flexed 
of an arm, a leg, or other bearing, bent natu- 
rally. Also flee t, flectini t, fleeted. 
flexibility (flek-si-bil'i-ti), n. [= F. flexibility 
= Pr. flexlbUitn t = S-p.flexibiti<lad= Pg. flexiliili- 
dade = It.fletmibilitH,flcssibilitade, flessibilitate, 
< LL. flexibUit(i(t-)s, < L. flexibilis, flexible : see 
flexible.] The quality of being flexible, in any 
sense; pliancy; flexibleness. 
The authority of the teachers, the flexibility of the 
taught. Haiiiiiwnd, Works, II. 064. 
Adaptation to any special climate may he looked at as 
a quality readily grafted on an innate wide flexibility of 
constitution, common to most animals. 
Durunn, Origin of Species, p. 145. 
Some flexibility has in fact become indispensable to 
keep the services true to the conscience and close to the 
affections of a modern congregation. 
Contemporary Rev., L. 23. 
flexible (flek'si-bl), a. [= F. flexible = Sp. flexi- 
ble = Pg. flexivel = It. flessibile, < L. flexibilis, 
that may be bent, pliant, flexible, < flexus, pp. 
of flectere , bend : see flex 1 .] 1. Capable of be- 
ing bent or changed in figure without breaking ; 
specifically, not stiff ; pliant ; easily bent : as, 
a flexible rod ; a flexible plant. 
Supple and flexible as Indian cane. 
Cawper, Hope, 1. 602. 
The true school of art will begin its training in youth, 
while the hand is flexible and the ways of thought un- 
formed. New Princeton Rev., II. 36. 
2. Capable of yielding to entreaties, argu- 
ments, or other moral force ; that may be per- 
suaded to compliance ; not invincibly rigid or 
obstinate ; not inexorable ; ductile ; manage- 
able; tractable. 
Women are soft, mild, pitiful, and flexible. 
SAat.,3Hen. VI., i. 4. 
Mutable, subject to temptation, and each way flexible 
to vertue or vice. Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 24. 
Thou dost not know the flexible condition 
Of my apt nature. Ford, Perkin Warbeck, ill. 2. 
Nor was he flexible to any prayers or weeping of tlu-rn 
that besought him to tarry there. Milton, Hist. Eng., ii. 
3. That may be adapted or accommodated; 
capable of receiving different forms, or of be- 
ing applied to a variety of uses ; plastic : as, a 
flexible, language ; a flexible text. 
This was a principle more flexible to their purpose. 
Rogers. 
We do not apprehend that it is a less flexible cant than 
those which have preceded it, or that it will less easily 
furnish a pretext for any design for which a pretext may 
be required. Macaulay, West. Rev. Def. of Mill. 
4. In music, able to execute or perform with 
rapidity: particularly used of the voice. Flex- 
ible case. See limp case, under cage -. Flexible cou- 
pling, frame, etc. See the nouns. =Syn. Pliable, sup- 
pleTUniber, lithe, facile, adaptable. 
flexibleness (flek'si-bl-nes), . The condition 
or quality of being flexible; flexibility; plia- 
bleness; ductility; manageableness; tractable- 
ness. 
The flexible-lies* of the former part of a man's age, not 
yet grown, up to be headstrong, makes it more governable. 
Locke. 
flexibly (flek'si-bli), adv. In a flexible manner. 
flexicostate (flek-si-kos'tat), a. [< L. flexus, pp. 
of flectere, bend, + costa, a rib: see costate.] 
Having the ribs bent or curved. [Rare.] 
flexile (flek'sil), a. [= Pg. flexil (obs.), < L. 
flexilis, that may be bent, pliant, <. flexus, pp. of 
flectere, bend see flex 1 .] Flexible; pliant; pli- 
able ; mobile ; easily bent ; readily yielding to 
power, impulse, or moral force. 
And she has flexile features, acting eyes, 
And seems with every look to sympathise. 
Crabbe, Works, V. 67. 
A remarkable point about her [Margaret Fuller] was 
that long, flexile neck, arching and undulating in strange 
sinuous movements, which one who loved her would com- 
pare to those of a swan. 
O. W. Holmes, Old Vol. of Life, p. 242. 
flexiloquentt (flek-sil'o-kwent), a. [< LL. 
flexiloquus, ambiguous, equivocal, < L. flexus, 
pp. of flectere, bend, + loqui, ppr. loqen(t-)s, 
speak.] Speaking doubtfully or doubly. Coles. 
flexion, flexional, etc. See flection, etc. 
flexor (flek'sor), n. ; pi. flexors andflexores (-sqrz, 
flek-so'rez). [= Pg. flexor = It.flessore, < $Xi. 
flexor, a bender, < L. flectere, pp. flexus, bend : 
see flex 1 .] In anat., a muscle whose function 
is to bend or produce flexion : opposed to ex- 
tensor. See flection, 5. Also, improperly, flec- 
tor Flexor accessorius, a muscle of the sole of the 
foot, accessory to the flexor longus digitorum. Flexor 
brevis digitorum, a short muscle of the sole of the 
foot, bending the toes. Flexor brevis minimi digiti. 
(a) A short muscle of the sole of the foot, bending the lit- 
tle toe. (6) A short muscle of the palmof the hand, bending 
the little finger. Flexor brevis pollicis. (a) A short 
muscle of the sole of the foot, bending the great toe. (6) 
A short muscle of the palm of the hand, bending the 
2268 
thumb. See cut under muede. Flexor carpi radialls, a 
long muscle of the radial side of the front of tbe tun ami, 
bending the hand. In man there are twoof these tlexors, 
distinguished as lonyiiir and brcrior. See cut under mus- 
cle. Flexor carpi radialis brevis or profundus, an 
occasional muscle, accessory to the last. Flexor carpi 
ulnaris, a l"n- muscle of the nlnar side of the front of 
the forearm, bending the band. See cut under iii/t*<-li\ - 
Flexor digitorum profundus or perforans, a deep 
seated muscle of the front of the forearm, the principal 
flexor of the tiir_'crs. exclusive of the thumb. Flexor 
digitorum sublimis 01 perforatus, a superficial mus- 
cle of the front of the forearm, bending the fingers. 
Flexor hallucis longus. Same as flvxur lt>,ini /,///* 
(6). Flexor longus digitorum, ;i 'muscle of the back 
of the leg, flexing the toes. Flexor longus pollicis. (a) 
A deep-seated muscle of the front of the forearm, flex- 
ing the thumb. (6) A deep-seated muscle of the back 
of the leg, flexing the great toe. Flexor metatarsi. 
Same as peroiieus tertius. See peroneu*. Flexor ossis 
metacarpi pollicis or opponens pollicis, a short mn.~ 
cle lying upon the ball of the thumb. Flexor palmarls, 
the palmar flexor ; the long palmar muscle. See palma- 
rt'*. Flexor tarsi anterior, the anterior tiirsal flexor, an 
occasional muscle passing from the cms to the tarsus an- 
teriorly. Flexor tarsi fibularis, a name of the third 
peroneal muscle, or flexor metatarsi. 
flexuose (flek'su-os), a. Same a.s flexuous, 3. 
flexuous (flek'su-us), a. [= F. flexueux = Sp. 
Pg. flexuoso = It. flessuoso, < li.flexuosus, (.flexus, 
a bending, winding, < flectere, pp. flexus, bend : 
see flex 1 .] 1. Winding; bending about ; hav- 
ing turns or windings. 
Physic carrieth men in narrow and restrained ways, 
subject to many accidents of impediments, imitating the 
ordinary yfezuoiw courses of nature. 
Bacon, Advancement of Learning, ii. 166. 
Elsie . . . danced with a kind of passionate fierceness, 
her lithe body undulating with flexuous grace. 
0. W. Holmes, Elsie Venner, x. 
2. Wavering; not steady; variable. 
The flexuous burning of flames doth shew the air be- 
ginneth to be unquiet. Bacon, Nat. Hist. 
3. In bot., curved or bent alternately in oppo- 
site directions, as a stem or branch. Also flexu- 
ose. 4. Inzool., almost zigzag, but with round- 
ed angles ; between undulated and zigzag : as, 
a, flexuous margin. 
flexuously (flek'gu-us-li), adv. In a flexuous 
or zigzag manner. 
Flexuously curved. H. C. Wood, Fresh- Water Alga:, p. 34. 
flexura (flek-su'ra), w. ; pi. flexura; (-re). [L. : 
see flexure.] "l. In anat., same as flexure. 2. 
In vet. surg., specifically, the radiocarpal artic- 
ulation, as the knee of a horse, corresponding 
to the human wrist-joint. 
flexure (flek'sur), . [= Pg. flexura = It. flrs- 
sura, < L. flexura, a bending, winding, < flec- 
tere, pp. flexus, bend: see flex 1 .] 1. The act 
of bending, or the state of being bent ; a bend- 
ing; specifically, in mech., a strain in which 
certain planes are deformed into cylindrical 
or conical surfaces. There is a so-called neutral 
plane which is neither stretched nor compressed. The 
planes parallel to it on one side are compressed ; those on 
the other side are stretched. In geometry flexure differs 
from curvature only in being always non-quantitative. 
while curvature is sometimes used quantitatively. 
Remember kissing of your hand, and answering 
With the French time, and flexure of your body. 
B. Jonson, Devil is an Ass, iii. 1. 
God . . . reads the secret purposes, . . . and bends in 
all the flexures and intrigues of crafty people. 
Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1835), I. 677. 
Contrary is tlie flexure of the joints of our arms and legs 
to that of quadrupeds : our knees bend forward, whereas 
the same joint of their hind legs bends backward, /fat/. 
2. The part bent; abend; a fold. 3f. Obse- 
quious bowing or cringing. 
Think'st thou, the fiery fever will go out 
With titles blown from adulation '! 
Will it give place to flexure and low bending? 
S/ra*.,Hen. V.,iv. 1. 
Caudal flexure, the bending of the tail of the embryo for- 
ward toward the trunk. Cephalic flexure. See cephalic. 
Contrary flexure, in math., the changing of the direc- 
tion of bending of a plane curve. If the tangent, as it 
rolls upon the curve, ceases to turn in one direction and 
instantly begins to turn in the opposite direction, it is at 
that instant called a stationary or inflectional tangent, and 
its point of tangency is called a point of inflection, or of 
contrary flexure. flemie of a curve. See curve. 
Flexure of the wing, alar flexure, in ornith., the bend 
of the wing ; the carpal angle ; the salience formed at the 
wrist when the wing is folded. Hemal flexure, in anat., 
a bending toward the hemal side or aspect of the body ; a 
turning ventrad: as, the heinal flexure of the cerebral vesi- 
cles. Hepatic flexure, in anat., the bend Iwtween the 
ascending and the transverse colon. Moment of flex- 
ure, in inech., a couple measured by the product of the 
intensity of the resultant of all the forces tending to bend 
a beam multiplied by the distance from the line of action 
of that resultant of any transverse plane with reference 
to which the moment is taken. Slgmoid flexure, in 
anat., the S-shaped curve between ttie descending colon 
and the rectum. See cut under alimentary. Splenic 
flexure, in anat. , the bend between the transverse and the 
descending colon. 
fley 1 , '. and 11. See flay%. 
fley 2 t. An obsolete preterit of fly 1 . 
flicker 
fiiaum (fli'am), n. A scorpsenoid fish, Kebas- 
tirlitlit/K iiiiinii/iT, with about 50 scales on the 
lateral line, low cranial ridges, and of a red 
color. It reaches a length of about 2 feet, and 
is abundant along the Californian coast. 
Flibbertigibbet, Flibbertigibbet (flib'er-di-, 
nib'er-ti-jib"et), H. [Early mod. E. fliberdigibet; 
appar. mere jargon: set* flibbergib.] If. The 
name given to a fiend. 
Frateretto, Fliberdigibet, Hoberdidance, Tocobatto, were 
four devils of the round or morice : these four had forty 
assistants under them, as themselves do confesse. 
HarsHet, Popish Impostures. 
This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet; he begins at cur- 
few, and walks till the first cock. Shat., Lear, iii. 4. 
Hence 2. [t. c.] An imp; an impish-looking 
person ; a restless, flighty person. 
He was a lean, nervous fliltbertiyibbrt of a man, with 
-.MM i Inn-' the look of an actor, and something the look of 
a horse jockey. R. L. Stevenson, Inland Voyage, p. 78. 
flibbergib, flibbergibber (flib't-r-jib, -jib-er), 
n. [Appar. mere jargon (see flibber gibbet), but 
the latter part may allude to gibber, gibberish. 
Cf. flibbergibbet.] A glib or oily talker ; a lying 
knave ; a sycophant. [Old and prov. Eng.] 
And when these flatterers and flibbergibbes another day 
shall come and claw you by the back, your grace may an- 
swer them thus. Latimer, Sermons, fol. 39. 
flibbergibbett (flib'er-jib-et), n. [Early mod. E. 
flibergibvt, flebergibet, flebergebet ; appar. mere 
jargon: see flibbergib, f'libberdigibbet.] An imp; 
an impish-looking person ; a flighty person. 
Thou Flebergibet, Flebergibet, thou wretch ! 
Wot'st thou whereto last part of that word doth stretch? 
J. Ueyicood, Epigrams. 
Coquette, ... a cocket, a tatling housewife, a titifill, a 
flebergebit. Cotgrave. 
Flibbertigibbet, . See Flibberdigibbet. 
flibotet, . See fly-boat. 
flic-fiac (flik'flak), . [F., meant to be imita- 
tive of the sound of repeated blows. Cf. flick 1 , 
flack, tit-tat, pit-pat.] A repeated noise made 
by blows. Thackeray. 
flichter (flich'ter), r. i. [8c., perhaps connect- 
ed with flicker or flutter.] To flutter, quiver, or 
throb; run with outspread arms, as children 
to those to whom they are much attached. 
Th' expectant wee things, toddlin', stacher thro' 
To meet their dad, wi' flicliterin' noise and glee. 
Burns, Cottar's Saturday Night. 
flick 1 (flik), r. t. [Prob. an attenuated form of 
flack.] To strike lightly with a quick jerk, as 
with a whip or the finger ; flip : as, to flick off 
a fly from a horse. 
At a state christening the lady who held the infant was 
tired and looked unwell, and the Princess of Wales asked 
permission for her to sit down. " Let her stand, "said the 
Queen, flicking the snuff oft* her sleeve. 
Thackeray, Four Georges, George III. 
Near him, leaning listlessly against the wall, stood a 
strong-built countryman, flickintj, with a worn-out hunt- 
ing-whip, the top-boot that adorned his right foot. 
Dickens, Pickwick, xlii. 
flick 1 (flik), n. [< flick 1 , r.] A light sudden 
stroke, as with a whip or the finger ; a flip. 
He jumped upon the box, . . . seized the whip, . . . 
gave one^icA: to the off leader, and away went the four 
. . . horses. Dickens, Pickwick, xlix. 
flick 2 (flik), n. A dialectal form of flitch. 
flicker 1 (flik'er), r. i. [Early mod. E. alsoflycker; 
var. flecker; ME. flikeren, flekeren, < AS. flice- 
rian,flicorian, flutter (of birds) ; cf. D.flikkerert, 
sparkle, glitter; an attenuated form of flacker, 
q. v.] 1. To flutter, as a bird ; vibrate the wings 
rapidly. 
Above hire heed hire doves fleckering. 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1. 1964. 
Certain little birds only were heard to warble out their 
sweet notes, and to flicker up and downe the greene trees 
of the gardens. North, tr. of Plutarch, p. 834. 
The tuneful lark already stretch'd her wing, 
And flickering on her nest, made short essays to sing. 
Dryden, Pal. and Arc., iii. 123. 
2. To fluctuate or waver, as the light of a 
torch in the wind; undergo rapid and irregu- 
lar changes. 
The! reised theire baners a-lofte that flekered in the 
wynde, and the bright sonne smote vpon the bright ar- 
murs that it glistered so bright that merveile was to be- 
holden. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), ii. 324. 
A chain-drooped lamp was flickering by each door. 
Keats, Eve of St. Agnes, st, 40. 
Carriage wheels whirled flickering along the beach, seam- 
ing its smoothness noiselessly, as if muftled. 
Harper's Mag., LXXVI. 737. 
It was the sight of that Lord Arundel 
Who struck, in heat, the child he loved so well ; 
And the child's reason flickered and did die. 
M. Arnold, A Picture at Newstead. 
3. To scintillate; sparkle. 
The wreath of radiant fire 
On flickering Phtebus' front. Shak., Lear, ii. 2. 
