fire-worshiper 
When he was seven years old. all the kindred of his 
father's house, and all the friends thereof, assembled in 
the inner temple to see the high-priest invest him with 
tbe symbolie raiment of the/(>''-<r/Wt/j/j/r/vtlie .garment 
of tbe good and beneficial way." 
J. H'. Palmer, The New and the Old, p. '-'7:;. 
fir-in-bond (fer'in-boud'), n. [< fir, taken in a 
general sense ; in bond: see bond 1 , .] In <//<., 
lintels, bond-timbers, wall-plates, and all tim- 
bers built in walls. See bondl, 12. 
firing (fir'ing), n. [Verbal n. of fire, r.] 1 . The 
2232 
I have also spent Christmas Hay i India, hut not all 
the mari.irol'ls of Cathay will firk np Christmas spirits, or 
make me throw crumbs to a bine-jay. 
P. Kotniaon, Under the Sun, p. 98. 
firmament 
Me >ou .all great ; mine is the firmer seat. 
The truer lanee. '/v/i//i,v, Lancelot and Elaine. 
4. Fixed in character; stable; enduring; cs- 
TT . tablished; steadfast; stanch: as, firm credit' 
II. ml ran*. To move quickly; gooff orfly out *...,, _='. ,,.. f :. im , ( , . ft , ., ,', ,.:,.,; nn' 
suddenly : sometimes used reflexively. 
/erlce to the far-lande, and fetche me that wapene. 
Morte Arthure (E. E. T. S.), 1. 1188. 
How would hefirk, like Adam Overdo, 
Up and about ; dive into cellars too. 
B. Jonson, Expost. with Inigo Jones. 
[< firk 1 , r.] A stroke ; a lash. 
act of applying fire or of making a fire for any g r f (ferk) n 
purpose ; specifically, the method of treating rp r ov Eng ] 
a furnace with regard to the use of fuel: as, firk2 (ferk)! . [Prob. a transposition of freaki, 
l iard fi n >>a (suPPl.vmg.fuel frequently and urg- q . V-] A freak . a trick . [P ^ OV- El j 
ing the fire) ; light firing (moderate supplies of , . , 
fuel at frequent intervals); steady firing; heavy 
firing. 2. Fuel; fire-wood or coal. 
And in some places they bunie it [rhubarb] in stead of 
&Ujhrin0, and giue it their horses to eat. 
I'nrclia*, Pilgrimage, p. 428. 
or Christmas. Mrs. Oaskell, Sylvia's Lovers, xli. 
3. The exposing of any material to high tem- 
peratures to burn, bake, etc. : as, the firing of 
painted glass to fix the colors; the firing of 
porcelain to melt and fix the glaze. 
When the " withering" is finished, then follows the fir- 
ing. The tea is placed in metal pans, set in a brickwork 
furnace, heated to a temperature of 240 or 250'; thi 
Jinn prices; a, firm friend; a, firm conviction. 
Mj n alliannee ami my faith is ferme in this bilieue. 
Piers Plowman (B), xvi. 238. 
All the presidents of the kingdom . . . have consulted 
together . . . to make a firm decree. Dan. vi. 7. 
A inan.firMir and standing in his purposes, nor heau'd 
oil with each wind and passion. 
Up. Jiarle, Micro-cosmographie, A Stayed Man. 
O! shame to men ! devil with devil damn'd 
Firm concord holds ; men only disagree 
Of creatures rational. Milton, P. L., ii. 497. 
5. Strong in action or manner; resolute; posi- 
tive; confident: as, a firm defense or resis- 
tance; a firm answer; the firm handling of a 
subject in art or literature. 
So unaffected, so composed a inind ; 
Bojfrm, yet soft; so strong, yet so refined. 
Pope, Epitaph on Mrs. Corbet. 
6. Indicating firmness: as, & firm countenance 
or demeanor. 7. Determined; positive; dis- 
tinctly stated. 
There is no firm reason to be render'd 
Why he cannot abide a gaping pig. 
, Shak., M. ofV., iv. 1. 
four),< D. rier,= E.four, + -ken, E. -kin. >Cf. =Syn. 1. Dense. 2. Fast, established, secure. 2 and 
kiMerkin, a measure of two firkins, also of D. * Immovable, stanch, strong, sturdy, 
origin.] 1. A measure of capacity, usually the " Im ^ ( f6r m), r. t. [< ME. fermen, confirm, < OF. 
fourth part of a barrel, and varying in magni- firmer = Pr. fermar = OSp. Pg. firmar = It. 
These are his megrims, firka, and melancholies. 
Ford, Broken Heart, ill. 1. 
Sir, leave this firk of law, or, by this light, 
I'll give your throat a slit. 
L. Barry, Ram Alley, iii. 1. 
What new firk of folly has enter'd into the rascal's head ? 
I must observe him. 
Sir H'. Davenant, The Man's the Master. 
No more dams I'll make for fish, 
Nor fetch in firing 
At requiring. Shak., Tempest, ii. 2. 
You would have a load of wood for firing on All Saints' firkery (fer'ker-i), n. ; pi. firkeries (-i 
+ -en/.] A trick; a prank. [Prov. Eng"] 
fer'kin), n. [< OD. "vierken (not found) 
(cf. ODan. firik, a farthing, firken, a multiple of 
/ i ' 
> ' * 
" " 
, make farm, strengthen, 
tude with the barrel. The English ale and beer flrkii, - - , _ 
leaves are turned incessantly ... to prevent their burn- is 9 imperial gallons, equal to 10.8 United States gallons; confirm, < firmus, firm : see firm, a.] 1. To 
ing ; . . . they are then removed, . . . thrown on tables, but at the time when ale- and beer-measures were distinct make firm ; give consistence to. 
a flrkin of beer was 9 gallons, while a flrkin of ale was only 
and rolled and sifted while hot. 
A. G. F. Eliot James, Indian Industries, p. 345. 
4. The act of discharging firearms. 
After loading, the block is depressed and kept in posi- 
tion (or firing by a spring catch working under the barrel. 
W. W. Greener, The Gun, p. 91. 
5. The application of fire or -of a cautery in 
surgery and farriery ; cauterization. 
8 gallons. A flrkin of honey was also 8 gallons, by a statute 
of 1581. A firkin of butter is 56 pounds (36 Geo. III.). A 
flrkin of soap is 64 pounds or 8 gallons. The oldest firkins 
were of ranch greater capacity. Thus, by a statute of 
1423 the flrkin was 84 gallons; while by another of 1482 
the flrkin of fish was made 21 gallons, being one fourth of 
An Irish flrkin was half a barrel 
A blow on the sinew is generally the cause of a lung 
period of lameness, and firing may be needed. 
Encyc. Brit., XII. 195 
8 gallons In measure make 1 firkin of ale, sope, herring ; 
9 gallons, I firkin of beere ; 10 gallons, Ifirlrin of salmon 
The powder that made Venus a goddess, . . . that kept 
her perpetually young, cleared her wrinkles, firmed her 
gums, tilled her skin, coloured her hair. 
B. Jomon, Volpone, il. 1. 
The force of the water ... did firm and harden it (land]. 
North, tr. of Plutarch, p. 85. 
2. To fix ; establish ; confirm. 
Your wish is blest, 
Jove knocks his chin against his breast, 
Andyirai* it with the rest. 
B. Jonxon, Masque of Augurs. 
3. To fix or direct with firmness. 
Upon his card and coinpas finnet his eye. 
Spenser, F. Q., II. vii. 1. 
or eeles. T. Ifill, Arithmetic (1800), i. is. 
2. A small wooden vessel or cask of no deter- 
O. In bell-rmgmg, the ringing of all the bells ruinate capacity, used chiefly for butter, tallow, 
in a peal at once. It is practised in England on occa- soap, etc. 
sions of general rejoicing or mourning. In the latter 
case the bells are muffled.- Mechanical firinK the oner- Here are come for you, from my siter Downing, divers 4. lo confirm by Signing; make valid by sub- 
ation of supplying fuel to a furnace by means' of a me- che f t8 of um nKxities, "d many firkin* of butter ami scriction or indorsement, 
chanical attachment. suet - H inthrop, Hist. New England, I. 46. 
firing-iron (fir'ing-i"ern), n. An instrument flrlot (fer'lot), n. [Also written fyrlot, furlet, 
used in farriery for cauterizing ; a cautery. fearlot, < fir-, fyr- (<D. Tier, a,sin firkin 1) + lot, 
firing-machine (fir'ing-ma-shen"), . lumech., part (or -let, dim.?); cf. -kin in firkin.] The firming those letters wit 
an apparatus for feeding an engine-furnace principal dry measure of the old Scottish sys- 
with coal. tern. The standards, from 1621, were the Linlithgow 
firing-party (fir'ing-par"ti), n. A detachment flrlotr 
of soldiers, marines, or sailors detailed to fire 
scription or indorsement. 
For lacke of time the gouernours hane not firmed this 
letter. Jlakluyt's Voyai/rt, I. 309. 
Of the death of the Emporonr they advertised Solyman, 
iili all their hands and seals. 
- 
flrm 
Knolles, Hist. Turks. 
[From the adj.; in defs. 2, 3, a 
, , were e ngow . . , , 
The wheat flrlot, used for wheat, rye, peas, beans, special use, = It. fep. firma, < ML. firma, signa- 
' 
' 1 ' etc -> conta '''. e 
over the grave of a person buried with military 
honors, or to execute any person sentenced to 
death by shooting. 
firing-point (fir'ing-poiut), . The tempera- 
" is1 ' 
31 Scottish pints, or 3,205J cubic inches, equal to 1} Win- 
chester bushels. But the nrloU in actual use were from 
1 to 7 per cent, larger than the standards. The flrlot was 
also used in the Isle of Man. 
4. -. i i 'a 1-1 -i i i iu iwvuui me isie 01 .nan. 
bo,? ifr l It *? i nfl ,f mmabl e Ol1 or 'ydroear- firm (feim) a _ [The S peli iTlg wit h ,' is mod., 
bon is liable to take fire spontaneously. in imitation of the L. ; < ME. ferme , < OF. fern,, 
Mineral oil, one or two degrees aljove the standard fir- ferme, F. ferme = Pr. ferm = Sp Pg flrme = It 
' 
ing-point, may, if stored in a populous .. 
disaster. (/; 
, F. fer 
'- fermo ' < L ' .*>'"<*> steadfast, stable, stron 
fast, firm.] 1. Having consistence or solidity; 
o _i_i. /<;, i \ rA i -i, ' " A1 "-j -u<*m L-uui3Lcnce or Hoiiuiiv ; 
/7r ( * V' [>V sowrltten > more prop., ferl; compact; close in fiber or dense in grain; hard: 
/ C r f "' rarel y/"*c, carr y> take, or drive as, firm flesh ; cloth of a firm texture. 
< AS" fott Zee 1 / r int1 '- f v aWay ' haSt T The flakes of hls fles are io"'" 1 *>*'er : they are 
<. Ab.jeiciait (once), bring or take away, prob. firm in themselves; they cannot be moved. Job xli 23 
not connected with ferclnn, ge-fercian (each 
once), sustain, support (with food). Cf . G. dial. 
(Swabian, Swiss) ferijen, ferggen, fergken, fer- 
ken, bring, despatch.] I. trans. 1. To carry 
away or about; carry; move. 
So bolnet was his body, that burthen hade ynoghe 
The fete of that freke toferke hym about*. 
Or stond vppo streght for his strong charge. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 3839. 
2. To drive away. 
Thei werned hym soone, 
That by force of hur fight thei firked hym thennes 
AKmumler of Macedoine (E. E. T. S.), 1. 67. 
3. To beat ; drub ; trounce. 
T, h -!L - ,' ' elled the falsse folke, ferked hem hard, 
With skathe were thei skoumfyt, skape thei ne myght 
Alisaunder of Macedoine (E. E. T. S.), 1. 85. 
I will firk your father, whether you see or no. 
Chapman, All Fools, iii. 1. 
I shall have 
The worst on 't, for I caiiyirit nobody. 
Middleton, Game at Chess, iii. 1. 
I'll fer him, znAfirk him, and ferret him. 
Sliak., Hen. V., iv. 4. 
4. To rouse ; raise up. 
The other Fort is a Citadel], built on &firnu land on the 
west side of the towne. Coryat, Crudities, I. 6. 
If cushion might he call'd what harder seem'd 
Than the firm oak of which the frame was fonn'd. 
Cowper, Task, i. 56. 
The body of the amoeba is less firm than jelly, yet it 
has the power of moving from place to place. 
F. Warner, Physical Expression, p. 83. 
2. Strongly fixed ; stable ; rigid ; immovable, or 
not easily moved: as, a firm foundation. 
It is as positive as the earth is firm that Falstaff is 
there. Shak'., M. W. of W., iii. 2. 
It shall be 
My study to appear another Atlas, 
To stand firm underneath this heaven of empire, 
And bear it boldly. 
Fletcher (and another"!), Prophetess, ii. 3. 
So stood the brittle prodigy ; though smooth 
And slipp'ry the materials, yet frostbound 
Firm as a rock. Covrper, Task, v. 156. 
not 
ture, subscription, in confirmation of a writing : 
see firm, a. Cf. /!.] If. The firm land; 
terra firma; in general, the mainland. 
No such Islands may bee found in the Sc'thian sea to- 
ward the finite of Asia. Hakhiyt's Voyages, I. 438. 
And to the North, betwixt the fore-land and the/inn, 
She [Wight] hath that narrow Sea, which we the Solent 
term. Drayton, Polyolbion, ii. 407. 
Towards evening we went ashore on the rinn of Asia for 
fresh water. Sandy*, f ravailes, p. 15. 
2f. A sign manual ; a signature. 
A privilege [was] given to Antheming the Archbishop 
[of Cyprus) in that age, to subscribe his name to all pub- 
lick acts in red letters, which was an honour above that 
of any patriarch, who writes his name or firm in black 
characters. liycaut, Greek and Armenian Churches, p. 90. 
3. A partnership or association of two or more 
persons for carrying on a business ; a commer- 
cial house ; a concern ; also, the name or title 
under which associated parties transact busi- 
ness : as, the firm of Hope & Co. The name of one 
only of the partners may be taken as the firm-name : as, the 
firm of Thomas Jones. If, however, only one person is in- 
concern seem one. Present statutes in several jurisdic- 
tions forbid the use of firm-names where there is no firm, 
saving, however, the right, under proper restrictions, of 
foreign houses, and of continued use of an established 
name notwithstanding dissolution of the flrm it originally 
represented. 
Round these halls a thousand baby loves 
Fly twanging headless arrows at the hearts. . . . 
With me, Sir, enter'd in the bigger boy, 
The Head of all the golden-shafted firm, 
The long-limb'd lad that had a Psyche too. 
Tennyson, Princess, ii. 
A flue lawyer, sir, 
And would have firk'd you up a business, 
And out of this court into that. 
Beau, and Ft., Little French Lawyer, iii. 2 
Thus King Henry throws away his crutch 
Before his legs be/mi to bear his iKxly. 
Shak., 2 Hen. VI., iii. l. 
" Wlio's there?" a clear firm voice demands. 
Whittier, Mogg Megone, i. 
Sw. firmament, < OF. firmament, F. firmament 
= PT.ferinamen = Sp. Pg.firmamento = It.fer- 
mamento, < L. firmamentum, a strengthening, 
support, prop, in LL. (Vulgate) the firmament 
(tr. Or. arepeu/ja, Heb. rakia : see note to def . 2), 
