C AU 



208 



C A V 



beams carry two or three sheaves, about 

 which a rope, called the cat-fall or cat- 

 dole, passes and communicates with the 

 at-block. 



CAT'S'- PAW, among seamen, 1. A light 

 air perceived in a calm by a rippling on 

 the surface of the water. 2. A parti- 

 cular turn in the bight of a rope, made to 

 hook a tackle on. 



CAT'SALT, a beautifully granulated salt 

 obtained from the bittern or leach- brine 

 that runs from the salt when taken from 

 the pans at salt-works. This salt is used 

 in the making of hard soap and for curing 

 nsh. It is very pure. 



CAT'S'-TAIL, a name common to all the 

 plants, 1. of the genus Phleum; 2. of the 

 genus Typha. This last has more com- 

 monly the name Reed-mace. There are 

 several native species of both genera. 



CAT-THYME, the Syrian herb mastich 

 (Teucrium marum], a shrub which grows 

 plentifully in Greece, Egypt, Crete, and 

 Syria. The dried and powdered leaves 

 are used in medicine, but chiefly as an 

 errhine. 



CAT'TLE, beasts in general serving for 

 tillage or other labour, or for food to man. 

 In the primary sense, the term includes 

 camels, horses, asses, all the varieties of 

 domesticated horned beasts or the bovine 

 genus, sheep, goats, and perhaps swine. 

 Animals of the bovine genus are usually 

 distinguished by the name of neat, horned, 

 or black cattle, while sheep of all kinds, 

 goats, swine, &c., are denominated small 

 cattle. The origin of the term cattle is 

 doubtful it may be Norm, cetal, goods, or 

 Arm. chetal, beasts, or some cognate root. 



CAU'COS, a word used in America to 

 denote a meeting of citizens to agree upon 

 candidates to be proposed for election to 

 offices, or to concert measures for support- 

 ing a party. The origin of the word is 

 not ascertained. 



CAU'DA (Latin), a tail: applied to parts 

 resembling a tail, as the elongated base of 

 the ventre, lip, or columella of shells. 



CAU'DEX (Latin) , a stem : applied by some 

 botanists to that part both of the root and 

 stem of a plant which is not ramified. 



CATJDIC'ULA, a thin elastic process of the 

 pollen masses of the orchidaceous plants. 



CACT, a chest with holes for keeping 

 fish alive under water. 



CAU K , I a name given by English miners 

 CAWK, ] to sulphate of barytes or heavy 

 spar. 



CAtri., the English name of the amentum 

 (q. v.). A detached portion of the mem- 

 brane is sometimes found covering the 

 face of a newly born child : this in popular 

 language is named the caul. The super- 

 stitious believe that this species of mem- 

 brane, borne about the person, will pre 

 vent aa indiyldufii from ever being 



CAL-'LICOLES, the slender stems orstalij 

 of the leaves of the abacus in the Corin- 

 thian capital. 



CACLIC'ULUS, the slender part which 

 connects the cotyledon of a seed with the 

 radicle. 



CAC'LINE, Lat. caulinvi, appertaining to 

 the stem : applied to leaves and peduncles 

 which come immediately from the stem. 



CAD'LIS (Latin) , a stem which bears the 

 leaves as well as the flowers. 



CACLK'ING. 1. Bn nautical language, 



see CALKING. 2. In architecture, the old 



mode of fixing the binding joists of a floor, 

 or the tie-beams of a roof, by dovetailing 

 into the wall plates : called also cocking. 



CAULOcxa'pous, xauho;, stem, and 

 xettvos, fruit. Perennial plants which 

 yield flowers and fruit. 



CAU'STIC, from xotiu, to burn. A sub- 

 stance which has so great a tendency to 

 combine with organised substances as to 

 destroy their texture. The common cau- 

 stics are lunar caustic, or nitrate of silver, 

 and caustic potash. 



CAU'STIC BARLEY, the seeds of the Vera- 



um sabadilla, a plant of Senegal. They 

 are powerfully caustic. 



CAU'STIC CURVE, the curve formed by 

 the collected rays of light issuing from a 

 curved reflector : called also the catacauttie 

 curve. 



CAD'TERY, from xnv, to burn. .The 

 application of a red-hot iron is an actual 

 cautery ; the application of a caustic ia a 

 potential cautery, 



CAUTIONER, in Scots law, a security or 

 person bound by obligation for another. 



CAC'TIONRY, in Scots law, the obligation 

 by which one person becomes security 

 for another, that he shall pay a sum of 

 money, &c. 



CAVJE'DICM, Lat. in ancient architecture, 

 an open quadrangle within a house. 



CAVALIER, in fortification , an elevation 

 of earth, situated ordinarily in the gorge 

 of a bastion, and bordered with a parapet 

 with embrasures. 



CAVALIERS, in history, the party of 

 Charles I. 



CAVATI'NA (Italian), a short air with- 

 out a return or second part, which is 

 sometimes relieved by recitative. 



CAVA'ZION, ) from Lat. cavo, to hollow s 



CAVA'SION, i the foundation plan for the 

 walls of a building, which may be as 

 deep as one-sixth part of its height. 



CA'VEA. In ancient architecture, the sub- 

 terranean cells in amphitheatres, in 

 which wild beasts were confined, in 

 readiness for the fights of the arena. 



CA'VEAT, a Latin word meaning " let 

 him beware," used in courts of law to de- 

 note a process to stop proceedings, also 

 to denote a notice of intention to apply 

 for a patent for some invention. 



