from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Square \Square\ (skw[^a]r), n. [OF. esquarre, esquierre, F.
['e]querre a carpenter's square (cf. It. squadra), fr.
(assumed) LL. exquadrare to make square; L. ex + quadrus a
square, fr. quattuor four. See {Four}, and cf. {Quadrant},
{Squad}, {Squire} a square.]
1. (Geom.)
(a) The corner, or angle, of a figure. [Obs.]
(b) A parallelogram having four equal sides and four right
angles.
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2. Hence, anything which is square, or nearly so; as:
(a) A square piece or fragment.
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He bolted his food down his capacious throat in
squares of three inches. --Sir W.
Scott.
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(b) A pane of glass.
(c) (Print.) A certain number of lines, forming a portion
of a column, nearly square; -- used chiefly in
reckoning the prices of advertisements in newspapers.
(d) (Carp.) One hundred superficial feet.
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3. An area of four sides, generally with houses on each side;
sometimes, a solid block of houses; also, an open place or
area for public use, as at the meeting or intersection of
two or more streets.
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The statue of Alexander VII. stands in the large
square of the town. --Addison.
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4. (Mech. & Joinery) An instrument having at least one right
angle and two or more straight edges, used to lay out or
test square work. It is of several forms, as the T square,
the carpenter's square, the try-square., etc.
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5. Hence, a pattern or rule. [Obs.]
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6. (Arith. & Alg.) The product of a number or quantity
multiplied by itself; thus, 64 is the square of 8, for 8
[times] 8 = 64; the square of a + b is a^{2} + 2ab +
b^{2}.
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7. Exact proportion; justness of workmanship and conduct;
regularity; rule. [Obs.]
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They of Galatia [were] much more out of square.
--Hooker.
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I have not kept my square. --Shak.
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8. (Mil.) A body of troops formed in a square, esp. one
formed to resist a charge of cavalry; a squadron. "The
brave squares of war." --Shak.
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9. Fig.: The relation of harmony, or exact agreement;
equality; level.
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We live not on the square with such as these.
--Dryden.
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10. (Astrol.) The position of planets distant ninety degrees
from each other; a quadrate. [Obs.]
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11. The act of squaring, or quarreling; a quarrel. [R.]
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12. The front of a woman's dress over the bosom, usually
worked or embroidered. [Obs.] --Shak.
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{fair and square} in a fair, straightforward, and honest
manner; justly; as, he beat me fair and square.
{Geometrical square}. See {Quadrat}, n., 2.
{Hollow square} (Mil.), a formation of troops in the shape of
a square, each side consisting of four or five ranks, and
the colors, officers, horses, etc., occupying the middle.
{Least square}, {Magic square}, etc. See under {Least},
{Magic}, etc.
{On the square}, or {Upon the square},
(a) in an open, fair manner; honestly, or upon honor;
justly. [Obs or Colloq.]
(b) at right angles.
{On the square with}, or {Upon the square with}, upon
equality with; even with. --Nares.
{To be all squares}, to be all settled. [Colloq.] --Dickens.
{To be at square}, to be in a state of quarreling. [Obs.]
--Nares.
{To break no squares}, to give no offense; to make no
difference. [Obs.]
{To break squares}, to depart from an accustomed order.
[Obs.]
{To see how the squares go}, to see how the game proceeds; --
a phrase taken from the game of chess, the chessboard
being formed with squares. [Obs.] --L'Estrange.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Break \Break\ (br[=a]k), v. t. [imp. {broke} (br[=o]k), (Obs.
{Brake}); p. p. {Broken} (br[=o]"k'n), (Obs. {Broke}); p. pr.
& vb. n. {Breaking}.] [OE. breken, AS. brecan; akin to OS.
brekan, D. breken, OHG. brehhan, G. brechen, Icel. braka to
creak, Sw. braka, br[aum]kka to crack, Dan. br[ae]kke to
break, Goth. brikan to break, L. frangere. Cf. {Bray} to
pound, {Breach}, {Fragile}.]
1. To strain apart; to sever by fracture; to divide with
violence; as, to break a rope or chain; to break a seal;
to break an axle; to break rocks or coal; to break a lock.
--Shak.
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2. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a
package of goods.
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3. To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or
communicate.
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Katharine, break thy mind to me. --Shak.
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4. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise.
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Out, out, hyena! these are thy wonted arts . . .
To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray.
--Milton
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5. To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or
terminate; as, to break silence; to break one's sleep; to
break one's journey.
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Go, release them, Ariel;
My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore.
--Shak.
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6. To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as,
to break a set.
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7. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to
pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British
squares.
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8. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments.
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The victim broke in pieces the musical instruments
with which he had solaced the hours of captivity.
--Prescott.
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9. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller
denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill.
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10. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as,
to break flax.
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11. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind.
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An old man, broken with the storms of state.
--Shak.
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12. To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a
fall or blow.
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I'll rather leap down first, and break your fall.
--Dryden.
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13. To impart, as news or information; to broach; -- with to,
and often with a modified word implying some reserve; as,
to break the news gently to the widow; to break a purpose
cautiously to a friend.
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14. To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to
discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or
saddle. "To break a colt." --Spenser.
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Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute?
--Shak.
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15. To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to
ruin.
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With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks,
Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks.
--Dryden.
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16. To destroy the official character and standing of; to
cashier; to dismiss.
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I see a great officer broken. --Swift.
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Note: With prepositions or adverbs:
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{To break down}.
(a) To crush; to overwhelm; as, to break down one's
strength; to break down opposition.
(b) To remove, or open a way through, by breaking; as, to
break down a door or wall.
{To break in}.
(a) To force in; as, to break in a door.
(b) To train; to discipline; as, a horse well broken in.
{To break of}, to rid of; to cause to abandon; as, to break
one of a habit.
{To break off}.
(a) To separate by breaking; as, to break off a twig.
(b) To stop suddenly; to abandon. "Break off thy sins by
righteousness." --Dan. iv. 27.
{To break open}, to open by breaking. "Open the door, or I
will break it open." --Shak.
{To break out}, to take or force out by breaking; as, to
break out a pane of glass.
{To break out a cargo}, to unstow a cargo, so as to unload it
easily.
{To break through}.
(a) To make an opening through, as, as by violence or the
force of gravity; to pass violently through; as, to
break through the enemy's lines; to break through the
ice.
(b) To disregard; as, to break through the ceremony.
{To break up}.
(a) To separate into parts; to plow (new or fallow
ground). "Break up this capon." --Shak. "Break up
your fallow ground." --Jer. iv. 3.
(b) To dissolve; to put an end to. "Break up the court."
--Shak.
{To break} (one) {all up}, to unsettle or disconcert
completely; to upset. [Colloq.]
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Note: With an immediate object:
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{To break the back}.
(a) To dislocate the backbone; hence, to disable totally.
(b) To get through the worst part of; as, to break the
back of a difficult undertaking.
{To break bulk}, to destroy the entirety of a load by
removing a portion of it; to begin to unload; also, to
transfer in detail, as from boats to cars.
{To break a code} to discover a method to convert coded
messages into the original understandable text.
{To break cover}, to burst forth from a protecting
concealment, as game when hunted.
{To break a deer} or {To break a stag}, to cut it up and
apportion the parts among those entitled to a share.
{To break fast}, to partake of food after abstinence. See
{Breakfast}.
{To break ground}.
(a) To open the earth as for planting; to commence
excavation, as for building, siege operations, and
the like; as, to break ground for a foundation, a
canal, or a railroad.
(b) Fig.: To begin to execute any plan.
(c) (Naut.) To release the anchor from the bottom.
{To break the heart}, to crush or overwhelm (one) with grief.
{To break a house} (Law), to remove or set aside with
violence and a felonious intent any part of a house or of
the fastenings provided to secure it.
{To break the ice}, to get through first difficulties; to
overcome obstacles and make a beginning; to introduce a
subject.
{To break jail}, to escape from confinement in jail, usually
by forcible means.
{To break a jest}, to utter a jest. "Patroclus . . . the
livelong day breaks scurril jests." --Shak.
{To break joints}, to lay or arrange bricks, shingles, etc.,
so that the joints in one course shall not coincide with
those in the preceding course.
{To break a lance}, to engage in a tilt or contest.
{To break the neck}, to dislocate the joints of the neck.
{To break no squares}, to create no trouble. [Obs.]
{To break a path}, {road}, etc., to open a way through
obstacles by force or labor.
{To break upon a wheel}, to execute or torture, as a criminal
by stretching him upon a wheel, and breaking his limbs
with an iron bar; -- a mode of punishment formerly
employed in some countries.
{To break wind}, to give vent to wind from the anus.
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Syn: To dispart; rend; tear; shatter; batter; violate;
infringe; demolish; destroy; burst; dislocate.
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