geranium 
house-culture and gardens under the names of 
scarlet geranium, rose geranium, etc. 
Geranium boasts 
Her crimson honors. Cowper, Task, iii. 577. 
4. One of several plants of other genera. 
Beefsteak- or strawberry-geranium, the Saxifraga 
sarmentosa, a house-plant from China and Japan, with 
heart-shaped leaves and spreading by runners. Fea- 
ther-geranium, the Jerusalem oak, Cheiiopodium Botrys. 
Indian geranium, a fragrant grass of the East Indies, 
Andropogon schaenanfhug, which yields the geranium-oil 
of perfumers. Nettle-geranium, the common coleus of 
gardens, Culeus Blum* i. 
geranomorph (jer'a-no-m6rf), n. One of the 
<!/ riniomorphce. 
Geranomorphse (jer // a-no-m6r'fe), n.pl. [NL., 
< Gr. yipavaf, a crane, + floppy, form.] In Hux- 
ley's system (1867), a superfamily of schizogna- 
thous birds, having a comparatively strong ros- 
trum, usually no basipterygoid processes, con- 
cavo-convex lamellar maxillopalatines, a trun- 
cated angle of the mandible, the sternum com- 
paratively narrow and notched or entire, the 
crus bare above the suffrage, no pulviplumes, 
and two Cca. The cranes and rails, now usually called 
Alectorides or Paltidicol(e, are the leading representatives 
of the group. Also named Gruoidefe. 
geranomorpbic (jer*"a-no-m6r'nk), a. Having 
the characters of the Geranomorphis. 
Geranomyia (jer"a-no-mi'ya), n. [NL. (Hali- 
day, 1833), < Gr. "ytpavof, a crane, + uvia, a 
fly. ] A genus of crane-flies or Tipulidce, having 
a very long proboscis and scutellum, as G. uni- 
color of England and Ireland. 
gerant (je'rant), n. [< F. gerant, manager, ppr. 
of gerer, manage, cany on, < L. gerere, carry, 
carry on, perform.] The acting partner or 
manager of a joint-stock association, newspa- 
per establishment, etc. Imp. Diet. 
gerarchyt, An obsolete (Middle English) 
form of hierarchy. 
gerard 1 !, See gerrard. 
gerard 2 (jer'ard), H. A West Indian snake, Ge- 
rarda bicolor. J. E. Gray. 
Gerardia (je-rar'di-a), 11. [NL., named after 
John Gerard, an English herbalist of the 16th 
century.] 1 . A gen us of erect annual or per- 
ennial herbs, of the order Scrophulariacece, of 
North and South America, mostly extratropi- 
cal. They have showy yellow, rose-colored, or purple 
flowers, but are mostly root-parasites, and consequently 
are not found in cultivation. Of the 80 species, 23 belong 
to the eastern and southern sections of the United States. 
2. In zool., the typical genus of corals of the 
family Gerardiidce. 
Gerardiidse (jer-ar-dl'i-de), n. pi. [NL., < Ge- 
rardia, 2, + -idie.'] A family of antipatharian 
or sclerobasic corals, represented by the genus 
Gerardia. 
gerated (jer'a-ted), a. [Appar. < F. gerer, car- 
ry, manage, + -ate 1 + -edp.] i n her., covered 
by a number of small bearings (compare seme); 
especially, differenced by the use of such small 
bearings. See difference, and marks of cadency 
(under cadency). 
geratologic (jer"a-to-loj'ik), a. [< geratology 
+ -tc.] Of or pertaining to geratology. Amer. 
Naturalist. 
geratologist (jer-a-tol'o-jist), . [< geratology 
+ -ist.~] One who is versed in geratology. 
geratologous (jer-a-toj'o-gus), a. [< geratol- 
9-y + -ous.] Pertaining to geratology. 
These shells appear . . . among the geratologous and 
pathological types. A. Hyatt, Science, III. 124. 
geratology (jer-a-tol'o-ji), n. [< Gr. yqpas (717- 
paT-), old age, + -Xoyia. < Afyeiv, speak: see 
-ology.'] The study of decadence and decay, 
as of the changes wrought in a species or other 
group of animals approaching extinction. 
We may trace the death of an entire order, and show 
that it takes place in accordance with the laws of gera- 
tology. A. Hyatt, Science, III. 147. 
gerbe (jerb), n. [< F. gerbe, a sheaf: see garb%.] 
1. In her., same as garlft. 2. A strong paper 
case filled with a pyrotechnic composition, used 
in fireworks ; a bouquet or sheaf of fire. 
Gerbes are choked cases, not unlike Roman candles, but 
often of much larger size. Their jlre spreads like a sheaf 
of wheat. They may be packed with variously coloured 
stars, which will rise 30 feet or more. 
Encyc. Brit., XX. 136. 
gerbe-fuse (jerb'fuz), . In pyrotechny, a kind 
of fuse used for connecting the parts of a set 
piece or figure, so prepared as to emit in burn- 
ing a sheaf or shower of fire similar to that of 
the gerbe. 
gerbil, gerbill (jer'bil), n. [= F. gerbiUe, < NL. 
Gerbillus, q. v.] A book-name of any animal of 
the subfamily Gerbillina;. 
2498 
Gerbillinae (jer-bi-li'ne), n. pi. [NL., < Ger- 
billus + -ino!.~] A subfamily of rodents, of the 
family Muridce. The gerbils, all of which are of the 
Palsearctic, Indian, and Ethiopian regions, have generally 
a long and hairy tail, elongated hind limbs, large osseous 
bullie of the skull, and narrow incisors. Other genera 
than Gerbillus are Mystromyt, Otomys, and Dasymys. 
Gerbillus (jer-bil'us), . [NL., dim. ofgerbua, 
another form of jerboa, q. v.] The typical and 
leading genus of Gerbillina!, containing upward 
Gfrbillus longifrons. 
of 40 species, of which the Egyptian gerbil, G. 
(egyptiacus, is one of the best-known; another 
is G. longifrons. Desmarest, 1804. 
gerbo, gerboa, . See jerboa. 
Gerboidae (jer-bo'i-de), n. pi. [NL., < Gerboa + 
-H/VF.] A family of rodent mammals ; the jer- 
boas: same as Dipodidce. 
gerbua, . See jerboa. 
gerdH, * An obsolete form of gird 1 . 
gerd' 2 t, v. An obsolete form of gird%. 
gerdelt, An obsolete form of girdle 1 . 
geret. A Middle English form of gear. 
gerefa (AS. pron. ge-ra'fa), n. [AS. gerefa : see 
reeve 1 , sheriff.'] In Anglo-Saxon hist., an officer 
corresponding to the steward or seneschal of 
Norman times ; a reeve. The principal classes were 
the scirgerlfa or sheriff, the hundred-gerifa. or bailiff, and 
the tun-gerifa, or reeve of the township. 
In the courts of the hundred and the shire . . . the ge- 
refa and four best men appeared for the township. 
Stubbs, Const. Hist., 43. 
gerenda (je-ren'da), n. pi. [L., neut. pi. of ge- 
rendus, gerundive of gerere, carry, carry on, per- 
form.] Things to be done or conducted; agenda. 
gerent (je'rent), a. and n. [< L. geren(t-)s, ppr. 
of gerere, carry, carry on, perform.] I. a. Bear- 
ing; carrying; carrying on: now used only in 
composition : as, vicegerent, belligerent. 
II. n. A ruling power or agency ; a doer or 
performer. [Rare.] 
And so sympathy pairs with self-assertion, the two <tr- 
rtnts of human life on earth. 
R. L. Stevenmn, Walt Whitman. 
gerfalcon (jer'fa"kn), n. [Also written gyr- 
falcon, and formerly gerfaulcon, jerfalcon, gier- 
falcon (after D. and G.); < ME. gerfaueon, ger- 
fatecon, jerfaucon, etc., rarely girefaueon, gyr- 
facoun (also gerfauk), < OF. gerfaueon, ger- 
faucun, girfaucun, also gerfaut, gerfault = Pr. 
girfalc, gerfalc = Sp. gerifalte, gerifalco = Pg. 
gerifalte = It. girifalco, girfalco, gerfalco (cf. 
MD. ghiervalk, D. giervalk, MHG. girvalke, ger- 
valke, G. gierfaJk, gerfalk, also geierfalke = 
ODan. gerfalk = Icel. geirfalki, adapted from 
the Rom., with ref. to MHG. gir, G. geier, D. 
gier, a vulture, which is prob. connected with 
OHG. giri, MHG. gire, G. dial, geier, greedy, 
OHG. giri, ger, MHG. gir, ger, also gierec, G. 
gierig, greedy, eager, from the same root as 
E. yearn 1 , q. v. ; cf . Sw. gamfalk, a gerfalcon, 
< gam = Icel. ga,,imr, a vulture, + folk, fal- 
con), < ML. hierofalco(n-) (found in Gesner 
and Kilian, and no doubt earlier, and now the 
NL. generic name), lit. 'sacred falcon,' < Gr. 
icp6f, sacred, + L. falco(n-), falcon, being an 
adapted translation of the Gr. itpa!-, dial, tpyl;, 
a falcon (> NGr. yiepam, a falcon), a name 
popularly associated with iep6c, sacred, but in 
fact connected only remotely. The spelling 
gyrfalcon, ML. gyrofalco(n-), gyrofalcns, rests 
upon a false etymology, the name being re- 
ferred to L. gyrus, a circle, gyrare, turn round 
in a circle (see gyre), in supposed reference 
to its circling flight; but a circling flight is 
not peculiar to this falcon, and the ML. forms 
gyrofalco(n-), gerofalco(n-), etc., are plainly re- 
flections of the Rom. forms.] A large falcon 
of arctic Europe, Falco gyrfalco, or one of other 
kinds of boreal falcons forming the subge- 
nus Hierofalco, of large size, very robust or- 
ganization, and highly raptorial nature. The 
continental forms are mostly dark-colored, some of them 
quite blackish, but others are white, more or less spotted 
with a dusky color, as those of Iceland and Greenland. 
Naturalists are not agreed whether there is but a single 
variable species or several; the latter opinion prevails. 
See /atom, Hierofalco. 
germ 
Above the Chambre of this Chariot, that the Emperour 
.-itti-the inue, ben sett upon a Perche 4 or 5 or 6 Gerfa- 
count. Mandeville, Travels, p. 241. 
He had . . . staghounds, foxhounds, harriers, packs 
for the boar and packs for the wolf, gerfalcons for the 
heron and haggards for the wild-duck. 
Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xx. 
And a great white gerfalcon did he hold 
Upon his ll<t . 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise, I. 14. 
gerfaucont, gerfawcont, Obsolete forms of 
iji'i'f/ilcon. 
gerfaukt, A Middle English form of gerfal- 
con. 
gerfauntt, . [ME., a corrupt form of the Ar. 
zardf, zordfa, jorafa, a giraffe : see giraffe.'] A 
giraffe. 
There also ben many bestes, that bifti clept orafles ; in 
Araylie, thei ben clept Gerfauntz; that is a Best pomelee 
or spotted ; that is but a litylle more highe, than is a 
Stede : but he hathe the Necke a 20 Cubytes long : and his 
Croup and his Tayl is as of an Hert : and he may loken 
over a gret highe Hous. Mandemtle, Travels, p. 289. 
gerfult. a. [ME. gerful, gereful, geerful, equiv. to 
gery, changeable, < "gere, *gire, a, circle, course : 
see gyre."] Changeable; capricious. 
To preve in that thi gerful violence. 
Chaucer, Troilus, iv. 286. 
gerhardtite (ger'har-tlt), n. [Named after a 
chemist Gerhardt (born in Strasburg 1816, died 
1856).] A basic nitrate of copper occurring in 
dark-green orthorhombic crystals, with cuprite 
and malachite, at Jerome in Arizona. 
gerisht, a. [ME. gerysshe, gerysch; < 'gere, 'gire, 
a circle, course (see gerful), + -ish 1 .'] Wild; 
inconstant. Palsgrave. 
Now gerystht glad and anoon aftir wrothe. 
Lydgate, Minor Poems, p. 245. 
gerkint, . See gherkin. 
ger landt, n. AM iddle English form of garland. 
Chaucer. 
ger-laughtert, . [< ger- (appar. some corrup- 
tion) + laughter.] Coarse laughter. Nares. 
Use them as grave counsellors smiles, not as rude hob- 
binolds ger-laughten, who thinke they are never merry 
except they cast the house out of the windowes with ex- 
treame securitie. Melton, Sixefold Politician (1609). 
gerling (ger'ling), n. [Perhaps a var. of year- 
ling, with orig. g. ] A salmon which has returned 
the second time from the sea. [Local, Eng.] 
gerlondt, " A Middle English form of garland. 
Chaucer. 
germ (jerm), . [Formerly also germe (and 
germen, germin, q. v.) ; < F. germe = Pr. germe, 
germ = Sp. gernwn = Pg. germen, germe = It. 
germe, (. L. germen, a sprig, offshoot, sprout, bud, 
germ, embryo; origin uncertain.] 1. In biol., 
the first rudiment of any organism ; the earli- 
est stage in the development of an organism; 
the simplest recognizable condition of a living 
thing; in bot., technically, the embryo of a 
seed, or, in the Linnean use of the word, the 
ovary. In popular language often used specifically to 
denote the mature spores of fungi and of other lower cryp- 
togams, especially of injurious kinds, and, in the case of 
bacteria, the entire organism. 
The germ out of which a human being is evolved dif- 
fers in no visible respect from the germ out of which 
every animal and plant is evolved. 
H. Spencer, Prin. of Biol., I 52. 
2. By extension, an early or but slightly devel- 
oped state of an organism ; an early embryo. 
See embryo. 
He marks the bounds which Winter may not pass, 
And blunts his pointed fury ; in its case, 
Russet and rude, folds up the tender germ, 
Uninjur'd, with inimitable art. Cowper, Task, vi. 194. 
3. Some or any microbe or micro-organism; a 
spore : as, a cholera-<ceri. See germicide. 
The different kinds of contagia . . . may in essence be 
. . . cast-off micro-organisms of a low type, either in 
their " finished " condition or in a (jerm-stage. 
H. C. Bastian, Quain's Med. Diet., p. 533. 
4. That from which anything springs or may 
spring as if from a seed or root; a rudimentary 
element; a formative principle: as, the germs 
of civil liberty or of prosperity. 
Religion then has its gernn in our nature, and its de- 
velopment is entrusted to our own care. 
Channing, Perfect Life, p. 3. 
The germ of the process of synthesis is best illustrated 
in constructive imagination. 
J. Sully, Outlines of Psychol., p. 337. 
Germ theory, (a) In biol., the doctrine of biogenesis; 
the theory that living matter cannot be produced by evo- 
lution or development from non-living matter, but is ne- 
cessarily produced from germs or seeds. The doctrine is 
opposed to that of abiogenesis, or spontaneous generation. 
See biogenesis. (6) In pathol., the doctrine that zymotic 
diseases, together with some not usually classed as zy- 
motic, are due to the presence in the body of living or- 
ganisms. These organisms, which, so far as they have 
been positively identified, belong for the most part to the 
group of bacteria, produce their morbid effects by their 
