42 G R 0 / 
Thefpace occupied by an army as they fight, advance, 
or retire: 
Heartlefs they fought, and quitted foon their ground, 
Whilft our’s with eafy victory were crown’d^ Dryden. 
The intervening fpace between the flyer and purfuer.— 
Superiors think it a detradlion from their merit to fSe 
another get ground upon them, and overtake them in 
the purfuits of glory. SpeSlator. 
Even whilft we fpeak our conqueror comes - on, 
And gathers ground upon us every moment. Addifon. 
The ftate in which one with refpedt to opponents or 
competitors.—Whatever ground we may have gotten 
upon our enemies, we have gotten none upon our vices, 
the worft enemies of the two; but are even fubdned 
and led captive by the one, while we triumph fo glo- 
rioully over the others. Atterbury. 
Had’ft thou fvvay’d as kings fhould do, 
Giving no ground unto the froufe of York, 
T hey never then had fprung. Skakefpeare. 
State of progrefs or recefiion.—I have known fo many 
great examples of this cure, and heard of its being fo 
familiar in Auftria, that I wonder it has gained no more 
ground in other places. Temple. —The foil to fet a thing off: 
Like bright metal on a fullen ground. 
My reformation glittering o’er my fault, 
Shall fhew more goodly, and attradl more eyes, 
Than that which hath no foil to fet it off. Shakefpeare. 
To GROUND, v. a. To fix on the ground. To found, 
as upon caufe, reafon, or principle.—Wifdom groundctk 
her laws upon an infallible rule of comparifon. Hooker. 
If your own adlions on your will you ground, 
Mine ftiall hereafter know no other bound. Dryden. 
To fettle in firft principles or rudiments of knowledge. 
—Being rooted and grounded in love. Eph. iii. 17.—To 
fet in the ground : 
And friendfliip, which a faint affection breeds 
Without regard of good, dies like \\\-grounde$t> feeds . Spenf. 
GROUND, the preterite and part. paff. of grind: 
How dull and rugged, ere ’tis ground 
And polifh’d, looks a diamond. Hudibras. 
Ground is muchufed in compofition for that which 
js next the ground, or near the ground. 
GROUND-AN'GLING, f. A method of angling 
with the bait on the ground. 
GROUND-ASH, f A fa pi in of alh taken from the 
ground ; not a branch cut from a tree.—Some cut the 
young allies off about - an inch above the ground, which 
caufes them to make very large ftraight Ihoots, which 
they call ground-ajh. Mortimer. 
A lance of tough ground-ajh the Trojan threw,’ 
Rough in the rind, and knotted as it grew. Dryden. 
GROUND-BAIT, /.*A bait made of barley or malt 
boiled ; which,, being thrown into the place where you 
delign to angle, links to the bottom, and draws the filh 
to it.—Take ;he depth of the place where you mean 
after to call your ground-bait, and to filh. Walton. 
GROUND-FLOOR, f The lower Itory of a houfe. 
GROUND-I'VY, f. [hedera terrefris, Lat.] Alehoof, 
or tunhoof.—Alehoof or ground-ivy is, in my opinion, 
of the moll: excellent ufe and virtue of any plants 
among us. Temple. —See the article Glecoma. 
GROUND-NUT, f in botany. See Arachis. 
GROUND-OAK, f. If the planting of oaks were 
more imufe for underwoods, it would fpoil the cooper’s 
trade for making of hoops, either of hafel or alh ; be- 
caufe one hoop made of the young (boots of a ground-oak , 
would outlaft fix of the beft alh. Mortimer. 
GROUND-PINE, f. A plant refembling a young 
pine.—The whole plant has a very lingular fmeli, re- 
G R O 
fembling that of refin ; whence its name ground-pine.-Hilt. 
—See the article Teucrium. . 
GROUND-PLATE, f. In architecture ; the outer- 
moft pieces of timber lying on or near the ground, and 
framed into one another with mortifes and tennons. la 
thefe alfo are mortifes made to receive the tennons of 
the joifts, the fummer and girders ; and fometimes the 
trimmers for the ftaif-cafe and chimney-way, and the 
binding-joift. Harris. —In the orthographical fchemes 
there fhould be a, true delineation, if it be a timber¬ 
building, of the fevefal fizes of the ground-plates, bread- 
ftimmers, and beams. Mortimer. 
GROUND-PLOT, f. The ground on which any 
..building is placed : 
A ground-plot fquare five hives of bees contains ; 
Emblems of induftry and virtuous gains. Harte. 
The ichnography of a building. 
GROUND-PLUMB'ING,/. With anglers, the me¬ 
thod of .finding the depth of the water with a line and 
plumbet. 
GROUND-R ATAN', f. iii botany. See Rhapis. 
GROUND-RENT, / Rent paid for the privilege of 
building on another man’s ground : 
The fite was neither granted him, nor giv’n ; 
’Twas nature’s, and the ground-rent due to Heav’n. Harte. 
GROUND-ROOM, f. A room on the level with the 
ground.—I befeeched him hereafter to meditate in a 
ground-room ; for that otherwife it would foe impofiible 
for an Srtift of any other kind to live near him. Tatler. 
GROUND'-TACKLE, f. A fea term ; the tackle 
neceffary to fecure a (hip at anchor. 
GROUND'-TIMBERS, J. In a (hip 5 the timbers 
which lie on the keel. 
GROUND'-TOW, J. The coarfer kind of tow that 
comes from hemp or flax after it has paffed the hatchel. 
GROUND'AGE, f. A cuftom or tribute paid for 
the ftanding of a (hip in a port. 
GROUNDED'LY, adv. Upon firm principles. — He 
hath given the firft hint of (peaking greundedly, and to 
the purpofe, upon this fubjeCt. Glanville. 
GROUNDLESS, adj. Void of reafon ; wanting 
ground.—We have great reafon to look upon the high 
pretenfions which the Roman church makes to miracles 
as groundlefs, and to reject her vain and fabulous ac¬ 
counts of them. Atterbury. 
But when vain doubt and groundlefs fear 
Do that dear foolidi bofom tear. ' Prior. 
GROUND'LESSLY, adj. Without reafon ; without 
caufe ; without juft reafon.—Divers perfons have pro¬ 
duced the like by fpirit of vitriol, or juice of lemons ; 
but have groundlefsly aferibed the effe6t to fome pecu¬ 
liar quality of thole two liquors. Boyle. 
GROUNDLESSNESS, /. Want of juft reafon.— 
He durft not cite the words either of my book or fer- 
nions, left the reader (hould have difeovered the noto¬ 
rious fullhood and groundlejfnefs of his calumny. Tillctfm. 
GROUNDLING, f. A filh which keeps at the bot¬ 
tom of the water : hence one of the low vulgar.—It 
offends me to the foul to hear a robufteous perriwif- 
pated fellow tear a paflion to tatters, to very rags, to 
lplit the ears of the groundlings. Skakefpeare. 
GROUND'LY, adv. Upon principles; folidly; not 
fuperficially. Not in ufe .— A man, groundly learned al¬ 
ready, may take much profit himielf, in tiling by epi¬ 
tome to draw other men’s works, for his own memory 
fake, into,(hotter room. Afcham. 
GROUND'SEL, or Groundsil, f. [gpund and 
^p’lle, the balls, Saxon ; perhaps from fella, Lat.] The 
timber or railed pavement next the ground.—The rab¬ 
bet on the groundfcl is levelled downwards, that rain or 
fnow may the freelier fall off. Moxon. 
GROUND'SEL, f. in botanv. See Senecio. 
GROUND'SELL-TREE, f. See Baccharis. 
GROUND'WORK, 
