GEM 



549 



GEN 



GAZETTE', a kind of official newspaper. 

 The term gazetta is said to have been the 

 name of a Venetian coin, in value some- 

 what less than the English halfpenny, the 

 first price of a newspaper. The first ga- 

 zette in England was published at Oxford, 

 in 1665 On the removal of the Court to 

 London, the title was changed to London 

 Gazette. It is now the official newspaper, 

 and published on Tuesdays and Fridays. 



GA'ZONS. In fortification, sods or pieces 

 of fresh earth, covered with grass, about 

 a foot long, and half as broad, cut in the 

 form of a wedge, to line the parapet. The 

 term gazon is French for sod. 



GEA'RING, from Sax. gearwian, to pre- 

 pare. In mechanics, a series of toothed 

 wheels for conducting motions in machi- 

 nery generally. There are two sorts in 

 common use : spur-gear, and bevelled-gear. 

 The former consists of teeth arranged 

 round either the concave or convex sur- 

 face of the rim of a wheel, in the direction 

 of radii from the centre : in the bevelled 

 gear, the teeth are placed upon the exte- 

 rior periphery of a conical wheel, and 

 gradually diminish in the direction of the 

 apex of the cone. 



GEC'KO, the name given by Daudin to 

 the Ascalabotes of Cuvier. The geckos are 

 saurians, but are flattened, and are not so 

 long and graceful as the true saurians. 

 They are disseminated throughout the 

 warm portions of both continents, and are 

 everywhere objects of hatred. Gecko is 

 the name given to a species in India, in 

 imitation of its cry, just as another is 

 termed Tockail at Siam,and a third Geitje 

 at the Cape ; a.<rxa./.attmK , is the Greek 

 name of the Geckottes. 



GECKOT'IDA or GECKOTII, a family of 

 reptiles, composed of nocturnal lizards, 

 which are so similar that they may be 

 left in one genus, the Gecko. The Geck- 

 ottes are now, however, divided accord- 

 ing to the arrangement of the toes into 

 Platydactyli, Hemidactyli, Thecadactyli 

 and Ptyodactyli. 



GEHEN'SA, a scriptural term signifying 



GEL'VTISE, Lat. gelatina, gelly or jelly. 

 An animal product, soluble in water, but 

 not in alcohol ; capable of assuming a 

 well-known elastic or tremulous consist- 

 ence on cooling, and liquitiable again by 

 raising its temperature. In this it is dis- 

 tinguished from albumen. It may be ex- 

 tracted from most parts of animals by 

 boiling, and it is found in some vege- 

 tables, as ripe currants and other berries, 

 mixed with an acid. Glue and isinglass, 

 freed from all impurities, are examples. 



GEL'DER-ROCE, a name common to two 

 plants, the one a species of Viburnum, 

 tiul the other a species of Sp\r<ta. 



GEM, Lat. gimma, a bud. This is the 



common name for all precious stonw 

 sought after as objects of decoration- 

 They form the chief part of the Crown 

 jewels of kings, not only for their beauty, 

 but because they are scarce, and there- 

 fore comprise great value in little bulk ! 

 The diamond ruby, sapphire, emerald, 

 topaz, hyacinth, and chrysoberyl, are 

 reckoned first class gems ; crystalline 

 quartz, amethyst, blood-stone, lapis la- 

 zuli, jasper, agate, sardonyx, &c., belong 

 to the second class. The superior varie- 

 ties of precious stones are termed oriental 

 by jewellers, and the inferior occidental . 

 imitations are called artificial gems or 

 pastes. These consist simply of glass co- 

 loured by metallic oxides, capable of pro- 

 ducing the colour of the true gem. 

 Fashion makes the difference of value. 



GEM'ARA, the second part of the Tal- 

 mud or commentary on the Jewish laws. 



GEM-ENGRAVING is called Lithoglyptics. 



GEM'INI, Lat. pi. of gemimts, double. 

 Twins. This is the name of the third 

 sign of the zodiac, representing Castor 

 and Pollux, and marked El- The sun 

 enters Gemini on the 21st of May. 



GEM'MA, the Latin word for Gem; used 

 in botany to designate a bud on the stem 

 of a plant. Buds are various in their 

 forms, but, in general, consist of scales 

 closely enveloping each other and enfold- 

 ing the embryo plant or branch. Shrubs 

 in general, and trees of hot climates, have 

 no gemmae. 



GEMMA'CEOCS, Lat. gemmacem, from 

 gemma, a bud. A term applied by bota- 

 nists to a flower-stalk which grows out 

 of a leaf-bud, as is seen in the Eerberis 

 vulgaris. 



GEMMIP'AROUS, from gemma, a bud or 

 shoot, and pario, to bring forth. An epi- 

 thet applied to plants and animals which 

 can be propagated by shoots. The water 

 polypi are mostly gemmiparous. 



GEM'OTE. In old law, the curioe cen- 

 turiae or court of the hundred. 



GENDA-R'MES or GENS D'ARMES, an ap- 

 pellation given in France to a select body 

 of troops destined to watch over the in- 

 terior public safety. This body was 

 broken up at the Revolution, and the 

 name was transferred to a band employed 

 in the protection of the streets. 



GEX'DER, Fr. genre, from Lat. genus. In 

 grammar, a difference in words to express 

 distinction of sex. Words expressing 

 males are said to be of the masculine gen- 

 der; those expressing females, of the fe- 

 minine gender, and in some languages, as 

 English, words expressing things having 

 no sex are said to be of the neuter gender. 



GENEALOO'ICAL TREE, the genealogy or 

 lineage of a family drawn out under th 

 form of a tree, with itt roots, item, 

 and branches. 



