NEC 



502 



N EM 



of the second and fourth quarters. The 

 highest spring tide is three days after the 

 full or change ; the lowest neap tide is 

 four days before the full or change. 

 NEAPED. The situation of a ship which 



Is left aground on the height of the spring 

 tide, so that she cannot be 

 the next spring tide. 



floated off till 



NEAT, Ital. nette. 1. In commerce. See 

 NET. - 2. Sax. neat. Cattle of the bo- 

 Tine genus, as bulls, oxen, and cows : 

 sometimes used tautologically, in neat 

 entile. 



NEBULA., Lat.. from vtQo;, njn\r,, fog. 



1. A dark spot, a film in the eye, or a 

 slight opacity of the cornea. - 2. In me- 

 teorology, a cloudy appearance. - 3. In 

 astronomy, a cluster of telescopic stars, or 

 of stars not distinguishable from each 

 other, but which exhibit a dim, ha/y 

 light, appearing like a cloud when viewed 

 with the telescope. In a paper read be- 

 fore the Royal Society of London, Sir 

 John Herschel gives the places of 2500 

 nebulae and clusters of stars, of which 500 

 wore discovered from the time of Sir 

 AVilliam Herschel. - 4. In heraldry, a 

 line drawn with undulations, resembling 

 the form of clouds ; or a shield or chanre 

 divided by several such lines drawn 

 across it. 



NECESSITY, DOCTRINE or. That scheme 

 which represents all human actions and 

 feelings as being under the direction of 

 laws entirely similar to those which 

 govern the material universe. 



NECK OF A CAPITAL. In architecture, the 

 space between the annulet of the capital 

 above, and the astragal at the top of the 

 shaft below. 



NEC'RONITE, from v6f? , dead. Foetid 

 felspar ; a mineral which, when rubbed or 

 pounded, emits a foetid odour like that of 

 putrid flesh. It occurs in small masses, 

 in limestone, near Baltimore. 



NECRO'SIS, from vixoa, to destroy. 1. 

 Mortification of the bones. -- 2. The ab- 

 sorption which takes place when deer 

 shed their horns. 



NEC'TAR, VIXTKQ- 1. The drink of the 

 gods. - 2. In pharmacy, a drink made of 

 wine and honey. - 3. In botany, juices 

 secreted by glands placed on the organs of 

 fructification. 



NEC'TARINE. 1. Sweet as nectar. - 



2. The name of the produce of the Amyg- 

 dalus nucepersica , a fruit which differs from 

 the common peach, of which it is a species, 

 in having a smooth rind and firmer flesh. 



NEC'TAHT, Lat. neetarium,ihe nectar or 

 honey cup. An accidental part of a flower, 

 which does not come under the descrip- 

 tion of any of its organs, but which may 

 be defined as that part of the corolla which 

 secretes the sweet juices or honey. Ii has 

 oun.crous forms. 



XEE'DLE, Sax. ntdl. 1. A small instru- 

 ment of steel pointed at one end, with an 

 eye at the other to receive a thread, used 

 in sewing. Mr. S. Cocker, of Sheffield , has 

 invented machinery by which needles 



may be produced at a penny per 1000. 



2. The magnetic needle is a small piece of 

 magnetised steel, sustained on a pivot, in 

 the centre of a compass : its south pole 

 points always in the direction of the 

 magnetic north pole, by which means the 

 mariner is guided in crossing the ocean. 



NE EXEAT REGNO. A writ to restrain 

 a person from going wit of the kingdom 

 without the king's license. 



NEG'ATIVE, Lat. negating, from nego,to 

 deny. A term which applies denial ; op- 

 posed to affirmative or positive. Thus, 

 "matter is not spirit," is a negative, pro- 

 position. In algebra, the negative sign is 

 that which denotes subtraction, and nega- 

 tive quantities are such as have the nega- 

 tive sign prefixed: opposed to positive 

 quantities and positive sign. Thus in the 

 expression a ab -t- ax, the term ab, 

 which has the negative sign prefixed, 

 is a negative quantity, and the term ax, 

 which has the positive sign + prefixed, 

 is positive, a is also a positive quantity, 

 the sign + being understood. Negative 

 elec tricitij, according to the theory of Dr. 

 Franklin, is that state of a body wherein 

 it has less electricity than its natural 

 share. At present it is termed the resin- 

 ous electricity, in contradistinction to tho 

 vitreous. A negative pregnant is a nega- 

 tion of one thing implying the aflirmation 

 of another. 



NE'GROES. A variety of the human spe- 

 cies, deriving their name from one of 

 their most striking characteristics, the 

 black colour of their skin. Ital. and Sp. 

 negro, black, from Lat. niger. The females 

 are negresses. The negro country seems 

 to be the central portion of Africa, but 

 the peculiar negro formation is observable 

 in eastern and western portions of that 

 continent, and is most strongly developed 

 in Guinea. 



NE IXJTS'TE VEX'ES. A writ of prohi- 

 bition to the lord, not to distrain or vex 

 his tenant needlessly. 



NELUM'BICM. The Sacred Bean : a genus 

 of perennial plants. PolyandriaPolygy- 

 nia. Name Latinized from the \elwnbo, 

 the Ceylonese name of the N. speciosum of 

 India, which produces the sacred bean. 

 The species are natives of hot climates. 



NEMJS'AN GAMES. Games celebrated in 

 ancient Greece, deriving their name from, 

 Nemnea, a village between the cities 

 Cleonseand Philus, where they were cele- 

 brated every third year. 



NEM. CON. For Ifemitie contradicente (no 

 one opposing). A phrase chiefly used in 

 the House of Commons, when anything 

 if carried without opposition. -Ytwi'M 



