mezzotint 
This afternoon Prince Rupert shew'd me with his owne 
hands y ( ' new way of graving call'd Mezzo Tinto. 
Evelyn, Diary, March 13, 1661. 
Mezzotint print, in photog. , a picture having some resem 
blance in texture, finish, or effect to a mezzotint engrav- 
ing. See the quotation. 
Others modify the effects and soften their paper prints 
by interposing a sheet of glass, of gelatin, of mica, or of 
tissue paper between the negative and the paper ; in this 
way are made the so-called Mezzotint Prints. 
Lea, Photography, p. 194. 
mezzotint (mez'o- or med'zo-tint), v. t. [< mez- 
zotint, .] To engrave in mezzotint; represent 
in or as if in mezzotint. 
How many times I had lingered to study the shadows 
of the leaves mezzotinted upon the turf. 
Lowell, Study Windows, p. 54. 
Painted by Kneller in 1716, and mezzotinted a year later 
by Smith. ScrOmer's Mag., III. 642. 
mezzotinter (mez'o- or med'zo-tin-ter), n. An 
artist who works in mezzotint; an engraver of 
mezzotints. 
1700. Mr. John Smith ; The best mezzotinter, . . . who 
united softness with strength, and finishing with freedom. 
Walpole, Catalogue of Engravers, V. 202. 
mezzotinto (med-zo-tin'to), n. and v. Same as 
mezzotint. 
mf. In music, the abbreviation of mezzo forte. 
M. F. H. An abbreviation of Master of Fox- 
hounds. 
M. ft. [Abbr. of L. misturafiat: mistura, mix- 
ture ; fiat, 3d pers. sing. subj. pres. of fieri, be 
done: see fiat.'] In phar., let a mixture be 
made : used in medical prescriptions. 
Mg. In chem., the symbol for magnesium. 
M. G. (a) An abbreviation of Major-General, 
(b) In musical notation, an abbreviation of the 
French maingauche (left hand), indicating that 
a note or passage is to be played with the left 
hand. 
Mgr. An abbreviation of Monsignor or of Mon- 
seigneur. 
M. H. G. An abbreviation of Middle High Ger- 
man. In the etymologies in this work it is writ- 
ten more briefly MUG. 
mho (mo), n. [A reversed form of ohm."] A 
term proposed by Sir William Thomson for the 
Tinit of electrical conductivity. It is the con- 
ductivity of a body whose resistance is one ohm. 
milometer (mom'e-ter), n. [< mho + Gr. /- 
T/>OV, measure.] An instrument for measuring 
electrical conductivities. 
mi (me), n. [It., etc., orig. taken from the first 
syllable of L. mirti: see gamut."] In solmization, 
the syllable used for th e third tone of the scale . 
In the scale of C this tone is E, which is there- 
fore sometimes called mi in France, Italy, etc. 
Mi contra fa, in medieval music, the interval of the 
tritone, "the devil in music": so named because it oc- 
curred between mi (B) of the " hard " hexachord and fa 
(F) of the " natural " hexachord : see hexachord and tri- 
tone. Also called si contra fa. 
miana-bug (mi-an'a-bug), n. [< Miana, a town 
in Persia, + E. bug^."] A kind of tick, Argon 
persicus, of the family Ixodidce, whose bite is 
very painful and said to be even fatal. See 
Argas. 
miaouli (mi-ou'li), . [Malay (?).] The volatile 
oil of Melaleuca flaviflora. It closely resem- 
bles cajeput-oil. 
miargyrite (ml-ar'ji-rit), n. [< Gr. /iw'uv, less, 
+ apyvpof, silver. + -ite 2 .] In mineral., a sul- 
phid of antimony and silver, occurring in mono- 
clinic crystals of an iron-black color with dark 
cherry-red streak. 
miarolitic (mi-ar-o-lit'ik), a. [< Qtr. /uapit, 
stained, impure, + JUtof, stone.] A word in- 
troduced by Kosenbusch to designate the struc- 
ture of rocks of the granitic family, where the 
magma in assuming a crystalline character has 
shrunk in dimensions so as to leave numerous 
small cavities, giving the mass a structure 
somewhat analogous to that commonly desig- 
nated as saccharoidal, as in the case of meta- 
morphic limestone, and also to that to which 
the name drusy is sometimes applied. 
mias (ml'as), n. [Malay.] A native name of the 
orang-outang. The natives distinguish three kinds, 
mias-pappan, mias-ltassar, and mias-rombi, which are, 
however, not scientifically determined to be differentfrom 
one another. A. R. Wallace. 
miaskite, miascite (mi-as'klt), n. [< Minsk, 
in Siberia, where the rock is found, + -ite 2 .] 
In petrog. See elteolite-syenite. 
miasm (mi'azm), re. [< F. miasme = Sp. Pg. It. 
miasma, < NL. miasma, < Gr. [tlaa/ia, stain, pol- 
lution (cf. iuan[i6f, stain), < /uaiveiv, stain, dye, 
taint, pollute.] Same as miasma. 
The plague is a malignant fever, caused through pesti- 
lential miasms insinuating into the humoral and consis- 
tent parts of the body. Harvey, Consumptions. 
3746 
miasma (mi-az'ma), H.; pi. miimmalri (-ma-ta). 
[NL. : see miasm"] The emanations or effluvia 
arising from the ground and floating in the at- 
mosphere, considered to be infectious or other- 
wise injurious to health ; noxious emanations ; 
malaria. Also called aerial poison. 
miasmal (ml-az'mal), a. [< miasm + -al."] 
Containing miasma; miasmatic: as, miasmal 
swamps. 
miasmatic (mi-az-mat'ik). a. [= F. miasma- 
tique = Sp. miasmdtico = Pg. It. miasmatico, < 
NL. miasma(t-): see miasm."] Pertaining to or 
of the nature of miasma ; affected, caused by, 
or arising from noxious effluvia; malarious: 
as, miasmatic exhalations ; miasmatic diseases ; 
a miasmatic region. Miasmatic fever. See/*ri. 
miasmatical (mi-az-mat'i-kal), a. [< miasmatic 
+ -al.] Same as miasmatic. 
miasmatist (ml-az'ma-tist), n. [< miasma(t-) 
+ -is*.] One who is versed in the phenomena 
and nature of noxious exhalations; one who 
makes a special study of diseases arising from 
miasmata. 
miasmatous (ml-az'ma-tus), . [< mia,tma(t-) 
+ -OH*.] Generating miasma: as, stagnant 
and miasmatous pools. 
miasmology (mi-az-mol'o-ji), n. [< Gr. /liaopa 
(see miasm) + -Aoy/o, < teyeiv, speak : see 
-ology.] A treatise on miasma ; the science 
that treats of miasmata. Im]>. Diet. 
miasmous (mi-az'mus), a. [< miaxma 
Miasmal; miasmatic. 
The moremma, where swamps and woods cover cities 
and fields, and some herds of wild cattle and then- half 
savage keepers are the only occupants of a fertile but 
miamnou* desert. 
J. P. Maha/y, Harper's Mag., LXVIII. 902. 
Miastor (mi-as'tpr), . [NL., < Gr. fudarupj a 
guilty wretch, also an avenger, < fuaivuv, stain, 
defile, pass, incur defilement: seeraiosw.] A re- 
markable genus of nemocerous dipterou s in sect s 
of the family Cecidomyida; having moniliform 
eleven-jointed antennae, short two-jointed pal- 
pi, and the wings with three veins, the middle 
one of which does not reach the apex. M. metro- 
lota is an example. This species reproduces agamically. 
The larvte, which are found under bark, develop within 
themselves other similar larvae, which again reproduce 
themselves, until this chain of asexual reproduction ends 
by the passing of the larva to the pupa state, from which 
sexual individuals arise to pair and lay eggs for a fresh 
generation in the usual way. Meinert, 1864. 
miau. miaw (miou, mia), v . i. Variant forms of 
mew*. Minsheu. 
miaul (mi-al'), r. i. [= F. miauler: see mewl.'] 
To cry as a cat ; mew. 
I mind a squalling woman no more than a miauling kit- 
ten. Scott. 
There was a cat trying to get at the pigeons In the coop. 
It clawed and miauled at the lattice-work of lath. 
Howetts, Annie Kilburn, xxix. 
(ml'ka), n. [= OF. (and F.) mic = It. 
mica, < L. "mica, a crumb, grain, little bit. 
Hence ult. miche 3 and mie : see mie.~\ A crumb ; 
a little bit. E. Phillips, 1706. 
mica 2 (mi'ka), ii. [= F. mica = Sp. Pg. mica, a 
mineral, < NL. mica, a glittering mineral (see 
def.), < L. mica, a crumb (cf. mica 1 ), prpb. 
applied to the mineral on the supposition 
that it was related to L. micare, shine, glit- 
ter.] 1. One of a group of minerals all of 
which are characterized by their very perfect 
basal cleavage, in consequence of which they 
can be separated easily into extremely thin, 
tough, and usually elastic laminae. They occur 
in crystals with a prismatic angle of 120, but more com- 
monly in crystalline aggregates, often of large plates, but 
sometimes of minute scales, having a foliated structure, the 
folia being generally parallel, but also concentric, wavy, 
and interwoven, and also arranged in stellate or plumose 
and sometimes almost fibrous forms. In crystallization the 
micas belong to the monoclinic system, but they approxi- 
mate very closely in form in part to the orthorhombic 
system (e. g. , muscovite), in part to the rhombohedral sys- 
tem (e. g., biotite). The micas are silicates of aluminium 
with other bases, as iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, 
sodium, lithium ; in some kinds fluorin is present in small 
amount. The prominent varieties are muscopite or com- 
mon potash mica, the light-colored mica of granite and 
similar rocks, and paragonite, which is an analogous soda 
species ; biotite, or magnesia mica (including meroxene and 
anomite. distinguished according to the position of the 
optic axial plane), the black or dark-green mica of granite, 
hornblende rocks, etc. ; phlogopite, the bronze-colored spe- 
cies common in crystalline limestone and serpentine rocks ; 
lepidomelane, a black mica containing a large amount of 
iron ; and lepidolite, the rose-red or lilac lithia mica occur- 
ring commonly in aggregates of scales. (See further under 
these names.) The micas enter into the composition of 
many rocks, including the crystalline rocks, both meta- 
morphic and volcanic (as granite, gneiss, mica-schist, tra- 
chyte, diorite, etc.), and sedimentary rocks (as shales and 
sandstones), sometimes giving them a laminated structure. 
In the sedimentary rocks they are in most cases derived 
from the disintegration of older crystalline rocks. Mica 
Michaelmas 
(mnscovite) is often used in thin transparent plates for 
spectacles to protect the eyes in various mechanical proces- 
ses, in reflectors, instead of glass in places exposed to heat, 
as in head-lights and stove- and lantern-lights, and even 
for windows in Russia(hence called Mitxcoryylass). Ground 
to powder, it is combined with varnish to make a glitter- 
ing coating for wall-papers, and is used also in preparing 
a covering for roofs, and as a packing and lubricator for 
machinery. It is often vulgarly called isinglats. The so- 
called brittle micas include a number of species, as mar- 
garite, seybertite (clintonite), etc., which are related to 
the true micas, but are characterized by their brittle folia. 
2. In the preparation of kaolin for use in the 
manufacture of porcelain, one of the second 
set of channels through which a mixture of 
water and suspended clay washed out by the 
water from the broken clay-bearing rock is 
slowly passed to obtain the deposition of flakes 
of mica and other foreign substances, and thus 
to purify the clay, which is finally allowed to 
subside in a series of pits or tanks. Each of the 
first set of channels through which the mixture is passed 
for the settling of the coarser flakes of mica, etc., is called 
a drag. This set of channels is collectively called the drags, 
and the second set the micas. See porcelain and kaolin. 
Copper mica. Same as chalcophyllite. Lithia mica. 
Sameas lepidolite. Mica-powder, giant-powder in which 
mica in fine scales takes the place of the silicious earth. 
Eissler, Mod. High Explosives, p. 353. 
mica-. A prefix frequently used in lithology 
when the rock in question contains more or 
less mica in addition to the other usual con- 
stituents. Thus, mica-syenite, a rock differing 
very little from ordinary syenite; mica-trap, 
nearly the same as minette, etc. 
micaceocalcareous (mi-ka/se-6-kal-ka're-us), 
a. [< micaceous + calcareous.] In geol., con- 
taining mica and lime : specifically noting a 
mica-schist contain'ing carbonate of lime. 
micaceous (mi-ka'shius), a. [= F. micace = 
Sp. micdceo = Pg. It. micaceo, < NL. "micaceus, 
< mica, mica: see ica 2 .] 1. Pertaining to or 
containing mica ; resembling mica or partaking 
of its properties, especially that of occurring in 
foliated masses consisting of separable lami- 
nae: as, micaceous structure. 2. Figuratively, 
sparkling. Davies. [Kare.] 
There is the Cyclopean stile of which Johnson is the 
great example, the sparkling or micaciovs possessed by 
Hazlitt. Southey, The Doctor, interchapter xxii. 
Micaceous iron ore. see iron. Micaceous rocks, 
rocks of which mica is the chief ingredient, as mica-slate 
and clay-slate. Micaceous schist, mica-schist. 
Micaria (ml-ka'ri-a). . Same as Macaria. 
mica-schist (mi'kai-shist'), n. A rock made up 
of quartz and mica, with a more or less schis- 
tose or slaty structure. The relative proportion of 
the two minerals differs often very considerably even in 
the same mass of rock. The usual mica in a typical mica- 
schist is the species called muscovite; this, however, is 
sometimes replaced to a certain extent by biotite or par- 
agonite. Mica-schist passes readily into talc-schist and 
chlorite-schist ; and when feldspar is added to the other 
constituents of the rock it becomes gneiss. It is one of 
the most abundantly distributed of the so-called crystal- 
line or metamorphic rocks, and, with granite, gneiss, and 
the other members of the schist family, forms the main 
body of the rocks formerly designated as primitive. 
mica-slate (mi'ka-slaf), n. The common name 
of the rock now usually designated by litholo- 
gists as mica-schist. 
mice, . Plural of mouse. 
mice-eyedt (mis 'id), . Keen-eyed; sharp- 
sighted. 
A legion of mice-eyed decipherers. 
Nashe, Lenten Stuffe (Harl. Misc., VI. 177). (Dames.) 
micella (mi-sel'a), n. ; pi. micellae (-e). [NL., 
dim. of L. mica, a crumb, grain: see wica 1 .] 
One of the hypothetical crystalloid bodies or 
plates supposed by Niigeli to be the units out 
of which organized bodies, more particularly 
plants, are built up. These micelte were supposed 
to he aggregates of larger or smaller numbers of chemical 
molecules, and were determined by the optical properties 
exhibited by cell-walls, starch-grains, and various proteid 
crystalloids. From their optical properties it was con- 
cluded further that they were biaxial crystals, and they 
were assigned, as a probable form, that of parallelepipedal 
prisms with rectangular or rhomboid bases. 
Crystalline doubly refracting particles or micettce, each 
consisting of numerous atoms and impermeable by water. 
Encyc. Brit,, XII. 12. 
micellar (mi-sel'ar), . |X micella + -ar^.~\ 
Pertaining or relating to micellae. 
Xaegeli's micellar hypothesis. Science, VIII. 571. 
Mich. An abbreviation of Micliaehuim. 
michaelite (ml'kel-It), . [< Michael (St. Mi- 
cliarVs, an island of the Azores, where it is 
found) 4- -te 2 .] In mineral., a white, pearly, 
fibrous variety of opal. 
Michaelmas (mik'el-mas), . [< ME. Michel- 
Hirx.sr, Mi/cheimesse, Milielmas, Mihelmasse, My- 
lielmassc',< Michel (< F. Michel, < Heb. M(khiTel, 
a proper name, signifying 'who is like God' ?) 
