`
`AMERICAN
`
`HERITAGE
`
`DICTIONARY
`
`OF THE
`
`ENGLISH LANGUAGE
`
`
`THIRD EDITION
`
`HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
`Boston - New York - London
`
`1
`
`LIFECOR427-1013
`
`1
`
`LIFECOR427-1013
`
`

`

`Words are included in this Dictionary on the basis of their
`usage. Words that are known to have current trademark
`registrations are shown with an initial capital and are also
`identified as trademarks. No investigation has been made of
`common—law trademark rights in any word, because such
`investigation is impracticable. The inclusion of any word in
`this Dictionary is not. however, an expression of the
`Publisher‘s opinion as to whether or not it is subject to
`proprietary rights. Indeed, no definitiOn in this Dictionary is
`to be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark.
`
`American Heritage and the eagle logo are registered
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`agreement with Forbes Inc.
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`Houghton Mifflin Company gratefully acknowledges Mead
`Data Central. Inc, providers of the LEXIS‘WNEXIS" services,
`for its assistance in the preparation of this edition of
`The American Hefitage Dictionary.
`
`Copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mitfljn Company.
`All rights reserved.
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`
`Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
`The American heritage dictionary of the English language.
`— 3rd ed.
`p.
`cm.
`ISBN 0-395-44395-6
`1. English languageiDictionaries.
`PE162B.A623
`1992
`423 — dc20
`
`92-351
`CIP
`
`Manufactured in the United States of America
`
`2
`
`

`

`
`
`I167
`
`mono—
`
`[Latin, from mania-e, to warn. See mon-1 in
`To act as a monitor.
`Appendix] —mon'l-lor-lhip' n.
`mon-I-IO'rI'CII {mon‘I—tdrFE-al.—torf-) adj. 1. or. relating to.
`adv.
`or performed by monitors. 2. Monitor-y. —-mon'l-tofri-oI-ly
`
`mon-i-toory {manf’l-tor’é, -tor’e) adj. Conveyinganadmoni-
`tion or a warning: tr manitory glance. —mor|itory 11., pl. -rlos.
`A letter of admonition. such as one from a bishop or an ecclesi-
`astical court.
`[Middle English moi-titanic,
`letter of admonition.
`admonitory. from Medieval Latin monitor-ta, admonition, from
`feminine of Latin mmitért‘us, monitor-y. from monitor, monitor.
`See momma]
`monk (mfingk) n. A man who is a member of a brotherhood
`living in a monastery and devoted to a discipline prescribed by his
`order: a Carthaslan monk;
`ti Buddhist monk.
`[Middle English
`musk, irom Old English mastic. from. Late Latin monachus, from
`Late Greek monukhos, from Greek, single. from manna. See
`mom“ in Appendix]
`Monk (mungkl, George. See George Monck.
`Monk, Thalonious Sphoro. 1917—1982. American jazz pianist
`and composer whose spare piano style and unusual harmonic
`sense made him one of the most influential modern jazz musicians.
`monk-or-y (mfing'kaurt'?) 11.. pl.
`-ios.
`I. Monastic life or
`practices. 2. Monks considered as a group. 3. A monastery.
`men-key (mtingfké) n.. pl. Jays.
`1. Any of various long—
`tailed. medium—Sized members of the order Primates, including
`the macaques, baboons, guenons, capuchins, marmosets, and tem-
`arins and excluding the anthropoid apes and the prosirnians. 2.
`One that behaves in a way suggestive of a monkey. as a mischie—
`vous child or a mimic. 3. The iron block of a pile driver. 4.
`Slang. A person who is mocked. duped, or made to appear a too]:
`They made a monkey out of him. 5. Slang, Drug addiction: have
`a monkey on one’s back. —rnonkey u.
`-koyod, Jay-lug,
`Jays. —intr.
`Infant-ml.
`I. To play. fiddle. trifle, or tamper with
`something. 2. To behave in a mischievous or apish manner: Stop
`monkeying around! -—tr. To imitate or mimic; ape.
`[Origin un-
`known}
`
`
`
`Thalorlloul Monk
`Photographed in 1949
`
`l
`
`
`
`monks)!
`Javan macaq ue
`Mac-cm ims
`
`
`
`monkey hon
`
`
`
`monkey wrench
`
`monkey bars pin. A three—dimensional structure of poles and
`bars on which children can play. as in a playground; a jungle gain.
`monkey brood n. The hanging. gourdlike limit of the baobab.
`acts or behavior.
`monkey business it. Slang. Silly. mischievous. or deceitful
`
`in. See barn owl.
`(mungtke—rssvi
`monkey-faced owl
`l‘l‘lOl'lkBy flower it. Any of various herbs or shrubs of the gas
`nus Mimttlus, having variously colored,
`two—lipped flowers.
`{From the pattern of spots on its flowers]
`monkey iucket n.
`I. A short, tight-fitting jacket. tradition—
`ally worn by sailors. 2. See moss locker.
`[From its resemblance
`to the jacket worn by an organ grinders monkey]
`monkey pot it. La. Any of various tropical American trees of
`the genus Lecythis, having a large, woody. urn~shaped pod that
`dehisces by a lid. b. The fruit of this tree. 2. A cylindrical or
`barrel—shaped melting pot used in making flint glass.
`mon-koy-puz-zlo [mttng’ké—pfiz’al) 71. A coniferous ever-
`green tree (Aroucofia oraucmtol native to Chile. having intricately
`ramifying branches covered with overlapping, leathery.
`lancer»
`late. pnckle-tipped leaves.
`[Perhaps from the obstacle its inter—
`twined branches would pose]
`mon-key-shino [mung’kevshin’l n. Slang. A mischievous
`or playful trick; a prank, Often used in the plural: laughed at my
`daughter‘s monkeyshines.
`monkey wrench n.
`I. A hand tool with adjustable jaws for
`turning nuts of varying Sizes. 2. Informal. Something that dis—
`rupts: He threw a monkey wrench into our plans.
`[Origin un-
`known]
`monk-fish {mungkl'fishfl 11., pl. monkfish or dish-es. See
`goosoflsh.
`[Perhaps from the cowled appearance of its head]
`Mon-Khmer
`lmonfkmerf) n. A subfamily of the Austro—
`Asiatic language family that includes Mon. Khmer. and other lan-
`guages of southeast Asia.
`I. The character, condition, or
`monk-hood [mt‘lngk’hcfiad'l n.
`profession of a monk: monasticism. 2. Monks considered as a
`group.
`
`'l. or. relating to, cur-characteristic
`monk-lsh (mangvkrsh) adj.
`of monks or monasticism. 2. Inclined to self—denial; ascetic.
`—monkflsh-Iy adv. —monk'ish-noss n.
`monk‘s cloth
`(mflngks) n. A heavy cotton cloth in a coarse
`basket weave. now used chiefly for draperies.
`monks-hood (mongksrhmd') n.
`I. See uronm. a. A slen-
`der. erect, poisonous perennial herb {Acom‘tum nupellus} native to
`northern Europe. having violet flowers and whose dried leaves
`and roots yield aconite. Also called wolfsbcne.
`Mon-mouth (mOn’math), Duke of. Title of James Scott. 1549-
`1685. English pretender to the throne. The illegitimate son of
`Charles H, be led a rebellion after the succession of the Catholic
`James II but was defeated in battle. captured, and beheaded.
`Mon-net
`(ms-nan, Jean. 1883—1979, French economist and
`politician who laid the plans for the Common Market.
`man-0‘ (memo) rt.
`Informal.
`Infectious mononucleosis.
`I'nonoo2 {moms} ad}.
`Informal.
`Monaural: monophonic.
`[Short for MONOPHDNIC]
`I‘I‘IOI'IO— or mon— pure].
`
`1. One; single; alone: metamorphic.
`
`3
`
`a d
`
`oloid
`
`[‘From MONGOLLAN, term used in a
`. Down syndrome.
`of classification for mentally retarded people. devised
`ethnic lines by John L.H. Down (1328—1896). British phy—
`
`
`
`
`
`1. Anthropology.
`- -old (mOng'ga-loid', mom-i adj.
`.m: to, or being a major human racial division tradition—
`
`_
`u'guished by physical characteristics such as yellowish-
`
`-d:in pigmentation. straight black hair. dark eyes with pro-
`
`- epicsnthic folds, and prominent cheekbones and
`_ peoples indigenous to central and eastern Asia. No longw
`
`“entitle use. 2. Characteristic of or resembling a Mongol.
`
`-- mongoloitl. Offmioe. Of or relating to Down syndmme.
`old n. 1. Anthropology. A member of the Mongoloid
`on. No longer in scientific use. 2. Also mongoloid.
`
`A person afiected with Down syndrome
`
`. goose {mong’gcfisk monr-l in, pl. moon-es. Any of
`
`Old World carnivorous mammals of the genus Herpestes
`ted genera. having a slender agile body and a long tail and
`
`or the ability to seize and kill venomous snakes.
`[Marathi
`of Dravidian origin]
`
`I. An animal or a plant re-
`III [mung-'gral, mOng'-} n.
`
`- {tom various interbreedings. especially a dog of mixed or
`
`.
`ed breed. 2. A cross between different breeds, groups,
`.. especially a mixture that is or appears to be incon-
`
`—mongrel adj. Of mixed origin.
`[Probably from Middle
`
`my, mixture, from Old English gemcng. See mug- in
`
`] —mon-grol"l|m n. -rllonfgroI-ly adv.
`
`. 4:9 (mung'gre—liz'. mongf-J trill. 4nd, dis-log,
`To make mongrel in race. nature, or character. —mon’-
`
`In'l'fon E—gra-li-zan'shan] n.
`- -or [mbn-l'l-kar) n. Variant of moniker.
`
`(minted) adj. Variant of moneyed.
`(mum-e21 n. A plural of monoy.
`
`‘ l-kor or mon-kk-or (men-"I-kar) 1:. Slang. Apersonal
`
`-
`nickname.
`[Probably from Shelta munik, name, possibly
`of Irish Gaelic atom, from Old Irish. See nd-Inon- in
`
`
`
`(ma—nfl'e-all adj. Of, relating to. or caused by a
`ull
`of the genus Monika (or Candida): montlial infections.
`-Ii'u«sis (mo'na—lIIa-sis, mon'a—J it. See condidioais.
`Latin Months. type genus {from Latin mantle, necklace) +
`
`
`[mo-nill'a~térrn'} adj. Resembling a string of
`hrl‘l‘l
`'-, as the roots of certain plants or the antennae 01 certain
`
`[Latin mantle, necklace + imam] —Ino-nilfi-form'ly
`
`[sh (mfinl'lsh) rm. Jihad, ssh-mg. duh-es. To admon-
`warn. {Middle English monesten, monishe, from Old French
`-
`, from Vulgar Latin 'monestdre, alteration of Latin mo-
`to warn. See mon- ' in Appendix]
`
`I. The View
`.
`[mornlz'arn manfiz’am] 11. Philosophy.
`phyncs that reality is a unified whole and that all existing
`
`can be ascribed to or described by a Single concept or sys-
`1. The doctrine that mind and matter are formed, or reduc-
`
`to, the same ultimate substance or principle of being.
`-Inlcf n, —mo'ni.vllc [mornlsl't‘lk mil-J adj. —Ino-nlsr-
`ly ado.
`
`I. A warning or an intima—
`-tlon (mo-ni‘shfon, ma—} n.
`o! something imminent. eSpecially of impending danger. 2.
`mum-y advice or counsel; an admonition. 3. A formal order
`
`. a bishop or an ecclesiastical court to refrain trom a specified
`4. A summons or citation in civil or admiralty law.
`
`2 English mnrciuun, from Old French monicion. from Lat-
`itifi, monitién-, from monitus. past participle of monére, to
`
`See mom? in Appendbr]
`
`IOI'
`(mend—tar] n. 1. One that admonishes, cautions, or
`ads, especially with respect to matters of conduct. 2. A pupil
`
`assists a teacher in routine duties. 3.1:. A usually electronic
`- used to record. regulate, or control a process or system. b.
`
`‘ver, such as a screen or speaker, that is used to check the
`ty or content of an electronic transmission: followed the
`
`.-t on the television monitor. c. Computer Science, A de-
`_
`that accepts video signals from a computer and displays in—
`-t1on on a screen. 4. Computer Science. A program that oh-
`
`: supervises. or controls the activities of other programs. 5.
`
`articulated device holding a rotating nozzle with which a jet of
`
`u is regulated. used in mining and firefighting. to. A heave
`ironclad warship of the 19th century with a low. flat deck and
`
`-nr more gun turrets. b. A modern warship designed for
`
`bombasdment. 7. Biology. Any of various tropical car-
`lizards of the family Voranidoe, living in the East Indies.
`
`n- Asia, Africa. Australia. and New Guinea and ranging in.
`trom several centimeters to 3 meters [10 feet]. —Inonllor
`
`Herod, Jar-Ina, dors. —tr.
`1. To check the quality or con—
`
`-
`. of [an electronic audio or visual signal} by means of a receiv-
`_ 2. To check by means of an electronic receiver for significant
`'
`t. such as military. political. or illegal activity: monitor a
`
`- ed criminot's phone conversations. 3. To keep track of
`an tically with a view to collecting information: monitor the
`
`population oft: national park; monitored the political views
`
`-9 people. 4m. To test or sample on a regular or ongoing
`monitored the city’s drinking water for impurities. b. To
`
`[air or an object‘s surface. for example} for radiation inten-
`_ . 5. To keep close watch over; supervise
`6. To direct. — intr.
`
`
`
`3
`
`