M E T 
half or of two carats. Sixteen of thefe carats make a 
dram, each of the carats weighing four grains; and twelve 
drams an ounce. 
METACAR'PAL, adj. Belonging to the metacar¬ 
pus.—It will facilitate the reparation in the joint, when 
you cut the finger from the metacarpal bone. Sharp's 
Surgcri/. 
METACAR'PUS, f. In anatomy, a bone of the arm 
made up of four bones, which are joined to the fingers.— 
The conjunction is called f/narthrofis ; as in the joining 
of the carpus to the metacarpus. Wifawn's Surgery. 
METACHORE'SIS, f. A word ufed by Galen, to ex- 
prefs a recefs of a morbid humour from one part of the 
body to another, a thing very common in many diltempers. 
METACH'RONISM, f. [of perx, againft, and xgow, 
time, Gr.] An error in computation of time. 
MET'ACISM, or Metacis'mus, f. A defeCl in the 
pronunciation of the ietter M. Ifidore reprefents the 
jnetacifm as a final m followed by a vowel, as honum aurum, 
Bethlehem crat, See. 
METACO'E, f. A name given by the people of Guinea 
to a plant, of which they are very fond, becaufe of its 
virtues as a ballamic and vulnerary. Its leaves, being 
bruifed and applied to a frelh wound, cure it. They have 
alfo another ufe for it, twilling the dried leaves into a 
fort of match for their mulkets. Phil. Tranf N° 232. 
We are not able to inform our readers by what name this 
plant is known in the Linnsean Syftem, or indeed whether 
it has ever been adopted into that arrangement. 
METACGN'DYLI, J\ A word ufed by fome authors 
for the outmoft bones, or joints of the fingers, next the 
nails. 
METADE'LO, f. A corn and liquid meafure at Flo¬ 
rence. For corn, the moggio contains 24 ftoja; and the 
ltoja 16 metadeli; and the moggio contains about 16 Eng- 
lilh bulhels. Oil is fold by the barile of 32 boccali or me¬ 
tadeli, the w'hole weighing 8Slbs. of Florence, or about 
66lbs. avoirdupois. 
METAGIT'NION, f. [Greek.] The fecond month of 
the Athenian year. It contained twenty-nine days, and 
anfwered to the latter part of o’ur July and beginning of 
Auguft. The Boeotians called it Panemns, and the peo¬ 
ple of Syracufe Carnius. It is called Metagitnia , from 
one of Apollo’s feftivals kept in it. 
METAGONI'TfiE, in ancient geography, a people of 
Africa, who inhabited the environs of the promontory of 
Metagonium, on the weft of Mauritania Tingitana. 
METAGRAM'MATISM, f. Anagrammatifm, or me- 
tagrammatifm, is a diflolution of a name into its letters, 
as its elements, and a new connexion of it by artificial 
tranfpofition, without addition, fubtraCtion, or change of 
any letter, into different words, making fome perfeCt lenle 
applicable to the perlbn named. Camden. 
METAKOO'NA, a town of Hindooftan, in the pro¬ 
vince of Cattack : fixty miles fouth of Cattack. 
MET'AL, / [ metalhnn , Lat.] One of a clafs of fimple 
bodies pofleffing peculiar properties. The ancients, who 
valued thefe bodies moft for their phyfical properties, 
did not beftow the exclulive name of metal on any body 
which was not malleable. Other bodies, which polfeifed 
fimilar characters, without being malleable, -were called 
femi-metals. 
The peculiar brilliancy belonging to the metals is per¬ 
haps their moft generally diftinguilhing character. The 
luftre exhibited by mica has fome relemblance to the 
lullre of metals j but it is very inferior in degree, and is 
merely confined to the furface. The great fpecific gra¬ 
vity of moft metals has been thought a fufficiently diftin- 
guilhing character. This property, to a certain extent, 
was very ftriking. Till the late dilcoveries of Mr. (fir H.) 
Davy, the lighted of the known metals was of greater fpe¬ 
cific gravity than the denfeft body which was not a metal. 
The bales of potafii and foda, lime and barytes, however, 
have all the characters of metals, with the exception of 
feeing defective in the property juft alluded to, fmcePot- 
M E T 195 
allium and Sodium, Calicum and Barium, are of lefs fpe¬ 
cific gravity than water. From thefe faCts, therefore, we 
are no longer allowed to fay that all metals are of greater 
fpecific gravity than other bodies. 
In the prefent date of our knowledge there appear to 
be two clafles of elementary matter, namely, oxygen, 
which conftitutes one clafs, and oxydable bodies, or iuch 
bodies as combine with oxygen. Of the latter clafs, out 
of forty-five varieties, there appear to be only five which 
are not metallic. The metals, therefore, comprife by far 
the greateft part of the elementary bodies. If tire whole 
of the earths, as well as the two fixed alkalies, have me¬ 
tallic bafes, the number of metals to be added to the 
above will be thirteen. Thofe from potash, foda, barytes, 
ftrontian, zinc, and magnefia, have already been obtained, 
and have been named by Mr. Davy, Potafflnm, Sodium, 
Barium, Strontium, Calcium, and Magnefium. The four 
firft of thefe appear to be malleable metals j the others 
are not fufficiently known. 
Metals were thought by the ancients to be compounds 
of an earth combined with phlogifton. When thefe bo¬ 
dies were aCted upon by the air, they fuppoled that the 
phlogifton was feparated, leaving behind a calx, or earth. 
The ancients did not weigh their products ; or elle they 
would have found, that, although this imaginary fub- 
ftance phlogifton had efcaped, yet the refiduum was hea¬ 
vier than the original metal. By the greater accuracy of 
modern experimenters, it has been found that the metal 
is the fimple body, and that, by combining with the 
oxygen of the atmofphere, the metal is converted into a 
fubftance of an earthy appearance, which, in modern che- 
miftry, is called an oxyd of the metal. 
The property which metals pofiels of reflecting light, is 
highly important in the arts and fciences, and in common 
life. The furfaces of many of the metals, when they are 
fmooth and polilhed, refleCt almoft all the light which 
falls upon them. White metals refleCt more light than 
thofe which are coloured. The hardeft metals are bell 
fitted for refleCtors, becaufe they aflume the fineft poliftn 
It has been thought that this property depended upon 
the denfity of thefe lubftances. This idea, however, 
feems incorreCl j fince Sodium and Potaflium, which are 
lefs denfe than water, appear to poflefs the power of re¬ 
flecting light equal to many other metals. It is the great 
quantity of light which they refleCt to which they owe 
their luftre. 
The great facility with which metallic bodies conduCt 
heat is an incalculable utility in the arts, and in the eco¬ 
nomy of human life. The boiling of moft fluids would 
be almoft impracticable in any other vefiels than thofe of 
metal. This property has been applied to great advan¬ 
tage in the procel’s of drying various articles. Large tubes 
of metal, being filled with fleam, are kept conftantly at 
nearly 212 0 . The goods to be dried are wrapped round 
the outlide of the tube. 
The bodies formed by the combination of metals with 
oxygen, exhibit, as well as the metal, an ample field of 
utility to man. Thefe bodies, in various forms, are valu¬ 
able auxiliaries in the healing art. Some of them confti- 
tute rich pigments of the utmoll importance to the arts. 
Others are not lefs valuable to the dyer and the bleacher. 
Several metallic oxyds are ufed to great advantage for 
polilhing marble, glafs, and metals. All which proper¬ 
ties are difeufied under the article Chemistry, vol. iv. 
p. 262-320. and, for a full defeription of the genera and 
lpecies, fee the article Mineralogy, in this volume. 
MET'AL,^.' in Heraldry. See that article, vol. ix. 
p.427, 8. 
MET'AL, f. Courage ; fpirit. In this fenfe it is more 
frequently written mettle. —Being glad to find their com¬ 
panions had lb much metal , after a long debate the major 
part carried it. Clarendon.— Upon this iignification the 
following ambiguity is founded : 
Both kinds of metal he prepar’d. 
Either to give blows or to ward j 
Courage 
