from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
ground \ground\ (ground), n. [OE. ground, grund, AS. grund; akin
to D. grond, OS., G., Sw., & Dan. grund, Icel. grunnr bottom,
Goth. grundus (in composition); perh. orig. meaning, dust,
gravel, and if so perh. akin to E. grind.]
1. The surface of the earth; the outer crust of the globe, or
some indefinite portion of it.
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There was not a man to till the ground. --Gen. ii.
5.
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The fire ran along upon the ground. --Ex. ix. 23.
Hence: A floor or pavement supposed to rest upon the
earth.
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2. Any definite portion of the earth's surface; region;
territory; country. Hence: A territory appropriated to, or
resorted to, for a particular purpose; the field or place
of action; as, a hunting or fishing ground; a play ground.
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From . . . old Euphrates, to the brook that parts
Egypt from Syrian ground. --Milton.
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3. Land; estate; possession; field; esp. (pl.), the gardens,
lawns, fields, etc., belonging to a homestead; as, the
grounds of the estate are well kept.
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Thy next design is on thy neighbor's grounds.
--Dryden. 4.
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4. The basis on which anything rests; foundation. Hence: The
foundation of knowledge, belief, or conviction; a premise,
reason, or datum; ultimate or first principle; cause of
existence or occurrence; originating force or agency; as,
the ground of my hope.
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5. (Paint. & Decorative Art)
(a) That surface upon which the figures of a composition
are set, and which relieves them by its plainness,
being either of one tint or of tints but slightly
contrasted with one another; as, crimson Bowers on a
white ground. See {Background}, {Foreground}, and
{Middle-ground}.
(b) In sculpture, a flat surface upon which figures are
raised in relief.
(c) In point lace, the net of small meshes upon which the
embroidered pattern is applied; as, Brussels ground.
See {Brussels lace}, under {Brussels}.
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6. (Etching) A gummy composition spread over the surface of a
metal to be etched, to prevent the acid from eating except
where an opening is made by the needle.
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7. (Arch.) One of the pieces of wood, flush with the
plastering, to which moldings, etc., are attached; --
usually in the plural.
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Note: Grounds are usually put up first and the plastering
floated flush with them.
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8. (Mus.)
(a) A composition in which the bass, consisting of a few
bars of independent notes, is continually repeated to
a varying melody.
(b) The tune on which descants are raised; the plain song.
--Moore (Encyc.).
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On that ground I'll build a holy descant.
--Shak.
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9. (Elec.) A conducting connection with the earth, whereby
the earth is made part of an electrical circuit.
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10. pl. Sediment at the bottom of liquors or liquids; dregs;
lees; feces; as, coffee grounds.
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11. The pit of a theater. [Obs.] --B. Jonson.
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{Ground angling}, angling with a weighted line without a
float.
{Ground annual} (Scots Law), an estate created in land by a
vassal who instead of selling his land outright reserves
an annual ground rent, which becomes a perpetual charge
upon the land.
{Ground ash}. (Bot.) See {Groutweed}.
{Ground bailiff} (Mining), a superintendent of mines.
--Simmonds.
{Ground bait}, bits of bread, boiled barley or worms, etc.,
thrown into the water to collect the fish, --Wallon.
{Ground bass} or {Ground base} (Mus.), fundamental base; a
fundamental base continually repeated to a varied melody.
{Ground beetle} (Zool.), one of numerous species of
carnivorous beetles of the family {Carabid[ae]}, living
mostly in burrows or under stones, etc.
{Ground chamber}, a room on the ground floor.
{Ground cherry}. (Bot.)
(a) A genus ({Physalis}) of herbaceous plants having an
inflated calyx for a seed pod: esp., the strawberry
tomato ({Physalis Alkekengi}). See {Alkekengl}.
(b) A European shrub ({Prunus Cham[ae]cerasus}), with
small, very acid fruit.
{Ground cuckoo}. (Zool.) See {Chaparral cock}.
{Ground cypress}. (Bot.) See {Lavender cotton}.
{Ground dove} (Zool.), one of several small American pigeons
of the genus {Columbigallina}, esp. {C. passerina} of the
Southern United States, Mexico, etc. They live chiefly on
the ground.
{Ground fish} (Zool.), any fish which constantly lives on the
botton of the sea, as the sole, turbot, halibut.
{Ground floor}, the floor of a house most nearly on a level
with the ground; -- called also in America, but not in
England, the {first floor}.
{Ground form} (Gram.), the stem or basis of a word, to which
the other parts are added in declension or conjugation. It
is sometimes, but not always, the same as the root.
{Ground furze} (Bot.), a low slightly thorny, leguminous
shrub ({Ononis arvensis}) of Europe and Central Asia,; --
called also {rest-harrow}.
{Ground game}, hares, rabbits, etc., as distinguished from
winged game.
{Ground hele} (Bot.), a perennial herb ({Veronica
officinalis}) with small blue flowers, common in Europe
and America, formerly thought to have curative properties.
{Ground of the heavens} (Astron.), the surface of any part of
the celestial sphere upon which the stars may be regarded
as projected.
{Ground hemlock} (Bot.), the yew ({Taxus baccata} var.
Canadensisi) of eastern North America, distinguished from
that of Europe by its low, straggling stems.
{Ground hog}. (Zool.)
(a) The woodchuck or American marmot ({Arctomys monax}).
See {Woodchuck}.
(b) The aardvark.
{Ground hold} (Naut.), ground tackle. [Obs.] --Spenser.
{Ground ice}, ice formed at the bottom of a body of water
before it forms on the surface.
{Ground ivy}. (Bot.) A trailing plant; alehoof. See {Gill}.
{Ground joist}, a joist for a basement or ground floor; a.
sleeper.
{Ground lark} (Zool.), the European pipit. See {Pipit}.
{Ground laurel} (Bot.). See {Trailing arbutus}, under
{Arbutus}.
{Ground line} (Descriptive Geom.), the line of intersection
of the horizontal and vertical planes of projection.
{Ground liverwort} (Bot.), a flowerless plant with a broad
flat forking thallus and the fruit raised on peduncled and
radiated receptacles ({Marchantia polymorpha}).
{Ground mail}, in Scotland, the fee paid for interment in a
churchyard.
{Ground mass} (Geol.), the fine-grained or glassy base of a
rock, in which distinct crystals of its constituents are
embedded.
{Ground parrakeet} (Zool.), one of several Australian
parrakeets, of the genera {Callipsittacus} and
{Geopsittacus}, which live mainly upon the ground.
{Ground pearl} (Zool.), an insect of the family {Coccid[ae]}
({Margarodes formicarum}), found in ants' nests in the
Bahamas, and having a shelly covering. They are strung
like beads, and made into necklaces by the natives.
{Ground pig} (Zool.), a large, burrowing, African rodent
({Aulacodus Swinderianus}) about two feet long, allied to
the porcupines but with harsh, bristly hair, and no
spines; -- called also {ground rat}.
{Ground pigeon} (Zool.), one of numerous species of pigeons
which live largely upon the ground, as the tooth-billed
pigeon ({Didunculus strigirostris}), of the Samoan
Islands, and the crowned pigeon, or goura. See {Goura},
and {Ground dove} (above).
{Ground pine}. (Bot.)
(a) A blue-flowered herb of the genus {Ajuga} ({A.
Cham[ae]pitys}), formerly included in the genus
{Teucrium} or germander, and named from its resinous
smell. --Sir J. Hill.
(b) A long, creeping, evergreen plant of the genus
{Lycopodium} ({L. clavatum}); -- called also {club
moss}.
(c) A tree-shaped evergreen plant about eight inches in
height, of the same genus ({L. dendroideum}) found in
moist, dark woods in the northern part of the United
States. --Gray.
{Ground plan} (Arch.), a plan of the ground floor of any
building, or of any floor, as distinguished from an
elevation or perpendicular section.
{Ground plane}, the horizontal plane of projection in
perspective drawing.
{Ground plate}.
(a) (Arch.) One of the chief pieces of framing of a
building; a timber laid horizontally on or near the
ground to support the uprights; a ground sill or
groundsel.
(b) (Railroads) A bed plate for sleepers or ties; a
mudsill.
(c) (Teleg.) A metallic plate buried in the earth to
conduct the electric current thereto. Connection to
the pipes of a gas or water main is usual in cities.
--Knight.
{Ground plot}, the ground upon which any structure is
erected; hence, any basis or foundation; also, a ground
plan.
{Ground plum} (Bot.), a leguminous plant ({Astragalus
caryocarpus}) occurring from the Saskatchewan to Texas,
and having a succulent plum-shaped pod.
{Ground rat}. (Zool.) See {Ground pig} (above).
{Ground rent}, rent paid for the privilege of building on
another man's land.
{Ground robin}. (Zool.) See {Chewink}.
{Ground room}, a room on the ground floor; a lower room.
--Tatler.
{Ground sea}, the West Indian name for a swell of the ocean,
which occurs in calm weather and without obvious cause,
breaking on the shore in heavy roaring billows; -- called
also {rollers}, and in Jamaica, {the North sea}.
{Ground sill}. See {Ground plate} (a) (above).
{Ground snake} (Zool.), a small burrowing American snake
({Celuta am[oe]na}). It is salmon colored, and has a blunt
tail.
{Ground squirrel}. (Zool.)
(a) One of numerous species of burrowing rodents of the
genera {Tamias} and {Spermophilus}, having cheek
pouches. The former genus includes the Eastern
striped squirrel or chipmunk and some allied Western
species; the latter includes the prairie squirrel or
striped gopher, the gray gopher, and many allied
Western species. See {Chipmunk}, and {Gopher}.
(b) Any species of the African genus {Xerus}, allied to
{Tamias}.
{Ground story}. Same as {Ground floor} (above).
{Ground substance} (Anat.), the intercellular substance, or
matrix, of tissues.
{Ground swell}.
(a) (Bot.) The plant groundsel. [Obs.] --Holland.
(b) A broad, deep swell or undulation of the ocean,
caused by a long continued gale, and felt even at a
remote distance after the gale has ceased.
{Ground table}. (Arch.) See Earth table, under Earth.
{Ground tackle} (Naut.), the tackle necessary to secure a
vessel at anchor. --Totten.
{Ground thrush} (Zool.), one of numerous species of
bright-colored Oriental birds of the family {Pittid[ae]}.
See {Pitta}.
{Ground tier}.
(a) The lowest tier of water casks in a vessel's hold.
--Totten.
(b) The lowest line of articles of any kind stowed in a
vessel's hold.
(c) The lowest range of boxes in a theater.
{Ground timbers} (Shipbuilding) the timbers which lie on the
keel and are bolted to the keelson; floor timbers.
--Knight.
{Ground tit}. (Zool.) See {Ground wren} (below).
{Ground wheel}, that wheel of a harvester, mowing machine,
etc., which, rolling on the ground, drives the mechanism.
{Ground wren} (Zool.), a small California bird ({Cham[ae]a
fasciata}) allied to the wrens and titmice. It inhabits
the arid plains. Called also {ground tit}, and {wren tit}.
{To bite the ground}, {To break ground}. See under {Bite},
{Break}.
{To come to the ground}, {To fall to the ground}, to come to
nothing; to fail; to miscarry.
{To gain ground}.
(a) To advance; to proceed forward in conflict; as, an
army in battle gains ground.
(b) To obtain an advantage; to have some success; as, the
army gains ground on the enemy.
(c) To gain credit; to become more prosperous or
influential.
{To get ground}, or {To gather ground}, to gain ground. [R.]
"Evening mist . . . gathers ground fast." --Milton.
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There is no way for duty to prevail, and get ground
of them, but by bidding higher. --South.
{To give ground}, to recede; to yield advantage.
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These nine . . . began to give me ground. --Shak.
{To lose ground}, to retire; to retreat; to withdraw from the
position taken; hence, to lose advantage; to lose credit
or reputation; to decline.
{To stand one's ground}, to stand firm; to resist attack or
encroachment. --Atterbury.
{To take the ground} to touch bottom or become stranded; --
said of a ship.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Lose \Lose\ (l[=oo]z), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Lost} (l[o^]st; 115)
p. pr. & vb. n. {Losing} (l[=oo]z"[i^]ng).] [OE. losien to
loose, be lost, lose, AS. losian to become loose; akin to OE.
leosen to lose, p. p. loren, lorn, AS. le['i]san, p. p. loren
(in comp.), D. verliezen, G. verlieren, Dan. forlise, Sw.
f["o]rlisa, f["o]rlora, Goth. fraliusan, also to E. loose, a
& v., L. luere to loose, Gr. ly`ein, Skr. l[=u] to cut.
[root]127. Cf. {Analysis}, {Palsy}, {Solve}, {Forlorn},
{Leasing}, {Loose}, {Loss}.]
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1. To part with unintentionally or unwillingly, as by
accident, misfortune, negligence, penalty, forfeit, etc.;
to be deprived of; as, to lose money from one's purse or
pocket, or in business or gaming; to lose an arm or a leg
by amputation; to lose men in battle.
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Fair Venus wept the sad disaster
Of having lost her favorite dove. --Prior.
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2. To cease to have; to possess no longer; to suffer
diminution of; as, to lose one's relish for anything; to
lose one's health.
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If the salt hath lost his savor, wherewith shall it
be salted? --Matt. v. 13.
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3. Not to employ; to employ ineffectually; to throw away; to
waste; to squander; as, to lose a day; to lose the
benefits of instruction.
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The unhappy have but hours, and these they lose.
--Dryden.
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4. To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to and; to
go astray from; as, to lose one's way.
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He hath lost his fellows. --Shak
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5. To ruin; to destroy; as destroy; as, the ship was lost on
the ledge.
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The woman that deliberates is lost. --Addison.
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6. To be deprived of the view of; to cease to see or know the
whereabouts of; as, he lost his companion in the crowd.
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Like following life thro' creatures you dissect,
You lose it in the moment you detect. --Pope.
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7. To fail to obtain or enjoy; to fail to gain or win; hence,
to fail to catch with the mind or senses; to miss; as, I
lost a part of what he said.
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He shall in no wise lose his reward. --Matt. x. 42.
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I fought the battle bravely which I lost,
And lost it but to Macedonians. --Dryden.
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8. To cause to part with; to deprive of. [R.]
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How should you go about to lose him a wife he loves
with so much passion? --Sir W.
Temple.
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9. To prevent from gaining or obtaining.
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O false heart! thou hadst almost betrayed me to
eternal flames, and lost me this glory. --Baxter.
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{To lose ground}, to fall behind; to suffer gradual loss or
disadvantage.
{To lose heart}, to lose courage; to become timid. "The
mutineers lost heart." --Macaulay.
{To lose one's head}, to be thrown off one's balance; to lose
the use of one's good sense or judgment, through fear,
anger, or other emotion.
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In the excitement of such a discovery, many scholars
lost their heads. --Whitney.
{To lose one's self}.
(a) To forget or mistake the bearing of surrounding
objects; as, to lose one's self in a great city.
(b) To have the perceptive and rational power temporarily
suspended; as, we lose ourselves in sleep.
{To lose sight of}.
(a) To cease to see; as, to lose sight of the land.
(b) To overlook; to forget; to fail to perceive; as, he
lost sight of the issue.
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