HIR 



375 



HOD 



of the end walls, it is described as a 

 gable- end. 



HIPPOCEN'TAUR, a fabulous monster of 

 antiquity supposed to be half man and 

 half horse, from Ixxos , a horse, and cen- 

 taur (q.v.). 



HIP'POIRAS, Fr. quasi, wine of Hippo- 

 crates. An aromatic wine, formerly in 

 high repute in England as a cordial drink. 



HIPPOC'R.VTES SLEEVE, a sort of bag 

 made by uniting the opposite corners of 

 a square piece of flannel, used for strain- 

 ing syrups and decoctions. 



HIPPOCRA.TIC FACE. Pale, sunken, and 

 contracted features, considered a bad 

 symptom in diseases. 



HIPFOCRE'NE, i-nrof, and xyr,TH, foun- 

 tain. A celebrated fountain at the foot of 

 Mount Helicon. 



HIP'PODROME, from favos, a horse, and 

 $fou,o;, a course. A list or course among 

 the ancients wherein chariot and horse 

 races were performed, and horses exer- 

 cised. 



HIP'POGRIFP, from faxo;, a horse, and 

 griffin A fabulous animal half horse 

 and half griffin. The winged horse ima- 

 gined by Ariosto. 



HIP'POMANE, the manchineel tree. A ge- 

 nus of one species. Mon&cia Mona- 

 delphia. Name hippomane, from fatrof, 

 a horse, and [tou/ict, madness. A love po- 

 tion ; because the tree yields a white 

 milky juice which appears to have some 

 of the qualities of the ancient philter. 

 West Indies. 



HIPFOFOT'AMUS, the river-horse ; from 

 faxes, a horse, and JTOTMU-O;, a river. A 

 genus of mammalia of the Pachyderma- 

 tous order. There is only one species, 

 the H. amphibius, an animal with a mas- 

 sive and naked body, very short legs, 

 enormous head, terminated by a large in- 

 flated muzzle, small tail, ears, and eyes. 

 It is now confined to the rivers of the 

 middle and south of Africa, lives upon 

 roots, &c., and exhibits much ferocity 

 and stupidity. Fossil remains of the hip- 

 popotamus are found plentifully in many 

 parts of Europe in alluvial deposits. 



HIPPOTHE'RICM, an extinct animal al- 

 lied to the horse : whence the name from 

 faros, ahorse, and Or,{i6t, a wild beast. 

 The remains belong to the Miocene period. 



HIP'PCRITES, a genus of fossil bivalve 

 shells of a conical shape. Specimens have 

 been found in the chalk. 



HIP'PCS, Lat. from fayet, a horse. An 

 affection of the eyes, whereby the eyes 

 continually dilate and con tract, as is usual 

 with those who ride on horseback. It 

 arises from a spasmodic affection of the 

 iris. 



HIR'CINE, from hiretu. The name given 

 by Chevri'ul to a liquid fatty substance 



which is mixed with the olcine of mutton 

 suet. It is soluble in alcohol, e.rcl yiflds 

 hircic acid by saponification. 



HIR'SCTE, Lat. hirsutw*, bristly. In 

 zoology, when long stiffish hairs upon an 

 animal are thickly set. 



HIRUN'DO, a genus of passerine birds, 

 the swallows : family Fissirostres. The 

 genus comprehends the swifts and martins 

 of English authors. 



HIS'PID, Lat. hispidtts, bristly. Applied 

 to stems, seeds, &c., of plants, and surfaces 

 of animals. 



HIS'TER, a genus of pentamerous cole- 

 optera : family Clavicornes. This genus is 

 r divided into hister proper, hololepta, 

 abreeus, &c. The species feed on cadaver- 

 ous matters, and decomposing vegetable 

 substances, as old mushrooms, &c. 



HISTER'BIDES, a tribe of pentamerous 

 coleoptera, comprehending the genus 

 hister, Lin. 



HIS'TORY, from IO-TO^M, to inquire. A 

 narrative of facts and events, particularly 

 such as respect nations : distinct from an- 

 nals. The term history is also used to 

 signify a description of things, as well as 

 an account of facts. Thus, natural history 

 comprehends a description of the works 

 of nature, especially animals, vegetables, 

 and minerals. Zoology is the history of 

 animals, botany of plants, and mineralogy 

 of minerals. 



HISTRION'IC, relating to the drama, from 

 histrio, an actor, strictly a comedian, es- 

 pecially in pantomime. 



HITCH. Among seamen, a knot or noose 

 in a rope, for fastening it to a ring or 

 other object: distinguished according to 

 the sort of knot, by the names half-hitch, 

 rolling-hitch, clove flitch, &c. 



HITHE, a Saxon word for a port or 

 small harbour where goods are shipped 

 or landed: Queenhithe, on the Thames, 

 for example. 



HIVE, the box, chest, or other habita- 

 tion of a swarm of bees ; also the swarm 

 of bees inhabiting a hive. Bees are alsc 

 said to hive or cast when they send off 

 their young colonies. 



HIVES, a popular name of that variety 

 of varicella, in which the vesicles are 

 very large and globular. 



H. M. S. , an abbreviation for His or Her 

 Majesty's ship or service. 



HOARDING, the name given to the 

 wooden boarding inclosing any building 

 operations. 



HO'ARY, a whiteness on the surface, 

 arising from a covering of thick spread 

 short hairs. 



HOCK, from Hockheim. in Germany, a 

 light Rhenish wine: called sometimes 

 hockamore. 



HOD, Fr. hotte. A small box at the end 

 of a long staff, for carrying bricks and 

 mortar in. 



