spirt

An obsolete form of speer1. spira (spi'ra), n.; pl. spiræ (-re). [L., the base of a column, a spire: see spire2.] In arch., the moldings at the base of a column; a torus. Such a molding or moldings are not present in the Greek Doric order of architecture, but the feature is constant in all varieties of the Ionic and Corinthian. See cuts under basel, 3. spirablet (spīr'a-bl), a. [L. spirabilis, that may be breathed, respirable, The spirable odor and pestilent steame ascending from it put him out of his bias of congruity. Nashe , Lenten Stuffe (Harl. Misc., VI. 173). ( Davies .) obconical calyx. There are about 50 species, widely scattered through temperate and cold regions of the northern hemisphere, and ringent ing alternat simple amounted t ules. The small white, pink, or rose-colored flowers form a copious axillary or terminal inflorescence, which is either a raceme, cyme, panicle, or corymb, or consists, as in S. Aruncus, of diffuse panicle composed of numerous elon within They are herbs or shrubs, pinnate or ternately leaves, gated slender spikes. Most of the species are highly orna mental in flower. They are now most commonly known, especially in cultivation, by the generic name Spiræa. species are natives Europe, 3 of which occur in England; of these S. Filipendula is the dropwort, and the others, S. salic i folia and S. Ulmaria, are known as meadow sweet (the latter also as queen - of - the -meadows, which see). Six species are natives of the northeastern United States, of which S. salic i folia is the most widely distributed, a shrub with slender IMG:content-1763.png:[blocks in formation] spiracle (spir' or spir'a-kl), n. [ aperture or orifice. And after XL dayes this spiracle Is uppe to close, and whenne the [you] list, it [the wine] drinke. Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. §.), p. 202. 2. In zoöl., an aperture, orifice, or vent through which air, vapor, or water pa es in the act of respiration; a breathing-hole; a spiraculum: applied to many different formations. Specifically -( a ) In Mammal i a, the nostril or blow-hole of a cetacean, as the whale, porpoise, etc., through which air, mixed with spray or water, is expelled. (b) In ichth.: (1) An aperture on the upper side of the head, in front of the suspensorium of the lower jaw, observed in many fishes, as selachians and ganoids. This is the external opening of the hyomandibular cleft, or persistent first postoral visceral cleft, of the embryo. (2) The single nostril of the monorhine verte brates, or myzonts - the lampreys and hags. (c) In entom., a breathing-hole; the external orifice of one of the trachesæ eæ or windpipes of an arachnidan or myriapod, opening in the side of the body. In true insects ( Hexapod a ) the spiracles are typically twenty-two in number, a pair (one on each side) for each of the three thoracic segments, and for each of the anterior eight abdominal segments; but they are almost always lacking on some one or more of these. They are either simple openings into the respiratory system, or are provided with valves, sieves, or fringes of hair for the exclusion of foreign particles. See cut under Systœchus. usted especial it originated; in Wales it forms a large part of the hedges. For S. to mentos a, a similar pink flowered eastern species, see hardhack; its representative on the varieties have Pacific coast, S. Doug last, with handsome of the most show whitened leaves, is one American shrubs. For S. lobata, see queen - of the-prairie, and for S. Aruncus, goat's- beard; the latter is one of the most ornamental plants of eastern woodland borders. For S. hyper i cifolia, common in cultivation from Europe and Siberia, and also called Italian may and St. Peter's wreath, see bridal - wreath. Several species from Japan are now abundant in orna IMG:content-1764.png:[blocks in formation] mental grounds, as S. Japonica and its variety S. Fortune i, and S. prunifolia, the plum-leafed spiræa, a white flowered shrub with handsome silky leaves. S. Thun bergii from Japan is much used in parks, forming a small diffuse shrub 2 or 3 feet high with light recurving branches whitened before the leaves with a profusion of small flowers usually in threes in the axils. Some Asiatic species with pinnate leaves and large terminal panicles spiracula, n. Plural of spiraculum . spiracula2 (spi-rak'ū-lä), n.; pl. spiraculæ (-lē). [NL.: see spiracle .] In entom ., same as spiracle . spiracular (spi-rak'u-lär), a . and n. [ raculum + -ar3.] I. a. 1. Of or pertaining to a spiracle, breathing-hole, or blow-hole. - 2. Fitted for or permitting respiration, as a spiraits variety aurea , the golden spirea of gardens, are now cle; respiratory. - Spiracular arch, in ichth., one of the visceral arches of some fishes, between the mandibular and hyomandibular arches, in special relation with the spiracular cleft and spiracle. - Spiracular cleft, in ichth., the hyomandibular cleft: so called from its relations to the spiracle in certain fishes, as all selachians and various ganoids. See spiracle, 2 (b) (1).- Spiracular gill, a a breathing through spiracles, as in the tracheal respira. tion of many insects. II. n. A small bone or cartilage in special relation with the spiracle of some fishes. A series of small o icles, of which two may be distinguished as spiraculars. gill, or pseudo branch. - Spiracular respiration, Encyc. Brit ., XII. 648. spiraculate (spi-rak'ū-lāt), a. [ -atel .] Provided with a spiracle. spiraculiferous (spi-rak-u-life-rus), a. [L. spiraculum , a breathing-hole, + ferre = E. bear1.] In entom., bearing a spiracle or breathing-pore: said of segments in which these or gans are visible. See cut under Systæchus . spiraculiform (spi-rak'u-li-fôrm), a . [L. spi raculum , a breathing-hole, + form a , form.] In entom., having the structure, form, or appearance of a spiracle; stigmatiform. West wood. spiraculum (spi-rak'ū-lum), n.; pl. spiracula (-lä). [L.: see spiracle.] 1. A spiracle, in any sense. 2. A breathing-hole in the aventaile, beaver, or mesail of a helmet. spiræ, n. Plural of spira. of white flowers are arborescent, as S. sorb i folia, often seen as a shrub in New England dooryards, and S. Kam chatica, with the panicles very large, the flowers fragrant and feathery. The former S. opulifolia, the ninebark, and referred to Neillia, or by some separated as a genus Physo carpus. Many species po e moderate astringent or tonic properties; the roots of the British species are so used, and the flowers of S. hyp eric i folia; S. Ulmaria is valuable also as a diuretic. S. to mentos a, the principal American medicinal species, a plant of bitter and astringent taste, is used in New England and also formerly by the Indians as a tonic. 2. [l. c.] (a) A plant of this genus. (b) The white-flowered shrub Astilbe Japonica, now extensively imported into the United States and propagated under gla , forming one of the chief materials of Easter decorations. Spiræeæ (spī-rēēē), n. pl. [NL. (Bentham and Hooker, 1865), IMG:content-1765.png:[blocks in formation] spiral a spiral line, a spiral), Flat Spiral of an Ammonite ( Am monites bifrons). Where upward, in the mellow blush of day, The noisy bittern wheeled his spiral way. Long fellow, Sunrise on the Hills. Spiral axis. See axisl. - Spiral balance, a form of balance in which the weight of the body under examination is measured by the stretching (torsion) of an elastic wire in the form of a long spiral. A common use of the simple form of spiral balance (see cut) is in determining the specific gravity of small fragments of minerals, which for this purpose are weighed first in the upper pan and then in that below, which is immersed in water. - Spiral canal of the cochlea, of the mo Spiral Balance for determining specific gravities. - Spiral duct, in bot., same as spiral ves sel.-Spiral fracture, a fracture of bone due to torsion, so that the broken ends diol us. See can all, and cut under earl. have a more or le screw-like appear - layer, the middle of the three layers or coats of the tracheal wall anspirierendee gearime in insects. See tænidium and trachea. - Spiral ligament of the cochlea, the spiral ridge at the outer insertion of the basilar membrane: it is prismatic, or triangular in section. - Spiral line, the line connecting the radii or radiating lines of a geometrical spider's web, and forming a continuous spiral from the circumference nearly to the center. It is formed after the radii have been put in place. Spiral nebula, phyllotaxis, plexus. See the nouns. Spiral point. See spire2, 3.- Spiral ptero pods, the Limacinidæ. - Spiral pump, a form of the Arch i me dean screw water-elevator. See Arch i me dean screw, under Arch i me dean.-Spiral screw. See screw1. -Spiral space, the area bounded at its two ends by succe ive parts of the same radius vector, and within and without by succe ive parts of the same spiral.Spiral spring. See spring. - Spiral valve, in ichth., a continuous fold or ridge of mucous membrane which winds spirally about the interior of the intestine of some fishes, as ganoids. - Spiral ve el, in bot., a ve el which is usually long, with fusiform extremities, and has the walls thickened in a spiral manner with one Spiral Ve els ballium Elaterium. or more simple or branched bands or fibers. In most cases the direction of the spiral is from right to left, but it frequently happens that the earlier formed spirals run in one direction, while those formed later run in an opposite direction. See ti ue, ve el. - Spiral wheels, in mach. See wheel. II. n. 1. In geom ., a plane curve which runs continuously round and round fixed point, called the cen Parabolic Spiral. Arch i me dean Spiral. or Ducts of Ec- ter, with constantly increasing radius vector, so that the latter is never normal to the curve; also, a part of such a curve in the course of which the radius from the center describes 360°. Besides the spirals mentioned below, the involute of the circle and the cyclodes are very important. The principal spirals which have received attention are the medes (usually understood to have been discovered by Conon the Samian), the radius of which increases uniformly with the angle; the hyperbolic spiral, whose radius vector is inversely proportional to the angle; the lituus, the square of whose radius vector is inversely proportional to the angle; and the logarithmic spiral, whose angle is proportional to the logarithm of the radius vector. Hyperbolic Spiral. (Le of the inner part of one branch is shown than of the other.) 5839 2. A helix or curve which winds round a cylinder like a screw. - 3. A spiral spring.-4. In wool, one of the curls or convolutions in wool fiber, the number of which in a unit of length is made the basis of an estimate of its quality for manufacturing.-5. In zoöl. and an at., a spiral formation, as of a univalve, of the cochlea, etc. -Airy's spirals, the peculiar colored interference figures seen when two sections of quartz, one of a right-handed the other of a left-handed crystal, both cut transverse to the vertical axis, are placed one over the other, and viewed in converging polarized light. - Curschmann's spirals, in pathol., bodies formed of spirally wound mucous threads with often a fine shining central thread. They seem to be casts of small bronchi, and are expectorated in asthma and certain forms of bronchitis. - Double, equiangular, logarithmic, loxodromic spiral. See the adjectives. - Logistic spiral. Same as logarith mic spiral (which see, under logarithmic ). -Norwich spiral, that second involute of the circle whose apse is midway between the cusp of the first involute and the center of the circle: so called because first shown by Sylvester at the meeting of the British A ociation at Norwich in 1868. -Parabolic spiral. See parabolic2, and cut above. spiral (spiral), v. t.; pret. and pp. spiraled, spiralled, ppr. spiraling, spiralling. [ The teeth of the cutter should be made to run slightly spiralled . Joshua Rose , Practical Machinist, p. 346. spirality (spi-ral'i-ti), n. [ spiral + -ity.] Spiral character or quality. Science, III. 583. spirally (spiral-i), adv . In the form or manner of a spiral.