firmament 
<Jirmare, make strong, strengthen: see firm, .] 
If. Foundation; support; basis. 
The law is the law of sin, . . . custom is the sanction 
or tin- liniifini' nt of the law. 
JIT. Tiffl!"/', Works (r<l. Is:;;.), 1. 726. 
2. The sky or heavens; the vault of heaven, 
viewed as something solid and abiding; the 
region of the air. [The Hebrew word rakiii. which is 
so rendered ill Scripture, conveys chiefly the idea of ex- 
pansion, although that of solidity is also suggested, inas- 
much as the root signification of the word is 'that which 
is expanded bv beating out' The English firmament is 
adopted from the Latin firiiiaiiirntitiit. which Istheeqoiv- 
alentofthcGreek0Tpeu/ia(<<rTp<>!, firm, solid), by which 
the writers of the Septimgint rendered rakia. Some old 
astronomers identified the firmament with the orb of the 
fixed stars ; but the word never had any settled and exact 
meaning in astronomy. 1 
For theise 2 ben the grettest Lordes nntlir the Firum- 
nifnt. Mandeville, Travels, p. 272. 
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of 
tin' waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 
And God made the firmament and divided the waters 
which were under the firmament from the waters which 
were above the firmament. Gen. i. 6, 7. 
On flaky wings it mounts, and quick as Sight 
Cuts thro' the yielding Air, with Rays of Light ; 
'Till the blue Firmament at last it gains. 
Conyreoe, Death of Queen Mary. 
3. A piece of jewelry, as a star or the like, 
meant to be worn in a head-dress, such as the 
commode or tower of the seventeenth century. 
firmamental (fer-ma-men'tal), a. [< firma- 
ment + -o/.] Pertaining to the firmament ; 
celestial ; being of the upper regions. 
An hollow crystal pyramid he takes, 
In firmamental waters dipt above. 
Dryden, Aunus Mirabilis, 1. 1122. 
firman (fer'man or fer-man'), n. [Also written 
firmuitn, />liirihan, phirmaun,firmand, etc.,repr. 
Turk, ferman = Ar. Hind, far man , < Pers. far- 
man, a mandate, order, command, patent, = 
Skt. pramdna, a measure, scale, authority, de- 
cision, < pra- (= Pers. far- = Gr. TT/JO-, etc.) + 
\/ ma, measure, + -ana.] A decree or edict of 
an Oriental sovereign, as of Turkey, issued for 
various special purposes, as to provide protec- 
tion and assistance for a traveler, or to sanc- 
tion an enterprise and prescribe its conditions ; 
a passport ; a permit ; a license ; a grant. 
Thejiruuin for importing rice and coffee from ^Egypt is 
in the hands of some merchants here [at Baias]. 
Pococke, Description of the East, II. i. 175. 
After sitting down about two minutes, I again got up, 
and stood in the middle of the room before him, saying, 
I am bearer of a hatesherritfe, or royal mandate, to yon, 
Mahomet Aga ! and took the firman out of my bosom, and 
presented it to him. Bruce, Source of the Nile, 1. 152. 
The difference between a Firman and a Hatti Sherif is 
that, though both are edicts of the Turkish government, 
the former is signed by any Minister, whereas the latter 
is approved by the Sultan himself, with his special mark, 
and is therefore supposed to be irrevocable. The distinc- 
tion is as real as between a love-letter and a marriage set- 
tlement. Black wind's Mag. 
The Sultan granted & firman . . . allowing the members 
of each sect to put to death any person belonging to the 
other sect who should be found inside of their churches 
or synagogues. B. Taylor, Lands of the Saracen, p. 80. 
firmary 1 t (fer'ma-ri), n. [< ML. firmare, sign, 
confirm.] The right of a tenant to his lands 
and tenements. 
firmary' 2 t (fer'ma-ri), n. Same as fermery, ulti- 
mately infirmary. 
Inflrmarium, or the Firmorie (the Curatour whereof 
Inftrmarius), wherein persons downright sick (trouble to 
others, and troubled by others, if lodging in the dormi- 
torie) had the benefit of physick, and attendance private 
to themselves. Fuller, Ch. Hist., VI. 286. 
firmationt (fer-ma'shon),. [< WL.firmatio(n-), 
confirmation, assurance, etc., taken in its lit. 
sense, < lj. firmare, strengthen, make fast : see 
firm, .] A fixing or steadying. 
It is also true that man onely sitteth, if we define sitting 
to be afinnation of the body upon the ischias. 
Sir T. Broinie, Vulg. Err., iv. 1. 
firme, a. If. An obsolete spelling of firm. 2. 
In her., reaching and fixed to the edge of the es- 
cutcheon : applied especially to a bearing such 
as a cross, which is usually borne free in the 
middleof the field: as,a cross patte\/?rie (which 
is also blazoned a cross patt6 entire, or a cross 
patte throughout). Also fixed. 
firmer-chisel (fer'mer-chiz"el), n. A carpen- 
ters' chisel with a blade thin in proportion to its 
width. The blade is fixed to the handle by a tang, as 
distinguished from that of the framing-chisel, in which 
the handle is received in a socket. 
firm-footed (ferm'fut"ed), a. In zoo't., soliped, 
or Rolidungulate, as the horse. See soliped. 
firm-hoofed (ferm'hoft), a. Same as firm-footed. 
firmisternal (fer-mi-ster'nal), (i. [As Firmi- 
sternia, q. v., + -rt/.] In zoiil., having a com- 
pleted scapular arch, as a frog ; pertaining to 
first 
Without constancy there is neither love, friendship, nor 
virtue in the worlil. Aiiilixmi. 
Faitlifulnes* fill] feed on suffering, 
Anil knows no disappointment. 
tieunje Klint, swinish Gypsy, i. 
No man can mortgage his injustice as a pawn for his 
li'liiitn. Burke, Kev. in France. 
2233 
the Finitixlerma : as, a jinni.tli'riuil batrachiau. 
Cones. Alsofiriuixteniial, firiiiisteniotts. 
Firmisternia (fcr-mi-ster'ni-ji), ii. pi. [NL., < 
Ij.firnnix, strong, + NL. sternum, q. v.] A sub- 
order or superfamily of phaneroglossate anu- 
rous batrachians, containing frogs which have 
the coracpids firmly united by a simple epicora- flrn ( nnl or fern), . [G. dial. (Swiss), i 
coid cartilage. The precoraeoids, if present, rest with a gi ac j er accumulated snow, lit. last year's 
their distal ends upon the coracoids, or are connected gn ^ w . < G ^ ^ , t yeal , gj of the lagt yeai>j < 
OHG. firiii, old, ancient: see fern' 2 .'] A name 
given to snow accumulated in the highest parts 
of mountain ranges on which glaciers occur, 
while such snow is in a granular condition, and 
before, in its downward movement, it has been 
fully consolidated into ice. Such snow is called by 
the French neve. Both words are in common use among 
writers on Alpine geology and mountaineering generally. 
, 
with the latter by the epicoracoid cartilage. The best- 
known families are Dentlruoalulir, I'hrynixciiltr, KH<IIISI<I- 
mnttc, nei'>;n'i'intidff, Dyscopfiiikf, and Ranidoe. Con- 
trasted with Arcifera. See cuts under Anura and OHIO- 
firmisternial (fer-mi-ster'ni-al), a. and . I. a. 
Same as firmisternal. Gill. 
II. . One of the Firmisternia. dill. 
firmisternous (fer-mi-ster'nus), a. Same as fir- 
misternal: as, the firmisternous type of struc- 
ture. Cope. 
firmitudet (fer'mi-tud), n. [< 'L.firmitudo, <fir- 
mus, firm: see firm, a.] Firmness; strength; 
solidity. 
Thy covenant implies no less than firmitude and perpe- 
tuity. Bp. Hall, Cases of Conscience, iv. 2. 
In most delicious drops did fall 
Down to the floor heartmelting Tears, and yield 
A pearly pavement, which the ground's cool kiss 
Into chaste Firmitude did crystallize. 
J. Beaumont, Psyche, iii. 42. 
firmityt (fer'mi-ti), n. [< OF. fermete, F. fer- 
mete = It. fermita, validity, < L. firmita(t-)s, < 
firmus, firm.] Firmness; strength. 
The square is of all other accompted the figure of most 
solliditie and stedfastuesse, and for his owne staye and 
firmitie requireth none other base then himselfe. 
Puttenham, Arte of Eng. Poesie, p. 83. 
The strength and firmity of my assent must rise and 
fall together with the apparent credibility of the object. 
Chillingworth, Religion of Protestants, i. 6. 
firmlesst (ferm'les), a. [< firm + -less.] Wa- 
vering ; shifting ; unsteady. 
Past the Red-Sea, heer yp and down we float, 
On firm-less sands of this vast Desart heer. 
Sylvester, tr. of Du Bartas's Weeks, ii., The Lawe. 
Does passion still thefirmless mind control? Pope. 
firmly (ferm'li), adv. In a firm manner; sol- 
idly ; compactly ; strongly; steadily; with con- 
stancy or fixedness ; steadfastly ; resolutely ; 
immovably: as, particles of mailer firmly co- 
hering; he firmly believes in fatalism; his reso- 
lution is firmly fixed. 
And so incessantly continued all that nyghte, in so 
moche where we had out .ij. aucres they helde \\otferme~ 
ly, but rasyd and draggyd by vyolence of that outrageous 
storme. Sir K. Guylforde, Pylgrymage, p. 64. 
His breastplate first, that was of substance pure, 
Before his noble heart he firmely bound. 
Spenser, Muiopotmos, 1. 57. 
I falter where I firmly trod. 
Tennyson, In Memoriam, Iv. 
While lie entertained us with the most lavish generos- 
ity, he firmh/, though courteously, refused the half dozen 
pieces of silver which I offered him. 
O'Donovan, Merv, xviii. 
firm-name (ferm'nam), n. The name or title 
of a firm in business. 
firmness (ferm'nes), . [< firm + -ness.] 1. 
The state or quality of being firm; compact- 
ness; hardness; solidity; stability ; strength ; 
steadfastness; resoluteness; constancy; fixed- 
ness; certainty: as, the firmness of jelly; firm- 
ness of flesh ; firmness of union ; the firmness 
of a purpose ; the firmness of a judge. 
And in the steddy resting of the ground 
Your noble firmnesse to your friend is found : 
For you are still the same, and where you love, 
No absence can your constant mind remove. 
Beaumont, To the Prince. 
A weak mind would have sunk under such a load of un- 
popularity [as Fox had]. But that resolute spirit seemed 
to derive new firmness from the public hatred. 
Macaulay, Lord Holland. 
2. In phren., an organ situated toward the back 
part of the head, between self-esteem and ven- 
eration. Its function is said to be to produce 
determination, constancy, and perseverance. 
=Syn. 1. Firmness, Constancy, Faithfulness, Fidelfti/. 
Firmmss is a matter of the will, preventing one from 
yielding; constancy, of the heart, holding one steadfast. 
Firmness is opposed to weakness or pliancy; constancy to 
fickleness. Faithfulness is a matter of the heart ; it is gener- 
ally a warmer sort otfideNty, with the element of principle 
sometimes less prominent. Fidelity is a matter of personal 
principle ; the word more often than the others applies to 
definite action. We speak of the firmness of a teacher in 
maintaining order, the constancy of a lover, the fiitt-tit/t 
of a bank cashier, the faithfulness of a mother. We may 
speak of the fidelity of a dog only as he meets trusts re- 
posed in him, or is considered as haying the power to ap- 
ply principle to action as a moral being. See decision and 
assiduitti. 
She now took her place among her pupils with an air of 
spirit and firmness which assured them at once that she 
meant to be obeyed, and obeyed she u us. 
Charlotte Bronte, The Professor, xviii. 
The imperfectly consolidated substance, partly snow 
and partly ice, is known in Switzerland as neve or firn. 
Huxley, Physiography, p. 155. 
Firola (fir'o-la), n. [NL.] The typical genus 
of heteropods of the family Firolidte, having no 
shell, no tentacles in either sex, and a pinnate 
tail: same as Pterotracliea. Bruguiere, 1792. 
Firolidse (fi-rol'i-de), . pi. [NL., < Firola + 
-ioY<>.] A family of nucleobranchiate gastro- 
pods, or Heteropoda : same as Pterotracheida: 
Firoloides (fir-o-loi'dez), n. [NL., < Firola + 
-oides.~\ A genus of pteroppds, so called from 
its relation to Firola, but distinguished by the 
simple tail-fin and the presence of tentacles in 
the male. 
firoza (fi-ro'za), n. [E. Ind. ?] The turquoise- 
blue of Indian ceramic ware, put on with the 
enamel. 
fir-parrot (fer'par"ot), TO. A name of the cross- 
bill, Loxia curvirosira. 
firret, adv. See/nri. 
firrent (fer'en), a. [< fir + -e2.] Made of fir. 
It ne shal no thing ben betwene 
Thi hour and mill, also y wene, 
But a tayrfirrene wowe [wall], llavelok, 1. 207C. 
firry (fer'i), a. [< fir + -y 1 .'] Of or pertaining 
to firs; formed of fir; abounding in firs. 
Mine too, Blakesmoor whose else? thy firry wilder- 
ness, the haunt of the squirrel, and the daylong murmur- 
ing wood-pigeon. Lamb, Elia, p. 263. 
first, firset, See furze. 
first 1 (ferst), a. and . [< ME. first, ferst, furst, 
fyrst, firste, etc., < AS. fyrst (rare, the usual 
superl. being forma, with different suffix: see 
former 1 ) = OFries. ferost, ferest, ferst, NFries. 
foarste, first, = OS. furisto, the first or chief (per- 
son), = D. roorste, foremost, rorst, prince, = 
MLG. rorste, vurste, prince, = OiHG.furist, first, 
as noun furisto, MHG. vurste, G. fiirst, chief, 
prince, = Icel. fyrstr = Sw. forsta = Dan. 
fo'rste, first (as a noun, Sw. furste = T>an.fyrste, 
prince) ; ef. Dan.forrest, foremost ; < AS., etc., 
fore, fore, before, + superl. -st, -est. Cf. L. 
primus (= AS. for-ma, E. for-mer), first, Gr. 
TrpoiTof, Skt. pratliama, first, from the same ult. 
source, with different suffixes.] I. a. Being 
before all others ; being the initial unit or ag- 
gregate in order of occurrence or arrangement 
as to time, place, or rank: the ordinal of one. 
(a) Foremost in time ; preceding all others of the kind in 
order of time : as, Adam was the first man ; I was the first 
guest to arrive. 
Tho adam our Merste fader the sunne hadde ido 
And idriue was out of parais and eue is wif also. 
Holy Rood (E. E. T. S.), p. 18. 
I had from my first yeeres, by the ceaselesse diligence 
and care of my father, whom God recompence, bin exer- 
cis'd to the tongues, and some sciences. 
Milton, Church-Government, Pref., ii. 
Both [orations] are hopeful, but the second is more san- 
guine than the first. O. W. Holmes, Emerson, x. 
(b) Foremost in place ; before all others from the point of 
view or consideration : as, the first man in a rank or line. 
At this Jaffe begynnyth the holy londe, and to every 
pylgryme at the ffyrst foote that he set on the londe ther 
ys grauntyd plenary remission. 
Torkington, Diarie of Eng. Travel], p. 23. 
The first beast was like a lion. Rev. iv. 7. 
(c) Foremost in importance or estimation ; before or su- 
perior to all others in character, quality, or degree : as, 
Demosthenes was the first orator of Greece ; the part of 
first villain in a play ; wheat of the first grade ; specifi- 
cally, in music, highest or chief among several voices or 
instruments of the same class : as, first alto ; first horn. 
The first and principal person in the temple was Irene, 
or Peace ; she was placed aloft in a cant. 
B. Jonson, King James's Coronation Entertainment. 
Established Freedom clap'd her joyful Wings ; 
Proclaim'd the first of Men, and best of Kings. 
Prior, Carmen Seculare, st. 15. 
Bunyan is indeed as decidedly the first of allegorists, as 
Demosthenes is the first of orators, or Shakspeare the first 
of dramatists. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., vii. 
Who [Washington] was already first in war who was 
already first in the hearts of his countrymen, and who was 
