to inclose
a space before a door or staircase, or at the gorge of a
larger work. It is arranged like a stockade.
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5. (Physiol.) A shallow metallic cup or drum, with a thin
elastic membrane supporting a writing lever. Two or more
of these are connected by an India rubber tube, and used
to transmit and register the movements of the pulse or of
any pulsating artery.
[1913 Webster]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Vase \Vase\ (v[=a]s or v[aum]z; 277), n. [F. vase; cf. Sp. & It.
vaso; fr. L. vas, vasum. Cf. {Vascular}, {Vessel}.]
1. A vessel adapted for various domestic purposes, and
anciently for sacrificial uses; especially, a vessel of
antique or elegant pattern used for ornament; as, a
porcelain vase; a gold vase; a Grecian vase. See Illust.
of {Portland vase}, under {Portland}.
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No chargers then were wrought in burnished gold,
Nor silver vases took the forming mold. --Pope.
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2. (Arch.)
(a) A vessel similar to that described in the first
definition above, or the representation of one in a
solid block of stone, or the like, used for an
ornament, as on a terrace or in a garden. See Illust.
of {Niche}.
(b) The body, or naked ground, of the Corinthian and
Composite capital; -- called also {tambour}, and
{drum}.
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Note: Until the time of Walker (1791), vase was made to rhyme
with base, case, etc., and it is still commonly so
pronounced in the United States. Walker made it to
rhyme with phrase, maze, etc. Of modern English
practice, Mr. A. J. Ellis (1874) says: "Vase has four
pronunciations in English: v[add]z, which I most
commonly say, is going out of use, v[aum]z I hear most
frequently, v[=a]z very rarely, and v[=a]s I only know
from Cull's marking. On the analogy of case, however,
it should be the regular sound."
The Merriam-Webster's 10th Colletgiate Dictionary says:
"U. S. oftenest v[=a]s; Canada usu. and U. S. also
v[=a]z; Canada also & U. S. sometimes v[aum]z."
One wit has noted that "a v[aum]z is a v[=a]z that
costs more than $100.", suggesting that the former is
considered a higher-class pronunciation.
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3. (Bot.) The calyx of a plant.
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