1) bite,"to seize with the teeth, so that they enter or nip the thing seized; to lacerate, crush, or wound with the teeth; as, to bite an apple; to bite a crust; the dog bit a man.-to puncture, abrade, or sting with an organ (of some insects) used in taking food.-to cause sharp pain, or smarting, to; to hurt or injure, in a literal or a figurative sense; as, pepper bites the mouth.-to cheat; to trick; to take in.-to take hold of; to hold fast; to adhere to; as, the anchor bites the ground.-to seize something forcibly with the teeth; to wound with the teeth; to have the habit of so doing; as, does the dog bite?-to cause a smarting sensation; to have a property which causes such a sensation; to be pungent; as, it bites like pepper or mustard.-to cause sharp pain; to produce anguish; to hurt or injure; to have the property of so doing.-to take a bait into the mouth, as a fish does; hence, to take a tempting offer.-to take or keep a firm hold; as, the anchor bites.-the act of seizing with the teeth or mouth; the act of wounding or separating with the teeth or mouth; a seizure with the teeth or mouth, as of a bait; as, to give anything a hard bite.-the act of puncturing or abrading with an organ for taking food, as is done by some insects.-the wound made by biting; as, the pain of a dog's or snake's bite; the bite of a mosquito.-a morsel; as much as is taken at once by biting.-the hold which the short end of a lever has upon the thing to be lifted, or the hold which one part of a machine has upon another.-a cheat; a trick; a fraud.-a sharper; one who cheats.-a blank on the edge or corner of a page, owing to a portion of the frisket, or something else, intervening between the type and paper."

2) free-martin,"an imperfect female calf, twinborn with a male."

3) gallinule,"one of several wading birds, having long, webless toes, and a frontal shield, belonging to the family rallidae. they are remarkable for running rapidly over marshes and on floating plants. the purple gallinule of america is ionornis martinica, that of the old world is porphyrio porphyrio. the common european gallinule (gallinula chloropus) is also called moor hen, water hen, water rail, moor coot, night bird, and erroneously dabchick. closely related to it is the florida gallinule (gallinula galeata)."

4) hirundo,a genus of birds including the swallows and martins.

5) kingbird,"a small american bird (tyrannus tyrannus, or t. carolinensis), noted for its courage in attacking larger birds, even hawks and eagles, especially when they approach its nest in the breeding season. it is a typical tyrant flycatcher, taking various insects upon the wing. it is dark ash above, and blackish on the head and tail. the quills and wing coverts are whitish at the edges. it is white beneath, with a white terminal band on the tail. the feathers on the head of the adults show a bright orange basal spot when erected. called also bee bird, and bee martin. several southern and western species of tyrannus are also called king birds.-the king tody. see under king."

6) marten,"a bird. see martin.-any one of several fur-bearing carnivores of the genus mustela, closely allied to the sable. among the more important species are the european beech, or stone, marten (mustela foina); the pine marten (m. martes); and the american marten, or sable (m. americana), which some zoologists consider only a variety of the russian sable.-the fur of the marten, used for hats, muffs, etc."

7) martin,"a perforated stone-faced runner for grinding.-one of several species of swallows, usually having the tail less deeply forked than the tail of the common swallows."

8) martinet,"in military language, a strict disciplinarian; in general, one who lays stress on a rigid adherence to the details of discipline, or to forms and fixed methods.-the martin."

9) martineta,"a species of tinamou (calopezus elegans), having a long slender crest."

10) martinetism,"the principles or practices of a martinet; rigid adherence to discipline, etc."

11) martingal,"a strap fastened to a horse's girth, passing between his fore legs, and fastened to the bit, or now more commonly ending in two rings, through which the reins pass. it is intended to hold down the head of the horse, and prevent him from rearing.-a lower stay of rope or chain for the jib boom or flying jib boom, fastened to, or reeved through, the dolphin striker. also, the dolphin striker itself.-the act of doubling, at each stake, that which has been lost on the preceding stake; also, the sum so risked; -- metaphorically derived from the bifurcation of the martingale of a harness."

12) martingale,alt. of martingal

13) martinmas,"the feast of st. martin, the eleventh of november; -- often called martlemans."

14) martlemas,see martinmas.

15) martlet,the european house martin.-a bird without beak or feet; -- generally assumed to represent a martin. as a mark of cadency it denotes the fourth son.