1. (Astron.)
Defn: The Milky Way; that luminous tract, or belt, which is seen at night stretching across the heavens, and which is composed of innumerable stars, so distant and blended as to be distinguishable only with the telescope. The term has recently been used for remote clusters of stars. Nichol.
2. A splendid assemblage of persons or things.
GALBAN; GALBANUM Gal"ban, Gal"ba*num, n. Etym: [L. galbanum, Gr. klekb'n: cf. F. galbanum.]
Defn: A gum resin exuding from the stems of certain Asiatic umbelliferous plants, mostly species of Ferula. The Bubon Galbanum of South Africa furnishes an inferior kind of galbanum. It has an acrid, bitter taste, a strong, unpleasant smell, and is used for medical purposes, also in the arts, as in the manufacture of varnish.
GALBE Galbe, n. [F.; OF. garbe, fr. It. garbo grace, gracefulness. See Garb dress.] (Art)
Defn: The general outward form of any solid object, as of a column or a vase.
GALE Gale, n. Etym: [Prob. of Scand.. origin; cf. Dan. gal furious, Icel. galinn, cf. Icel. gala to sing, AS. galan to sing, Icel. galdr song, witchcraft, AS. galdor charm, sorcery, E. nightingale; also, Icel. gjla gust of wind, gola breeze. Cf. Yell.]
1. A strong current of air; a wind between a stiff breeze and a hurricane. The most violent gales are called tempests.
Note: Gales have a velocity of from about eighteen ("moderate") to about eighty ("very heavy") miles an our. Sir. W. S. Harris.