close 
Many thouunit trees, that grew partly in closet, anil 
partly in the common lields. Coryat, Crudities, I. 48. 
I'rl.t III a 1 "IIC8. 
T<-nnil<ni, St. Sim, ..,11 Stylilcs. 
2. A piece of laud held as private property, 
whether actually inclosed or not: in the com- 
mon law of pleading, technically used of any 
interest (whether temporary or permanent, or 
even only in profits) in the soil, exclusive of 
other persons, such as entitles him who holds 
it to maintain an action of trespass against an 
invader. 
It seems I broke u ,/-, u ilh f, ,r. ,- anil anus. 
'!' iiii'K'ni, i:d\vin Morris. 
3. Specifically, the precinct of a cathedral or 
an abbey; a minster-yard. 
Ch'Xi'x surrounded hy the \,-i;cral,l,. ahodcs ii ( deaii> and 
canons. Mam nlntj. 
To every canon (at the end of the eleventh renttiry] was 
allotted a duel linn-place apart for himself and his servants, 
though eaeh ,>n,- uas r\p, rl, ,1 t,, luc within the walled 
space, called, from that circumstance, the close, a good 
specimen of which is still to lie seen at Wells, near the 
cathudral. A'"c, church of our Fathers, ii. 83. 
4. A narrow passage or entrance, such as leads 
from u main street to the stair of a building 
containing several tenements ; the entry to a 
court ; a narrow lane leading from a street: as, 
a clone in Marylebono. ['Scotch and local Eng- 
lish.] 
And so keppit he the </,,.., of his clene Cite*. 
MOD / Trui/ (E. E. T. S.), 1. 12982. 
A thrc hcdct houmlc in his homnl <-o^ht. 
That was kepcr of the rliur of that eursct In. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 301. 
Breach of close. See iimirli. 
close-banded (klos'ban'ded), a. Being in close 
order; closely united. Alii Inn. 
close-bodied (klos'bod'id), a. Fitting close to 
the body. 
A close-bodied coat. Ayliffe, Parergon. 
close-compacted (klds'kom-pak"ted), a. In 
compact order. Ailtlixon. 
close-COUChed (klos ' koucht), a. Concealed. 
Milton. 
close-couped (klos'kopt), a. See coujirit. 
close-curtained (klosTctr'tand), a. Inclosed in 
curtains. 
Tlie drowsy.frighted steeds, 
That draw the litter of close-curtain 'd sleep. 
Milton, Comus, 1. 554. 
close-fights (klos'fits), n. pi. Naut., bulkheads 
formerly erected fore and aft in a ship for the 
men to stand behind in close engagement in 
order to fire on the enemy. Also called close- 
quarters. 
Close-fisted (klos'nVted), . Miserly; niggard- 
ly ; penurious. 
Is Seville close/luted > Valladolid is open. 
Mtditletott and Itowley, Spanish Gypsy, ii. 1. 
A griping, close-fisted fellow. 
Up. Berkeley, Maxims concerning Patriots. 
close-fistedness (klos'ftVted-nes), n. The state 
or condition of being close-fisted; niggardli- 
ness; meanness. 
close-handed (kl6s'han ; 'ded), a. Close-fisted; 
penurious ; niggardly. Sir M. Hale. 
Qalha was very close-handed: I have not read much of 
his liberalities. Arbuthnot, Anc. Coins. 
close-hauled (klos'hald), a. Ifaut., sailing as 
close to the yritid. as possible. 
The weather to-day was flue, though we had occasional 
squalls of wind and rain. We were eluse-hatded, and the 
motion of the vessel was violent and disagreeable. 
Lady Brassey, Voyage of Sunbeam, II. xv. 
close-hug (klos'hug), n. A name of the scapu- 
lar arch of a fowl without the furculum or mer- 
rythought. 
closely (klos'li), adv. In a close manner, (a) 
So as completely to inclose ; so as to shut out or shut in ; 
soas to leave no opening; tightly, (b) Within narrow lim- 
its of action ; narrowly ; strictly. 
This day should Clarence closely be niew'd up. 
Shak., Rich. III., 1. 1. 
(c) Secretly ; privately ; hiddenly. 
Then, closeli/ as he might, he cast to leave 
The Court, not asking any passe or leave. 
.s>-/ier, Mother Hub. Tale. 
We have closely sent for Hamlet. Shak., Hamlet, ill. 1. 
(d) Nearly ; with little or no space or time intervening : as, 
one event follows closel// upon another. 
Follow Fluellen closely at the heels. 
Shak., Hen. V., iv. 7. 
At some fond thought, 
Her bosom to the writing closelier press'd. 
D. 0. Rossetti, Sonnets, x. 
(c) Compactly ; with condensation : as, a cloiely woven fab- 
ric. 
Baskets most curiously made with split branches of trees, 
so closely woven together as to contain water almost as well 
as a wooden vessel. Urttce, Sourceof the Nile, II. 548. 
1055 
(/) rmlevlatingly; without wandering or diverging: (1) 
Inlentlj , all, nlively; with the mind or tl 
with near inspection: us, to look or attend ,7c..W</. (*2) 
U ith ^tii,t a'lh, i , 'nee to a model or original : as, t*i trans- 
late or copy closely. l}ry<U'n, ('/) \\ ith near ,-itl, ,11011, at 
tachment. alli.uicc. or interest : Ultimately : 
/// , onncctcd m n i, nd-liip ; nations,'/' , treaty. 
My name, once mine, now thine, is closelier min> 
/. ,,.,:i , ,,. Merlin and S ivien. 
closen (klo'sn), r. t. [< closet, a . ( + ^ a *, 4.] 
To make close or closer. [Rare.] 
Mis tricnds ,-/,)..;( the tie by claiminc; relationship to 
him. /:/ >' > l> QUA ' < /." />', 
closeness (klos'nes), n. [< clow", a., + -ness.] 
The state or quality of being close, 
of 1,,'iicj completely inclosed, of being shut, or of having 
no vent. 
In drums, the closeness round about that prcserveth the 
Bound. Bacon, Nat. lint., ; I Ii:. 
(It) Narrowness ; straitncss, as of a place, (c) Want of 
ventilation; oppressiveness. 
Half stilled by thu closeness of the room. Ai (n. 
<:li Miictnesn: as, closeness of confinement, (e) Near ap- 
proach; proximity; nearness; intimate relation. 
I In- actions and proceedings of wise men run in greater 
closeness and coherence with one another. South. 
(/) Compactness ; solidity ; density : as, the closeness of 
tli,cr in wood. Bentleij. Figuratively applied to style or 
argument. 
His [Burke's] speeches differed not at all from his pani- 
phleu; these are written speeches, or those are spoken 
dissertations, according as any one is over-studious of 
method and closeness in a book, or of ease and nature in an 
onttion. Broui/ham, Burke. 
(.,/) Connection ; near union ; intimacy, as of affection or 
interest : as, the closeness of friendship or of alliance. (A) 
Secrecy ; privacy ; caution. 
The extreme caution or closeness of Tiberius. 
Bacon, Simulation, 
(i) Avarice ; stinginess ; penuriousness. 
An affectation of closeness and covetousness. 
Addition, Spectator. 
0') Rigid adherence to an original ; liter alncss : as, the 
closeness of a version, (fc) Logicalness ; connectedness : as, 
the closeness of an argument. 
close-pent (klos'pent), a. Shut close; confined; 
without vent. 
Ambition, madam, is a great man's madness 
That is not kept in chains and close-pent rooms. 
Webster, Duchess of Malft. 
close-plane (klos'plan), n. A singularity of an 
algebraic surface, consisting of a torsal plane 
meeting the surface in a line twice and in a 
residual curve, and differing from a jiineh-plune 
in that the line and curve nave an intersection 
lying on the spinode curve. The close-plane is a 
spinode plane, ana meets the consecutive spinode plane 
in a line which is not the tangent of the residual curve. 
close-point (kids' point), n. A singularity of an 
algebraic surface, consisting of a point on the 
cuspidal curve where this curve does not touch 
the curve of section of the tangent plane. 
close-quarters (kl6s'kw6r"terz), n. pi. Same 
as close-flijhts. 
closer 1 (k'lo'zer), . [< close*, v., + -er*.~\ One 
who or that which closes or concludes, specifi- 
cally (a) That which puts an end to a controversy, or 
disposes of an antagonist; a clencher. [Colloq.J (ft) In 
arch., the last stone in a horizontal row or course, of a less 
size than the others, fitted so as to close the row; in brick- 
work, a bat used for the same purpose. When the bat is 
n quarter brick, it is called a queen closer; when it is a 
three-quarter brick inserted at the angle of a stretching- 
course, it is called a king closer, (c) In elect., a circuit-closer. 
(d) Hilit., a tile-closer, (e) In shoeinakintj, a boot-closer. 
closer 2 *, [ME. , also closere, and irre.g. clocher, 
< OF. closier, m., closiere, closere, f., an inclo- 
siire. a garden, < clos, pp., closed, close: see 
close 2 , a., and close*, .] An inclosure. Bom. 
of the Rose, 1. 4069. 
Hit happit hym in hast the hoole for to fynd. 
Of the cave <v the clocher, there the kyng lay. 
Detraction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 13502. 
close-reef (klos'ref), v. t. Naut., to reef (a sail) 
closely ; take in all the reefs. 
close-sciencest (kl6s'si ; 'en-sez), . A name 
given by the herbalist Gerard to a double va- 
riety of the dame's-violet, Hesperis matronalis, 
otherwise known us close (that is, double) sriin-i/. 
The latter term arose from an early specific 
name, Damascena, which was understood as 
tin lac's scena. 
close-season (klos'se'zn), n. Same as close- 
time. 
close-stool (klos'stol), n. A seat for the sick 
or infirm, comprising a tight box with a close- 
fitting lid to contain a chamber-vessel. 
closet (kloz'et), . and a. [< ME. closet, < OF. 
closet, dim. of clos, a close : see c/ose 2 , n.] I. 
. 1. A small room or apartment forretirement; 
any room for privacy ; a small supplementary 
apartment communicating with another, as a 
dressing-room with a bedroom ; hence, in reli- 
gious literature, the place or habit of devotional 
seclusion. 
closh 
Thenne lyst the lady to loke on the knyjt. 
Thenne com ho of hir /.>(, v.ith monv eler burdrj. 
.SV, ' I 'I,.- lii.'i n /. !. S.), 1.942. 
When th,,n pi:i\, -t liter int' thy cioxet. Mat. vi. 6. 
William IV. wan buried ... in the royal vault in St. 
ljucen Adi 1 
in the royal >'l". ' "t l !,' ,-hapel. 
/ '.- ' y. <ir tif a Silkfn llei;fn, p. 26. 
2. A small side room or inclosed reeess for stor- 
ing utensils, clothing, provisions, curioiti>--, 
etc. 3t. A bedroom. 
U h.ui that she was In the climel layil. 
lii. 87. 
4t. A secret place ; a place for the storing of 
precious things. [liare.J 
lint to her selfe it secretly retaj -in d 
Within the closet of her , 
*l*-iurr, V. Q.,V. v. 44. 
For thro' Earth's closets when his way he tore, 
He wisely (tiller d all her Dandiest store. 
f. Beaumont, Psyche, L 64. 
St. An inclosed or inside part. 
Than gedryt (gathered) the grekes . . . 
tfrushet in felly at the faireyatea . . . 
The knighti'g in the closet eomyn out switlie. 
Deit,-:'.-ii:,, -/ />,, ii; !;. T. s.i, I. U829. 
6. In her., a diminutive of the bar, one half of 
its width. 
n. a. 1. Restricted, as to a closet; pertain- 
ing to or done in privacy or seclusion ; suitable 
to or designed for private consideration or use ; 
private ; secluded : as, a cloHet conference or in- 
trigue; closet reflections; a closet book or pic- 
ture. 2. Intimate ; sharing one's privacy. 
I shall not instance an abstruse Author, . . . but one 
whom wee well know was the Closet Companion of these his 
solitudes, William Shakespeare. Hilton, Eikouokhutes, 1. 
3. Fitted only for seclusion or the privacy of a 
scholar ; not adapted to the conditions of a prac- 
tical life ; merely theoretical ; unpractical : as, 
a closet philosopher or theory. 
The simple answer is that we were not closet theologians, 
but men dealing with an extremely difnciilt problem of 
practical statesmanship. Contemporary llev., XLIX. 319. 
closet (kloz'et), e. t. [< closet, .] 1. To in- 
close or shut up, as in a closet or close compart- 
ment. Herbert. 2. To admit into or as into 
a closet, as for concealment or for private and 
confidential or clandestine consultation : used 
chiefly in the past participle. 
Already was he (Stuyvesant) closeted with his privy 
council, sitting in grim state, brooding over the fate of his 
favorite trumpeter. Irving, Knickerbocker, p. 449. 
Dundas called on Pitt, woke him, and was closeted with 
him many hours. Macaulay, Warren Hastings. 
closeted (kloz'et-ed), a. [< closet, n., 6, + -cd 2 .] 
In her., same as barruly or barruletty, accord- 
ing to the number of closets represented. See 
closet, it., 6. 
Close-time (klos'tim), n. A season of the year 
during which it is unlawful to catch or kill cer- 
tain kinds of game and fish. Also close-season. 
He had shot . . . some young wild ducks, as, though 
close-time was then unknown, the broods of grouse were yet 
too young for the sportsman. Scott, Waverley, xvili. 
They came on a wicked old gentleman breaking the laws 
of his country, and catching perch in close-time out of a 
punt. II. Kimjsley, Kavenshoe, Ixiv. 
closeting (kloz'et-ing), n. [Verbal n. of closet, 
r.] The act of conferring secretly ; private or 
clandestine conference. 
About this time began the project of closeting, where the 
principal gentlemen of the kingdom were privately cate- 
chized by his majesty. Swift. 
That month he employed assiduously ... in what was 
called closetiny. London was very full ; . . . many mem- 
bers of Parliament were in town. The king set himself to 
canvass them man by man. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., vii. 
close-tongued (klos'tungd), a. Secretive; cau- 
tious in speaking. 
Close -toturited treason. Shak., Lncrece, 1. 770. 
close-work (kids' werk), . In Eng. coal-mining, 
the drifting or running of a level between two 
coal-seams. 
closh 1 (klosh), n. [< F. clocher, OF. clocltier, < 
L. flaudicare, limp: see clock 6 and clauilicate. 
The Pr. clopchar, limp, has suggested another 
origin of clocher, namely, < ML. *clo)>picare, < 
CII>IIHS, OF. and Pr. clop, lame, prob. of LG. 
origin, but referred witnout much reason to 
Gr. ,fu?.o-ouf, lame-footed, < x^"fj lame, + irovr, 
(Trod-) = E. foot.'] A disease in the feet of cat- 
tle. Also called founder. 
closh 2 t (klosh), H. [Perhaps < D. klos, a bowl, 
bobbin, block (cf. 1,-lnxliiniii. a bowling-green), = 
Dan. Idods = Sw. klots, block, stub : see clot 1 , .] 
A game mentioned in old statutes, played with 
pins and bowls, and supposed to be the equiv- 
alent of the modern ninepins. 
The game of cloith, or dosh, mentioned frequently in 
the ancient statutes, seems to have been the same as 
