I. I. II. 1. () 
most properly 

mare's-tail 
mare's-tail (marz'tal), . and 
A plant of the genus Hij>j>nrix 
H. Vltlgaris. [In old herbals this 
was female horsetail, in contrast 
with Equisetum fiuviattte, a stronger 
plant, called male horsetail. But la- 
ter writers say mare's-tail, as if the 
meaning had been .female-horse tail.] 
(l>) The horsetail, Equisetum. 
See bottle-brush, 2. 
The pretty marestail forest, fairy 
pines. Tennyson, Aylmer's Field. 
2. pi. Long straight fibers of 
gray cirrus cloud, an indica- 
tion of the approach of stormy 
weather. 
A light blue sky and a crescent of 
mare's-tails over the mastheads. 
W. C. Russell, Jack's Courtship, xxii. 
3. In anat., the cauda equina 
(which see, under caiula). 
II. a. Like a mare's tail; 
of the kind called mare's- 
tails : said of clouds. 
Streaks of marestail clouds in the 
sky. Huxley, Nineteenth Century, 
[XIX. 202. 
marewet, An obsolete form 
of marrow 1 . 
Marezzo marble. See mar- 
ble. 
margarate ( mar'ga-rat ), . 
[< margar(ic) + -ate 1 .] In diem., a salt of mar- 
garic acid. 
margaret (mar'ga-ret), n. [< Margaret, a fern. 
name, = F. Marguerite = Sp. Pg. Margarita = 
It. Margarita, Margherita, < L. margarita, < Gr. 
fiapyapiTtK, a pearl: see margarite. The name 
Margaret, reduced to Mag, Madge, dim. Maggie, 
etc., is familiarly applied to several birds, etc. : 
see madgei, magf, magpie, etc.] Same as 
madge^. 
margaret-grunt (mar'ga-ret-grunt), 11. Same 
as margate-fish. 
margaric (mar-gar'ik), a. [<.margar(ite) + -ic.~] 
Pertaining to or resembling pearl. Margaric 
, an acid formerly erroneously supposed 
Flowering Branch of 
Mare's-tail (Hippuris 
I'ulgaris}. a, a flower 
before anthesis ; *, a 
flower after anthesis ; 
c, the fruit. 
, 
to be present in certain fats. It has a fatty aspect, and is 
insoluble in water, but readily soluble in hot alcohol ; the 
latter, as it cools, deposits the acid in pearly scales, whence 
its name. It probably does not occur in nature. 
margarin, margarine (mar'ga-rin), . [< mar- 
(jar(ic) + -in 2 , -i'ne 2 .] A peculiar pearl-like sub- 
stance extracted from hogs' lard; the solid 
fatty matter of certain vegetable oils. The 
purest margarin is obtained from the concrete 
part of olive-oil. It is a mixture of stearin and 
palmatin. 
margarita (mar-ga-ri'tii), . [NL. (in def. 1 < 
LGr. /japyapiTT/s, a crumb of the sacramental 
bread, lit. a pearl), < Gr. tiapyapirris, a pearl: see 
margarite.} 1. In the Gr. Ch.: (a) The ves- 
sel in which the consecrated oblate is kept. (6) 
A portion of the oblate which is placed in the 
cup as a symbol of the union of the body and 
blood of Christ. See commixture. 2. [cap.'] A 
genus of top-shells of the family Trochidai. It is 
represented by a number of species in the colder 
seas. 
Margaritacea (mar"ga-ri-ta'se-a), n. pi. [NL., 
neut. pi. of margaritaeeus, pearly: see marga- 
ritaceous.'] In old systems, a family ofjrivalves 
whose shells are pearly or nacreous inside ; the 
pearl-oysters: same as Amvulidvs or Pteriiace. 
In De Blainville's classification (1825), this family con- 
sisted of the genera Vulsetta, Malleus, Perna, Crenattda, 
Inoceramus, Catilhts, Pulvinites, Gervttlia, and Avicula, 
thus corresponding somewhat to the Malleaceaot Lamarck. 
Also Margaritacece. 
margaritacean (mar"ga-ri-ta'se-an), a. and n. 
[As margaritacemis + ^an.~\ I', "n. Margarita- 
ceous ; margaritif erous ; specifically, of or per- 
taining to the Margaritacea. 
II. n. A member of the Margaritacea. 
margaritaceous (mar"ga-ri-ta'shius), a. [< 
NL. margaritacetis, pearly, < L. margarita, a 
pearl: see margarite.'] Resembling mother-of- 
pearl; pearly; glossy- white with purple, green. 
and blue reflections. 
Margaritana (mar"ga-ri-ta'na), n. [NL., < L. 
margarita, a pearl: see margarite.'] A genus of 
river-mussels of the family Unionida. It is close- 
ly related to Unio, chiefly differing in some details of the 
hinge-teeth, and a species, M. margaritifera, is notable 
as a pearl-oyster, producing pearls of commercial value. 
Also called Ala&modon. 
margarite (mar'ga-rit), n. [< ME. margarite, 
margrite (also margery, q. v.) (of. AS. meregrot, 
meregreota = OS. merigriota = OHG. marigrioz, 
a pearl, forms simulating AS. mere, etc., sea, + 
great, etc., sand, gravel, grit), < OF. marguerite, 
3G28 
c, F. margarite, marguerite = Sp. Pg. 
margarita = It. margarita, margherita, a pearl, 
< L. margarita, rarely margaritum, = Bulg. mar- 
t/aril = Russ. margarita, < Gi.yapyapiTt/s, a pearl, 
also fidpyapov, a pearl, < /j.dpya/jof, the pearl- 
oyster; cf. Pers. murwari (> Turk. mervarid).& 
pearl.] 1. A pearl. [Obsolete or poetical.] 
Rich orient pearl, 
More bright of hue than were the margarites 
That Ciesar found in wealthy Albion. 
Greene, Orlando Furioso. 
2. A mineral of micaceous structure, separa- 
ble into thin laminae which are rather brittle. 
It has a grayish or reddish color and a pearly luster on 
the cleavage-surface (hence called pearl-mica). In com- 
position it is a silicate of aluminium and calcium. It is 
a common associate of corundum. It is one of the so- 
called brittle micas. 
3. In lithol., an arrangement of the devitrifica- 
tion products (globulites) of a glassy material 
into forms resembling strings of beads : a term 
introduced by Vogelsang. 4. Same as niar- 
garita, 1. 
margaritic (mar-ga-rit'ik), a. [< margarite + 
-ic.J Pertaining to or resembling pearl or 
margarite ; margaric Margaritic acid, one of the 
fatty acids which result from the saponiflcation of castor- 
oil. 
margaritiferOUS (mar"ga-ri-tif'e-rus), a. [< L. 
margaritif er, pearl-bearing, < margarita, a pearl 
(see margarite), + ferre = E. bear 1 .] Pearl- 
bearing ; producing pearls ; margaritaceous. 
margaritite (inar'ga-ri-tit), n. [< NL. Margari- 
tites, a generic name of such shells, (.ii. marga- 
rita, a pearl: see margarite.} A fossil pearl- 
oyster or some similar margaritiferous shell. 
Margarodes (mar-ga-ro'dez), n. [NL., < Gr. 
fiapyapuSr/f, pearl-like, < udpyapov, a pearl (see 
margarite), + edlof, form.] 1. A genus of scale- 
insects of the family Coccidai. M. formicarum, so 
named from its pearly appearance and from its living 
with ants, is known in the Bahamas as the ground-pearl. 
Its scaly covering has caused it to be mistaken for a mol- 
lusk. These insects are sometimes strung like beads in 
necklaces. The genus is probably the same as Porphy- 
rophora of Brandt (1833); it was named the same year by 
(iuilding. 
2. A genus of pyralid moths, typical of the fam- 
ily Margarodido', erected by Guen<je in 1854, 
having the wings immaculate, neither fasciate 
nor marginate, and the body stout. They occur 
in most parts of the world, more abundantly in tropical 
countries. M. quadristigmalis of the United States feeds 
in the larval state on the privet. 
Margarodidae (mar-ga-rod'i-de), n.pl. [NL.. 
< Margarodes + -idee.] A family of pyralid 
moths named from the genus Margarodes, hav- 
ing ample, entire, silky, semi-hyaline, irides- 
cent or pearly wings, often bordered and sel- 
dom marked. The abdomen of the male has an apical 
tuft which is often bifid. It is a large wide-spread family 
of some 20 genera, as Phacellura, which contains the moths 
whose larvse are known in the United States as melon- 
caterpillars and pickle-worms. 
margarodite (mar'ga-ro-dit), n. [< Gr. fiapyapa- 
6>K, pearl-like (see Margarodes), + -ite 2 .] Ava- 
riety of muscovite, or common potash-mica, 
affording, upon ignition, a small perci^itage of 
water. 
margaron, margarone (mar'ga-ron, -ron), n. 
[= F. margarone ; as margar(ic) + -on, -one.~] 
A solid white fatty matter which crystallizes 
in pearly scales, and is obtained by distilling 
margaric acid with excess of lime. 
margaryize (mar'gar-i-iz), v. t.; pret. and pp. 
margari/ised, ppr. margaryining. [< Margari/ 
(see def.) + -/.re.] In the antiseptic treatment 
of timber, to impregnate (the wood) with a so- 
lution of sulphate of copper. The word is de- 
rived from the name of the inventor of the pro- 
cess, J. J. Lloyd Margary. 
margate-fish (mar'gat-fish), . A fish, Hamiu- 
lon gibbosum or album, inhabiting the Caribbean 
Sea and Florida Keys. Its color is pearly-white, 
somewhat olivaceous above, with obsolete spots on some 
of the scales ; the mouth is orange within, and the lips 
and a faint blotch on each side of the snout are light-yel- 
low. It reaches a length of 2 feet or more, and is one of 
the most important food-fishes of Havana and Key West, 
Also called market-fish, maggot-fish, margaret-grunt. 
Margaux (mar-go'), n. [F. : see def.] Claret 
produced in the commune of Margaux, in the 
department of the Gironde in France. Its bet- 
ter grades closely resemble the Chateau Mar- 
gaux. See chateau. 
margay (mar'ga), . [= F. margay; < Braz. 
margay.'] A South American tiger-cat, Felis 
tigrina, or F. margay ; also, some related spe- 
cies. They are small spotted and striped cats resem- 
bling the ocelot, ranging from Mexico to Paraguay. The 
margay is about 2 feet long, the tail from 12 to 18 inches ; 
it has been domesticated and made useful in destroying 
rats, like the common house-cat. Also marjay. 
margin 
marge (miirj), n. [< F. marge = Pr. marge = 
D. marge, < L. margo (margin-), border, margin : 
see margin.'] Same as margin. [Poetical.] 
By this the Muse arrives 
At Elie's isled marge. 
Drayton, Polyolbion, xxii. 1632. 
The drum, suspended by its tattered marge, 
Once rolled and rattled to the Hessian's charge. 
0. W. Holmes, Metrical Essay. 
marged (miirjd), .. [< marge + -ed 2 .] Bor- 
dered ; having a margin. 
From that gold-sanded, ftower-marffed shore. 
The Week, VI. 186. 
margent (mar'jent), . and a. [Avar, of mar- 
</in, with unorig. -t as in parchment, tyrant, etc.] 
1. n. 1. A margin. [Obsolete or archaic.] 
The beached mari/ent of the sea. 
Shak., M. N. D., ii. 1. 86. 
Be not deceav'd, Readers, by men that would overawe 
your eares with big names and huge Tomes that contra- 
dict and repeal one another, because they can cramme a 
margent with citations. Milton, Apology f or Smectymnuus. 
By the margent of the sea 
I would build myself a home. 
Ji. H. Stoddard, By the Margent of the Sea. 
2. Gloss ; marginal comment. 
See at the bar the booby Bettesworth, . . . 
Who knows of law nor text nor margent. SwtfL 
II. a. Marginal. 
Margent notes upon a French text. 
Jl. Saltonstall, To Winthrop(l43). 
Here, peradventure, my witless youth may be taxed with 
a margent note of presumption, for offering to put up any 
motion of applause in the behalf of so excellent a poet. 
Naih (Arber's Eng. Garner, I. 498). 
margentt (mar'jent), v. t. [< margent, n.] To 
note or enter on' the margin; margin. 
I present it [England's Eliza] in one whole entire hymne, 
distinguishing itonly by succession of yeares, which I have 
margented through the whole story. 
Mir. for Mags. , p. 775, Pref. 
margeryt, [< ME. margery, margerye, < OF. 
inargerie, margverie, vernacular form of mar- 
guerite, var. of margarite, a pearl.] A pearl, 
margery-pearlt, . [ME. margery perl.'] Same 
as margery. Prompt. Pan., p. 214. 
And seyde, " noli mittere man margerye-perlis 
Amanges hogges, that han hawes at wille." 
Piers Plowman (B), x. 9. 
margin (miir'jin), n. [Also marge (< F.), for- 
merly also margine (and margent, q. v.) ; < ME. 
margin, margyne, < OF. margine (usually marge, 
F. marge) = Sp. margen = Pg. margem = It. 
margine, a border, margin, = Serv. marginj, a 
hill (as a boundary, an ant-hill, mole-hill), < 
L. margo (margin-), edge, brink, border, mar- 
gin: see mark 1 ."] 1. A bordering or bounding 
space ; a border ; a space between one edge or 
line and another, as that along a river between 
the edge of the water or of its bed and a real or 
imaginary outer line, or the like, or that between 
the edges of a leaf or sheet of paper and those 
of the printing or writing on it. In some plants 
the leaf (then called marginate) has a distinct margin or 
border of different formation or coloration from the main 
body. In the case of a book, margin alone usually means 
the clear space between the print and the outer edge of the 
leaf, called distinctively the front margin; the head or top 
margin is at the top of the page, the tail or bottom margin 
at the foot, and the back margin on the inner side against the 
back. Parts of these margins, especially at the sides, may 
be occupied by marginal notes, remarks, or the like. An 
opened margin is one where the leaves have been opened 
or separated, as with a folder, but not trimmed ; an micut 
margin has not been cut anywhere ; a rough-cut margin 
has only the more protruding ragged edges cut off with 
scissors ; in a cropped margin too much paper has been cut 
away ; in a bled margin part of the print has been cut away. 
We came into the road, where I saw an antient way 
about eighteen feet broad, paved with large round stones, 
having a margin on each side, partly of hewn stone. 
Pococke, Description of the East, II. i. 80. 
Thus on Meeander's flowery margin lies 
The dying swan. Pope, R. of the L., v. 66. 
With plates of brass the corslet cover'd o'er 
(The same renown'd Asteropeeus wore), 
Whose glitt'ring margins raised with silver shine 
(No vulgar gift), Enmelus ! shall be thine. 
Pope, Iliad, xxiii. 641. 
Starts, when he sees the hazels cjuiver 
Along the margin of the river. 
Whittier, Mogg Megone, ii. 
Specifically (a) In an engraving, the paper left blank out- 
side the plate-mark. (6)IncntoH,, properly, the outer part 
of a surface or distinct portion of the integument, as dis- 
tinguished from the central part or disk. In this sense 
margin is not to he confounded with edge, which is used to 
denote the extreme boundary of a part : but where distinc- 
tion is unnecessary, the two terms are often used synony- 
mously, (c) In conch., the edge or entire outline of a bi- 
valve shell. (d)lnbot.: (1) The edge. (2) A distinct border, 
different from the body of the organ, as the membranous 
expansion surrounding some seeds or seed-vessels ; a nar- 
row wing. 
2. In joinery, the flat part of the stiles and rails 
of framed work. Doors which are made in two widths 
