Cereal Grasses

( Agric.) Gra es which produce the bread corns, such as wheat, rye, oats, barley, maize, rice, and millet. They are also called Corn - plants, or Bread - plants. Cereal i a, n. pl . The cereals, or edible grains. -n. sing. (Rom. Antiq .) A festival celebrated at Rome in honor of Ceres, whose wanderings in search of her lost daughter Proser pine were represented by women, clothed in white, running about with lighted torches. During its continuance, games were celebrated in the Circus Maximus, the spectators of which appeared in white; but on any occasion of public mourning the games and festivals were not celebrated at all, as the matrons could not appear at them except in white. The day of the C. is doubtful; some think it was the ides of 13th April, others the 7th of the same month. Cerebel'lar, Cerebel'lous, a. Pertaining to the cerebellum, or its parts. Cerebellum, n.; pl . CEREBELLA. (Lat., dim. of cere brum , the brain.] ( Anat . ) See BRAIN. Cerebral, a . [From Lat. cerebrum .] Pertaining to the brain. Cerebra'tion, n . The action or exercise of the brain. Cer'ebric, a. ( Chem .) Relating to cerebric acid. Cerebric Acid, n. ( Chem ) A fatty acid, containing nitrogen and phosphorus, forming one of the components of brain, and formerly called Cerebrin. Its composition has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Cerebropathy, n. [Lat. cerebrum , and Gr. pathos , suffering. ( Med . ) An hypochondriacal condition verging upon insanity, occasionally occurring to those in whom the brain has been unduly tasked. Cerebro-spi'nal, a . [Lat. cerebrum , and Eng. spinal .] (Anat.) Pertaining to the brain and spinal cord. Cerebrum, n. [Lat.] ( Anat .) See BRAIN. Cere'-cloth, n. [Lat. cera , wax, and cloth .] A cloth smeared with melted wax, or with some glutinous matter. Cere'do, in West Virginia , a township of Wayne co., on the Ohio River, 12 miles South South East of Ironton, Ohio. Cerement, (ser'ment,) n. [From Lat. cera.] Cloths dipped in melted wax, with which dead bodies were enfolded when embalmed. Ceremonial, a . [See CEREMONY.] Relating to ceremony, or to religious rites and observances; ritual. "To speak the ceremonial rites of marriage." - Shaks. IMG:content-0114.png:[blocks in formation] Ceremonious, a. [Fr. cérémonieux.] Ceremonial; consisting of outward forms, rites, or observances; as, "the ceremonious part of His worship." - South . -Formally civil; full of ceremony; outwardly respectful; as, "a ceremonious manner, or phrase." - Too observant of forms; exact; precise; formal. Ceremoniously, ade . In a ceremonious manner; with due form and observance. ous: great formality in manners. to.] Sacred rite or observance; outward rite; settled external form in religion; as, the marriage ceremony. -Established forms or rules for regulating social or civi intercourse; forms of propriety or civility; as, to be received with ceremony. "The sauce to meat is ceremony." Shaks. Master of the Ceremonies, a person appointed to superintend the form of etiquette, or social rules to be observed at a public ceremony, a embly, . -An officer of state attached to the household of almost all European sovereigns, to a ist at the reception of amba adors and strangers of rank. It is also his duty to attend and regulate all matters of etiquette at the drawing-room and the levée, and on all state occasions. Cereop's is, n. ( Zool .) The generic name of an Australian goose, characterized by a green cere-like membrane covering the upper part of the base of the bill. Ce'res, n. [Lat.] ( Myth .) The daughter of Saturn and Vesta, and godde of corn, harvests, and tillage. To Jupiter she bore a daughter, Proser pine, (q. v.) C. corresponds with the Isis of the Egyptians, and the Deme ter of the Greeks. She is represented with a garland of ears of corn on her head, holding in one hand a lighted torch, and in the other a poppy, which was sacred to her. The Romans instituted in her honor the festivals called Cereal i a , (q. v.) (Astron.) One of the 4 new or telescopic planets which revolve between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered by Piazzi, Jan. 1, 1801. C. is a very small planet, its apparent diameter, according to Schræter, being only 3:48", which at its mean distance corresponds to about 1,600 miles; but according to Sir W. Herschel, its apparent diameter is only 0-35", or 160 m. The difficulty of distinguishing its real disc, on account of the nebulosity by which it is surrounded, accounts for the discrepancy. Its mean distance from the sun is about two and three-fourths time the distance of the sun from the earth. Ce'res, in New York , a p.-vil. of Alleghany co., 225 m. W. S.W. of Albany. Partly transferred to Penna. in 1878, under the commi ion to revise the boundary between the states of Penna. and N. Y.-In Penna., a township of McKean co.-In Wis ., a village of Washington co., 37 m. N.N.W. of Milwaukee. Ceres'co, in Michigan , a post-village of Calhoun co., 112 m. W. of Detroit. Ce'restown, in Pennsylvania , a village of McKean co., on Oswego Creek, about 200 m. N.W. of Harris burg. Ceret, ( ser - ai ), a town of France, dep. Pyrenees-Orient a les, 16 m. S.W. of Perpignan. Pop . 4,825. Cere'us, n. ( Bot .) A genus of plants. See SECTION II. Cerignola, ( cher - in - yo'ld .) a town of S. Italy, prov. Foggia, 23 m. S.E. of that city. Near this town, in 1503, Gonsalvo de Cordova gained a decisive victory over the French commanded by the Duke de Nemours, who was killed in the action. Pop . 20,368. Cerigo, ( cher'e -go,) (anc. Cythera.) The most S. of the principal Ionian Islands, now an eparchy of the kingdom of Greece, situated at the E. entrance of the Laconian gulf. Length N. to S. 20 miles; greatest breadth, 12. Area , 116 sq. m. Surface, mountainous, rocky, and mostly uncultivated. Prod . Cereals, cotton, flax, wine, and excellent olive oil, and honey. The coasts are dangerous to mariners, and the best anchorage is at St. Nicolo on the E. coast. Cap . Kapsali. С. was the birthplace of Helen, and sacred to Venus, who had a temple erected to her honor. It was long a naval station of the Lacedæmonians, and belonged succe ively to Macedon, Egypt, Rome, and Venice. Pop . abt. 15,000. Cerigotto, ( cher'e - got - to ,) the most S. of the Ionian Islands, 18 m. from Cerigo. It is 6 m. long by 1-2 broad, and was long a favorite resort of Greek pirates. Pop . 300. Ce'rine, n. [From Lat. cera, wax.] ( Chem .) A substance which forms 70 to 80 per cent. of bees-wax. It is soluble in boiling alcohol. Cerinthians, n . pl . ( Eccl . Hist .) The followers of Cerinthus, a heretic of the 1st or 2d cent., who embraced certain Gnostic views respecting the natures and relations of God the Father and Son. He conceived the supreme God to be the father or originator both of the Deity from whom proceeded the Old Testament, and of Christ; that the God of the Jews was also the creator of this world; and that his dominion over it was superseded by the mi ion of Christ, who was a son of the supreme Deity residing in a human body. - See GNOSTICS. Cer'iph, n. ( Type - founding .) One of the fine lines of a letter, especially of one of the fine cro -strokes at the top and bottom of letters. Ce'rite, n . ( Min .) The silicate of cerium, found as a mineral in gnei in the copper-mine of Bastuas in Sweden. Ce'rium, n. (Chem.) A very rare metal, existing in allanite, cerite, and cerine. It is only known as a gray powder, which becomes lustrous on being burnished. It forms two oxides - the protoxide and peroxide , which form a few salts of no importance or interest. They are said by Rumnelsberg to be isomorphous with those of cadmium. Equivalent, 47; Sp. grav. 5.5 (?) Symbol , Cc. Cer'nous, Čer'nuous, a . [Lat. cernuus.] ( Bot .) Pendulous; having the head bending downward. Cerograph'ic, Cerograph'ical, a. Relating to cerography. Cerog'raphy, n. [From Gr. keros , wax, and graphein , to write. A writing or inscription on wax. The art of engraving on wax. Cer'olein, n. (Chem.) A gra y body found in beeswax, to which its color, odor, and tenacity are due. It has an acid reaction, and fuses at 83°. It is soluble in ether, and is but imperfectly known. It is obtained by macerating the wax in cold alcohol, which retains it in solution. IMG:content-0115.png:[graphic] Cero'ma, n. (Anc. Arch .) That part of the gymnasium where wrestlers were anointed with a mixture of oil and wax. Cer'omancy, n. [Gr. keros , and manteia , prophesying.] The practice of divination by dropping melted wax in water. Ceroon', n. (Com.) See SERON. Ceroplastic, a. Modelled or designed in wax. Ceroplastic, n. [Fr. cero plastique ; Gr. kero plast i kos , relating to wax-modelling.] The art of modelling in wax, - one of very high antiquity. From the testimony of Pliny we learn that Lysis trat us, the brother of Lysippus, was the first who used wax for modelling the human figure. He lived in the time of Alexander the Great, and was a native of Sicyon. Cer'osine, n. (Chem.) A waxy substance which exudes from the sugar-cane. Cer'otene, n. (Chem.) A white paraffin-like substance occurring in the distillate of Chinese wax. Cerot'ic Acid, n. (Chem.) An acid contained in varying quantities in bees-wax. It is obtained by di olving the wax in hot alcohol, and crystallizing. Genuine beeswax contains about 22 per cent. of cerotic acid. Heated with potash, it produces cerotate of potash and ceroic alcohol . IMG:content-0116.jpg:[blocks in formation] Cerreto, (cher- ra'to ,) a fine town of S. Italy, prov. Ben even to, on the declivity of Monte Matera, near the Cusana, 10 m. E.S.E. of Pied i monte. Pop . 7,674. Cer'ro de Pas'co, a city of Peru, cap. of prov. Pasco, dep. Junin, 140 m. N.E. of Lima. It is situated at an elevation of 14,100 feet, near the richest silver mines in the republic. Pop . estimated at 8,000. Cerro Gor'do, a mountain pa in Mexico, on the route from Vera Cruz to the capital, rendered famous by the decisive victory gained by the American forces under Gen. Scott, over the Mexicans under Santa Anna, April 18, 1847. The enemy's lo was about 1,200; and that of the Americans, 431, of whom 63 were killed. Cerro Gordo, in Florida , a twp. and village, cap. of Holmes co., abt. 105 m. W.N.W. of Tall a has see. Cerro Gordo, in Georgia , a post-office of Gilmer co. Cerro Gordo, in Illinois , a post-village of Piatt co., 50 m. E.N.E. of Springfield. Cerro Gordo, in Indiana , a P. O. of Randolph co. Cerro Gordo, in Iowa , a N. county, named after the above battle in Mexico; area , 625 sq. m. It is drained by Lime Creek and its tributaries. Cap . Mason City. Pop . in 1890, 14,870. -A post-office of Mills co. Cerro Gordo, (formerly WHITE'S LANDING,) in Tenne ee, a village of Hard in co., on the Tenne ee River, 120 m. S.W. of Nashville. Cer'tain, a . [Fr. certain , from Lat. cert us - cerno, to separate, to distinguish, to determine.] Sure; undeniable; unquestionable; indubitable; existing in fact and truth; that which cannot be questioned or denied; as, a certain event. "Those things are certain amongst men, which cannot be denied without obstinacy or folly." ly." - Til lots on . -A ured in mind; having no doubts; followed by of before a noun. "To make her certain of the sad event." - Dryden. -Unfailing; always producing the intended effect; as, "a certain remedy." Mead. - Regular; stated; fixed; determinate; settled. "Who calls the council, states a certain day." - Pope . -Particular; as, a certain person. In the plural number, a particular part or number; some; an indefinite part, number, or quantity. "I mourned certain days." - Nehem. 1. 2, 6. Certainly, adv . Without doubt or question; in truth and fact; without failure. Certain ne , n. Certainty. Certainty, n. Quality of being certain; a fixed or real state; truth; fact; exemption from doubt or from failure; regularity; settled state. (Phil.) C. is applied primarily to the state of a person's mind when he feels sure or convinced of anything; but it is also applied to the truths or events respecting which this conviction may be entertained. C. is physical when it is according to the laws of nature; moral when in accordance with the common order of things and the received opinions of mankind; and meta phys i cal , when springing from intuitive beliefs, as the first principles of natural law. According to the mode in which it is attained, C. is immediate when by sense or intuition, or mediate when by reason and demonstration. Some philosophers have made sense the measure and ground of certainty; others, reason; and others, as Des cartes, self-consciousne . Cer'tes, adv . [Fr., from Lat.cert us .] Certainly; in truth; in sooth; verily. (o.) "Certes, our authors are to blame." - Hudibras . Certhi'adæ, n . pl . ( Zool .) The Creepers, a family of birds, order In se ores. They mostly live on the trunks and branches of trees, feeding on insects which they find in the crevices of the bark; and many of them aid themselves by their stiff tail-feathers in retaining their position as they search for their food on the perpendicular stem. Their claws are long and sharp; the bill of many is slender and curved; others, however, have a comparatively short and straight bill. The tongue is cart i lag in ons at the extremity, and so fitted to aid in seizing insect prey. The plumage is usually dull and uniform; but the birds are lively and active in their habits. The species are numerous and widely diffused; they are divided into a number of genera. All of them are small birds. The true Creep ers, forming the genus Certhia, exhibits the type of the family. The American Creeper of North America, Certhia American a , is five and a half inches long; its color above is dark-brown, each feather streaked centrally with whitish limbs, and the rump rusty; under parts, and a streak over the eye, white. Certificate. ( ser -tif'e-kat,) n. [Fr. cert if i cat ; Lat. cert us , certain, and facio , to make.] That which makes certain, or sure; a credential or testimony to the legitimacy or truth of anything; as, a certificate of good conduct. "I can bring certificates that I behave myself soberly before company." Add is on . -A written testimony properly authenticated; a legal voucher; as, a ship-master's certificate. AMERICAN CREEPER, (Certhia American a.) C. of registry. A certificate that a ship has been registered as the law requires. Under the U. States statutes, "every alteration in the property of a ship must be indorsed on the C. of registry, and must itself be registered." Unle this is done, the ship or ve el loses its national privileges as an American ve el. -v. a. To verify by a certificate. - To furnish with a certificate. Certification, n. The act of certifying. Certifier, n. One who certifies or a ures. Certiorari, ( sèr - she -o-ra're,) n. ( Law . ) A writ i ued by a superior to an inferior court of record, requiring the latter to send in to the former some proceeding therein pending, or the records and proceedings in some cause already terminated in some cases where the procedure is not according to the course of the common law. Cer'titude, n. [L. Lat. certitudo , from cert us.] Certainty; freedom from doubt. Cerulean, Ceru'leo us, a . [Lat. cærule us, from cæsius , bluish-gray.] Dark blue; azure; sky-colored. "From thee the sapphire takes... its hue cerulean."-Thomson. Cerulean Springs, in Kentucky , a village of Trigg co., 223 m. S.W. of Frank ford. Cerulific, a. Having the power to produce a blue color. "The several species of rays, as the rubific, cerulific , and others." Grew. Ceru'lin, n. ( Chem .) A term for indigo which has been di olved in sulphuric acid. Ceru'men, n. [L. Lat., from sera, wax.] ( Physiol .) Same as CERAMEN, q. v. Ce'rus, Ceru's ite, Cerus's ite, n . (Chem.) See LEAD, (CARBONATE OF.) Cervantes-Saavedra, MIGUEL DE, the most illustrious of Spanish writers, was born in 1547, at Alcala, in New Castile, of an ancient but poor family. His taste for literature seems to have been early developed, and to have been chiefly directed towards poetry. In his 22d year he quitted Spain for Italy, and, volunteering in the papal army, he fought bravely in 1571 against the Turks in the battle of Lepanto, receiving there a wound which lamed his left hand for life. He continued serving under several leaders, till, in 1575, sailing for the Low Countries, he was taken prisoner by an Algerine corsair. His sufferings and adventures during his three years of slavery in Algiers are said to be described in his tale, The Captive , inserted as an episode in Don Quixote . On being ransomed in 1580, he resumed military service. In 1584 appeared his first printed work, Galatea , a pastoral romance of mixed prose and verse. In it he represented under feigned names, himself and a lady whom he immediately afterwards married. He subsequently wrote a considerable number of plays, which have never become famous. About this time of his life his history becomes particularly obscure. He was for some time, at Seville, a purveyor of stores for the Indian fleet; and he is traditionally a erted to have collected tithes in La Mancha. In 1605 he published the first part of Don Quixote. The appearance of this celebrated work of genius speedily made him famous, without, however, rescuing him from poverty, although it brought him some patronage from the court, which drew him to Madrid for the rest of his life. In 1613 he published the Exemplary Novels , a collection of twelve stories unworthy of the author of Don Quixote . Next year there was printed his Journey to Parna us, a critical and satirical e ay in verse. This piece, and the celebrity of his great romance, provoked attacks on him, of which the most bitter were introduced into a spurious continuation of Don Quixote . This work was at length completed by the appearance of the second part in 1615. C. died on the 23d of April, 1616; Shakspeare dying on the very same day, in England. The editions that have been published of that immortal book Don Quizote are innumerable. It has been translated into all languages, and is one of those works "that the world will not willingly let die." We may mention, in this place, the magnificent edition published by Ca ell, Petter, and Galpin, (London and New York, 1868-9,) embellished with designs by the great French artist, Gustave Doré. Cer'velas, n. A kind of French sausage resembling the English saveloy. Cervelat, n. (Mus.) A short wind-instrument somewhat resembling a ba oon. Cervera, a walled city of Spain, prov. Catalonia, 67 m. N.W. of Barcelona, and 102 E. of Sarago a. Wine, oil, fruits, grain, and cattle are produced in the neighborhood. Pop . 4,948. Cervia, ( cher've -ǎ.) a town of central Italy, prov. Ravenna, near the Adriatic, 111⁄2 m. S.E. of Ravenna; pop . 6,308. Cervical, a. [Fr., from Lat. cervix , the neck.] Belonging to the neck. Cervicide, n. [Lat. cervus , deer, and cædere , to slay.] The act of deer-slaughter. Cer'vidæ, n. pl . [Lat. cervus , a deer.] ( Zool .) The Deer family, a group of Ruminant i a, distinguished by the po e ion of bony deciduous horns, covered with soft skin, instead of with horny matter, and termed antlers . They are spread very extensively over the globe, each quarter having its own peculiar species, celebrated either for vigor, beauty, or speed, or for all these qualities combined. Cervus , the deer, is the typical genus. - See DEER. Cervin, (MONT,) ( sair'vd .) a mountain of the Pennine Alps, 40 m. E.N.E. of Mont Blanc. Height, 14,834 ft The pa is at an elevation of 11,000 ft. See MATTER HORN, Cervine, a. [Lat. cervinus.] Pertaining to deer. Cervinus, a . ( Bot . ) Fawn-colored. Cervus, n. [Lat.] (Zool.) See DEER. Ceryle, n. ( Zool .) See ALCEDO. Cesa'rian, a Same as CESAREAN, q. v. Cesarian Operation, n. ( Surg .) See CESAREAN IMG:content-0117.jpg:[graphic] OPERATION. Cesarot'ti, MELCHIORRE, an Italian poet, B. 1730. Нія free translation of O ian gained him a reputation that a translation of the lliad under the name of La Morte di Ettore did not sustain. D. 1808. Cesena, ( che -se'na,) a town of central Italy, prov. Ferrara, on the Sario, 10 m. S.E. of Foli. Two PopesPius VI and VII-were born here. Pop . 35,870. Cespe'des, PABLO DE, a Spanish artist, a succe ful imitator of Correggio, and one of the best colorists in Spain. B. in Cordova, 1538; D. 1608. Cespititious, (ses-pe-tish'us,) a. [Lat. cæspiticius .] Turfy; pertaining to turf. Ces'pitose, a . [From Lat. cæspes , turf.] ( Bot . ) Grow ing in tufts, as turf; turfy; cespitous. Ces'pitous, a . Pertaining to turf; consisting of turf. Ce , n . [From Eng. a e .] A rate or tax. In Scotland, the land-tax. -v. a. To rate or impose a tax. In Scotland, to fix the amount of the land-tax. Ce 'ant, a. Ceasing; intermittent action; as, a ce ant state. Ce a'tion, n. [Lat. ce atio , from ce o - cedo, ce us. See CEASE.] A discontinuing; a ceasing or desisting from; intermi ion; stop; rest; vacation; as, ce ation of labor.