TON 



718 



TOP 



geously cultivated in many parts of the 

 Old World. It takes its name from To- 

 bago, the island whence it was first 

 brought. The green leaves possess very 

 little odour or taste, but when dried their 

 odour is strong and narcotic, their taste 

 bitter and acrid. AVhen distilled they 

 yield an essential oil, on which their vir- 

 tue depends, but which is highly poi- 

 sonous. 



TOC'CATA, Ital. from toccare, to touch. 

 In music, a prelude. 



Toc'sis. An old French word signify- 

 ing an alarum-bell. 



TDD. A weight used in weighing wool. 

 It contains 281bs. avoirdupois. 



TOD'DY. 1. Asweetish juice drawn from 

 various palms in the East Indies, and 

 which acquires intoxicating qualities by 



fermentation. 2. A mixture of spirits 



and water sweetened. 



TO'GA. A sort of woollen gown or 

 mantle worn by the Romans. 



TOO'OEL. A small wooden pin, from 

 four to six inches in length, and usually 

 tapering from the middle towards the 

 ends ; used in ships instead of a hook in 

 fixing tackle, &c. 



TOISE. A long measure in France equal 

 to six French feet. 



TO'KAY. A sort of wine produced at 

 Tokay, in Hungary, from white giapes. 

 It is distinguished from other wines by 

 its aromatic taste. 



TO'LA. A weight for gold and silver in 

 India. It differs in different parts. 



TOLC'. Tolu balsam. A brownish-red 

 balsam, extracted from the stem of the 

 Toluifera balsamum, a tree of South Ame- 

 rica, which grows in the province of Tolu. 

 It is brought to us in little gourd-shells. 

 See TOLCIFEUA. 



ToLuir'FiA. The generic name of the 

 tree which affords the tolu balsam. De- 

 candria Slonogynia. Name from tolu and 

 fero , to yield. 



TOMA'TO. A name of Indian origin, 

 applied to the love-apple or Solatium lyco- 

 persicum. 



TOMBAC'. A white alloy of copper and 

 arsenic. 



TO'MENT, from tomentum, a flock of 

 wool. A term used to designate : (1.) In 

 anatomy, the small vessels on the surface 

 of the brain; (2.) In botany, a species of 

 pubescence, very soft to the touch, and 

 giving the surface a downy appearance. 



TOMENTO'SE, Lat. tomentosus. Downy, 

 woolly, cottony. Applied to stems, 

 leaves, &c. 



TOM'PIONS. In gunnery, wooden cylin- 

 ders put into the mouths of cannon to 

 keep the inside dry and clean. 



TON, Sax. twma. An English weight 

 of 20 c\vt. 



TONE, from wx, sound. A modifica- 

 tion of sound 1. In music, an interval of 



sound. Tones are distinguished into ma- 

 jor and minor. The major tone is in the 

 ratio of eight to nine, and results from 

 the difference between the fourth and 

 fifth. The tone minor is in the ratio of 

 nine to ten, and results from the differ- 

 ence between the minor third and fourth. 



2. In pathology, from rotof , extended ; 



the healthy and natural tension of the 

 muscular fibre. 



Tox'ic. 1. In pathology, from rovixcf , 

 from TUYU, to draw. A rigid contraction 

 of the muscles, which lasts for some time 

 without relaxation, is termed a tonic 



spasm. 2. In medicine, from ruttca, to 



strengthen. A term applied to medicines 

 which increase the tone of the muscular 

 fibre, and impart vigour to the system. 

 The mineral tonics are iron, zinc, copper, 

 arsenic, silver, bismuth, mercury, and the 

 mineral acids. The vegetable tonics con- 

 sist chiefly of bitters. 

 TON'KA. BEAN, } The fruit of the Dip- 

 TON'QUIN BEAN, } terix odorata,a. shrub- 

 by plant of Guiana. By digestion in al- 

 cohol it affords a crystalline volatile oil 

 called stearoptine and coumarine by the 

 French. This bean has a peculiarly aiirt-e- 

 able smell, and is employed in the scent- 

 ing of snuff. 



avtgatton, 

 ship can 



the number of tons which a ship 

 carry ; also an impost on ships according 

 to their tonnage or burden. 



TON'SIL, Lat. tonsilla. In anatomy, the 

 tonsils are two oblong, sub-ovate glands, 

 situated on each side of the fauces, and 

 opening into the cavity of the mouth by 

 a great many excretory ducts. 



TON'SCEE, Lat: tonsura, from tontut, 

 shaved. In the Romish Church, (1.) the 

 first ceremony used for devoting a person 

 to the service of God and the Church : 

 the first degree of clericate given by a 

 bishop, who cuts off a part of the hair, 

 uttering piayers and benedictions. (2.) 

 The corona cr Town which priests wear 

 as a mark of their order, and of their rank 

 in the church. 



TOXTINE' (Fr.).from Tonti, an Italian, 

 who invented the scheme. An annuity 

 or survivorship ; a loan raised on life an- 

 nuities, with the benefit of survivorship. 

 Thus the annuity is shared among a num- 

 ber, on the principle that the share of each 

 at his death shall go to the benefit of the 

 survivors, until at length the whole goes 

 to the last survivor and his heirs, or to 

 the state. 



TOOTH'INO. In architecture, bricks or 

 stones left projecting at the end of a wall, 

 that they may be bonded into a continu- 

 ation of it when required. 



TOP. In ship-building, a sort of plat- 

 form, surrounding tb* head of the lower 



