mensurable 
mensitrtihilis, tliat can be measured, < mensu- 
rare, measure: see nteitxnrate, measure. Cf. 
measurable.'] 1. Capable of being measured; 
measurable. 
The solar month . . . is not easily mensurable. Holder. 
2. In music, noting that style of music which 
succeeded the earliest plain-song, and was dis- 
tinguished from it by such a combination of 
simultaneous but independent voice-parts that 
a system of rhythm was necessitated to avoid 
confusion. It involved both a classification of rhythms 
and the invention of a notation to represent rhythmic 
values. Two principal rhythms were recognized : temjmx 
perfection, which was triple (called ' ' perfect " for fanciful 
theological reasons), and tempus imperfectum, which was 
duple. The system of notation included notes and rests 
called large, maxima, long, breoe, semibrece, minim, semi- 
minima, fusa, and iemifu.su (.fusella), of which in general 
each note was equal in duration to either three or two of 
the next denomination, according to the tempus used. 
(See the various words.) The working out of the system 
was highly complicated, but it prepared the way for the 
medieval study of counterpoint and for the invention of 
an adequate notation, and thus contributed directly to 
the progress of musical art. Also mensural. 
mensurablenass (men'su-ra-bl-nes), . The 
quality of being mensurable; mensurability. 
Bailey, 1727. 
mensural (men'su-ral), a. [= Sp. Pg. mensural, 
< LL. mensuralis, of or belonging to measur- 
ing, < L. mensura, measuring: see measure, ,] 
1. Pertaining to measure. 2. Same as men- 
surable, 2 Mensural note, in musical notation, a note 
whose form indicates its time-value relative to other notes 
in the same piece, as in the ordinary modern notation. 
Mensural signature. See signature and rhythmic. 
mensurate (men'su-rat), v. t.; pret. and pp. 
mensurated, ppr. merawratmg. [< LL. mensura- 
tus, pp. of mensurare (>It. mensurare = Sp. Pg. 
mensurar = F. mesurer), measure, < mensura, 
measuring, measure: see measure, n. Cf. mea- 
sure, v.~] To measure; ascertain the dimensions 
or quantity of. [Bare.] 
mensuration (men-gu-ra'shon), n. [= F. men- 
suration = Pr. mensiiratio = Sp. mensuration, 
< LL. mensuratio(n-), measuring, < mensurare, 
measure: see mensurate, measure.] The act, 
art, or process of measuring; specifically, the 
act or art of determining length, area, volume, 
content, etc., by measurement and computa- 
tion: as, the rules of mensuration; the mensu- 
ration of surfaces and solids. 
The measure which he [the Christian] would have others 
mete out to himself is the standard whereby he desires to 
be tried in his mensurations to all other. 
Bp. Hall, The Christian, ii. 
mensurative (men'su-ra-tiv), a. [< mensurate + 
-ioe.] Capable of measuring; adapted for mea- 
surement, or for taking the measure of things. 
"Yes, Friends," observes the Professor, " not our Logi- 
cal, Memurative faculty, but our Imaginative one, is King 
over us." Carlyle, Sartor Resartus (ed. 1831), p. 153. 
The third method spoken of may be called the mensura- 
tive. Jour. Franklin 1ml., CXXII. 342. 
ment 1 t. An obsolete preterit of mean 1 . 
ment'-H. An obsolete preterit of mingl. 
ment 3 t, *' ' A variant of mint 3 . 
-ment. [ME. -ment = OF. and F. -ment = Sp. 
-miento = Pg. It. -mento, < L. -mentum, a com- 
mon suffix, forming from verbs nouns denoting 
the result of an act or the act itself: as in ali- 
wen>, nourishment, <fere, nourish \ frogmen- 
turn, a piece broken off, < frangere (frag-), break ; 
segmentum, a piece cut off, < secare, cut (LL.); 
regimentum, rule, < regere, rule; monumentum, 
that which keeps inmind,<zocre, keep inmind, 
advise, etc.] A common suffix of Latin origin, 
forming, from verbs, nouns which usually de- 
note the results of an act or the act itself, as in 
aliment, fragment, segment, commandment, docu- 
ment, monument, government, etc. Itismuchused 
as an English suffix, being attachable to almost any verb, 
whether of Latin or French origin, as in movement, nourish- 
ment, payment, as well as to many of purely English or 
other Teutonic origin, as in astonishment, atonement, ban- 
ishment, bewilderment, merriment, etc. 
ment a, n. Plural of mentum. 
mentagra (men-tag'ra), re. [L., < mentum, the 
chin , + Gr. ay pa., a taking, catching (cf . chiragra, 
podagra, etc.).] In pathol., an eruption about 
the chin, forming a crust like that which occurs 
in scald-head. 
mental 1 (men'tal), a. [< F. mental = Sp. Pg. 
mental = It. mentale, < LL. mentalis,of the mind, 
mental, <L.ie(i-)s, the mind: seeM'ne?i,.] 1. 
Of or pertaining to the mind; specifically, be- 
longing to or characteristic of the intellect; 
intellectual : as, the mental powers or faculties ; 
a mental state or condition; mental perception. 
'Twixt his mental and his active parts 
Kingdom'd Achilles in commotion rages. 
Shak.,1. andC., ii. 3. 184. 
3710 
That modification of the sublime which arises from a 
strong expression of mental energy. 
D. Stewart, Philos. Essays, ii. 3. 
In what manner the mental powers were first developed 
in the lowest organisms is as hopeless an inquiry as how 
life first originated. Darwin, Descent of Man, I. 35. 
2. Done or performed by the mind; due to the 
action of the mind. 
By mental analysis we mean the taking apart of a com- 
plex whole and attending separately to its parts. 
J. Sully, Outlines of Psychol., p. 335. 
3. Relating to the mind; concerned with the 
nature, attributes, or phenomena of the human 
intellect: as, mental philosophy; mental sci- 
ences. Mental alienation, insanity. Mental arith- 
metic, association, modification, etc. See the nouns. 
mental 2 (men'tal), a. [= F. mental, < L. men- 
turn, the chin: "see mentum.'] In anat., of or 
pertaining to the mentum or chin; genial. 
Mental artery, a branch of the inferior dental branch 
of the internal maxillary artery, issuing from the mental 
foramen to be distributed to the chin and lower lip. 
Mental foramen. See foramen. Mental fossa, a de- 
pression on the outer surface of the lower jaw-bone for 
the attachment of the muscle acting upon the chin. 
Mental nerves, several terminal branches of the inferior 
dental nerve, issuing from the mental foramen. Mental 
point, in cranium., the foremost median point of the lower 
border of the lower jaw, at the symphysis menti. Mental 
prominence, the projection beyond the vertical of the 
lower anterior border of the lower jaw-bone. It is highly 
characteristic and almost diagnostic of the human species. 
Mental spines. Same as menial tubercles. Mental 
suture, in entom., the impressed line dividing the men- 
tum from the gula. Mental tubercles. Same as ge- 
nial tubercles (which see, under genial^). 
mental 3 (men'tal), . An Oriental water-tight 
basket, having four ropes attached, by which 
two men raise water from a stream or cistern 
and discharge it into a trench for irrigation. 
E. E. Knight. 
mentality (men-tal'i-ti), . [< mental + -ity.~\ 
Mental action or power; intellectual activity; 
intellectuality. 
The " Catholic World " laments the decay of mentality in 
Protestant England, finding the cause of its unhappiness 
in the fact that the British magazine is so poor an affair 
as it is. ... This is but a dangerous criterion of mental- 
ity. The Nation, Aug. 3, 1871, p. 78. 
A certain amount of mentality or volition accompanied 
the result. Pop. Sci. Mo., XIII. 450. 
Hudibras has the same hard mentality. 
Emerson, English Traits, xiv. 
mentalization(men"tal-i-za'shon), n. [<men- 
talize + -ation.] Operation of the mind; men- 
tal action; manner of thinking. [Rare.] 
Previous to the establishment of complete delirium or 
delusions there may be traced deviations from healthy 
mentalization. E. C. Mann, Psychol. lied., p. 101. 
mentalize (men'tal-iz), v. t.; pret. and pp. men- 
taliped, ppr. menializing. [< mental 1 + -ize.~] 
To develop mentally ; cultivate the mind or in 
telleet of; excite to mental activity. 
The only thing that can ever undermine our school sys- 
tem in popular support is a suspicion that it doe* not mor- 
alize as well as meuialize children. G. S. Hall, in N. A. Rev. 
mentally (meu'tal-i), adv. [< mental' 1 - + -ly 2 .] 
Intellectually; in the mind; in thought or med- 
itation ; in idea. 
There is no assignable portion of matter so minute that 
it may not, at least mentally (to borrow a school-term), be 
further divided into still lesser and lesser parts. 
Boyle, Works, I. 401. 
mentation (men-ta'shon), M. [< L. men(t-)s, 
the mind, + -ation.'] 1". The action or exercise 
of the mind or of its physical organ; mental 
activity; ideation; 
cerebration; intel- 
lection. 
The most absurd 
mentation and most ex- 
travagant actions in in- 
sane people are the sur- 
vival of their fittest 
states. 
Pop. Sci M>., XXV. 178. 
2. The result of 
mentation ; state of 
mind. 
menteryt (men'te- 
ri), . [< F. men- 
terie, lying, false- 
hood, < mentir, < L. 
mentiri, lie : see 
mendacious.'] Ly- 
ing. 
Loud mentery small con- 
futation needs. 
G. Harvey, Sonnets, xix. 
Mentha (men'ths), 
n. [NL. (Tourne- 
fort, 1700), < L. 
Tninf. A 
mint, see 
A genus Of , (lower ; *, calyx. 
mention 
aromatic labiate plants belonging to the tribe 
fiaiureinete, type of the subtribe Mentlioideee. 
It is characterized by 4 stamens, which are nearly equal 
and distant or diverging, with parallel anther-cells, and 
by a calyx which is 10-nerved and 5-tootbed. Over 300 
species have been described, but the plants vary greatly, 
and the number may be reduced to i5; they are widely 
distributed over the world, but are found principally in 
the temperate regions. They are erect diffuse heibs with 
opposite leaves, and flowers in dense whorls, arranged in 
terminal or axillary heads or spikes. The common name 
of the genus is mint. See mint'*?, horsemint, hillmrt, and 
peppermint. 
menthene (men'then), . [< L. mintlia, mint, 
+ -CMC.] A liquid hydrocarbon (C 10 H 18 ) ob- 
tained from peppermint-oil. 
Menthoideffl (meu-thoi'de-e), n. pi. [NL. (Bcn- 
tham, 1832), < Mentha + -m'deff.] A subtribe of 
labiate plants of the tribe Saturcixeni. It is char- 
acterized by distant or divaricate stamens, with anthers 
which are 2-celled, at least when young, and by a calyx 
which is almost always from 5- to 10-nerved. It embraces 
20 genera, of which tlentha is the type, and about 500 spe- 
cies, although the latter number may be much reduced. 
The plants are found in both hemispheres, but are almost 
wholly confined to the temperate or subtropical regions. 
menthol (men'thol), n. [< L. mentJia, mint, 
+ -o/.] In client., a solid crystalline body 
(Ci0H 2 oOi) which separates from oil of pep- 
permint on standing. It has the odor of peppermint, 
melts at 108 F. ,'and volatilizes unchanged at a higher tem- 
perature. It is used in medicine as a local application in 
neuralgia. Also called peppermint-camphor. 
It was known that menthol . . . generated a keen feel- 
ing of cold on being spread over the forehead. 
Dr. Goldscheider, Nature, XXXIV. 71. 
MenticirrUS (men -ti- sir 'us), . [NL., orig. 
Menticirrhus (Gill, 1861 ),< L. mentum, the chin, 
+ cirrus, a tuft of hair : see cirrus.'] A genus 
of scisenoid fishes. There are about 11 species, all 
American, as M. nebulosus, of the Atlantic coast of the 
United States, where it is known as Irinyjifh, u-Mtiny, and 
barb; M. alburnus, a more southern whiting of the same 
coast; and M. undulatus, the bagara of the Pacific coast. 
They are highly prized for the table. See cut under king- 
fish. 
menticultural (men-ti-kul'tur-al), a. [< L. 
men(t-)s, the mind, + cu/tura, culture : see cul- 
ture.'] Cultivating or improving the mind. 
Imp. Diet. 
mentiferOUS (men-tif'e-rus), a. [< L. men(t-)n, 
the mind, + ferre = fi. bear 1 .] Conveying or 
transferring mind or thought; telepathic: as, 
mentiferous ether. [Recent.] 
mentigerous (men-tij'e-rus), a. [< L. men turn, 
the chin, + gerere, bear, carry.] In entom., 
bearing the mentum: as, a mentigerous process 
of the gula. 
mention (men'shon), w. [< ME. mentiomi, 
mention, < OF. mention, F. mention = Sp. men- 
tion =Pg.menfSo=lt. memione,<.Ij. mentio(n-), 
a calling to mind, a speaking, mention, akin 
to men(t-)s, mind, < memiiii (y men, min), have 
in mind, remember: see mind 1 .] 1. State- 
ment about or reference to a person or thing : 
notice or remark ; especially, assertion or state- 
ment without details or particulars. 
He dide many grete dedes of armes, of whiche is yet 
made no mention, till that my mater com ther-to. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), i. 124. 
And sleep in dull, cold marble, where no mention 
Of me more must be heard of. 
Shak, Hen. VIII., iii. 2. 488. 
Let us ... speak of things at hand 
Useful ; whence haply mention may arise 
Of something not unseasonable to ask. 
Hilton, P. L., viii. 200. 
Now, the mention [of God's name] is vain, when it is 
useless. Paley, Moral Philos., iv. 2. 
2. Indication; evidence. [Rare.] 
It [the earthquakel brought vp the Sea a great way vpon 
the maine Land, which is carried backe with it into the 
Sea, not leaning mention that there had beene Land. 
Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 632. 
3f. Note; reputation. 
'Tis true, I have been a rascal, as you are, 
A fellow of no mention, nor no mark. 
Fletcher (and another?), Prophetess, v. 3. 
4f. Report; account. 
And wheresoever my fortunes shall conduct me, 
So worthy mentions I shall render of you, 
So vertuous and so fair. 
Beau, and Ft., Custom of the Country, i. 1. 
mention (men'shon), v. t. [< F. mention tr = 
Sp. Pg. mencionar "= It. menxionare, < ML. men- 
tionare, mention, < L. mentio(n-), mention: see 
mention, n.] To make mention of; speak of 
briefly or cursorily; speak of; name; refer to. 
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord. 
Isa. Ixiii. 7. 
I mention Egypt, where proud kings 
Did our forefathers yoke. Milton, Psalm Ixxxvii. 
This road was formerly called Via Antoniana ; the as- 
cent to it is difficult, and a Latin inscription is cut on the 
