needless 
needlesst ("od'les), '"'< [OIK. <<<//<. f nn-ii 
Irsx, II. | Needlessly ; without cnuse. 
(> iifntlea was she tempted in assay ! 
Cliaurfr, Clurk'n Tnle (ml. Skeat), 1. iai. 
needlessly (ne< I' l< -s-H i. mir. In a needless man- 
ner: witliout .necessity: iinncecssjirily. 
[ would nut uiitvr on my lint of friend)* 
. . . the man 
Who iuv<lli'*4ii seta fit upon a worm. 
Courier, Tank, vl. 563. 
needlessness (ned'les-nes), n. The state or 
quality of being needless ; unnecessarinesH. 
needle-Stone ( ne'dl-stim), a. A name given liy 
the older mineralogists to acicular varieties of 
iiiitrolite, scolocite, and other minerals. 
needletail (ne'dl-tal), n. A spine-tailed swift : 
a bird of the geuns Chcetura,&8 the common 
chimney-swift of the United States. See cuts 
under Chcetura and mitcronate. 
needle-tailed (ne'dl-tald), a. Spine-tailed; 
having mucronate tail-feathers, as a swift. 
needle-telegraph (ne'dl-tel*e-graf), . A tele- 
graph in which tlie indications are given by the 
deflections of a magnetic needle whose normal 
position is parallel to a wire through which a 
current of electricity is passed at will by the 
operator. E. II. Knight. 
needle-test (ne'dl-test), . In the testing of 
underground telegraph-lines, a method of dis- 
covering a particular wire in a cable by send- 
ing a current through it from the telegraph- 
station, and at the distant point making con- 
tact to the different wires by means of a nee- 
dle passed through the covering, the needle 
forming the terminal of a circuit containing a 
galvanoscopo or detector. The test is also some- 
times used to find between what points (joint or test- 
boxes) an " earth " fault lies, by finding the last of these 
points which the current passes In the wire. 
needle-threader (ne'dl-thred'er), . A device 
for passing a thread through 
the eye of a needle. One such 
device is a hollow cone with a perfo- 
rated apex which is adjusted to the 
eye of the needle, the thread being 
pushed through the cone. 
needlewoman (ne ' dl - wum"- 
;in ),.: pi. needlewomen (-wim 1 - 
en). A woman who is an ex- 
pert in sewing or embroidery, 
or one whose business is sew- 
ing or embroidery ; specifical- 
ly, a woman who earns a liv- 
ing by sewing; a seamstress. 
needlework (ne'dl-werk), n. 
[< ME. ncdleworke; < needle + 
work.'] 1. The work or occu- 
pation of one who uses the nee- 
ale, especially in sewing. 2. Work produced 
by means of the needle, especially embroidery 
in all its forms, which is in this way discrimi- 
nated from decoration produced by weaving, 
knitting, netting, etc. 
Fine linen, Turkey cushions boss'd with pearl. 
Valance of Venice gold in nrrdleieork. 
Sha*., T. of theS., 11. 1. 356. 
3. In nroft., a form of construction combining 
a framework of timber and a plaster or mason- 
ry filling, employed very commonly in medie- 
val houses, and for some partitions, etc. 
needleworker (ne'dl-w6r'ker), n. One who 
works with a needle ; a needlewoman. 
needle-woven (ne'dl-wo'vn), a. Made by the 
needle, so as to resemble that which is actually 
woven Needle-woven tapestry, decorative needle- 
work made by running with a nt- edle colored silks and the 
like in and out of the threads of canvas, coarse linen, and 
similar materials, so as to produce decorative designs. 
needle-zeolite (ne'dl-ze'o-lit), n. Same as na- 
tnilitt: 
needling 1 ! (ned'ling), n. [< wed + -/in;/ 1 .] A 
needy person; a person who is in want. 
A gift to V.vr/////.;.v is not given, but lent. 
Sylvester, tr. of Du Bartas's Weeks, ii., The Schisme. 
needling 3 (ned'ling), n. [< needlo + -tntfl.] 
1. Needlework. [Local.] 
a, needle-threader, 
in which the thread is 
caught by barbs and 
drawn through the 
eye of the needle, . 
8987 
l'li),orfr. [<MK.Hi-i;l,l,i, 
< neetl + -ly' 2 .] 1. Necessarily. 
He bad his folk lenen. 
And only aeruen hiiu-self and hijs rewle sechen, 
And all that iieilly ncduth, that schuld hem 1101131 lakkcn. 
Piers Plowman's Crede(R. E. T. S.), 1. HP-.'. 
<>r If sour woe delights In fellowship, 
And needly will be rank'd with other griefs. 
Shale., B, and J., lit 2. 117. 
2. Urgently. 
A rink sendei 
Anon too N'ectanabus and needely hym praies. 
That In i Mill nine too carpeu her tyll. 
Alimumler of llaeedoine (E. E. T. S.), 1. 748. 
needly'-* (ned'li), a. [(needle + -yi.] Relating 
to or resembling a needle or needles: as, a 
HI i illy thorn. 
I looked down on his stiff bright headpiece, small qnlck 
eyes, and black netdly beard. 
A'. It. Blackmore, Lorua Doone, xxlll. 
needment (ned'ment), n. [< need + -ment.] 1. 
Something needed or wanted; a requisite; a 
necessary. [Rare.] 
His scrip did hang, In which his wtdtneiit* he did bind. 
Spenser, F. Q., I. vl. 85. 
Mothers and wives ! who day by day prepare 
The scrip, with needments, for the mountain air. 
Keats, Endymlon, I. 
2f. Need. 
The Princes haue tyrannized further, especially In Afri- 
ca, where they haue not left the people sufficient for their 
needments. Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 621. 
needna (ned'nS). Need not. [Scotch.] 
need-nott (ned'not), n. Something unneces- 
sary; a superfluity. 
Such glittering need-nots [gold and silver] to human hap- 
piness. Fuller, Pisgah Sight, I. ill. i 6. (Dames.) 
needs (nedz), adv. [< ME. needes, nedes, nedig, 
< AS. nydeg, nedes, of need, necessarily, adver- 
bial gen. of nyd,ned, need: see need, n.] Of 
necessity; necessarily; unavoidably: general- 
ly used with must. 
When she syo that, she sigh wele that nedes she muste 
kepe the cuppe. Merlin (E. E. T. S.X L 67. 
For if the behauyoure of the gouernour be euill, needes 
must the Chylde be euill. Babees Boole (E. E. T. .\ p. OS. 
Needs must they go whom the deulll driueth. 
Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 82. 
All pleasures that affect the body must needs weary, 
because they transport. Strclf, Tatler, No. 211. 
The reader had need* be careful, or he will lose the 
main path, and find himself in what seems at first a hope- 
less labyrinth. ./. IT. Hales, Int. to Milton's Areopagltica. 
needs-costt (nedz'kdst), adr. [ME. needes-cost; 
< needs, gen. of need, + eosft.] Necessarily; of 
necessity. 
Needet^ost he moste himselven hyde. 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, L 619. 
needslyt (nedz'li), adc. [Improp. < needs + -ly' 2 .] 
Of necessity; for some pressing reason. 
But earnest on her way, she [the I'ske] needsly \ri\\ be gone ; 
80 much she longs to see the ancient Carleon. 
Drayton, Polyolblon, iv. 183. 
needy (ne'di), a. [< ME. ncdy, necessitous 
(= D. noodig = MLG. nodich = G. nothig = Sw. 
Dan. nodig, necessary); < need + -y*.] It- 
Needful; requisite; necessary. 
And these our ships, you happily may think, . . . 
Are stored with corn to make your needy bread. 
Phnt., Pericles, I. 4. 95. 
2. Necessitous; indigent; very poor. 
Tellen hem and techen hem on the trinlte to bilene, 
And feden hem with gostly fode and nedy folke to fynden. 
Piers Ploicman (B), xv. 564. 
But fewe regard their needy neighbours lacke. 
Oaseoigne, Steele Olas (ed. Arher), p. 59. 
To relieve the needy and comfort the afflicted are duties 
that fall in our way every day. Additon, Spectator. 
= Syn. 2. Needy, Necessitous. Needy seems to apply prima- 
rily to the person, but also to the condition : necessitous to 
the condition and rarely to the person. Needy implies a 
more permanent state than necessitous; a necessitous con- 
dition Is more painful and urgent than a needy condition. 
needyhood (ne'di-hud), n. [< needy + -hood.] 
Neediness. [Rare.] 
Floure of fuz-balls, that's too good 
For a man In needy-hood. 
Herrict, The Beggar to Mab, the Fairie Queen. 
"Haven't the Barnbury folks any more work for you?" neeldet, neelet, n. Obsolete forms of needle. 
Tied the baker ; < haven't they shirts and gowns, or some neelgn i ?i . Same as il glt au. 
neem (nem), . An East Indian tree, the mar- 
gosa. 
neem-bark, neem-oil. See margosa, and also 
under bark'*. 
neep't, " and . An obsolete form of neap 1 . 
neep- (nej')- ._ [Also neap; < ME. neep, nrjir. 
nc/i/ir. < AS. niri>. < L. niijuis, a kind of turnip (> 
ult. E. niirrir, q. v.). Hence, in comp.. turiiep. 
now turnip.] A turnip. [Obsolete, except in 
Scotland.] 
other sort of needling?" 
F. R. Stockton, Baker of Barnbury. 
2. The process of using a surgical needle. 
Needling was again performed, with the escape of very 
little subrctinal fluid. Medical News, LIU. 1:>. 
needlingst, dr. [< ME. nrdi'lyn<>is. < AS. nr/1- 
lini/<i, iifdilliiifi, forcibly, < nnid. iiijit, force, need: 
Bee ii'-nl ;n\<\ -Iniii-.] Necessarily. 
Sithe it nedebnvrin shall be so. 
MS. Hart. 2252. f. !>7. (HaUitfrll.) 
349 
nefand 
Sown rape and neep in places drle in KIWI-, 
Ai taught is erst, and radlssh last this moone 
Atte drlo is owe. 
I'alladiui, Huabondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 172. 
neer't, '"''' anrl. An obsolete spelling of ;/ 1. 
neer 2 (ner), . [Also near, weir; < MK. ;<, 
nere (not found in AS.), < Icel. nyra, pi. nyru 
= Sw. lyurc = Dan. nyre = MD. nierr, D. nier 
= MLG. LG. nere = OHG. ninro, niero, MHO. 
niere, nier,G. niere, kidney (OHG. also scrotum); 
Goth, not recorded, but prob. 'iiiuru for 'niirrn; 
Tout, stem "negwrnn-, prob. = L. dial, nefrones, 
nefrendes, nebrundinen, pi., testicles, = Or. v- 
Qpoc,, kidney (> E. nejilirititt, etc.). The word 
neer, obs. in E. use, exists in the disguised com- 
pound kidney (ME. kidncre): see kidney.] A 
kidney. [Obsolete or Scotch.] 
ne'er (nar), tidr. A contraction of never. 
ne'er-be-lickit (nar'be-lik'it), n. Not so much 
as could be licked up by dog or cat; nothing 
whatsoever; not a whit. [Scotch.] 
ne'er-do-good (nar'dii-gud), . A ne'er-do-well. 
ne'er-do-weel (nar'd^-wel), a. and n. A Scotch 
form of ne'er-tlo-tcell. 
ne'er-do-well (nSr'dQ-wel), a. and n. I. a. 
Likely never to do well ; past mending. 
II. n. One whose conduct indicates that he 
will never do well ; a good-for-nothing. 
Among civilians, I am what they call in Scotland a ne'er- 
do-uvU. Dickens, Bleak House, xxvll. 
neesberry (nes'ber'i), . Same as naseberry. 
neeset, r. '. See neeze. 
neesewort, . Same as tncezeicort. 
neetH, n. An obsolete spelling of neafl. 
neet' 2 , n. An obsolete or dialectal form of nifl. 
ne exeat (ne ek'se-at). Same as nt exeat regno. 
ne exeat regno (ne ek'se-at reg'no). [L., let 
him not go out of the kingdom: ne, not; exeat, 
3d pers. sing. pres. subj. of exire, go out, de- 
part (see exit); regno, abl. of rei/num, kingdom: 
see reign, .] A writ issued from chancery to 
forbid a defendant to leave the kingdom (or 
jurisdiction) without permission ; a provision- 
al remedy in chancery corresponding some- 
what to arrest at common law (for the defen- 
dant could be attached, and compelled to give 
security). The same remedy is now preserved under 
the codes of procedure In equitable actions in which the 
departure of the defendant might prevent the Judgment 
of the court from having effect, as when the object of the 
action Is to compel him to account or to convey. 
neezet, neeset (nez), r. '. [< ME. nesen (not in 
AS.) = D. niezen = OHG. niusan, niesan,MHG. 
G. niesen = Icel. hnjottja = Sw. nysa = Dan. 
nyse, sneeze; parallel with AS. fnedsan, ME. 
f nesen = D.fniezen = Svr.fnysa = Dan./nye, 
sneeze, a var. of the preceding form, further 
varied to ME. snenen, E. sneeze, the now common 
form: see sneeze.] To sneeze. 
If thou of force doe chance to neeu. then backewards tunic 
away. Babees Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 293. 
And then the whole quire hold their hips, and laugh, 
And waxen in their mirth, and neeze, and swear 
A merrier hour was never wasted there. 
Sha*., M. N. D., II. 1. 56. 
neezewort (nez'wert), n. Same as zneezevort. 
neezingt, neesingt (ne'zing), n. [Verbal n. of 
nee:e, .] 1. Sneezing; a sneeze. 
The spitting, the coughing, the laughter, the ncezing. 
B. Joitfon, Kplccene, Iv. 1. 
His neesinyn flash forth light 
Job xli 18 (revised version). 
2. An exhalation. [Rare.] 
You summer neezings, when the Sun is set 
That fill the air with a quick-fading fire. 
Cease from your flashings ! 
H. More, Exorclsimis. (Nam.) 
neezle, . A dialectal form of nestle. 
nef (nef), n. PP., < L. navis, a ship, ML. a 
nave: see narA] If. The nave of a church. 
The long ne/ [of the church of St. Justina] consists of a 
row of five cupolas, the cross one has on each side a single 
cupola deeper and broader than the others. 
Addifon, Remarks on Italy (ed. Bohn), I. 384. 
2. An ornamental vessel used for the decora- 
tion of the table, having a form resembling 
a ship of the middle ages. Nefs were commonly 
pieces of valuable plate, and were set before the lord or 
master of the house, their use being to contain some of 
the table utensils especially appropriated to him, or some- 
times to his guests. See cadentu. 
3. At the present day, a vessel of any unusual 
and fantastic shape resembling more or less 
closely a ship or boat. 
A nef, a kind of cup. somewhat In form like a naiitllno- 
shell, executed in gold. Society of Arts Report. 
nefandt (ne-fand'), a. [= OF. ncfnnde = Sp. 
Pg. It. nefando, < L. nefandu,*, unspeakable : see 
nefandous.] Same as nefandotu. 
Nefand abominations. 
Sheldon, Mirror of Antichrist, p. 196. 
