Female, fē′māl, adj. of the sex that produces young: pertaining to females: (bot.) having a pistil or fruit-bearing organ.—n. one of the female sex, a woman.—ns. Femal′ity, Feminal′ity, the female nature.—adj. Fem′inal.—n. Feminē′ity, the quality of being female.—adj. Fem′inine, pertaining to women: tender: womanly: (gram.) the gender denoting females.—adv. Fem′ininely.—ns. Fem′inineness; Feminin′ity, the nature of the female sex.—Female screw, a screw cut upon the inward surface of a cylindrical hole in wood or metal; Feminine rhyme, a rhyme between words that terminate each in an unaccented syllable. [Fr. femelle—L. femella, dim. of femina, a woman.]
Femerell, fem′er-el, n. a louvre or covering on the roof of a kitchen, &c., to allow the smoke to escape.
Femur, fē′mer, n. the thigh-bone.—adj. Fem′oral, belonging to the thigh.—Femoral artery, the main artery of the thigh. [L. femoralis—femur, thigh.]
Fen, fen, n. a kind of low marshy land often, or partially, covered with water: a morass or bog.—ns. Fen′-berr′y, the cranberry; Fen′-fire, the Will-o'-the-wisp.—adjs. Fen′ny, Fen′nish; Fen′-sucked (Shak.), drawn out of bogs. [A.S. fenn; Ice. fen.]
Fen, fen, v.t. an exclamatory phrase in boys' games, meaning 'Check!' 'Bar!' [Cf. Fend.]
Fence, fens, n. a wall or hedge for enclosing animals or for protecting land: the art of fencing: defence: a receiver of stolen goods, also a receiving-house.—v.t. to enclose with a fence: to fortify.—v.i. to practise fencing: to conceal the truth by equivocal answers.—adjs. Fenced, enclosed with a fence; Fence′less, without fence or enclosure, open.—n. Fenc′er, one who practises fencing with a sword.—adj. Fenc′ible, capable of being fenced or defended.—n.pl. Fenc′ibles, volunteer regiments raised for local defence during a special crisis: militia enlisted for home service.—p.adj. Fenc′ing, defending or guarding.—n. the act of erecting a fence: the art of attack and defence with a sword or other weapon.—n. Fenc′ing-mas′ter, one who teaches fencing.—Fence the tables, in the ancient usage of Scotland, to debar from partaking in communion those guilty of any known sin.—Sit on the fence, to be still hesitating as between two opinions; Sunk fence, a ditch or water-course. [Abbrev. of defence.]
Fend, fend, v.t. to ward off: to shut out: to defend.—v.i. to offer resistance: to make provision for.—n. self-support, the shift one makes for one's self.—adj. Fend′y, shifty. [Abbrev. of defend.]
Fender, fend′ėr, n. a metal guard before a fire to confine the ashes: a protection for a ship's side against piers, &c., consisting of a bundle of rope, &c.—ns. Fend′er-beam, a fender of wood, protecting a ship's side in dock: a permanent buffer at the end of a railway siding; Fend′er-board, a board protecting the steps of a carriage from the dust thrown up by the wheels. [Fend.]
Fenestella, fen-es-tel′a, n. a niche on the south side of an altar, containing the piscina, and sometimes the credence: a genus of Polyzoa, like the recent 'lace coral,' very common in Palæozoic rocks. [L., dim. of fenestra, a window.]
Fenestral, fe-nes′tral, adj. belonging to or like a window: with transparent spots—also Fenes′trāte.—n. Fenestrā′tion, the arrangement of windows in a building. [L. fenestralis—fenestra, window.]