Olympic 
numerous honors mid privilrurv Th.' si.Tecl inelosiireof 
Olympia Uas i'\r:l\atr.l l<\ III-' I Jrrlllan C i. iV.TIIIIl.'Jlt he- 
twecn l,S7. r . ;U1<1 1^1, irltfa i!il|Hirl;illl :ilrli;i-nl. >-ical ami 
artistic results. Compare nh t ,i'i"n<t_ 
Olympionic (6-Um-pl-on'lk), . [< L. oii/wiii- 
oiiifix, < Hi'. 'ii/r//,T/D;//,//i , a victor ill MIC Olym- 
pian games, < '^'/iii-in, the Olympic Annies. + 
//(,//, victory. J Allude <m an Olympic victory. 
4105 
of ca- 
Olympus (o-lim'piis), a. [it., < Or. 
Olympus: see o///w//m.| In (Ir. myth., the 
abode of the gods : identified in classical Greek 
times with Mount Olympus in Thessaly, later 
used for a supposed home of the gods in or be- 
yond the sky; hence, sometimes used as equiva- 
lent to ln-iiri H. 
Olynthiac (o-lin'thi-ak), . and n. [< Gr. '0/w- 
RonSfX "O/U'Wtof, Olyiithus(8eedef.).] I. '' of, 
pertaining to, or relating to Olynthus, a city in 
Chalcidico, near the head of the Toronaic gulf 
on the coast of Macedonia Olynthiac orations, 
a series of throe speeches delivered hy lletnosthenes. t.> 
induce I he Athenians to Hitpport Olynthus against Philip ; 
they constitute a part of the Philippics. 
II. >i. One f the speeches of Demosthenes 
known as the Olynthiac orations. 
Olynthian- (o-lin'thi-an), a. [< L. (Hi/ntlmx. 
< Gr. "(AvvOoc., Olynthus: see Oli/iitliitii: \ Of or 
pertaining to Olynthus; Olynthiac: as,the Or 1 ////- 
tliiiiii league. 
Olynthoidea (ol-in-thoi'de-ft), . i>l. [NL., < 
(Hi/ntliHH + -niili-ii.] All order or other large 
group of CaMspongice, containing most of the 
chalk-sponges : distinguished from I'hysemaria. 
They have calcareous spicules of various shapes. They 
are divided hy some writers into 4 suborders, Ascone*, 
Leucones, Syconex, and I'haretrone*. 
Olynthus (o-lin'thiiH), . [NL. (Hubner, 1816), 
< Gr. O'AW&OS, a fig.] 1. A genus of lepidop- 
terous insects. 2. A genus of chalk-sponges: 
a supposed calcispongian ancestral type named 
by Haeekel in 1869. See cut under gastrula. 
om (6m), n. [Skt. om ; origin uncertain.] A 
combination of letters invested with peculiar 
sanctity both in the Hindu religions and in Bud- 
dhism. It first appears as an exclamation of solemn 
assent. Afterward it formed the auspicious word with 
which the Hrahnmns hud to begin ana end every sacred 
duty: and latterly it came to be regarded as a symbol 
representing the names of the Hindu trinity. 
-oma. [NL., etc., -om<i, < Gr. -u/ta, a termina- 
tion of some nouns from verbs in -oetv, -aim, as 
adpKu/ta, a fleshy excrescence, (. aapn6tiv, aapnovv, 
make or produce flesh : see sarcoma.] In pa- 
thol., a termination denoting a tumor or neo- 
plasm, as in cltontlroiitri, sarcoma, fibroma, etc. 
omadhaun (om'a-dan), . [Ir. Gael, amtuliiii. 
a fool, simpleton, madman; cf. amait, a fool, 
etc.] A fool; a simpleton: a term of abuse 
common in Ireland and to a less extent in the 
Gaelic-speaking parts of Scotland. Also OIIKI- 
dawn, amailiiii. 
The Omadawn .' to think of his taking in a poor soft 
boy like that, who was away from his mother. 
Mr. and Mrs. S. C. Uatt, Ireland, I. 263. 
In the course of his (Sir. Michael Davitt's] remarks he 
spoke of the Peers as "the noble omadhaum." I believe 
this is quite a novel specimen of political slang at any 
rate on this side of St. George's Channel. 
X. and Q., 6th ser., X. 406. 
omalo-. For words in zoology, etc., beginning 
thus, see lioumto-. 
omander-wood (o-man'der-wud), H. A variety 
<it ebony or calaiiiander-wood, obtained in Cey- 
lon from JHo.t/iifn>.t Kln:num. 
Omanidae (o-man'i-de), n. pi. [NL. (Thorell, 
1869), < 0MMNMU + -Mir.'] A family of spiders 
consisting only of the typical genus Omit mix. 
and distinguished by having six eyes, a cala- 
mistrum and criUellurn, two claws on the tarsi, 
and three-jointed spinnerets. 
OmamiS (o-ma/nus), . [NL. (Thorell, 1869), < 
L. OIIKIIIIIX, < OIIKIIHI, a town in Arabia.] The 
typical genus of Ihimii/ilir. 
omasal (o-ma'sal), n. [< omasum + -of.] Per- 
taining to the omasum. 
omasum (o-uia'smn). H. : pi. (/<;; (-sii). [NL., 
< li.omnxiint, OUHIXSHIH, bullock's tripe, paunch: 
saiil ti lie of Gallic origin.] The third stomach 
of a ruminant; the psalterium or manyplies. 
See iiliiiii/ilxlllii. 
Omayyad (o-mi'yad), . and . [< Oiniii/i/ii 
(see oef.l + -(i/l.~\ I. n. One of a dynasty of 
califs which reigned in the East A. D. 661-750, 
the tirst of whom was Mo'awiya, descendant of 
Omayya (the founder of a noted Arab family), 
and successor to AH. Thc.-iima.vyndsweresuc. 
by the Ahhosids. The last of these Eastern Omayyads es- 
c:i|'d to Spain, an.l founded the ealifatc of CdrdOTB, ill 
A. n. 7:>6. This Western califate. and with it the dvnasU .>f 
Omayyads, became extinct in 1031. Also spelled Oinmiad. 
ll, n. Of or pertaining to the dynasty 
lifs culled the Omayyads. 
ombrant (om'bnint), \ F., ppr. of ombrer, < L. 
iimhniri', shade :" see iiinliriiti. iniilitr.] In /In-, 
in-nlii'i- iirt, consisting of shade or shadow; 
wholly or chiefly marked by shade without out- 
line: a French word used in English, especially 
in describing certain ceramic work, such as 
pate-sur-pate and lithophanie. 
ombre 1 , omber (om'ber), n. [< F. ombre, < Sp. 
linnibre, the game called ombre, lit. 'man,'< L. 
homo (homiii-), man: see homo.] A game at 
cards borrowed from the Spaniards, usually 
played by three persons, though sometimes by 
two, four, or five, with a pack of forty cards, the 
eights, nines, and tens being thrown out. 
Her joy in gilded chariots, when alive, 
And loveof ombre, after death survive. 
Pope, E. of the L., L 56. 
ombre-t, Same as umber. 
Ombria (om'bri-8), n. [NL. (Eschscholtz, 
1831).] A genus of Alcidte or auks containing 
the parrakeet-auklets, characterized by the pe- 
culiar shape of the bill. The mandible is falcate and 
upcurved, tno commissure is ascendant, and the maxilla 
oval in profile. The nostrils are naked, and portions of the 
bill are molted. 0. iwiltacula is the only species. Alto 
called Cydorhynchus. 
ombril (om'bril), . See umbril. 
Ombrometer (om-brom'e-ter), n. [ 
a rain-storm (= L. imbcr, rain : see imbricate, 
imbrex), + uerpov, measure.] A machine or an 
instrument designed to measure the quantity 
of rainfall. See rain-gage. 
omega (o-me'gfi, or o-meg'S), n. [< Gr. a fitya, 
lit. great o,' long o, so called in distinction 
from the earlier form o funpdv, ' little o,' short o.] 
The last letter of the Greek alphabet (Q, u); 
hence, figuratively, the last of anything. 
Know I not Death? the outward signs? . . . 
The simple senses crown'd his head: 
" Omega ! thou art Lord," they said, 
"We mid no motion in the dead." 
Tennyton, Two Voices. 
Alpha and omega. See alpha, 2. 
omelet (om'e-let), n. [Formerly also omlet, ome- 
lette, aumelette; < OF. amelette, alemette, F. ome- 
lette, formerly aumelette, dial, amelette, an ome- 
let (aumelette (Feeufn, "an omelet or pancake 
made of egges," Cotgrave) ; prob. so called as 
being a thin flat cake, being appar. a variant, 
with interchange of termination, of alemelle, 
alumclle, alamelle, alemele, the blade of a knife 
or sword, etc. (F. alnmelle, the sheathing (plat- 
ing) of a ship) ; the form appar. due to a imsdi- 
yision of the orig. word with the art. la preced- 
ing, la lemclle (lemele, lumelle), being miswritten 
or misread Fatemelle, and the proper form be- 
ing lamelle, < L. lamella, a thin plate : see la- 
mella, lamina. A popular etym. of omelette has 
been that from a supposed phrase teufs infles, 
'mixed eggs.'] A dish consisting of eggs beaten 
lightly, with the addition of milk, salt, and some- 
times a little flour ; it is browned in a buttered 
pan on the top of the stove. Omelets are some- 
times prepared with cheese, ham, parsley, jelly, 
fish, or other additions. 
Clary, when tender, not to be rejected, and In omlcti made 
up with cream, fried in sweet butter, and are eaten with 
sugar, juice of orange or limon. Evelyn, Acetaria, { 15. 
We had fortified ourselves with a good breakfast, and 
laid in some hard bread and pork omelette for the day. 
B. Taylor, Northern Travel, p. 366. 
Omelet souffle, an omelet beaten stiff, sweetened, fla- 
vored, and baked in an oven till It Is very puffy. 
omellt, '"'>' and prep. A variant of inicll. 
omen (6'men), n. [< L. omen, OL. osnien, a fore- 
boding, prognostic, sign, perhaps lit. 'a (pro- 
phetic) voice,' < os (or-), the mouth (or 'a thing 
heard,' < iius- in atmcultare, hear, auris, orig. 
"ausis, ear: see auscultate and carl), + -men, a, 
common suffix.] A casual event or occurrence 
supposed to portend good or evil; a sign or in- 
dication of some future event; a prognostic; 
an augury; a presage. See out/in-. 
I see now by this Inversion of my Armour that my 
Dukedom will be turned Into a Kingdom ; taking that for 
a good Omen which some other of weaker Spirits would 
have taken for a bad. Baker, chronicles, p. 22. 
Ah, no ! a thousand cheerful omen* give 
Hope of yet happier days, whose dawn is nigh. 
Bryant, The Ages, Till. 
= Syn. Omen, Portent, Siffn, Presage, Prognostic, Augury, 
Foreboding. Omen and portent are the most weighty and 
supernatural of these words. Omtn and sign are likely ! > 
refer to that which is more immediate, the others to the 
mure remote. Omrn and portent are external ; presage and 
foreboding *re internal and subjective ; theothers are either 
internal or external. xi : tn isthemostgeneral. Prognattir 
applies to the prophesying of states of health or kinds of 
weather, and is the only one of these words that implies a 
ominously 
deduction of effect from the .'.ill.it i if cause*. I'retagt 
and auyury are generally favorable, portent ulid/orefow/if/ 
always unfavorable, th< i, -t . ifh. i fav.inihlc or unfavor- 
able. Oinen and avyvru arc most suggestive of the mieieiit 
practice of eoiiHiilthiK the irndn thnnij^ti pricHtH or au^ur*. 
A ftirftMKtiity may In nu-t:ik. n : th> nt hn s ar. pi'esilinuhl) 
Correct. All these word* have ri.nsi.l. lahle freedom ill 
figurative use. See .foretell, ' 
omen (o'nien i, /. [<, . ci'. ;///////.] I. 
iiitraim. To prognosticate as an omen ; give in- 
dication of tne future ; augur: betoken. 
II. trims. To foresee or foretell, a> by the aid 
of an omen; divine; predict. 
The yet unknown verdict, of which, however, all omened 
the tragical contents. Scott, Heart of Mid-Lothian, xxlv. 
omened (6'mend), a. [< omen + -e<&.] Con- 
taining or accompanied by an omen or prognos- 
tic: chiefly in composition: as, ill-owe//"/. 
It this the welcome of my worthy deeds, 
To meet my triumph in ill mnen'd weeds? 
Dryden, Pal. and An., L SO. 
omening (6'men-iug), n. [Verbal n. of omen, .] 
An augury; a prognostication. 
These evil omeningi do but point out conclusions which 
are most likely to come to pass. Scott. 
omental (o-men'tal), . [< amentum + -a/.] Of 
or pertaining to the omentum: as, an omental 
fold of peritoneum; smiiicii>ttl gland Omental 
foramen, the opening from the greater to the lesser cav- 
ity of the peritoneum, commonly called foramen uj Wint- 
low. 
omentocele (o-men'to-sel), w. [< L. amentum, 
q. v., + Gr. K^.I, tumor.] Hernia of the omen- 
turn : same as epiplocele. 
omentum (o-men'tum), . ; pi. omenta (-tfi). 
fL., adipose membrane, the membrane inclos- 
ing the bowels, etc.] In anat., a fold or dupli- 
cation of peritoneum, of two or four peritoneal 
layers, passing between or hanging down from 
certain abdominal viscera the stomach, liver, 
spleen, and colon. An omentum is a structure simi- 
lar to a mesentery, and is in fact a special mesentery con- 
necting the stomach with the liver, spleen, and colon re- 
spectively. Hence omenta are commonly distinguished 
by name. The f/atttrohepatic or lesser omentum, omentum 
minus, is a'single fold (two layers) of peritoneum extending 
between the transverse fissure of the liver and the lesser 
curvature of the stomach. Between the two layers are the 
hepatic artery, portal vein, bile-duct, and associate struc- 
tures, bound together in a quantity of loose connective tis- 
sue forming Olisson's capsule. The ga*tro*ptenic amentum, 
of two layers, connects tne concavity of the spleen with the 
fundus of the stomach, and contains the splenic vessels. 
The gantrocolic or great amentum, otnentum majus, also 
called epiploon, is tne largest of all the peritoneal dupli- 
cations, and consists of four layers of peritoneum attached 
to the greater curvature of the stomach and to the trans- 
verse colon, whence it is looped down freely upon the in- 
testines, forming a great flap or apron. 
omer (6'mer), n. Same as /iower 3 . 
omicron (o-mi'kron). . [< Gr. o fimpav, little 
or short o, distinguished from <j fieya, great or 
long o. See omega.] The fifteenth letter of 
the Greek alphabet (0, o). 
ominatet (om'i-nat), v. [< L. ominatus, pp. of 
ominari, forebode, prognosticate, < omen, omen : 
see omen.] I. trans. To presage ; foretoken ; 
prognosticate. Seasonable Sermons (1644), p. 23. 
II. intrans. To foretoken; show prognostics. 
Heyirood, Dialogues, ii. 
ominationt (om-i-ua'shon), n. [< LL. omina- 
tio(n-), a foreboding, < L. ominari, forebode: 
see ominate.] The act of ominating; a fore- 
boding; a presaging; prognostication. J. Spen- 
cer, Vanity of Vulgar Prophecies, p. 102. 
ominous (om'i-uus), a. [= F. omineux = Sp. 
Pg. ominoso, < L. ominosus, full of foreboding, 
< omen, foreboding, omen: see omen.] 1. Con- 
veying some on ic n ; serving as a sign or token ; 
significant. 
Nor can I here pass over an ominout circumstance that 
happened the last time we played together. 
OoUimilh, Vicar, Ii. 
2. Of good omen ; auspicious. 
Which port en him Bellonesus took for a very happy and 
ominous token. Cnryat, Crudities, I. 113. 
Notwithstanding he (Lionel, Bishop of Concordia] had 
a good ominous name to have made a peace, nothing fol- 
lowed. Bacon, Hist Hen. VIL 
3. Of ill omen ; giving indication of coming ill ; 
portentous; inauspicious; unlucky. 
Tis ominous; ... I like not this aboderaeut. 
Chapman, All Fools, iv. 1. 
And yet this Death of mine, I fear. 
Will ominout to her appear. 
Couiey, The Mistress, Concealment. 
This place is ominous ; for here I lost 
My love and almost life, and since have crost 
All these woods over. 
Fletcher, Faithful Shepherdess, iv. 3. 
ominously (om'i-nus-li), rfr. In an ominous 
manner; with significant coincidence : 
cantly ; with ill omen ; portentously. 
