corbel 
1262 
cordage 
side by the articular cavity of the tarsus; closed, when the 
cavity docs not attain it and the oval margin is complete ; 
caoernow, when tin 
curved over the col 
corbel 1 (kor'bel) 
corbelled, ppr. corbeling or corbelling. [< corbel^-, 
.] 1. To support on corbels. 2. In arch., 
to expand by extending each member of a se- 
ries beyond the one below. 
corbe! 2 t (kor'bel), . _ , , 
OF. corbel, F. corbeau, a raven, dim. of corp, 
corb, corf, < L. cori'us, a raven, a crow : see Cor- 
niK, corbie.] A raven or crow ; a corbie, 
corbeling, corbelling (kor'bol-ing), . [Ver- 
bal n. of corbel 1 , v.] In building, an overlap- 
ping arrangement of 
stones, bricks, etc., 
each course project- 
ing beyond the one 
below it. 
corbel-piece (kor'- 
bel pes), n. A wood- 
en support or brack- 
et; a bolster; a cor- 
bel. 
corbel-steps (k6r'- 
bel-steps), n. pi. 
Steps into which the 
sides of gables from 
the eaves to the apex 
are sometimes form- 
ed. Also called cor- 
bie-steps and crow- 
steps. 
corbel-table (kor'- 
bel-ta"bl), . A pro- 
jecting course, 
a parapet, a tier 
of windows, an 
arcade, an en- 
tablature, or 
other architec- 
tural arrange- 
ment, which 
rests upon a se- 
ries of corbels. 
corbett, . [< 
ME. corbet, < 
OF. corbete, corbette, courbettc, a sort of orna- 
mental edging, appar. equiv. to corbel 1 in arch., 
but in form as if fern. dim. of corbe, courbe, < L. 
curvus, bent, arched: see corb 1 , curve, a.] Same 
as corbel^. 
Corbetz and imageries. Chaucer, House of Fame, 1. 1304. 
corbicula 1 (kor-bik'u-lii), n. [NL., < LL. cor- 
he external margin is produced and ark by Noah, which did not return. [Scotch.] Corbie L V, ,i.A-j FAI 
rbel, like a roof, oats, a species of black oats. COrd 1 (kord), . [Also 
1), r. t. ; pret. and pp. corbeled or corbie-Steps (kor'bi-steps), n.pl. [Altered from ally preferred in certai 
corbel-steps; also called crow-steps, as if steps 1 
for corbies or crows to sit on.] Same as corbel- 
steps, [Scotch.] 
corbil (k6r'bil), . See corbel^. 
[< ME. *corbel, corbyal, < COrbint, n. [In mod. use only as Sc. corbie, q. 
v. ; ME. corbin, corbun, < OF. corbin, a raven or 
crow, dim. (cf. OF. corbin, adj., < L. eorriniin: 
see corvine) of corp, corb, corf, < L. cormis, a 
raven or crow: see Corrus, and cf. corbe ft. ] A 
raven ; a crow. 
Corbinae (kor-bi'ne), n. pi. [NL., < Corbis + 
-true.] A subfamily of lucinoid bivalves, typi- 
fied by the genus Corbis. The shell is generally 
ovate, the muscular impressions are subequal and broad'- 
ly ovate, and the ligament is external. 
Corbis (kor'bis), n. [NL., < L. corbis, a basket : 
see corfe 1 .] A genus of siphonate bivalve mol- 
lusks, of the family Lu- 
cinidai, having an oval 
ventricose sculptured 
shell with denticulate 
margin, simple pallial 
line, and two large 
and two lateral teeth 
in each valve, 
corbivau (kor-bi-vo'), 
. [< F. corbiveau, 
name of the bird in 
Le Vaillant's ' 'Oiseaux 
d'Afrique"; < corbeau, 
a raven (see corbel'*, corbie, Corvus), + vauteur, 
a vulture: see Corvultur."] A large corvine bird 
of Africa, Corvultur albicolUs. 
corbula (kor'bu-la), n. [NL., < L. corbula, a 
little basket, dim. of corbis, a basket : see 
corfr 1 .] 1. PI. corbulte (-le). In Hydrozoa, as in 
the genus Aglaophenia of the family Plumula- 
riidit, a common receptacle in which groups of 
gouangia are inclosed. It is formed by the union of 
lateral processes from that region of the hydrosoma which 
bears the gonophores, these processes being in some re- 
spects comparable to the hydrophyllia of the Calycopho- 
ridte. Huxley. 
Certain of the branches or pinna; [in Plumulariida>\ are 
at times replaced by cylindrical structures which are cov- 
ered with rows of nematophores, and are the cups or bas- 
kets in which the generative zodids are developed ; they 
are termed corbulte, and in some genera are metamor- 
phosed branches, while in others they are modified pinna;. 
Stand. Xat. Hist., I. 87. 
2. [cop.] A genus of siphonate bivalve mol- 
lusks, of the family Myida 1 , or type of a family 
Corbulida!, related to the common cob or clam. 
Corbel-steps. Castle of Schaffha 
sen, Switzerland. 
Corbis elegan 
Corbel-table. Cathedral of Chartres, 
France, i2th century. 
btcula, a little basket, fern. dim. of L. corbis, a Corbulacea, Corbtilaceae (kor-bu-la'se-a, -e), i 
basket : see cori 1 .] 1. In pi. [NL., < Corbula, 2, + -acea,'-acea>.~i' Same 
cntom., same as corbiculum. as Corbulidai. 
2. [cop.] A genus of Corbulidse (kor-bu'li-de), n. pi. [NL.,<Corbu- 
siphonate bivalve mol- la, 2, + -idle.'] A family of bivalve mollusks, 
typified by the genus Corbula. The animal has 
the mantle mostly closed and the siphons united, short 
and fringed ; the shell is inequivalve and gapes in front, 
lusks, of the family Cy- 
reitid(e (or Cycladidte or 
Corbiculidw). C. consobrina 
is an example. 
corbicula 2 , n. Plural of cor- 
biculum. 
Corbicula consobrina. 
eq ^ ^ r 
and its hinge has a recurved tooth in one valve fitting 
into a gosset in the other. There are numerous species, 
living in the mud or sand of the sea-shore or estuaries. 
Also Corbulacca, Corbulacece. 
corbiculate (kor-bik'u- corbuloid (kor'bu-loid), a. and n. [< Corbula, 
lat), o. [< corbiculum, cor- 2 > + -"?] I. Characteristic of or relating 
to the Corbulida;. 
II. . One of the Corbulida;. 
n. [< Ir. and Gael, corcach, a 
marsh, moor, Ir. corrach, currach, a marsh, bog. 
Cf . W. cors, a bog, fen.] In Ireland, a salt marsh: 
applied to the salt marshes which border on the 
estuary of the Shannon, and on other rivers. 
Corchorus (kor'ko-rus), . [NL., < Gr. K6p X o- 
pof, also Kopnopos, a wild plant of bitter taste.] 
1. A genus of tropical plants, natural order 
^ _^ 7 _ - TiliacetE. They are herbs or small shrubs with serrated 
(-la). [NL.*, neut. dim. 
of L. corbis, a basket. Cf . 
corbicula 1 .] In entom., a 
smooth or concave space, 
fringed with stiff hairs, 
on the inner side of the 
tibia or basal joint of the 
bicula 1 , + -ate 1 .] In <m*m.,"flat, smooth, and 
fringed with strong incurved hairs, forming a 
kind of basket in which pollen is carried : ap- corcass (kor'kas) 
plied to the posterior tibia of a bee, as of the t " < " -0 ' 1 """ T - 
hive-bee and bumblebee. 
Corbiculidae (k6r-bi-ku'li-de), n. pi. [NL., < 
Corbicula 1 , 2, + -idte.] A family of bivalves, 
typified by the genus Corbicula: same as 
renida;. 
corbiculum (k6r-bik'u- 
lum), n. ; pi. corbicula 
Corbie messenger, a messenger who returns either not corculumt (kor ' ku-lum), n.; pi. corcula (-la), 
iit all or too late : in allusion to the raven sent out of the i ^ /. rt v/-7/5 1 ^IQTYIO ',o /^w^ 
| I ' . Hee Gf// (,-((.. J OdjIIlc Ho C(/ Ctc. 
chord, now convention- 
certain senses (see chord) ; < 
ME. cord, corde, a string, rope, < OF. corde, F. 
corde, a string, cord, chord, cord (of wood), = 
Pr. Pg. It. corda = Sp. cuerda, < ML. corda, L. 
chorda, a string, < Gr. xpfy, the string of a mu- 
sical instrument; prop, a string of gut, catgut, 
pi. guts, akin to ^oAacStf, guts, L. haru-spex, in- 
spector of entrails, Icel. gorn, garnir, guts, E. 
yarn.] 1. A string or small rope composed of 
several strands of thread or vegetable fiber, 
twisted or woven together. 
She [RahabJ let them down by a cord through the win- 
dow. Josh. ii. 15. 
Thus, with my cord 
Of blasted hemp, by moonlight twin'd, 
I do thy sleepy body bind. 
Fletcher, Faithful Shepherdess, iii. 1. 
2. Something resembling a cord in form or func- 
tion. Specifically (o) A string of a stringed musical 
instrument. (/>) In anal., a part resembling a cord ; a 
chorda : as, the spinal cord ; the umbilical cord ; the vocal 
cord*. See below. 
3. A quantity of firewood or other material, 
originally measured with a cord or line ; a pile 
containing 128 cubic feet, or a pile 8 feet long, 4 
feet high, and 4 feet broad. ' There have been some 
local variations in England : thus, in Sussex it was 3 by 3 
by 14 feet, coming substantially to the same solid contents ; 
in Derbyshire there were cords of 128, 155, and 162J cubic 
feet. Similar measures are in use in other countries. In 
France, before the adoption of the metric system, it was 
likewise called a corde; there were three kinds, contain- 
ing respectively 04, 56, and 112 French cubic feet. In Ger- 
many the similar measure is called a klafter ; in Gotha 
and Brunswick it is 6 by 6 by 3 local feet. 
4. A measure of length in several countries. 
In Spain the cuerda is 8} varas, or equal to 23g English 
feet. At Botzen, Tyrol, the corda is 8 feet 10 inches Eng- 
lish measure. 
5. A measure of land. In Brittany it was 73.6 
English square yards. 6. Figuratively, any 
influence which binds, restrains, draws, etc. : 
a frequent use of the term in Scripture : as, the 
cords of the wicked (Ps. cxxix. 4) ; the cords of 
his sins (Prov. v. 22) ; cords of vanity (Isa. v. 18) ; 
the cords of a man that is, the bands or influ- 
ence of love (Hos. xi. 4). 
Lower'd softly with a threefold cord of love 
Down to a silent grave. Tennyson, Fair Women. 
7. A strong ribbed fustian ; corduroy. 
My short, black, closely buttoned tunic and cord riding- 
breeches seemed to fill them with amazement. 
O'Donovan, Merv, xvi. 
8. In fancy weaving, the interval between two 
vertical lines of the design False vocal cords, 
prominent folds of mucous membrane on either side of 
the larynx, above the true vocal cords, inclosing the su- 
perior thyro-arytenoid ligaments, forming the superior 
boundary of the opening into the ventricles of the larynx, 
and not directly concerned in the production of vocal 
sound. Genital cord, in embri/ol., a structure resulting 
from the union of a Mullerian and a Wolfflan duct in the 
female, as in most mammals, including the human spe- 
cies. Maitland cord, inweaving, a cord extending along 
the wooden shafts of leaves, to which the heddles are 
fastened with knots. E. H. Knight. Spermatic cord, 
in aiuit., the bundle of tissues by which the testicle hangs, 
consisting essentially of a vas deferens or sperm-duct, 
the spermatic blood-vessels, nerves deiived from the sym- 
pathetic, and a cremaster muscle with its vessels and 
nerves, bundled together with connective tissue. Spi- 
nal cord. See tjrinal. Umbilical cord, the navel- 
string, funis, or funicle, by which a ft-tus is attached to 
the placenta and so to the womb, consisting essentially 
of the umbilical blood-vessels, together with a quantity of 
gelatinous tissue called the jelly of Wharton, bound up in 
the amniotic membrane. Vocal cords, the free median 
borders of two folds of mucous membrane within the 
larynx, bounding the anterior two thirds of the glottis 
on either side. Each is formed by the free median edge 
of an elastic (inferior thyro-arytenoid) ligament running 
from the angle of the thyroid cartilage to the vocal pro- 
cess of the arytenoid, and covered with thin and closely 
adherent mucous membrane. When they are approxi- 
mated and tightened, the air forced through them from 
the lungs causes them to vibrate and produce vocal sound. 
leaves and small yellow flowers. There are several species, Also called true vocal cords and inferior vocal cords 
of which the most remarkable and most widely diffused COrd 1 (kord), v. t. [< cord 1 n 1 1 To bind with 
times called Jews'- mallow 
. 
cies (C. capsularis, Chinese hemp) are much cultivated in 
India and eastern Asia, for the fine, soft, and sil 
,. 
This and a closely allied spe- 
ivated in 
ilky fiber 
Bee's Leg, enlarged, a, fe- 
mur; b, tibia ; c, corbiculum. 
tarsus of a bee. It serves 
as a receptacle for the 
pollen which the bee col- 
lects and carries to its 
nest. Also corbicula. 
corbie, corby (kor'bi), 
n. ; pi. corbies (-biz). [A reduced form of cor- 
bin, q. v.] A raven or crow. [Scotch.] 
As I was walking all alane, 
I heard twa corbies making a mane. 
The Twa Corbie* (Child's Ballads, III. 01). 
bags, and is the material of which the genuine Algerian 
curtains, cloths of Smyrna, and tapestries of Teheran and C0rd 2 t (kord), c. 
* c "" 8pecies of the (1en E - accor(l 
up, as wood or other ma- 
terial, for measurement and sale by the cord. 
3. In booJfbindinn, to tie (a book) firmly be- 
tweentwoboards^tilitisdry,so4toin y sure 
perfect smoothness in the cover. 
0rd 2 t (kord), c. i. [ME. corden, short for acor- 
. (1en ' E - accor(l ' q - v>] To aocord ; harmonize 5 
8. [J. c.] Anornamentalshrubbyplant of Japan, ' ' Fol . a tour wolde nte , ike 
Kerrta Japomca, of the natural order Eosacece, With asses feet, and huMi- it as an ape, 
with showy, usually double, yellow flowers, fre- It conleth naught. Chaucer, Troilus, ii. 104:1. 
quent.ly cultivated in gardens. cordactes, . Plural of cordax. 
corclet, COrculet (kor'kl, -kul), , [< L. cor- cordage (kor'daj), . [< F. cordage (= Sp. cor- 
citium, dim. of cor (cord-) = ~E. heart.] In bot., daje = Pg. cordagem), < corde, cord, + -age: 
an old name for the cor seminis (heart of the see cord 1 , ., and -age.'} Ropes and cords, in a 
seed), or embryo. collective sense ; especially, the ropes or cords 
