thread-tailed 
thcrs: speeilieally noting swallows of the genus 
I'l-niiiilii.-t. as I', 'lilij'rni*. Also iriri'-tniliil. 
thread-the-needle] . Si 'c tln-i-mi-im-iiii-. 
thread-waxer (thred ' wak ' scr), . In *iii- 
/iKiniiJ'., n trough containing shoemakers' wax, 
which is kept not by a lamp. II is attached to 
a sewing-machine, ami the thread is caused to 
pass through it. /.'. //. l\niiilil. 
thread-winder (thred'win'der), n. A machine 
for winding thread on s])Ools. 
threadworm (thrcd'werm), 11. A small round- 
worm or nematoid; a hairworm or gordian; 
11 filaria, or Guinea worm; especially, a pin- 
worm; one of the small worms infesting the 
rectum, particularly of children, as Oxyuris 
i-fi-iiiii-iiliiris. These resemble bits of sewing- 
thread less than an inch long. Si-e cuts under 
\niKilniili-ii and Otijurin. 
thready (thred'i),. [< thread + -y 1 .] 1. Ko- 
serahling or consisting of thread in sense 1, 
2, or !). 
I climb with bounding feet the craggy steeps, 
Peak-lifted, gazing down the cloven deeps, 
Where mighty rivers shrink to thready rills. 
K. H. Stoddard, The Castle In the Air. 
2. Containing thread ; covered with thread. 
From hand to hand 
The thready shuttle glides. Dyer, Fleece, ill. 
3. Like thread in length and slenderness; 
finely stringy; filamentous; fibrillar; finely 
fibrous. Thready pulse. Seejnitoi. 
threap, threep (threp), p. [Early mod. E. also 
threpe; <ME. tlircpen, thrxpen, < AS. thredpian, 
reprove, rebuke, afflict.] I. traits. 1. To con- 
tradict. 
Thou wilt not threap me, this whlnyard has gard many 
better men to lope than thou. Greene, James IV., Int. 
2. To aver or affirm with pertinacious repeti- 
tion; continue to assert with contrary obsti- 
nacy, as in reply to persistent denial : as, to 
threap a thing down one's throat. 
Behold how gross a Ly of Ugliness 
They on my face have threaped. 
J. Beaumont, Psyche, v. 227. 
3. To insist on. 
He threappit to see the auld hardened blood-shedder. 
Scott, St. Bonan's Well, xlv. 
4. To cry out; complain; contend; maintain. 
Some crye upon God, some other threpe that he bathe 
forgoten theym. /'/'. Fisher, Sermons. (Latham.) 
5. To call ; term. 
Sol gold is, and Luna silver we threpe. 
Chaucer, lYol. to Canon's Yeoman's Tale, 1. 273. 
II. in trans. 1. To indulge in mutual recrim- 
ination or contradiction; contend; quarrel; 
bandy words; dispute. 
The! thaste hym full thraly, than was ther no threpijng, 
Thus with dole was that dere vn-to dede dight, 
His bak and his body was boln.'cl for betyng, 
Itt was, I sale the for sot h. a sorowfull sight. 
York Plays, p. 430. 
It's not for a man with a woman to threepe. 
Take Thine old Cloak about Thee. 
2. To fight; battle. 
Than thretty dnyes throly the! Utrappit in feld, 
And mony bold in the bekur were on bent leuit ! 
Destruction o/ Troy (E. E. T. S.X 1. 8362. 
[Obsolete orprov. Eng. or Scotch in all uses.] 
threap, threep (threp), w. [< ME. threpe, threp ; 
< Wired/;, r.] It. Contest; attack. 
What ! thinke ye so throly this threpe for to leue? 
Heyue vp your herttes, henttes your arrays ; 
Wackyns vp your willes, as worthy men shuld. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. .), 1. 9850. 
2f. Contradiction. 3. A vehement or pertina- 
cious affirmation ; an obstinate decision or de- 
termination. [Prov. Eng. and Scotch.] 
You would show more patience, and perhaps more pru- 
dence, if you sought not to overwork me by shrewd words 
and sharp threaps of Scripture. 
T.Cromwett, quoted In R. W. Dixon's Hist. Church 
[of Eng. , vii. 
He has taken a threap that he would have it finished be- 
fore the year was done. Carlyle. 
4. A superstitious idea or notion ; a freet. 
They'll . . . hae an auld wife when they're dying to 
rhyme owcr prayers, anil li.-illants, and charms, . . . rather 
than they'll hae a minister to come and pray wi' them 
that 'a an auld threep o' theirs. Scott, (! uy Mannering, xlv. 
To keep one's threap, to stick pertinaciously or obsti- 
nately to one's averments or assertions. Scott, Bride of 
Lamim-rii ..... r, \xvii. 
threasuret, . An obsolete form of 
threat (thret). . [< ME. tliri't, thrrte, thrset, 
tlimt, threat, < AS. tlirriit, a crowd, troop, pres- 
sure, trouble, calamity, threat (= Icel. thrnnt, 
trouble, labor), < tlin-iitun (pret. Ihn-ii/. pp. tlirn- 
tm). urge, afflict, vex, in comp. d-threotan, im- 
6307 
pers., vox. = 1). r--ilri<-ti n, vex, = OIK!, "ilrin- 
_-</, in romp, lii-ilrio-tin (MHG. bedriezen), ir- 
ilrin;iiH (Ml i< 't.ir-ilrit* ://<), MHG. ver-drii-., . < i. 
rrr-ilrir.isrn, impers., vex, annoy, = Icel. thrjota, 
inipern., fail, = Dan. forlryilr, vex, repent, = 
doth, tlii-niiini, in iif-tliniitnn (= AS. d-thrco- 
'..), trouble, vex, = L. trudere, push, shove, 
crowd, thrust out, press, urge (> trudu, a pole 
to push with), = OBulg. truzda, vex, plague 
(tritilu, trouble). From the same verb or its 
compounds are the nouns Icel. tlirot, want, M 1 1 ' . 
urdrm, urdriit:e, vexation, rerdruz, G. verdrtws 
(= Dan. fortrsed), vexation, trouble. Hence 
Ihn-nt, v.', threaten. Cf. thrnxti. From the 
L. verb are ult. E. extrude, intrude, protrmli; 
etc., trusion, extrugion, etc.] If. Crowd ; press; 
pressure. 
The thratt was the mare. Laijamnn, \. 9701. 
2f. Vexation; torment. 
Then thrat most* I thole, & vnthonk to mede. 
Alliterative Poem* (ed. Morris), 111 55. 
3. A menace ; a denunciation of ill to befall 
some one ; a declaration of an intention or a 
determination to inflict punishment, loss, or 
pain on another. 
There Is no terror, Cassius, In your threat*. 
Shall., J. C., Iv. 3. W. 
Tls certain that the threat is sometimes more formida- 
ble than the stroke, and 'tis possible that the beholders 
suffer more keenly than the victims. Kmerton, Courage. 
4. In In if. any menace of such a nature and 
extent as to unsettle the mind of the person on 
whom it operates, and to preclude that free 
voluntary action which is necessary to assent. 
= Syn. 3. See menace, t. t. 
threat (thret), r. [< ME. threten, < AS. thredtian, 
press, oppress, repress, correct, threaten (= 
MD. droten, threaten), < thrcdt, pressure: see 
threat, n. Cf. threaten.'] I. trans. 1. To press; 
urge; compel. 
Fele thryuande thonkkeg he thrat horn to haue. 
Sir Gawtyne and the Green Knight (E. E. T. S.X 1. 1980. 
2. To threaten. 
Every day this wal they wolde threte. 
Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 754. 
II. in trans. To use threats ; act or speak men- 
acingly; threaten. 
K. Phi. Look to thyself, thou art in Jeopardy. 
K. John. No more than he that threats. 
Shot., K. John, ill. I. 347. 
Twere wrong with Rome, when Catiline and thou 
Do threat, If Cato feared. B. Jonson, Catiline, III. 1. 
[Obsolete or archaic in all senses.] 
threaten (thret'n),r. [< ME. thretnen; < threat 
+ -fit 1 .] I. intrans. 1. To use threats or men- 
aces; have a menacing aspect. 
An eye like Mars, to threaten and command. 
Shot., Hamlet, iii. 4. 67. 
2. To give indication of menace, or of impend- 
ing danger or mischief; become overcast, as 
the sky. 
I have long waited to answer your kind letter of August 
20th, In hopes of having something satisfactory to write 
to you ; but I have waited In vain, for every day our polit- 
ical horizon blackens and threatens more and more. 
T. A. Mann (Ellls's Lit. Letters, p. 437). 
II. trans. 1. To declare an intention of doing 
mischief to or of bringing evil on ; use threats 
toward ; menace ; terrify, or attempt to terrify, 
by menaces: with with before the evil threat- 
ened. 
This letter he early bid me give his father, 
And threaten'd me ut'fA death, going In the vault, 
If I departed not and left him there. 
Shale., R. and J., v. 3. 276. 
Threaten your enemies, 
And prove a valiant tongue-man. 
Ford, Lady's Trial, 111. 3. 
2. To charge or enjoin solemnly or with menace. 
Let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth 
to no man In this name. Acts Iv. 17. 
3. To be a menace or source of danger to. 
He threatens many that hath Injured one. B. Jonson. 
4. To give ominous indication of; presage; 
portend: as, the clouds threaten rain or a storm. 
Batteries on batteries guard each fatal pass, 
Threatening destruction. Addison, The Campaign. 
The feeling of the blow of a stick or the sight of a threat- 
ened blow will change the course of action which a dog 
would otherwise have pursued. 
Jfioart, Nature and Thought, p. 210. 
5. To announce or hold out as a penalty or 
punishment: often followed by an infinitive 
clause. 
My master . . . hath threatened to put me Into ever- 
lasting liberty If I tell. Shale., M. W. of W., ill. 3. 30. 
three 
He |a janizary | threatened to detain us. but at last per- 
mitted us to go on, and we staid that night at a Ian." 
vent near. Pocoeln; lie-triptiun of the East, II. I. 251. 
Threatening torments unendurable, 
If any barm through treai'h- i > l-r< 1) 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise, I. 1.'.:'. 
= 8yn. 4. Menace, Threaten (ee tnenace\ forebode, fore- 
shadow. 
threatener (thret'ner), n. [< tlirmteu + -cri.] 
One who threatens; one who indulges in threats 
or menaces. 
Threaten the threatener, and outface the brow 
of bragging horror. Shall., K. John, v. 1. 40. 
threatening (thret'ning), n. [< ME. threl- 
iniii/i' ; verbal n. of threaten, t'.] The act of 
one who threatens ; a threat ; a menace ; a 
menacing. 
They constrain him not with threatrninys to dissemble 
his mind, and shew countenance contrary to his thought. 
Sir T. Man, Utopia (tr. by Robinson), II. 11. 
threatening (thret'ning), p. a. 1. Indicating or 
containing a threat or menace. 
The threatening alliance between Science and the Revo- 
lution Is not really directed In favor of atheism nor against 
theology. J. R. Seeley, Nat. Religion, p. 41. 
2. Indicating some impending evil; specifi- 
cally, indicating rain or snow. Threatening 
letters, in law: (n) Letters threatening to publish a libel 
with a view to extort money. (6) Letters demanding 
money or other property with menaces, (r) Letters 
threatening to accuse any person of a crime, for the 
purpose of extorting money, (d) Letters threatening 
to kill a person. The precise definition of what facts 
constitute a penal offense In this respect varies much 
with the law in different Jurisdictions. =8yn. 1. Mena- 
cing, minatory. 
threateningly ( thret 'ning-li), adv. With a 
threat or menace ; in a threatening manner. 
threatful (thret'fnl), a. [< threat + -//.] 
Full of threats ; having a menacing appear- 
ance. [Bare.] 
He his thrcatfutl speare 
Gan fewter, and against her fiercely ran. 
Spenser, F. Q., IV. vi. 10. 
threatfully (thret'ful-i), adr. In a threatful 
manner; with many threats. Hood. 
threatingt (thret'ing), ti. [< ME. Hireling, 
threttinij, < AS. thredtuny, verbal n. of thredt- 
ian, threat: see threat, .] Threatening; 
threats. 
Of al his thretting rekke nat a myte. 
Chaucer, I'rol. to Canon's Yeoman's Tale, 1. 145. 
threatless (thret'les), a. [< threat + -less.] 
Without threats ; not threatening. 
Thrrat-l>'K* their brows, and without braves their voice. 
Sylvester, tr. of I >u Bartas's Weeks, II., The Captaines. 
threave, M. See titrate. 
three (thre), a. and n. [< ME. thre, tlireo, thrie, 
thri, < AS. threo, thrid, thri, thry = OS. thrie, 
thria, threa = OFries. thre, thria, thriu = D. 
drie = MLG. dre, LG. dre = OHG. dri, drie, 
drio, driti, MHG. dri, driu, G. drei = Icel. thrir, 
thrjdr, thrju = Sw. Dan. trc = Goth, "threis, m., 
"thrijos. f., thrija, neut., = W. tri = Ir. Gael, tri 
= L. tres, m. and f., tria, neut. (> It. tre = Sp. 
Pg. tres = OF. treis, trots, F. trots), = Gr. Tpetf, 
m. and f., rp/a, neut., = Lith. trys = OBulg. 
Mye, etc., = Skt. tri, three. As with the other 
fundamental numerals, the root is unknown. 
Hence tAric 2 , thrice, third 1 , and the first element 
in thirteen and thirty."] I. a. Being the sum of 
two and one ; being one more than two : a car- 
dinal numeral. 
And there ben Gees alle rede, thrc sithes more gret than 
onre here : and thei han the Hed, the Necke, and the 
Brest alle blak. Xanderille, Travels, p. 291. 
I offer thee three things. 2 Sam. xxiv. 12. 
Axis of similitude of three circles. See oxui . Ba- 
shaw of three tails. See banhau: Geometry of three 
dimensions, see ijenmrtrii. Law of the three stages, 
in the philosophy of Comte, the assumption that the de- 
velopment of the human mind, in the history of the race 
and of the individual, passes through three stages : the 
theological. In which event* are explained by supernatural 
agencies : the metaphyrical, in which abstract causes are 
substituted for the supernatural ; and the putitirt, in 
which the search for causes is dropped, and the mind 
rests in the observation and classification of phenomena. 
Problem of three bodies, the problem to ascertain 
the movements of three particles attracting one another 
according to the law of gravitation. The problem has been 
only approximately solved in certain special cases. Sine 
of three lines which meet in a point, sine of three 
planes. scemW-'. Songpf the Three Holy Children. 
Bee on(7i. The Three Chapters, (o) An edict issued 
by Justinian, about A. D. 645, condemning the writings of 
Theodore of Mopsuestla, those of Theodoret in defense of 
Nestorius and against Cyril, and the letter of Ibaa to 
Marls. (6) The writings so condemned. The edict was 
intended to reconcile the Monopbysites to the church by 
seeming to imply a partial disapproval of the Council of 
Chalcedon, which had admitted Theodoret and Ihas, after 
giving explanations, to communion. The three Fs, the 
three demands of the Irish Land League namely,/rw sale, 
fiintyot tenure, and fair rent The three L's. Seeil. 
