YAR 
Y A R 
YAR 
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'V' or x, the twenty-second letter of our 
alphabet. In numerals it expresses 10, 
whence in old Roman manuscripts it is used 
for denarius ; and as such seems to be made 
of two V’s placed one over the other. When 
a dash is added over it, thus X, it signifies 
ten thousand. 
XANTHE, a genus of plants of the class 
and order dioecia syngenesia. The flowers 
are dioecious; the calyx live-parted; corolla 
5-6 petalled. 'There are two species, shrubs 
of Guiana. 
XANTHIUM, a genus of plants of the 
class moncecia, order penlandria, and arran- 
ged in the natural classification under the 49th 
order, composite. The male flowers are 
composite, common calyx imbricated ; co- 
rolluke monopetalous, tubular, quiiupiefid. 
Female : calyx involucrum of two leaves, 
containing two flowers ; corolla 0; drupa 
dry, prickly ; nucleus bilocular. There are 
five species, only one of which is a native of 
Britain, the strnmarium or less burdock. The 
stem of this plant is a foot and a half high, 
thick, often spotted ; leaves heart-shaped, 
lobed, on long footstalks. Flowers, male 
and female, many together, in the alse of the 
leaves. The leaves are bitter and astringent. 
A decoction of the whole plant affords a 
showy yellow colour, but it is better if only 
the flowers are used. Florses and goats eut 
it : cows, sheep, and swine, refuse it. 
XANTHIORZA, a genus of plants of the 
class and order pentandria polygamia. There 
is no calyx ; the petals five ; nectarines five, 
pedicelled ; capsules five, one-seeded. There 
is one species, a shrub of North America. 
XANTHOXYLUM, the tooth-ache tree, 
a genus of plants of the class and order dioecia 
pentandria. The calyx is five-parted ; no 
corolla ; fern. pist. five ; capsules live, one- 
seeded. There is one species, a tree of Ja- 
maica. 
XERANTHEMUM, a genus of the syn- 
genesia polygamia superflua ciass of plants ; 
the compound flower of which is unequal, and 
consists of many tubulous hermaphrodite 
floscules placed on the disc, and also a few 
female tubulated ones on the verge; the seeds 
are oblong, coronated, and contained in the 
«up. There are twenty-seven species. 
XT' the twenty-third letter of our alphabet. 
9 Y is a numeral, signifying 150, or ac- 
cording to Baronius, 159 ; and with a dash 
at top, as Y, it signified 150,000. 
YACHT. This word is taken from the 
Dutch. It is a small ship with one deck, car- 
rying four, eight, or twelve guns, and thirty 
or forty men. Yachts, in general, are from 
thirty to 1 60 tons; contrived and adorned 
both withinside and without, for carrying 
state passengers. They answer the purposes 
of business as well as pleasure, being remark- 
ably good sailers. 
YARD. See Measure. 
Y^rds of a ship, are those long pieces of 
X. 
XTMENIA, a genus of plants of the class 
and order pentandria monogynia. The calyx 
is a perranthiom, composed of three small, 
cordated, and deciduous leaves ; the corolla 
is formed of four petals, of a campanulated 
figure, divided at the edge into three erect, 
oblong, obtuse segments ; the germen is 
small, and of a suboval figure ; the fruit is an 
oval drupe, containing one cell ; the seed is 
oval, unilocular, and smooth, There are 
three species, trees of the Westjndies. 
XIPH1AS, in zoology', the sword-fish, a 
genus of fishes belonging to the order of 
apodes. The upper jaw terminates in a long 
sword-shaped rostrum, from which it is called 
the sword-fish: there are no teeth in the 
mouth ; t'ne gill membrane has eight rays ; 
and the body is somewhat cylindrical. There 
is but one species, viz. the gladius, found in 
the European ocean. This fish sometimes 
frequents our coasts, but is much more com- 
mon in the Mediterranean sea, especially in 
the part that separates Italy from Sicily, 
which has been long celebrated for it : the 
promontory Pelorus, now Capo di Faro, was 
a place noted for the resort of the xiphias, 
and possibly the station of the speculatores, 
or the persons who watched and gave notice 
of the approach of the fish. 
The antient method of taking them is par- 
ticularly described by r Strabo, and agrees ex- 
actly with that practised by the moderns. 
A man ascends one of the cliffs that overhang 
the sea : as soon as he spies the fish, he gives 
notice, either by his voice or by signs, of the 
course it takes. Another, that is stationed in 
a boat, climbs up the mast, and on seeing the 
sword-fish, directs the rowers towards it. As 
soon as he thinks they are got within reach, 
he descends, and taking a spear in his hand, 
strikes it into the fish ; which, after wearying 
itself with its agitation, is seized and drawn 
into the boat. It is much esteemed by the 
Sicilians, who buy it up eagerly, and at its 
first coming into season, give about six-pence 
English per pound. The season lasts from 
May till August. The antients used to cut 
this fish into pieces and salt it ; whence it was 
called TomusThurianus, fromThurii, a town 
iii the bay of Tarentum, where it was taken 
and cured. 
Y. 
timber which are made a little tapering at 
each end, and are fitted each athwart its pro- 
per mast, with the sails made fast to them, so 
as to be hoisted up, or lowered down, as occa- 
sion serves. They have their names from the 
masts to which they belong. As for the 
length of the main-yard, it is usually five- 
sixths of the length of the keel, or six-sevenths 
of the length of the main-mast. Their thick- 
ness is commonly three quarters of an inch 
for every yard in length. The length of the 
main-top-yard is two-fifths of the main-yard ; 
and the Tore-yard four-fifths of it. The sprit- 
sail-yard, and cross-jack-yard, are half the 
mizen-yard ; and the thickness of the mizen- 
yard and sgritsail-yard is half an inch for 
The sword-fish is said to be very voracious, 
and that it is a great enemy to the tunny, who 
(according to Belon) areas ijiuch terrified at 
it as sheep are at the sight of a wolf. It is a 
great enemy to the whales, and frequently, 
destroys them. 
XIPHIDIUM, a genus of plants of the 
class and order triandria monogynia. The 
corolla is six-petalled, equal ; capsules supe- 
rior, three-celled, many-seeded. There is 
one species, a herb of the W est Indies. 
XYLO-ALOES, or Aloe-wood, in phar- 
macy. See Excoecaria. 
XYLOCARPUS, a genus of plants of the 
class and order octandria monogynia. The 
calyx is four-toothed ; the corolla four-pe- 
talled ; nectarium eight-cleft ; filaments in- 
serted in nect. ; drupe lour or five-grooved ; 
nuts eight or ten. There is one species, a 
tree of the East Indies. 
XYLOMELUM, a genus of plants of the 
class and order tetrandria monogynia. The 
ament, is with a simple scale ; petals four* 
staminiferous ; stigma club-shaped, obtuse* 
There is one species, of no note. 
XYLOPHYLLA, a genus of plants of 
the class and order pentandria trigynia. The 
calyx is five-parted, coloured; corolla none;, 
one stigma, jagged; capsule three- celled 
seeds two. There are seven species, shruba 
of the West Indies. 
XYLOPIA, a genus of plants of the class 
and order polyandria polygynia. The calyx, 
is tlnee-leaved ; petals six ; capsule one or 
two seeded, four-cornered, two-valved 
seeds ariiled. There are three species, trees 
of the West Indies. 
XYLOSMA, a genus of plants of the class 
and order dioecia polyandria. The calyx is 
four or five parted; corolla none; male 
stamina twenty to fifty ; female style scarce- 
ly any ; stigma trifid ; berry dry ; seeds two*, 
three-sided. There are two species. 
XYRIS, a genus of tire triandria monogy-- 
nia class of plants, the flower of which consists- 
of three plain, patent, large, crenated petals, 
with narrow ungues, of the length of the cup. 
The fruit is a roundish, trilocular, trivalvular 
capsule, within the cup, with a great number, 
of very small seeds. There are three spe» 
cies. 
every yard in length. All small yards are 
half the great yards from cleat to cleat. When 
a yard is down a portlast, it gives the length 
of all top-sail-sheets, lifts, ties, and bunt- 
lines, as also of the leech-lines and halliards, 
measuring from the hounds to the deck : and 
when it is hoisted, it gives the length of clew- 
lines, clew-garnets, braces, tackles, sheets, 
and bow-lines. 
There are several sea-terms relating to the 
management of the yards; as, square the 
yards ; that is, see that they hang right across 
the ship, and no yard-arm traversed more 
than another : top the yards, that is, make 
them stand even. To top the main and fore- 
yards, the clew-lines are the most proper; 
