stare 
at; hence, to look at with either a bold or a 
vacant expression. 
I will stare him out of his wits. 
Shak., M. \V. of W., ii. 2. 291. 
To stare one In the face, figuratively, to be before one's 
eyes, or undeniably evident to one. 
They stare you still in the face. 
Milton, On Def. of Humb. Remonst. 
Stare 1 (star), n. [< storei, v.~] The act of one 
who stares ; a fixed look with eyes wide open, 
usually suggesting amazement, vacancy, or 
insolence. 
Stare' 2 (star), . [< (a) ME. stare, ster, < AS. 
stxr = OHG. stara, MHG. star, G. star, slaar, 
stalir = Icel. starri, start = Sw. stare = Dan. 
steer; (b) also AS. stearn = G. dial, xttirn, 
starett, storn = L. sturnus (> It. storno, storo), 
dim. sturneHus (> OF. estournel, F. etoiirncau), 
sturninus (> Sp. estornino = Pg. estorninho), 
starling; cf. Gr. ^dp, NGr. ^ap6vi, Y-apowov, star- 
ling.] A starling. 
The stare [var. starling) that the counsel can bewrye. 
Chaucer, Parliament of Fowles, 1. 348. 
And, as a falcon frays 
A nock of stares or caddesses, such fear brought his assays 
Amongst the Trojans and their friends. 
Chapman, Iliad, xvi. 541. 
Cape stare, cockscomb-stare, silk stare. See Cape 
starling, etc., under starlingi. Ceylonese stare See 
Trachycomus. 
Stare* (star), a. [Cf. D. staar = G. starr, stiff: 
see storei.] Stiff; weary. Halliwell. [Prov. 
Eng.] 
Stare 4 (star), w. [Formerly also starr; origin 
obscure.] The marram or matweed, Ammophila 
arunclinacea : same as halm, 3 ; also applied to 
species of Carex. [Prov. Eng.] 
stareblindt, a. See starblind. 
staree (star-e'), . [< storei + _. e i.] One who 
is stared at. [Rare.] 
I as starer, and she as staree. 
Miss Edgeworth, Belinda, ill. (Davits.) 
Starer (star'er), . [< storei + _e,.i.] One who 
stares or gazes. Pope, Essay on Man, iv. 256. 
starft. An obsolete preterit of starve. 
star-facet (star'fas'et), n. One of the small 
triangular facets, eight in number, surround- 
ing the table on a brilliant-cut stone. See 
brilliant. 
Starfinch (star'finch), n. The redstart, Ruti- 
cilla phcenicura. See first cut under redstart. 
Starfish (star'fish), n. 1. An echinoderm with 
five or more arms radiating from a central disk : 
applied to all the members of the Asteroidea 
and 0/thinroidea (see these words). These belong 
to the phylum Echinodermata, which contains also the 
sea-urchins, holothurians, crinoids, etc., though these are 
not usually called starfishes. In some of the asteroids 
or starfishes proper the disk is enlarged so as to take in 
nearly or quite the whole length of the rays, so that the re- 
sulting figure is a pentagon, or even a circle ; but in such 
cases the stellate structure is evident on examination. 
Such are known as cushion-stars. In the ophiuriansthe re- 
verse extreme occurs, the body being reduced to a small 
circular central disk, 
* with extremely long 
jk slender rays, which in 
K some, as the eury- 
aleans, are branched 
H ^^^ into several thousand 
^fc^^^g^P^ ramifications. (See cut 
..^^^^^^^^rfl^^ under basket-fish.) The 
commonest type of 
M?*^S* starfish has five rays; 
' ^^^ whence such are popu- 
^^^ larly known as five-fin- 
^^k gered jack or fivefin- 
^% gers. (See cuts under 
Asterias and Echinas- 
ter.) Those with more 
Brittle starfish (. rfa/Aro/,,). than five rays are often 
called sun-starfish or 
sun-stars. (See Heliaster, and cuts under Brisinga and 
Solaster.) The skin of starfishes is tough and leathery, 
and usually indurated with calcareous plates, tubercles, 
spines, etc. It is so brittle that starfishes readily break 
to pieces, sometimes shivering like glass into many frag- 
ments. This fragility is at an extreme in the ophiu- 
rians, sometimes, on this account, called brittle-stars. (See 
cut under Astrophyton.) Lost arms are readily replaced 
by a new growth, if the body of the starfish is not broken. 
On the under side of the animal's rays may be observed 
rows of small holes; these are the ambulacra, through 
which protrude many small soft, fleshy processes the 
pedicels, tube-feet, or ambulacra! feet by means of which 
the creatures crawl about. The ambulacra converge to a 
central point on the under side, where is the oral opening 
or mouth. The animals are extremely voracious, and do 
great damage to oyster-beds. They abound in all seas at 
various depths, and some of them are familiar objects on 
every sea-coast. Some of the free crinoids of stellate figure 
are included under the name starfishes, though they are usu- 
ally called lily-stars or feather-stars. Encrinites are fossil 
starfishes of this kind. (See cuts under Comatididie and 
encrinite.) Very different as are the appearances superfi- 
cially presented by a starfish, a sea-urchin, a holothurian, 
and a crinoid, their fundamental unity of structure may 
be easily shown. If, for instance, a common five-fingered 
jack should have its arms bent up over its back till they 
came to a center opposite the mouth, and then soldered 
5907 
together in that position by plates filling the spaces be. 
tween the arms, it would make the globular or oblate 
spheroid figure of a sea-urchin. If a starfish should turn 
over on its back, and have a stem grow from the center, 
and then have its arms come together like the petals of a 
lily, it would represent a crinoid. If, again, the starfish 
should have its arms reduced to mere rudiments, or to 
tentacular appendages of an elongated leathery body, it 
would represent a holothurian, sea-slug, or trepang. These 
are the principal types of echinoderms in fact less un- 
like one another than are the several stages they undergo 
in development, for which see Asteroidea, Bipinnaria, 
Brachiolaria, echinopttdium, and pluteug. 
2. The butter-fish or dollar-fish. 3. In her., a 
bearing representing a five-pointed star, the 
rays surrounded by short waving flames or the 
like, and having a small circle in the center. 
Brittle starfish, a brittle-star; any ophiurian. Cush- 
ion starfish, a cushion-star, as Ctenodiscus crispatus. 
Serpent-starfish. Same as serpent-liar. Starfish- 
flower. Hee Stapelia. 
Star-flower (star'flou ;i 'er), n.' A plant with 
bright stellate flowers, (a) Species of Trientalis, es- 
pecially T. Americana, the chickweed-wintergreen. (6) 
Species of the liliaceous genus Brodiaa, formerly classed 
as TrUeleia, of which B. unifiora, a delicately colored 
free-blooming early flower from Brazil, is the spring star- 
flower, (c) Species of Sternbergia. (d) Any one of a few 
other plants. 
star-fort (star'fort), n. Same as stori, 8. 
star-fruit (star'frot), n. A smooth tufted water- 
plant, Damasonium stellatum, of southern Eu- 
rope and eastern Asia : so called from the long- 
pointed radiating carpels. Another name is 
thrumwort. 
star-gage (star'gaj), . See under gage%. 
Star-gaze (star'gaz), v. i. To gaze at the stars ; 
especial! v, to make astronomical or astrological 
observations : used chiefly in the present par- 
ticiple. 
Struck dead with ladies' eyes ! I could star-gaze 
For ever thus. Shirley, Maid's Revenge, i. 2. 
star-gazer (star'ga'zer), n. 1. One who gazes 
at the stars ; especially, an astrologer, or, hu- 
morously, an astronomer. 
Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly 
prognosticate, stand up, and save thee from these things 
that shall come upon thee. Isa. xlvii. 13. 
2. A book-name of fishes of the family Urano- 
scopidse: so called from the vertical eyes. The 
Naked Star-gazer (Astroscopus gwttatus). 
name originally designated Uranoscopus euro- 
pseus. Astroscopus guttatus is a common star- 
gazer of the United States. 
star-gazing (star'ga // zing), a. Given to the ob- 
servation and study of the stars. 
Star-gazing (star'ga/'zing), n. Attentive obser- 
vation ana study of the stars; astrology or as- 
tronomy. I'urchas, Pilgrimage, p. 63. 
Star-gooseberry (star'goV'ber-i), n. The fruit 
of a moderate-sized tree, Phyttanthus (Cicca) 
distichus, native in Java and Madagascar, and 
cultivated throughout India. It is a globose 
drupe, three- to five-lobed, acid, and eaten raw, 
cooked, or pickled. 
star-grass (star'gras), n. A name of various 
grass-like plants with starry flowers, or other 
radiate feature. Such are species of Aletris, Bypoxis, 
and Rhynchaspora ; also Callitriche, more often water- 
starwort, so called from its stellate tufts of leaves. See 
the genus names, and cut under Hypoxis. 
Star-hawk t (star'hak), n. A goshawk; a hawk 
of the genus Astur : so called from the stellate 
markings of the adult birds. See goshawk, and 
cut under Astur. 
star-head (star'hed), n. A plant of the genus 
Scabiosa, section Asterocephalus. 
star-hyacinth (star'hl'a-sinth), n. A species 
of squill, Scilla amoena, a very early garden- 
flower with indigo-blue petals and a conspicu- 
ous yellowish-green ovary. 
stariert, . [ME., appar. for 'starrier, irreg. 
< starre, sterre, a star.] An astronomer. 
Without any maner of nicite of starieres imaginacion. 
Testament of Love, iii. 
starik (star'ik), n. [< Buss. sfariM, the ful- 
mar, lit. 'an old man': so called from its gray 
head.] An auklet or murrelet ; one of several 
small birds of the family Alcidse, inhabiting the 
North Pacific . The name was originally applied to the 
ancient auk or murrelet, Synthliborhamphus antiguus, and 
thence extended to various related auklets of the genus 
Simorhynchus and others, as the crested starik, S. crista- 
tettus. See cuts under auklet and Synthliborhatitphus. 
stark 
Staring (star'ing), p. n. 1. Standing out prom- 
inently and fixedly, or fixed and wide open, as 
eyes; gazing fixedly or intently ; fixed. 
He cast on me a staring loke, with colour pale as death. 
Surrrit, Complaint of a Dying Lover. 
How gaunt the Creature is how lean 
And sharp his glaring bones ! 
Wordsworth, Peter Bell. 
2. Bristling, as hair ; standing stiffly or on end ; 
harsh or rough, as pelage. 3. Striking the eye 
too strongly; conspicuous; glaring; gaudy: as, 
xtariiii/ colors. 
Starynge or schynyng as gaye tbyngys. Rutilans. 
Prompt. Pan., p. 472. 
The staring red was exchanged for a tone of colouring 
every way pleasing to the eye. 
B. Uall, Travels in X. A., I. 282. 
staringly (star'iug-li), n/lr. In a staring man- 
ner; with fixed look. Imp. IHct. 
Stark 1 (stark), o. [< ME. stark, stare, sterk, 
sterc, stearc, < AS. stearc, strong, stiff, = OS. 
stark = OFries. sfrrl; sterik = D. stcrk = MLG. 
stark, sterk, LG. sterk = OHG. stare, starch, 
MHG. store, G. sterA- = Icel. sterkr = Sw. stark 
= Dan. stxrk, strong, prig, stiff, rigid; cf. OHG. 
storchanen, become rigid, Icel. storkna = Dan. 
storkne, coagulate, Goth, ga-staurknan, dry up; 
Lith. stregti, become rigid. Hence starch 1 , 
starch^.'] 1. Stiff; rigid, as in death. 
For fyre doth aryfle and doth drye vp a mannes Mode, 
and doth make sterlte the synewes and ioyntes of man. 
Babees Book (E. E. T. S.X p. 244. 
Many a nobleman lies stark and stiff 
Under the hoofs of vaunting enemies. 
Shak., 1 Hen. IV., v. 3. 42. 
2. Stubborn; stiff; severe. 
She that helmed was in starke stoures. 
Chaucer, Monk's Tale, 1. 380. 
He is only debonair to those 
That follow where he leads, but stark as death 
To those that cross him. Tennyson, Harold, ii. 2. 
3. Stout; stalwart; strong; powerful. 
Me caryinge in his clawes starke 
As lightly as I were a larke. 
Chaucer, House of Fame, 1. 545. 
Stark beer, boy, stout and strong beer ! 
Fletcher, Beggars' Bush, iii. 1. 
King James shall mark 
If age has tamed these sinews stark. 
Scott, L. of the L., v. 20. 
4f. Great; long. 
Kay smote Sonygrenx so that he fill from his horse that 
he lay a starke while with-oute sterynge of handeorfoote. 
Merlin (B. E. T. S.), it 214. 
5. Entire; perfect; utter; downright; sheer; 
pure; mere. 
Consider, first, the stark security 
The commonwealth is in now. 
B. Jonson, Catiline, i. 1. 
What e're they may vnto the world professe 
All their best wisdome is starke foolishnesse. 
Times' Whistle (E. E. T. S.), p. 147. 
Ha! ha! ha! a silly wise rogue would make one laugh 
more than a stark fool. Wycherley, Country Wife, ii. 1. 
Stark 1 (stark), adv. [< ME. stark, used appar. 
first in stark ded, lit. 'stiff dead,' 'dead and 
stiff'; being stark 1 , a., taken in a quasi-adver- 
bial sense, and extended later to a few other ad- 
jectives describing a person's condition (rarely 
in other uses) : as, stark blind, stark drunk, stark 
mad, etc.] Wholly; entirely; absolutely: used 
with a few particular adjectives, as stor/t dead, 
stark blind, stark drunk, stark mad, stark naked, 
rarely with other adjectives. 
With the same cours he smote a-nother that he fill stark 
deed, and plonged in depe a-monge hem. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 514. 
In the euening it grew starke calme. 
Quoted in Capt. John Smith's True Travels, II. 134. 
I drank stark drunk, and, waking, found myself 
Cloath'd in this farmer's suit, as in the morning. 
Tomlci8(!), Albumazar, v. 9. 
He was 86 years of age, stark blind, deafe, and memory 
lost, after having ben a person of admirable parts and 
learning. Evelyn, Diary, May, 1704. 
I'll never forgive you if you don't come back stark mad 
with rapture and impatience if you don't, egad, I'll marry 
the girl myself. Sheridan, The Rivals, ill. 1. 
The captain had not a guess of whither we were blown ; 
he was stark ignorant of his trade. 
n. L. Stevenson, Master of Ballantrae, it 
Stark 1 (stark), v. t. [< stark*, a.] To make 
stark, stiff, or rigid, as in death. Sir H. Tay- 
lor, St. Clement's Eve, v. 5. 
stark 2 (stark), a. [Abbr. of stark-naked.] Na- 
ked; bare. 
There is a court dress to be instituted (to thin the draw- 
ing-rooms), stiff-bodied gowns and bare shoulders. What 
dreadful discoveries will be made both on fat and lean ! I 
recommend to you the idea of Mrs. C. when half-star*. 
Walpole, Letters (1762), II. 346. (Daeies.) 
