A Treatise on Domestic Economy; For the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School

Farinaceous, mealy, tasting like meal.

To Fell, to turn down, on the wrong side, the raw edges of a seam, after it has been stitched, run, or sewed, and then to hem or sew it to the cloth.

Festivals, of the Jews, the three great annual. These were, the Feast of the Passover, that of Pentecost, and that of Tabernacles; on occasion of which, all the males of the Nation were required to visit the Temple at Jerusalem, in whatever part of the Country they might reside. See Exodus xxiii. 14, 17, xxxiv. 23, Leviticus xxiii. 4, Deuteronomy xvi. 16. The Passover was kept in commemoration of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, and was so named, because, the night before their departure, the destroying angel, who slew all the first-born of the Egyptians, passed over the houses of the Israelites, without entering them. See Exodus xii. The Feast of Pentecost was so called, from a word meaning the fiftieth, because it was celebrated on the fiftieth day after the Passover, and was instituted in commemoration of the giving of the Law from Mount Sinai, on the fiftieth day from the departure out of Egypt. It is also called the Feast of Weeks, because it was kept seven weeks after the Passover. See Exodus xxxiv. 22, Leviticus xxiii. 15-21, Deuteronomy xvi. 9, 10. The Feast of Tabernacles, or Feast of Tents, was so called, because it was celebrated under tents or tabernacles of green boughs; and was designed to commemorate their dwelling in tents, during their passage through the wilderness. At this Feast, they also returned thanks to God, for the fruits of the earth, after they had been gathered. See Exodus xxiii. 16, Leviticus xxiii. 34-44, Deuteronomy xvi. 13, and also St. John vii. 2.

Fire blight, a disease in the pear, and some other fruit trees, in which they appear burnt, as if by fire. It is supposed, by some, to be caused by an insect, others suppose it to be caused by an overabundance of sap.

Fluting-iron, an instrument for making flutes, channels, furrows, or hollows, in ruffles, &c.

Foundation muslin, a nice kind of buckram, stiff and white, used for the foundation or basis of bonnets, &c.

Free States, those States in which slavery is not allowed, as distinguished from Slave States, in which slavery does exist.

French chalk, a variety of the mineral called talc, unctuous to the touch, of a greenish color, glossy, soft, and easily scratched, and leaving a silvery line, when drawn on paper. It is used for marking on cloth, and extracting grease-spots.

Fuller's earth, a species of clay, remarkable for its property of absorbing oil; for which reason it is valuable for extracting grease from cloth, &c. It is used by fullers, in scouring and cleansing cloth, whence its name.

Fustic, the wood of a tree which grows in the West Indies, called Morus tinctoria. It affords a durable, but not very brilliant, yellow dye, and is also used in producing some greens and drab colors.

Gastric, (from the Greek γαστἱρ, gaster, the belly,) belonging or relating to the belly, or stomach. Gastric juice, the fluid which dissolves the food in the stomach. It is limpid, like water, of a saltish taste, and without odor.

Geology, the science which treats of the earth, as composed of rocks and stones.

Gore, a triangular piece of cloth. Goring, cut in a triangular shape.

Gothic, a peculiar and strongly-marked style of architecture, sometimes called the ecclesiastical style, because it is most frequently used in cathedrals, churches, abbeys, and other religious edifices. Its principle seems to have originated in the imitation of groves and bowers, under which the ancients performed their sacred rites; its clustered pillars and pointed arches very well representing the trunks of trees and their interlocking branches.

Gourmand, or Gormand, a glutton, a greedy eater. In agriculture, it is applied to twigs which take up the sap, but bear only leaves.

Green vitriol, see Copperas.

Griddle, an iron pan, of a peculiarly broad and shallow construction, used for baking cakes.

Ground-plan, the map or plan of the lower floor of any building, in which the various apartments, windows, doors, fireplaces, and other things, are represented, like the rivers, towns, mountains, roads, &c., on a map.

Gum Arabic, a vegetable juice which exudes through the bark of the Acacia, Mimosa nilotica, and some other similar trees, growing in Arabia, Egypt, Senegal, and Central Africa. It is the purest of all gums.

Hardpan, the hard, unbroken layer of earth, below the mould or cultivated soil.

Hartshorn, (spirits of,) a volatile alkali, originally prepared from the horns of the stag or hart, but now procured from various other substances. It is known by the name of ammonia, or spirits of ammonia.

Hemlock, see Cicuta.

Horticulturist, one skilled in horticulture, or the art of cultivating gardens; horticulture being to the garden, what agriculture is to the farm, the application of labor and science to a limited spot, for convenience, for profit, or for ornament,—though implying a higher state of cultivation, than is common in agriculture. It includes the cultivation of culinary vegetables and of fruits, and forcing or exotic gardening, as far as respects useful products.

Hoskin's gloves, gloves made by a person named Hoskin, whose manufacture was formerly much celebrated.

Hydrogen, a very light, inflammable gas, of which water is, in part, composed. It is used to inflate balloons.

Hypochondriasis, melancholy, dejection, a disorder of the imagination, in which the person supposes he is afflicted with various diseases.

Hysteria, or hysterics, a spasmodic, convulsive affection of the nerves, to which women are subject. It is somewhat similar to hypochondriasis in men.

Ingrain, a kind of carpeting, in which the threads are dyed in the grain, or raw material, before manufacture.

Ipecac, (an abbreviation of ipecacuanha,) an Indian medicinal plant, acting as an emetic.

Isinglass, a fine kind of gelatin, or glue, prepared from the swimming-bladders of fishes, used as a cement, and also as an ingredient in food and medicine. The name is sometimes applied to a transparent mineral substance called mica.

Kamtschadales, inhabitants of Kamtschatka, a large peninsula situated on the northeastern coast of Asia, having the North Pacific Ocean on the east. It is remarkable for its extreme cold, which is heightened by a range of very lofty mountains, extending the whole length of the peninsula, several of which are volcanic. It is very deficient in vegetable productions, but produces a great variety of animals, from which the richest and most valuable furs are procured. The inhabitants are in general below the common height, but have broad shoulders and large heads. It is under the dominion of Russia.

Kink, a knotty twist in a thread or rope.

Lapland, a country at the extreme north part of Europe, where it is very cold. It contains lofty mountains, some of which are covered with perpetual snow and ice.

Latin, the language of the Latins, or inhabitants of Latium, the principal country of ancient Italy. After the building of Rome, that city became the capital of the whole country.

Leguminous, pod-bearing.

Lent, a fast of the Christian Church, (lasting forty days, from Ash Wednesday to Easter,) in commemoration of our Saviour's miraculous fast of forty days and forty nights, in the wilderness. The word Lent means spring; this fast always occurring at that season of the year.

Levite, one of the tribe of Levi, the son of Jacob, which tribe was set apart from the others, to minister in the services of the Tabernacle, and the Temple at Jerusalem. The Priests were taken from this tribe. See Numbers i. 47-53.

Ley, water which has percolated through ashes, earth, or other substances, dissolving and imbibing a part of their contents. It is generally spelled lie, or lye.

Linnæus, (Charles,) a native of Sweden, and the most celebrated naturalist of his age. He was born May 13, 1707, and died January 11, 1778. His life was devoted to the study of natural history. The science of botany, in particular, is greatly indebted to his labors. His 'Amœnitates Academicæ' (Academical Recreations) is a collection of the dissertations of his pupils, edited by himself; a work rich in matters relating to the history and habits of plants. He was the first who arranged Natural History into a regular system, which has been generally called by his name. His proper name was Linné.

Lobe, a division, a distinct part; generally applied to the two divisions of the lungs.

Log Cabin, a cabin or house built of logs, as is generally the case in newly-settled countries.

Loire, the largest river of France, being about five hundred and fifty miles in length. It rises in the mountains of Cevennes, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean, about forty miles below the city of Nantes. It divides France into two almost equal parts.

London Medical Society, a distinguished association, formed in 1773. It has published some valuable volumes of its Transactions. It has a library, of about 40,000 volumes, which is kept in a house presented to the Society, in 1788, by the celebrated Dr. Lettsom, who was one of its first members.

Louis XIV., a celebrated King of France and Navarre, who was born Sept. 5, 1638, and died Sept. 1, 1715. His mother having before had no children, though she had been married twenty-two years, his birth was considered as a particular favor from heaven, and he was called the 'Gift of God.' He is sometimes styled 'Louis the Great,' and his reign is celebrated as an era of magnificence and learning, and is notorious as a period of licentiousness. He left behind him monuments of unprecedented splendor and expense, consisting of palaces, gardens, and other like works.

Lumbar, (from the Latin lumbus, the loin,) relating or pertaining to the loins.

Lunacy, writ of, a judicial proceeding, to ascertain whether a person be a lunatic.

Mademoiselle, the French word for Miss, a young girl.

Magnesia, a light and white alkaline earth, which enters into the composition of many rocks, communicating to them a greasy or soapy feeling, and a striped texture, with sometimes a greenish color.

Malaria, (Italian, mal'aria, bad air,) a noxious vapor or exhalation; a state of the atmosphere or soil, or both, which, in certain regions, and in warm weather, produces fever, sometimes of great violence.

Mammon, riches, the Syrian god of riches. See St. Luke, xvi. 11, 13, St. Matthew, vi. 24.

Martineau, (Harriet,) a woman who has become somewhat celebrated by her book of travels in the United States, and by other works.

Mexico, a country situated southwest of the United States, and extending to the Pacific Ocean.

Miasms, such particles or atoms, as are supposed to arise from distempered, putrefying, or poisonous bodies.

Michilimackinac, or Mackinac, (now frequently corrupted into Mackinaw, which is the usual pronunciation of the name,) a military post in the State of Michigan, situated upon an island about nine miles in circuit, in the strait which connects Lakes Michigan and Huron. It is much resorted to by Indians and fur traders. The highest summit of the island is about three hundred feet above the lakes, and commands an extensive view of them.

Midsummer, with us, the time when the sun arrives at his greatest distance from the equator, or about the twenty-first of June, called, also, the summer solstice, (from the Latin sol, the sun, and sto, to stop or stand still,) because, when the sun reaches this point, he seems to stand still for some time, and then appears to retrace his steps. The days are then longer than at any other time.

Migrate, to remove from one place to another; to change residence.

Mildew, a disease of plants; a mould, spot, or stain, in paper, cloths, &c., caused by moisture.

Militate, to oppose, to operate against.

Millinet, a coarse kind of stiff muslin, formerly used for the foundation or basis of bonnets, &c.

Mineralogy, a science which treats of the inorganic natural substances found upon or in the earth, such as earths, salts, metals, &c., and which are called by the general name of minerals.

Minutiæ, the smallest particulars.

Monasticism, monastic life; religiously recluse life, in a monastery, or house of religious retirement.

Montagu, Lady Mary Wortley, one of the most celebrated among the female literary characters of England. She was daughter of Evelyn, Duke of Kingston, and was born about 1690, at Thoresby, in England. She displayed uncommon abilities, at a very early age, and was educated by the best masters in the English, Latin, Greek, and French, languages. She accompanied her husband (Edward Wortley Montagu) on an embassy to Constantinople, and her correspondence with her friends was published and much admired. She introduced the practice of inoculation for the smallpox into England, which proved of great benefit to millions. She died at the age of seventy-two, A. D. 1762.

Moral Philosophy, the science which treats of the motives and rules of human actions, and of the ends to which they ought to be directed.

Moreen, a kind of woollen stuff used for curtains, covers of cushions, bed hangings, &c.

Mucous, having the nature of mucus, a glutinous, sticky, thready, transparent fluid, of a salt savor, produced by different membranes of the body, and serving to protect the membranes and other internal parts against the action of the air, food, &c. The fluid of the mouth and nose is mucus.

Mucous membrane, that membrane which lines the mouth, nose, intestines, and other open cavities of the body.

Muriatic acid, an acid, composed of chlorine and hydrogen, called, also, hydrochloric acid, and spirit of salt.

Mush-stick, a stick to use in stirring mush, which is corn meal boiled in water.

Nankeen, or Nankin, a light cotton cloth, originally brought from Nankin, in China, whence its name.

Nash, (Richard,) commonly called Beau Nash, or King of Bath, a celebrated leader of the fashions in England. He was born at Swansea, in South Wales, October 8, 1674, and died in the city of Bath, (England,) February 3, 1761.

Natural History, the history of animals, plants, and minerals.

Natural Philosophy, the science which treats of the powers of Nature, the properties of natural bodies, and their action one upon another. It is sometimes called physics.

New-milch cow, a cow which has recently calved.

Newton, (Sir Isaac,) an eminent English philosopher and mathematician, who was born on Christmas day, 1642, and died March 20, 1727. He was much distinguished for his very important discoveries in Optics and other branches of Natural Philosophy. See the first volume of 'Pursuit of Knowledge under Difficulties,' forming the fourteenth volume of 'The School Library,' Larger Series.

Non-bearers, plants which bear no flowers nor fruit.

Northern States, those of the United States situated in the Northern and Eastern part of the Country.

Ordinary, see Physician in Ordinary.

Oil of Vitriol, (sulphuric acid, or vitriolic acid,) an acid composed of oxygen and sulphur.

Orleans, (Elizabeth Charlotte de Bavière,) Duchess of, second wife of Philippe, the brother of Louis XIV., was born at Heidelberg, May 26, 1652, and died at the palace of St. Cloud, in Paris, December 8, 1722. She was author of several works; among which were, Memoirs, and Anecdotes, of the Court of Louis XIV.

Ottoman, a kind of hassock, or thick mat, for kneeling upon; so called, from being used by the Ottomans or Turks.

Oxalic acid, a vegetable acid, which exists in sorrel.

Oxide, a compound (which is not acid) of a substance with oxygen; for example, oxide of iron, or rust of metals.

Oxidize, to combine oxygen with a body without producing acidity.

Oxygen, vital air, a simple and very important substance, which exists in the atmosphere, and supports the breathing of animals and the burning of combustibles. It was called oxygen, from two Greek words, signifying to produce acid, from its power of giving acidity to many compounds in which it predominates.

Oxygenized, combined with oxygen.

Pancreas, a gland within the abdomen, just below and behind the stomach, and providing a fluid to assist digestion. In animals, it is called the sweet-bread. Pancreatic, belonging to the pancreas.

Parterre, a level division of ground, a flower garden.

Pearlash, the common name for impure carbonate of potash, which, in a purer form, is called Sal æratus.

Peristaltic, worm-like.

Philosophy, see Intellectual, Moral, and Natural.

Physician in Ordinary to the Queen, the Physician who attends the Queen in ordinary cases of illness.

Pistil, that part of a flower, generally in the centre, composed of the germ, style, and stigma, which receives the pollen or fertilizing dust of the stamens.

Pitt, William, a celebrated English statesman, son of the Earl of Chatham. He was born, May 28, 1759, and at the age of twenty-three, was made Chancellor of the Exchequer, and soon afterward, Prime Minister. He died, January 23, 1806.

Political Economy, the science which treats of the general causes affecting the production, distribution, and consumption, of articles of exchangeable value, in reference to their effects upon national wealth and welfare.

Pollen, the fertilizing dust of flowers, produced by the stamens, and falling upon the pistils, in order to render a flower capable of producing fruit or seed.

Potter's clay, the clay used in making articles of pottery.

Prairie, a French word, signifying meadow. In the United States, it is applied to the remarkable natural meadows, or plains, which are found in the Western States. In some of these vast and nearly level plains, the traveller may wander for days, without meeting with wood or water, and see no object rising above the plane of the horizon. They are very fertile.

Prime Minister, the person appointed by the ruler of a nation to have the chief direction and management of the public affairs.

Process, a protuberance, or projecting part of a bone.

Pulmonary, belonging to, or affecting, the lungs. Pulmonary artery, an artery which passes through the lungs, being divided into several branches, which form a beautiful network over the air-vessels, and finally empty themselves into the left auricle of the heart.

Puritans, a sect, which professed to follow the pure word of God, in opposition to traditions, human constitutions, and other authorities. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, part of the Protestants were desirous of introducing a simpler, and, as they considered it, a purer, form of church government and worship, than that established by law; from which circumstance, they were called Puritans. In process of time, this party increased in numbers, and openly broke off from the Church, laying aside the English liturgy, and adopting a service-book published at Geneva, by the disciples of Calvin. They were treated with great rigor by the Government, and many of them left the kingdom and settled in Holland. Finding themselves not so eligibly situated in that Country, as they had expected to be, a portion of them embarked for America, and were the first settlers of New England.

Quixotic, absurd, romantic, ridiculous; from Don Quixote, the hero of a celebrated fictitious work, written by Cervantes, a distinguished Spanish writer, and intended to reform the tastes and opinions of his countrymen.

Reeking, smoking, emitting vapor.

Residuum, the remainder, or part which remains.

Routine, a round, or course of engagements, business, pleasure, &c.

To Run a seam, to lay the two edges of a seam together, and pass the threaded needle out and in, with small stitches, a few threads below the edge, and on a line with it.

To Run a stocking, to pass a thread of yarn, with a needle, straight along each row of the stocking, as far as is desired, taking up one loop and missing two or three, until the row is completed, so as to double the thickness at the part which is run.

Sabbatical year, every seventh year, among the Jews, which was a year of rest for the land, when it was to be left without culture. In this year, all debts were to be remitted, and slaves set at liberty. See Exodus xxi. 2, xxiii. 10, Leviticus xxv. 2, 3, &c., Deuteronomy xv. 12, and other similar passages.

Sal æratus, see Pearlash.

Sal ammoniac, a salt, called also muriate of ammonia, which derives its name from a district in Libya, Egypt, where there was a temple of Jupiter Ammon, and where this salt was found.

Scotch Highlanders, inhabitants of the Highlands of Scotland.

Selvedge, the edge of cloth, a border. Improperly written selvage.

Service-book, a book prescribing the order of public services in a church or congregation.

Sharps, see Blunts.

Shorts, the coarser part of wheat bran.

Shrubbery, a plantation of shrubs.

Siberia, a large country in the extreme northern part of Asia, having the Frozen Ocean on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on the east, and forming a part of the Russian empire. The northern part is extremely cold, almost uncultivated, and contains but few inhabitants. It furnishes fine skins, and some of the most valuable furs in the world. It also contains rich mines of iron and copper, and several kinds of precious stones.

Sinclair, Sir John, of whom it was said, "There is no greater name in the annals of agriculture, than his," was born in Caithness, Scotland, May 10, 1754, and became a member of the British Parliament in 1780. He was strongly opposed to the measures of the British Government towards America, which produced the American Revolution. He was author of many valuable publications, on various subjects. He died December 21, 1835.

Sirloin, the loin of beef. The appellation 'Sir' is the title of a knight, or baronet; and has been added to the word 'loin,' when applied to beef, because a King of England, in a freak of good humor, once conferred the honor of knighthood upon a loin of beef.

Slack, to loosen, to relax, to deprive of cohesion.

Soda, an alkali, usually obtained from the ashes of marine plants.

To Spade, to throw out earth with a spade.

Spermaceti, an oily substance, found in the head of a species of whale, called the spermaceti whale.

Spindling, see page 124.

Spinous process, a process or bony protuberance, resembling a spine or thorn, whence it derives its name.

Spool, a piece of cane or reed, or a hollow cylinder of wood, with a ridge at each end, used to wind yarn and thread upon.

Stamen, (plural stamens and stamina,) in weaving, the warp, the thread, any thing made of threads. In botany, that part of a flower, on which the artificial classification is founded, consisting of the filament or stalk, and the anther, which contains the pollen, or fructifying powder.

Stigma, (plural stigmas and stigmata,) the summit or top of the pistil of a flower.