microzoan 
raicrozoan (ini-kro-zo'an), and a. I. H. An 
animalcule ; a member of the Microzoa. 
II. a. Of or pertaining to the Microzoa. 
Microzoaria (mi"kro-zo-a'ri-a), n. pi. [NL., < 
Gr. [ttKpof, small, + LGr. fo&uov, pi. fyapia, dim. 
of Gr. fijjov, animal.] De Blainville's name for 
infusorians, rotifers, and other animalcules. 
microzoarian (ml // kro-zo-a'ri-an), a. and n. [< 
Microzoaria + -an.} I. 'a. Animalcular; of or 
pertaining to the Microzoaria. 
II. . An animalcule ; a member of the Mi- 
crozoaria. 
microzoary (mi-kro-zo'a-ri), .; pi. microzoaries 
(-riz). [< NL. Microzoaria.] A microzoarian. 
micrOZOdid (mi-kro-zo'oid), n. and . [< Gr. 
/MKp6f, small, + E. Mofcf.1 I. w. A free-swim- 
ming zooid of abnormally minute size, which 
conjugates with or becomes buried within the 
substance of the body of a normally sized 
sedentary animalcule of many rorticellidce. 
II. a. Pertaining to a microzooid. 
microzoon (mi-kro-zo'on), n.; pi. microzoa (-a). 
[NL., < Gr. /uKpof, small, + fv ol> ) an animal.] 
Any micro-organism of animal nature; a mi- 
crozoarian. 
microzodspore (mi-kro-zo'o-spor), . [< Gr. 
fuKpof, small, + E. zoospore.} A zoospore of 
small size as compared with others produced 
by the same species. 
The smaller or microzoosporei are produced by the divi- 
sion of the vegetative mother-cell into a larger number of 
portions. Hiixley and Martin, Elementary Biology, p. 391. 
microzyme (nu'kro-zim), n. [< Gr. /w<p6r;, small, 
+ fii/ai, leaven: see zymic.} One of a class of ex- 
tremely small living creatures, existing in the 
atmosphere, and furnishing the basis on which 
certain epizootic, epidemic, and other zymotic 
diseases are dependent for their existence; a 
zymotic microbe. These pestiferous microbes have 
some characters at least in which they resemble ferments, 
and by multiplying rapidly they excite morbid action in 
the animal organism with which they come in contact 
See germ theory (under gfrm), and cuts under microbe. 
Mictidse (mik'ti-de), n. pi. [NL. (Serville, 
1843), < Mictis + -idee.'} A family of heterop- 
terous insects, typified by the genus Mictis, 
having the femora spined beneath, and the 
Packylis ftfas, a member of the Mictida. 
hind ones thicker than the others, especially 
in the males. It comprises many tropical and sub- 
tropical forms, some of large size and handsome colora- 
tion, as Paehylis gigas, a North American representative. 
There are about 13 genera of the family. Also Mictides, 
Mictida, and (as a subfamily of Coreidae) Mictina, Mictince. 
miction (mik'shou), n. [= F. miction, < LL. 
mictio(n-), minctio(n-), < L. mingere, pp. minc- 
tus, mictus (= AS. migan, early ME. migen = 
MLG. migen = Icel. miga), urinate.] The act 
of voiding urine. 
Mictis (mik'tis), , [NL. (Leach, 1814) ; ori- 
gin not ascertained.] The typical genus of 
Mictidce, having the fourth antennal joint not 
shorter than the third. Nearly 100 species are 
described from Africa, southern Asia, the Ma- 
lay archipelago, and Australia. 
micturate (mik'tu-rat), v. i. ; pret. and pp. mic- 
turated, ppr. miciuratiny. [Irreg. < L. mictu- 
rire, pp. mieturittis, urinate: see micturition.} 
To pass urine ; urinate. 
micturition (mik-tu-rish'on), n. [= F. mictu- 
rition, < L. as if *micturitio(n-), < micturire, pp. 
micturitus, go to urinate, desiderative of min- 
gere, pp. mictus, urinate : see miction.} The act 
of urinating ; especially, morbidly frequent and 
scant urination. 
mid 1 (mid), a. and n. [< ME. mid, midde, mi/d, 
iiiydde, < AS. mid (a nom. form not actually 
3754 
found; gen. masc. and neut. middes, fern, 
middre, etc.) = OS. middi = OFries. midde, 
medde=:'M.D.mydde (a.),D. midden (n.) =MLG. 
midde (a.) = OHG. mitti. MHG. G. mitte = Icel. 
midhr= Sw. Dan. mid (in comp.) (cf . Sw. midten 
= Dan. midte, n.) = Goth, midjis, mid, middle; 
= OBulg. mezhda, middle, boundary, = Pol. 
miedza = Bohern. meze = Euss. mezha, boundary 
(cf .OBulg. mezhdu = Serv.medju = Bohem. mezi 
= Pol. miedzy = Russ. mezhdu, also mezhi, be- 
tween), < L. medius (> ult. E. medial, mediate, 
medium, etc., meanS, moiety, mizzen, etc.) = Gr. 
fieaof, fj.k mrof (>ult. E. mesial, meson, etc.), orig. 
*fie6>jof= Skt. madhya, middle. Hence midst 1 , 
middle, etc.] I. a. 1. Middle; being the middle 
part or midst. The monosyllable mid, properly an ad- 
jective, is BO closely connected with its noun as to assume 
often the aspect of a prefix ; it is therefore often joined 
to its noun with a hyphen. The real relation, however, 
is nearly always the normal one of adjective and noun. 
Pros. What is the time of day ? 
An. Past the mtd season. 
Shak., Tempest, i. 2. 239. 
Virgins and boys, mid-age and wrinkled eld. 
Shak., T. and C., ii. 2. 104. 
Then, with envy fraught and rage, 
Flies to his place, nor rests, hut in mid air 
To council summons all his mighty peers. 
Milton, P. B-, i. 39. 
No more the mounting larks, while Daphne sings, 
Shall, listening in mid air, suspend their wings. 
Pope, Winter, 1. 64. 
2. Being between; intermediate; intervening: 
only in inseparable compounds: as, midrib, 
midriff, wwrfwicket. 
Il.t n. Middle; midst. 
Katcliff, about the mid of night come to my tent. 
Shak., Rich. III., v. 3. 77. 
In the mid he had the habit of a monk. Fuller. 
It was in the mid of the day. 
Jtobin Hood and the Strattger (Child's Ballads, V. 405). 
mid-t (mid'), prep. [ME., also myd, < AS. mid, 
also in old or dial, form mith, = OS. mid, midi 
= OFries. mith, mithe, mit = D. met = MLG. mi t, 
in comp. mid-, LG. med, met = OHG. MHG. G. 
mit = Icel. medh = Sw. Dan. med = Goth, mith, 
in comp. mid-, with, = Gr. fiera, with, among, 
over, beyond, etc. (see meta-), = Zend mad, 
with.] With: a preposition formerly in com- 
mon use, but now entirely superseded by with. 
It remains only in the compound midwife. 
Mid him he hadde a stronge axe. Hob. of Gloucester. 
mid 3 (mid), . A dialectal form of might 1 . 
Halliwell. 
mid* (mid), . [Short for midshipman.} A mid- 
shipman. Also middy. [Colloq.] 
I have written to Bedford to learn what mids of the Vic- 
tory fell in that action. Southey, Letters (1812), II. 315. 
mid. An abbreviation of middle (voice). 
'mid (mid), prep. An abbreviation of amid, 
used in poetry. 
mida (mi'da), n. [NL., < Gr. M'<5f, a destruc- 
tive insect in pulse.] The larva of the bean- 
fly. Imp. Met. 
midan (mi'dan), . [Hind., < Pers. maidan.} 
An open space, or esplanade, in or near a town ; 
an open grassy plain ; a parade-ground ; among 
the Arabs, a race-course, or a place for exercis- 
ing horses. Also spelled midaun. 
The midaun, or parade ground, with its long-drawn ar- 
rays of Sepoy chivalry. 
J. W. Palmer, The New and the Old, p. 262. 
midangle (mid'ang"gl), n. [< mid 1 + angle$.} 
An angle of 45 ; half of a right angle. 
Midas 1 (mi'das), n. [NL., < (f) L. Midas, < 
Gr. Mf<zf, a king of Phrygia.] A genus of 
marmosets, typical of the family Mididce. Up- 
ward of 20 species are described. Characteristic exam* 
pies are the lion-marmoset (M. leoninus), the tamarin (M. 
urmtlus), the pinche (M. oedipiut), and the marikina (HI. 
rosalia). 
Midas 2 (mi'das), . [NL.,< Gr. /uWac, a destruc- 
tive insect iii pulse.] In entom., the typical 
genus of Mididce or Midasidce. The species are 
mainly North American, as 26 against 3 in Europe. Their 
larvse as far as known occur in decaying wood, and are 
probably carnivorous. M. fulvipes and M . clavatus are ex- 
amples. Latreille, 1796. Also Mydai (Fabririus, 1794). 
Midasidae (mi-das'i-de), n. pi. [NL., irreg. < 
Midas'* + -idee.} In entom.. same as Mididce, 2. 
Leach, 1819. 
Midas's-ear (mi'das-ez-er), n. [So called in 
allusion to Midas, a king of Phrygia, who, for a 
decision he rendered in a musical contest be- 
tween Apollo and Pan, was provided by Apollo 
(who lost) with ass's ears.] A gastropod of 
the family Auriculidce, Auricula midce. 
midbody (mid'bod"i), n. [< mid 1 + body.} In 
Mollusca, the mesosoma. 
middle 
midbrain (mid'brau), M. [< mid 1 + brain.} 
The mesencephalon. See cuts under enceplia- 
lim. 
mid-couples (mid'kup"lz), . pi. In Scots lair, 
the writings by which an heir, assignee, or ad- 
judger is connected with a precept of sasine 
granted in favor of his predecessor or author, 
which, when such heir, etc., takes infeftment 
in virtue of such precept, must be deduced in 
the instrument of sasine. Imp. Diet. 
midday (mid'da), n. and a. [< ME. midday. 
< AS. middceg (also middeldteg) (= OFries. mid- 
dei = D. middag = MLG. middach = OHG. mit- 
tital-, MHG. mittetac, G. mittag = Sw. Dan. 
middag), < mid, mid, + da?g, day : see mid 1 and 
day 1 .} I. 11. The middle of the day; noon. 
Had he [our Lord] appeared at midday to all the peo- 
ple, yet all the people would not have believed in him. 
Bp. Atterbury, Sermons, II. vii. 
As if God, with the broad eye of midday, 
Clearer looked in at the windows. 
Longfellow, it. of Tegner's Children of the Lord's Supper. 
II. a. Of or pertaining to noon; meridional. 
And Titan, tired in the mid-day heat, 
With burning eye did hotly overlook them. 
Shak., Venus and Adonis, L 177. 
His hour of mid-day rest is nearly over. 
Byron, Cain, Iii. 1. 
midday-flower (mid'da-nou*'er), n. See Me- 
sembrya n them um . 
middet, a. A Middle English form of mid 1 . 
raiddelt, . and . A Middle English form of 
middle. 
middelerdt, . [ME. ; also myddelerd, midel- 
erd, midlerd, mydlcrde, medlert, etc., < AS. as 
if *middeleard for *middelgeard (= OS. middil- 
gard = OHG. mittigart, mittilgart, mittilicart, 
mittingart, mittila gart), < middel, middle, + 
geard, yard, inclosure. Cf. middenerd, middle- 
earth.} The earth. 
midden (mid'n), . [Early mod. E. also middin, 
myddin, mcdin (in comp.); a corruption (dial, 
var. ) of midding. } 1 . A dunghill ; a muck-heap ; 
a receptacle for kitchen refuse, ashes, etc. See 
midding. [Prov. Eng. and Scotch.] Specifi- 
cally 2. A prehistoric muck-heap ; a kitchen- 
midden. 
midden-crow (mid'n-kro), n. See crow 2 . 
middenerdt, n. [ME., also middenard, < AS. 
middaneard (also mideard) for middangeard (= 
Icel. midhgardhr (see midgard) = Goth, mid- 
jungards),ihe 'midyard,'the middle abode, the 
earth as situated between heaven and hell, < 
midde, mid, middle, + geard, yard, inclosure 
(accoin. to eard, region, abode). Cf. middelerd, 
middle-earth.} The earth as the abode of men. 
midden-hillt, [Early mod. E. medin-hille; 
< midden + hill 1 .} A dunghill. 
And like unto great stinkyng mucle medin-Jittles, whiche 
never do pleasure unto the lande or grounde untill their 
heapes are caste abroade to the profiles of many. 
Bullein's Dialogue (1573), p. 7. (UattiweU.) 
middenstead (mid'n-stefl), . [< midden + 
stead.} The site of a dunghill or muck-heap ; 
a place where dung is stored. [Eng.] 
This cause of death and disease is courted by a place 
that maintains a middenstead and cesspool system of ex- 
crement disposal. Lancet, No. 3420, p. 652. 
middest, n. and adv. See midst 1 . 
middestH, n. See midst 1 . 
middest-t (mid'est), a. Superlative of mid 1 . 
[Rare.] 
Yet the stout Faery mongst the middest crowd 
Thought all their glorie vaine in knightly vew. 
Spenser, F. Q., I. iv. 15. 
middint, n. See midden, midding. 
middingt (mid'ing), . [Also, by corruption, 
middin, midden (see midden); < ME. middinge, 
middynge, miding, myddyng, < Dan. modding, an 
assimilated form of mogdynge, a dung-heap, 
dunghill, muck-heap,< mog (=Icel. myki, mykr), 
dung, muck, + dynge, a heap, = Icel. dytigja, a 
heap, = Sw. dynga, muck, = AS. dung, dung: 
see muck 1 and dung 1 .} A dunghill; a muck- 
heap. 
A fouler mt/ddyng sawe thow never nane 
Than a man es with flesche and bane. 
Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 1. 628. 
middle (rnid'l), a. and n. [< ME. middel, myd- 
del, medil, < AS. middel = OFries. middel = D. 
middel = MLG. middel = OHG. mittU, MHG. 
G. mittel = Sw. medel- = Dan. middel- (in 
comp.), adj., middle; also in AS., D., MLG., 
MHG., G., as a noun, middle, in G. also means; 
AS. also midlen, n.,the middle; = Icel. medhal 
= Sw. medel = Dan. middel, n., means, medi- 
cine; of. Icel. medhal, prep., among; with 
formative -el, from the adj., AS., etc.. mid: see 
