3680 
meconarceine(mek-6-nar'se-in),H. [<meco(nic) medal (med'al) 
+ narc(otic) + -iw&] An alkaloid obtained 
from opium: said to be a useful hypnotic. 
meconate (mek'o-nat), n. [< mecon(ic) + ~ 
A salt of meeonic acid. 
xne mecnaniM win oe airaiu 10 assert ueivrc ntviuj wu- w*w _ ,,,/ ,,,, 
tradiction the possibility of tearing down bulwarks with mecOniC (me-kon'ik), a. [< dr. fii/Kuvmof, per- 
tainingto a poppy ,< p/wv (> L. ieco),a poppy, 
poppy-seed, poppy-juice, opium, = OBulg. ma- 
ku = OHG. *maltan, MHG. *mdhen, man, G. io7*, 
also OHG. mayo, MHG. mofire = OSw. (val)mu- 
ghi, Sw. (vall)mo = Dan. (val)mue, poppy; the 
Teut. forms prob. not of native origin.] Per- 
taining to or derived from the poppy Meeonic 
acid, C 7 H40 7 , the peculiar acid with which morphine is 
combined In opium. When pure, it forms small white 
mechanist 
mechanist (mek'a-nist), . [< mechanic) + 
-is*.] 1. A maker of machines, or one skilled 
in machinery or in mechanical work ; a mecha- 
nician. 
The mechanist will be afraid to assert before hardy con 
jadiction the possibility of tearing down bulwarks wif 
a silk-worm's thread. Johnson, Rambler, No. 11' 
What titles will he keep? will he remain 
Musician, gardener, builder, mechanist, 
A planter, and a rearer from the seed? 
Wordsworth, Excursion, vn. 
2. One of a school of philosophers who refer 
all the changes in the universe to the effect of 
merely mechanical forces. 
mechanistic (mek-a-nis'tik), a. [< mechanist 
+ -*c-~ . _ ' 
to mechanists: as, "mechanistic combination, 
Nature, XXX. 383. 
. , 
Of or pertaining to mechanism or crystals. Its aqueous solution shows a deep-red color 
r^t r"T, ",:., combination." with the persalts of iron, which therefore are e rood testa 
for it. It is a tnbasic acid, but most of its salts contain 
but two equivalents of the base. 
Plural of meconidium. 
, 
mechanize (mek'a-mz), v. t.; pret. and pp. m econidia, n. 
mechanised, ppr. mechanizing. [= OF. mecha- me conidine (me-kon'i-din), n. [< mecon(ic) + 
niser, mechanizer; < Gr.'/tqxavifrtv, contrive, < _,yj_ + .,- HC 2.] One of the alkaloids contained in 
' O pi um 
' pi. meconi- 
'<?> a contrivance: see machine, mecnanic.~\ u , 
To' render mechanical ; bring into the form of m econidium (mek-o-nid'i-um), 
mechanism ; form mechanically ; bring into a 
mechanical state or condition. 
The human frame a mechanized automaton. Shelley. 
mechanizer (mek'a-nl-zer), . One who mecha- conic), + dim. -tdtov.] i he fixed generative 
nizes: a believer in mechanical order or system; medusoid of some calyptoblastio hydroids, as 
nizes ; a believer in mechanical order or system ; 
-a). [NL., < G'r. /II/KUV, part of the intes- 
tines of testaceous animals, also the ink-bag 
of a cuttlefish, lit. poppy, poppy-seed (see me- 
eonic), + dim. -tSiov.\ The fixed generative 
a utilitarian or formalist. 
Our European Mechanizers are a sect of boundless diffu- 
sion, activity, and cooperative spirit: has not Utilitarian- 
ism flourished . . . within the last fifty years? 
Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, iii. 5. 
mechanograph (me-kan'o-graf), . [< Gr. 
[iTjxavri, a machine, + ypafyuv, write.] A ma- 
chine-made copy, as of a writing, a work of 
art, etc. 
mechanographic (mek' / a-no-graf'ik), a. [< 
mechanograpli-y + -ic.~] " 1. Treating of me- 
chanics. [Bare.] 2. Pertaining to mecha- 
nography. 
mechanographist (mek-a-nog'ra-nst), . [< opium- it w 1UB1U10 , auu 3a ^^ 
mechanograph-y + -ist.] One who by mechani- mecon i i,l (me-ko'ni-oid), a. [< meconium 
cal means multiplies copies of any work of art, _ gid , Resembling meconium. 
writing, or the like. 
of the genus Gonothyrea, in which the sexual 
elements are matured and from which the em- 
bryos are discharged in the form of ciliated 
planulas. These generative buds or zob'ids develop upon 
the gonotheca, several in succession from above downward, 
retaining their direct communication with the blastostyle ; 
when fully matured they are sacs hanging to the gonotheca 
by a narrow stalk or peduncle, having an opening or mouth 
at the far end surrounded by a circlet of tentacles, through 
which mouth the ova escape ; the cavity of the hollow 
meconidium communicates with that of the blastostyle, 
and the medusoid, after performing its function, decays 
upon its stem, never becoming detached as a free zooid. 
(rnek'o-nin), n. [<_mecon(c) + -fn a .] 
A neutral substance (Cj 
medallic 
[< OF. medaille, F. medaille 
an. medalje=>i'w.medalj*) = 
Sp. medalla = Pg. medalha = It. medaglia, ML. 
reflex medaliia, medulla, medalea, medalla, me- 
dale (> OHG. medilla, medila, MHG. medele), a 
medal, < LL. as if *metallea, < L. metallum, met- 
al : see metal.'] A piece of metal, usually cir- 
cular in form, bearing devices (types) and in- 
scriptions, struck or cast to commemorate a per- 
son, an institution, or an event, and distinguish- 
ed from a coin by not being intended to serve as 
a medium of exchange. The word is also sometimes 
used to designate coins, particularly ancient coins in the 
precious metals, or fine medieval or Renaissance coins, 
in collections. Some of the Greek and Roman coin-types 
are commemorative, and the Roman medallions were of 
a quasi-medallic character. Strictly speaking, however, 
the medal is a creation of modern times. The earliest, 
and in point of portraiture the finest, medals were pro- 
duced in Italy about the middle of the fifteenth century 
by Vittore Visano of Verona. Fine medals were also exe- 
cuted in Italy, Germany, and France during the sixteenth 
century. English medals begin practically with the reign 
of Henry VIII. The earliest specimens are cast, but in 
the reign of James I. the process of striking began to be 
employed. Thomas Rawlins, Thomas Simon, and Abra- 
ham Simon (seventeenth century) are the principal medal- 
ists who were natives of England ; but some of the best 
English medals were the productions of foreign artists, as 
Trezzo (time of Philip and Mary), Simon Passe (James I.), 
N. Briot (Charles I.), the Roettier family (Charles II.), 
and J. Croker (Anne). 
An antique medal, half consumed with rust. 
Boyle, Works, V. 545. 
Italian and French writers of the fifteenth and sixteenth 
centuries use medaglie and mfdaittes to signify coins 
which, being no longer in circulation, were preserved in 
the cabinets of collectors as curiosities. Even in the last 
century our own word medal was so employed. The 
medals of the Roman Emperors to which Gibbon often al- 
ludes in his notes to the " Decline and Fall " are, of course, 
what are now known as coins ; and Addison's " Dialogue 
upon the Usefulness of Medals" is, for the most part, a 
treatise on Roman imperial coins. 
W. Wroth, in Coins and Medals (1885), p. 236. 
Counterfeit Medals Act. See cotinttr/eit. Madonna 
medal. See madonna. 
it is white, fusibTe, and'crystalline. 
existing in medal (med'al), v. t. ; pret. and pp. medaled or 
mechanography (mek-a-nog'ra-fi), n. [< Gr. 
firjxavt], a machine, + -ypafyia, \ ypatpeiv, write.] 
The art of multiplying copies of a writing or a 
work of art by the use of a machine. 
mechanology (mek-a-nol'o-ji), n. [< Gr. foi%avri, 
a machine, + -Aoy/a,"< \iyuv, speak: see -ology.} 
The knowledge of, or a treatise on, mechanics 
or mechanism. [Bare.] 
The science of style, considered as a machine, in which 
De Quincey, Style, i. 
mechannrgy (mek'a-ner-ji), n. [< Gr. laixavwp- 
yia, < /iqxavovpydf, an engineer, < prixavfi, a ma- 
chine, + *tpyeiv, work.] That branch of mechan- 
ics which treats of moving machines. [Bare.] 
meche't, mechelt. Middle English variants 
of much. 
meche 2 t> n. An obsolete form of match?. 
Mechitarist, n. See Mekhitarist. 
Mechlin (mek'lin), a. and n. I. a. Pertaining 
to or produced at Mechlin or Malines in Belgi- 
um. Mechlin embrolderyt, an old name for Mechlin 
lace, because its peculiar manufacture gives it somewhat 
the look of embroidery. Diet. Needlework. Mechlin 
lace. See lace. 
II. n. Same as Mechlin lace. 
Mechoacan root. See root. 
Mecistops (mf-sis'tops), n. [NL., < Gr. ftr/Kia- 
rof, /idraffTOf, superl. of fj.aKp6f, long, + tnj>, face.] 
A genus of African gavials of the family Gavia- 
meconiorrhoea (me-ko"ni-o-re'a), n. [NL., < 
Gr. firiKuwiov, poppy-juice, the first feces of in- 
fants, + poia, a flow, < pew, flow.] A morbidly 
increased discharge of meconium. 
medalled, ppr. medaling or medatting. [< medal, 
w.] To decorate with a medal ; confer a medal 
upon ; present with a medal as a mark of honor. 
[Bare.] 
Irving went home, medalled by the king, diplomatized 
by the university, crowned, and honoured, and admired. 
Thackeray, Roundabout Papers, Nil nisi Bonum. 
meconium (me-ko'ni-um), n. [< L. meconium, medal-Cup (med'al-kup), n. A drinking-ves- 
/ /-i__ _. ' .' , +i,n i;.,.* Vnnnc* nt ofl nf TnAt.nl iifann.llv silver, in wliip.n coins or 
< Gr. firjuurviov, poppy-juice, the first feces of 
infants, < /ly/cov, the poppy : see meeonic.'] If. 
Poppy-juice. 2. The feces of a new-born in- 
fant. 3. In entom., the feces of an adult in- 
sect just transformed from the pupa. 
meconology (mek-o-nol'o-ji), n. [< Gr. ufauv, 
the poppy, opium, + -Aoy/a, < Uyeiv, speak: see 
-ology.] A treatise on the poppy, or on opium. 
meconophagism (mek - o - nof ' a - jizm), n. [As 
meconophag-ist + -ism.'\ 'Opium-eating; the opi- 
um habit. 
The death of the patient being attributed to causes 
which are supposed to be disconnected from the meco- 
nophagism. Alien, and Neural., VII. 4B3. 
meconophagist (mek-o-nof'a-jist), n. [< Gr. 
IITIKIM, the poppy, opium, + 'ijiayeiv, eat, + -is*.] 
An opium-eater; one who has contracted the 
opium or morphine habit. 
If they happen to find solace in opium readily, they be- 
come meconophagists. Alien, and Neural., VII. 471. 
Meconopsis (mek-o-nop'sis), . [NL. (Vigier, 
1821), f Gr. piKtw, the poppy, + otjiif, appear- 
ance.] A genus of plants of the natural order 
Papaveracea!, the poppy family, and the tribe 
Eupapaverea?, characterized by a capsule which 
sel of metal, usually silver, in which coins or 
medallions are in- 
crusted and form 
a part of the deco- 
ration. Usually these 
coins are so inset that 
both sides can be seen, 
the interior of the cup 
as well as the exterior 
being in this way made 
ornamental. In some 
cases a series of coins 
of a single sovereign or 
of a succession of sov- 
ereigns is used. 
medalet (med'al- 
et), n. [< medal + 
-et.~\ Any medal of 
small size. When 
not larger than, for 
example, the English 
,. Sialf crniu ^ iw Silver Medal-cup. (The medals are 
LU-oruwu. 01 |, f h i) utes O f Brunswick- Wolfen- 
United States half-dol- buttel.) 
lar, medals are gener- 
ally called by this name; but numismatists do not make 
any rigid distinction between medals and medalets. 
I shall beg leave to give this class the appellation of med- 
alets. as the genius of our language admits of this diminu- 
tive in ringlet, bracelet, and the like. 
Pinkerton, Essay on Medals, I. 13. 
shaped style bearing from four to six radiate- 
deflexed stigma-lobes. They are herbs, having a yel- 
low juice, entire or lobed leaves, and showy yellow, purple, 
or blue flowers, which droop in the bud, and are borne on 
long peduncles. Nine species are known, natives of west- 
ern Europe, the central part of Asia, and western North 
the hind feet webbed, the plates of the back and neck 
connected, and the jaws slender, not enlarged at the end. 
M. bennetti or cataphractus is an example. 
Meckelian (me-ke'lian), a. [< Meckel (see def.) 
+ -ion.] Pertaining to J. F. Meckel (1781- 
1833). a German anatomist Meckelian ganglion, 
rod, etc. See the nouns. 
Mecoceras (me-kos'e-ras), n. [NL. (Guen6e, 
1857), < /twyKOf, length',' +- Kfyxzf, horn.] A genus 
of geometrid moths, typical of the subfamily 
Mecocerina;, comprising a single beautiful spe- Mecoptera (me-kop'te-ra), n. pi 
lido;, founded by J. E. Gray in 1862. They have splits open for a short distance, and by a club- medalist medallist (med'al-ist), n. [< F. me- 
*K~ 1.:...! #rtn* ,i-..KI..,,l *KQ >,l.it..f nt *Ka I-..,,. I- n*.H .. .,,.!.- ahoY\ii/H o^-TrlQ r^QO1*lT^^f rfnTYl r/\IW Trt C1 V VQnTQTO- ****"""' T ,! " J T | . . T ^ 
dttiutstc = op. meaallista; as medal T -tst.] 1. 
An engraver, stamper, or molder of medals. 
Sculptors, painters, and medallMs exerted their utmost 
skill in the work of transmitting his features to posterity. 
Macaulay, Hist. Eng., vii. 
2. One who is skilled in medals. 
Nothing could be more Civil and Franc than this Gen- 
tleman, whom I believe to be the best Medalist in Europe. 
Lister, Journey to Paris, p. 98. 
Asa medallist, you are not to look upon a cabinet of med- 
als as a treasure of money, but of knowledge. 
Addison, Ancient Medals, i. 
3. One who has gained a medal as a reward of 
merit. 
I backed my man to be notonly Senior Classic, but First 
Chancellor's Medalist, and to be a Medalist at all he must 
be a Senior Optime in Mathematics. 
C. A. Sristed, English University, p. 215. 
iif, long: see macron), + fiirpov, Meda (me'da), n. [NL. (Girard, 1856); a made medallic (me-dal'ik), n. [< medal + -ic.~] Per- 
A kind of graduated compass word.] A genus of cyprinoid fishes, typical of tabling to, of the character of, or represented 
cies from South America. 
Mecocerinae (me-kos-e-ri'ne), n. pi. [NL., < 
Mecoceras + -ina;.~] A subfamily of geometrid 
moths, typified by the genus Mecoceras. Also 
raised to family rank as Mecoceridce. 
mecockt, . See meacock. 
mecometer (me-kpm'e-ter), n. [< Gr. 
length (cf . in 
a measure.] 
, , 
America. Af. cambrica, the Welsh poppy, a plant of rocky 
and woody places in parts of western Europe, has bright- 
green hairy pinnate leaves, slender stems, and large ter- 
minal sulphur-yellow flowers. This and several other spe- 
cies are cultivated for ornament 
[NL., < Gr. 
_', length, + TTrep6v, a wing, = E. feather.] 
In some systems, an order of neuropterous in- 
sects corresponding to the Panorpida; or scor- 
pion-flies, proposed for uniformity of nomen- 
clature instead of Brauer's term Panorpata:. 
Also, incorrectly, Mecaptera. Packard, 1888. 
med. An abbreviation of medicine, medical. 
used at the Maternity Hospital in Paris for 
measuring new-born infants. 
the subfamily Medina;, containing such as M. 
fidgida of the Gila river in Arizona. 
on a medal or medals: as, the medallic art ; a 
mediittic coin or portrait. 
