Melanotus 
which are North American. These beetles give rise to 
some of the most destructive wire-worms. M. communu 
is a common brown hairy species of the United States, half 
an inch long. 
melanotype (mel'a-no-tip), . [< Gr. [icAaf 
(ju3.av-), black, + "rmof, type.] In photog., a 
ferrotype. [Rave or obsolete.] 
melanous (mel'a-nus), a. [< Gr. pttMc (jtefay-), 
black, + -0s.] "Dark-complexioned; brunette: 
the opposite of blond or xanthous. Pritchard. 
The melanous, with black hair and dark brown or black- 
ish skins. Huxley, Critiques and Addresses, p. 153. 
Melanoxylon (mel-a-nok' si-Ion), n. [NL. 
(Schott, 1827),< Gr. fielaf(fic).av-), black, + f uAop, 
wood.] A genus of leguminous plants of the 
suborder Caisalpinieat and the tribe Sclerolobiea;, 
characterized by a compressed partially woody 
legume with samara-like seeds, the outer integu- 
ment expanding into a wing at the apex. There 
is but one species, M. Brauna. See brauna. 
melanterite (me-lan'te-rit), n. [< Gr. [tefavrepot, 
compar. of /itXof (jietjiv-), black, + -ifc 2 .] The 
native hydrous sulphate of iron. 
Melanthium (me-lan'thi-um), . [NL. (Lin- 
3696 
ral order of dicotyledonous polypetalous plants 
of the cohort Myrtales. The ovules are attached to 
the interior angle of the cells, or to basal placenta ; the 
anther usually opens at the top by two pores ; the connec- 
tive is thickened or variously appendaged; and the leaves 
have from 3 to 9 nerves. The order embraces 133 genera 
and about 2.500 species, which are almost entirely confined 
to the tropics, and are most abundant in South America, 
i (me-las-to-ma'shius), a. Be- 
relating to the natural order Me- 
lastomaeeai. 
(mel - a - sto ' me - e), . pi. [NL. 
1 Hooker, 1867), < Melastoma - 1 - 
Melia 
cardinal teeth; the true 
pearl-oysters. The pearl- 
oyster is m. inaryaritijera, a spe- 
cies widely distributed in most 
parts of the world, in warm seas ; 
it sometimes attains a length of 
10 or 12 inches. 
Meleagris (mel-f-a'gris), 
n. [NL., < L. meleagris, < 
Gr. //e?-ea)'pi, a sort of 
guinea-fowl, named after 
Meleayer, < Mt^ta; pof , > L. 
Melcager, son of CEneus, 
i , , _, _ , 
_ eix -\ A suborder of dicotyledonous polypeta- and the hero of the hunt of 
- 
meus 1753), so called in allusion to the darker given to the Orthodox as belonging to the imperial church, 
color which the persistent perianth assumes the title of H^.betng .that which was^ommonly given 
after blossoming; < Gr. pOiat, black, + avdof, a 
aer ossomng; r. fia, , , tn(J Byzan tine emperor. Although the term juacnw is 
flower.] A genus of liliaceous plants of the older than the Council of Chalcedon (A. D. 451), its wider 
tribe Veratreae. They have flat broadly winged seeds, 
and the segments of the perianth have a distinct claw. 
They are herbs having an erect leafy stem springing from 
a short rootstock, and an open pyramidal panicle of po- 
lygamous flowers, which are yellowish-white or greenish. 
There are 3 species, all natives of North America, and 
sometimes cultivated for ornament. H. Virginicum of 
the United States is called bunch-flower (which see). 
melanuria (mel-a-iiu'ri-a), . [NL. : see niela- 
Uletiprina \Avicnla) mar- 
jfnrttifera. 
, byssal foramen or notch ; 
, suspensors of the gills. 
the Calydonian boar.] 1. laornith.: (a) [I.e.'] 
A name of the common guinea-fowl, to which 
Linnseus gave the technical specific name 
Numida meleagris. (b) An American genus of 
Phasianidai or Meleagridie, of large size with 
varied metallic plumage, naked tarsi spurred 
in the male, bare head with erectile fleshy car- 
uncles, and a tuft of hair-like feathers on the 
breast; the turkeys. There are three kinds: M. 
gallopavo or mexicana, the supposed original of the do- 
mestic turkey, differing little from U. syleeetrii or ameri- 
cana, the common wild turkey of the United States ; and 
the more beautiful and very distinct ocellated turkey of 
Honduras, M. ocettata. See turkey. 
2. In conch., a genus of mollusks: same as Jfeie- 
aqrina. Montfort, 1810. 
use dates from its adoption after that council by the Mo- m |lA e (ma-la'), n. IT., < OF. meslce, medlee, 
nophysites. who rejected the decrees of the council, and " luaXiJtam fiaht >E medleu 
em P plo y yed this name to represent the Orthodox as receiv- >tO., a nnx ^^.Xl^ * conlct as a 
irsons 
lous plants of the order Melastomacew. The cells 
have rather prominent placentae inserted in their internal 
angles, and many ovules ; the embryo is very small, and 
slightly rounded or subglobose. The suborder embraces 
9 tribes and 128 genera, of which Melmtmna is the type. 
They are trees, or rarely herbs, and are found in both the 
Old and New Worlds. 
Melchite (mel'kit), n. and a. [< MGr. MMjfi- 
TIK, < Syriac malkaye, Ar. malekiya, milkiya, 
lit. royal, < melek, king.] I. n. An orthodox 
Eastern Christian as distinguished from a Mo- 
nophysite or Nestorian. The name was originally 
in Greek and in Oriental languages to the Roman and to 
the Byzantine emperor. Although the term Melchite is 
empoye 
ing them merely in submission to the edict of the emperor and mellcij, q. v.] A confused conflict, 
Marcian. The name Melchite is sometimes given also hand-to-hand fight among a number of per 
' especially, in modern books, a tourney in which 
many combatants (not two only) take part. 
to members of communities of Christians in Syria and 
Egypt, formerly in communion with the Orthodox Greek 
Church, who have submitted to the Roman see. 
Those Syrian Christians who,thoughnot Greeks,followed 
'I shall tilt to-morrow." answered Athelstane, "in the 
_ v ,,. ,_ .--. TnoseSyrianCnristianswHo,tnougnnot,ureeKS ) ioiioweu - - --- "--IT: " h . ," - . o rmTnvae if 'to dav " 
The presence of a dark pigment in the the doctrines of the Greek Church as declared at the Coun- U*1 " 1 not worth while for me to ^d a 
cil of Chalcedon, were called by their opponents, by way of 
reproach, Melchites, 'royalists' or 'imperialists,' because =Syn. Affray, Brawl, etc. See quarrel, n. 
they submitted to the edict of Marcian in favour of the melegueta pepper. Same as grains of paradise 
decrees of the Council of Chalcedon. (which see, under orawi 1 ). 
Isaac Taylor, The Alphabet, I. 291 - v - - " 
urine. 
melanuric (mel-a-nu'rik), a. [As melanurin + 
-ic.~\ Pertaining to or characterized by the 
presence of very dark pigment in the urine. 
Melanuric fever. See J 'evert. 
melanurin (mel-a-nu'rin), 11. [< Gr. ^t?.af (fit- 
Xav-), black, + ov/mv, urine.] A dark pigment 
found in the urine. 
melaphyre (mel'a-fir), n. [< Gr. /u^/ac, black, 
+ (Kop)ifivp(lTJif'), 'porphyry: see porphyry.'] A 
fine-grained greenish- or brownish-black ag- 
gregate of plagioclase, augite, olivin, magne- 
tite, or titaniferous iron and some chloritic 
II. a. Of or pertaining to the Melchites: as, 
the uncial Melchite alphabet. Isaac Taylor. 
^i^er (mel'der), n. [< Icel. meldr, flour or 
corn in the mill, < mala, grind : see meal 1 .} The 
quantity of meal sent to a mill to be ground at 
one time. [Scotch.] 
That ilka melder wi' the miller 
Thou sat as lang as thou had siller. 
Burns, Tarn o' Shanter. 
mineral, usually delessite. The term mefapAj/re, as , H ... , , j , t A,\ ,. Three <Gr 
it has been formerly used by lithologists, includes a con- meiaometer (mei-ao .r;, w. ]irreg. \ i . 
siderable variety of rocks ; but, as now generally restrict- pe/.deiv, melt, + fiitpov, measure.] An appaia- 
ed, it is properly applied to such basalts as have under- 
gone considerable alteration. Hence the melaphyres are, 
in point of fact, mostly of Paleozoic age, although some 
are Mesozoic, because the older a rock is, other things 
being equal, the more likely it is to have undergone chem- 
ical change. 
mela-rosa, mella-rosa(mel"a-r6'za), H. [< It. _. 
mela, sm apple, + rosa, a rose.] The fruit of meie t, " 
a tree of the genus Citrus, probably a variety me ^ n ,;" 
of the lime, cultivated in Italy. 
melasma (me-las'ma), H. [NL., < Gr. fi^^aafia, 
a black color, < /ic'Aaiveiv, blacken, < [i&.af, black : 
seemelas.] 1. An abnormal access of color of 
the 
upon 
tary 
is called melanopathia. 
process 
Addison's disease is 
known as suprarenal melasma. 2. [cap.~] In 
melanian mollusks. 
tus devised by Joly for determining the melt- 
ing-points of minerals. It involves the use of a plati- 
num strip heated to the required degree by the passage of 
an electrical current, whose temperature is calculated by 
the ordinary methods. 
n. A Middle English form of mean. 
A Middle English form of meatf. 
[< AS. mdel( leel. mdl=Dan. matle), 
speecn, talk, conversation.] Discourse; conver- 
sation. 
monl thou marrez a myry mele. 
Alliterative Poems (ed. Morris), i. 23. 
< AS. mcelan (= Icel. 
" talk: 
talk. 
And whon that Wit was i-war hou his wyf tolde, 
He bi-com so confoundet he couthe not mele, 
And as doumbe as a dore drouj him asyde. 
Piers Plowman (A), xi. 93. 
2. To chatter; twitter, as birds. 
Bothe the thrusch & the thrustele bi xxxti of bothe, 
Meleden ful merye in maner of here kinde. 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 821. 
II. trans. To call or bring together; as- 
semble. 
zool. : (a) A genus of 
Adams, 1858. (6) A genus of tenebrionine 
beetles, based on M, Uneatum of the Canaries. 
Wollaston, 1864. 
melasmic (me-las'mik), a. and n. [< melasma 
+ -ic.~\ I. a. Pertaining to melasma : as, melas- 
mic blotches. 
II. n. Same as melasma, 1. 
melassest, n. An obsolete form of molasses. 
melassic (me-las'ik), a. [< F. melasse, molasses, 
+ -ic.] Pertaining to or obtained from molas- mele 4 t, [ME., origin obscure.] A cup or 
ses : as, melassic acid. bowl. 
Melastoma (me-las'to-ma), n. [NL. (Bur- Also they had tool to dyke and delve with, as pikforkis, 
mann, 1737), so called because the fruit of some 8 P du8 . , anl1 schovelis, stakes and rakes, bokettis ./. 
species, when eaten, stains the lips black ;<Gr. alld payle8 ' ^<, MS. Douce 291, f. 47. (HObwO.) 
pttac (netav-), black, + OT6/ia, mouth.] An Old Meleagridae, Meleagrididse (mel-e-ag ri-de, 
orld genus of plants, type of the natural or- mele-ag-rid'i-de), n. pi. [NL.,< Meleagris (-id-) 
Meles (me'lez), n. [NL., < L. meles, also males, 
melts, mailis, a badger or marten.] The typical 
genus of the subfamily Melina, family Musteli- 
dai. It formerly included all the Melina, but is now re- 
stricted to the European badger, 11. mdgaris or M. taxus. 
See Melince, and cut under badger^. 
Meletian (me-le'shan), n. [< Gr. Mt-'/.rfTtavot, pi., 
< MeAyriof, LL. Meletius: see def.] 1. One of 
a sect of the fourth and fifth centuries, fol- 
lowers of Meletius, schismatic bishop of Ly- 
copolis in Egypt. After his death they adopted 
Arian views. 2. A follower of Meletius, made 
bishop of Antioch about A.D. 360. He was sup- 
posed to be an Arian, but proceeded immediately to pro- 
fess the Nicene faith, and the Arians appointed another 
bishop in his stead. Among the Orthodox some were 
adherents of Meletius, and therefore known as Meletians; 
others remained separate, and were known (from the last 
canonlcally ordained bishop, Eustathius, then dead) as 
KuKtatldum. Further difficulty was occasioned by the 
two orthodox parties using the word hyponttm (which 
see) in different senses. The schism between them con- 
tinued till the end of the century. 
mele-tidet, See meal-tide. 
Melia (me'li-a), n. [NL. (Linnteus), so called 
from the resemblance of the leaves to those of 
the ash, < Gr. fieMa, the ash.] A genus of dicoty- 
ledonous polypetalous plants of the natural 
order Meliacea; and the tribe Meliea>, charac- 
terized by pinnate leaves, an elongated stamen- 
tube, and from 10 to 12 anthers. They are trees, 
with alternate pinnate or bipinnate leaves, and large axil- 
Themperour with moche merthe his men than meled. 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 1287. 
der Melastomaceai, belonging to the tribe Os- 
beckiece. They have from 10 to U unequal anthers, the 
connectives of the longer ones being produced anteriorly 
into two tubercles or spurs. They are hairy shrubs, al- 
-i(ta;.~\ A family of Galliiue or gallinaceous 
birds; the turkeys. The name is sometimes 
restricted to the American turkeys, and some- 
times includes the African guinea-fowls. 
most always erect, with coriaceous entire leaves which luroloacrriHiTiso Molpa0-riTiVmpl p asr ri dl'ne 
are from 3- to 7-nerved, and showy purple or rose-colored MeleagTlttinae, jyieieagrinae(niei-e-ag lie, 
flowers growing at the tips of the branches, either solitary mel"e-ag-n ne), H. pi. Turkeys as an Ameri- 
or in clusters. About 44 species are known, natives of can subfamily of PhasioniatS, typified by the 
- ! ^al and western Asia, Oceania, and the Seychelles, genus " " 
Flowering Branch of Meiia Azedarack. 
ft, part of the inflorescence ; b, a flower : c, a flower cut longitudi- 
nally ; it, the fruits. 
lary panicles of medium-sized flowers, which are white or 
purple, and are either 5- or 6-parted. There are 12 spe- 
cies, found in eastern India, Australia, and Oceania. M. 
Azedarach, variously known as pride-of- India, bead-tree, 
false sijcainore, etc. , is native in sub-Himalayan India, Per- 
sia, and China, and widely cultivated for ornament in warm 
countries. It is from 30 to 50 feet high, and has bipinnate 
_. * -, , . " . : ' ~ ~ sl 0, '- KCHUO JUl.lC((/ to, CUU11U1CB. Al/ IO II 'Jill OM w / l^ljY 111^11, n 
M. Malabathncum, a shrub common in India, is there uk*\f*trTL-nn ?mel"p-ae--ri'na1 FNL <Mclea- leaves, and large clusters of fragrantlilac-colored blossoms, 
known as Indmn rhododendron. It is also called Malabar Meleagrma (mel e ag n na;, . U"*>\ , fc bnnu , tinu . B cal ie,l Indian lilac. Its wood, 
lamel or gooseberry. 
Melastomacese(me-las-to-ma'se-e),w.jW. [NL. 
(Brown, 1818), < Melastoma + -aceie."] A natu- 
grin, 2, + -;na 2 .] A genus of asiphonate bi- 
valves of the family Amculidai or I'tcriida', the 
wing-shells, having the wings reduced and no 
, 
whence it is sometimes called Indian lilac. Its wood, 
hard and finely marked, is sometimes called bastard cedar. 
A decoction of its bark is cathartic and emetic, and some- 
times used also as a vermifuge. (See azedarach, bead-tree, 
