time (1), tyme

[A. S. tíma =time;cogn. with Icel. tími; Dan, time; Sw. tim me an hour. From the same root as tide (q. v.).] I. Ordinary Language : 1. The general idea of succe ive existence; measure of duration. Itis absolute or relative. Absolute time is considered without any relation to bodies or their motions. It is conceived by us as unbounded, continuous, homogeneous, unchangeable in the order of its parts and divisible without end. Relative time is the sensible measure of any portion of duration, often marked by particular phenomena, as the apparent revolution of the celestial bodies, the rotation of the earth on its axis, . Relative time is divided into years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, seconds, and measured by instruments constructed for the purposes, as clocks, watches, chronometers, clepsydras, sun-dials, hour-gla es, ., the first three being those commonly employed. Time is often personified as an old man, winged and bearing a scythe. "Our conception of time originates in that of motion; and particularly in those regular and equable motions carried on in the heavens, the parts of which, from their perfect similarity to each other, are correct measures of the continuous and succe ive quantity called Time , with which they are conceived to co-exist. Time therefore may be defined, The perceived number of succe ive movements."- Gillies : Aristotle's Ethics ; Analysis , ch. ii. 2. A particular portion or part of duration, whether past, present, or future, and considered either as a space or as a point, a period as well as a moment; season, moment, occasion. "At that time I made her weep." Shakesp.: Two Gentlemen, iv. 4. 3. An age; a part of duration distinct from other parts; the period at which any definite event occurred or person lived; as, This happened in the time of Moses. The time : The present age or period. " The time is out of joint."-Shakesp. Hamlet , i. 5. 4. A proper occasion or season for anything; hence, an opportunity. "But an adversary of no common prowe was watching his time ."- Macaulay : Hist . Eng ., ch. iv. 5. Life or duration of life regarded as employed or destined to employment; the allotted period of life. "I like this place, And willingly would waste my time in it." Shakesp.: As You Like It , ii. 4. 6. The present life; existence or duration of a being in this world. 7. All time, the future, eternity. "To keep your name living to time." Shakesp.: Coriolanus, v. 3. 8. The state of things at a particular moment or season; prevailing state of circumstances; circumstances. (Generally in the plural, and often with an adjective, as good times , hard times , .) "The spacious times of great Elizabeth." Tennyson: Dream of Fair Women, 7. 9. Performance or occurrence of an action or event with reference to repetition; hence, simply used by way of multiplication. "Ay me, she cries, and twenty times Woe, woe." Shakesp.: Venus and Adonis, 883. 10. Leisure; sufficient time or opportunity. "Little time for idle questioners." Tennyson: Enid, 272. *11. Duration of a being; age, years. "A youth of greater time than I shall show to be." Shakesp.: Two Gentlemen, ii. 7. 12. Hour of death, period of travail or the like. ( Luke i. 57.) 13. One of the three dramatic unities formerly considered e ential in the cla ical drama. The Unity in time consisted in keeping the period embraced in the action of the piece within the limit of twenty four hours. [UNITY.] II. Technically : 1. Gram.: The same as TENSE, 8. (q. v.). 2. Music: (1) The relative duration of a sound (or rest) as measured by the rhythmical proportions of the different notes, taking the semibreve as the unit or standard: the minim being half the semibreve; the crotchet half the minim; the quaver half the crotchet, and so on. 257 (2) The division of musical phrases into certain regulated portions measured with regard to the value of the notes with respect to the semibreve, which, in modern music, is held to be the standard of time. There are also two sorts of time: duple, with two, four, or eight beats in the bar; and triple, with three beats in a bar. There is also compound time, or time formed of the union of triple with duple, and triple with triple, each having a distinctive time signature. (3) The absolute velocity or pace at which a movement is performed, as indicated by the directions, quick, slow, presto, grave, lento, allegro, . 3. Phrenol.: One of the perceptive faculties, the organ of which is divided into two portions, one placed above the middle of each eyebrow. It is supposed to enable one to conceive the duration of events or phenomena, and their simultaneous or succe ive occurrence. Time is the generic term; it is either taken for the whole or the part. We speak of time when the simple idea of time only is to be expre ed, as the time of the day, or the time of the year. The date is that period of time which is reckoned from the date or commencement of a thing to the time that it is spoken of; hence, we speak of a thing as being of a long or a short date . Era and epoch both refer to points of time rendered remarkable by events; but the former is more commonly employed in the literal sense for points of computation in chronology, as the Christian era ; the latter is indefinitely employed for any period distinguished by remarkable events; the war of the rebellion is an epoch in the history of the United States. 11. Absolute time: Time irrespective of local standards; time everywhere reckoned from one standard. 2. Apparent time , Solar time : Time as reckoned by the movements of the sun; time as shown by a sundial. 3. Astronomical time : Mean solar time, reckoned by counting the hours continuously from one to twenty-four, instead of dividing them into two twelves. 4. At times : At distant intervals of duration. "The Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times ."Judges xiii. 25. 5. Civil time : Time as reckoned for the purposes of civil or of ordinary life. In most civilized countries the division of civil time is into years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds, besides vaguer designations, such as morning, noon, evening, night, . 6. Common time: (1) Mil .: The ordinary time taken in marching, being about ninety paces per minute, as distinguished from quick time, in which 110 paces are taken. (2) Music : [COMMON-TIME.] 7. Equation of time : [EQUATION.] 8. Green wich time : Time as settled by the pa age of the sun's center over the meridian of Green wich. 9. In good time : (1) At the right moment; in good season. "To jest in good time." Shakesp.: Comedy of Errors, ii. 2. (2). Fortunately, happily. (Often used ironically.) "In good time here comes the noble duke." Shakesp.: Richard III ., ii. 10. In time : (1) At the right moment; before it is too late. "Gentle physic given in time had cured me." Shakesp.: Henry VIII ., iv. 2. (2) In course of time; in the course of things; by degrees; eventually; as, He got well in time . 11. Local time : Time determined by the moment at which the sun comes to the meridian at any particular place. "Primarily, for the convenience of the railroads, a standard of time was established by mutual agreement in 1883, by which trains are run and local time regulated. According to this system, the United States, extending from 65 to 125 west longitude, is divided into four time sections, each of 15 of longitude, exactly equivalent to one hour. The first (eastern) section includes all terri. tory between the Atlantic coast and an irregular line drawn from Detroit to Charleston, S. C., the latter being its most southern point. The second (central) section includes all the territory between the last-named line and an irregular line from Bismarck, N. D., to the mouth of the Rio Grande. The third (mountain) section includes all territory between the last-named line and nearly the western borders of Idaho, Utah, and Arizona. The fourth (Pacific) section covers the rest of the country to the Pacific coast. Standard time is uniform inside each of these sections, and the time of each section differs from that next to it by exactly one hour. Thus at 12 noon in New York City (eastern time), the time at Chicago (central time) is 11 o'clock A. M.; at Denver (mountain time), 10 o'clock A. M.; and at San Francisco (Pacific time), 9 o'clock A. Μ. Standard time is 16 minutes slower at Boston than true local time , 4 minutes slower at New York, 8 minutes faster at Washington, 19 minutes faster at IMG:content-1138.png:[blocks in formation] 12. Mean time , Mean solar time : [MEAN-TIME.] 13. Nick of time : The exact moment in point of time required by nece ity or convenience; the critical moment. 14. Railway time: Time, to which all railway clocks are adjusted. [LOCAL TIME.] 15. Sidereal time : [SIDEREAL-TIME.] 16. Solar time : [2.] 17. Time about : Alternately. 18. Time enough : In season; soon enough. "Stanley at Bosworth-field, though he came time enough to save his life, yet he stayed long enough to endanger it."-Bacon: Henry VII. 19. Time of day : (1) A greeting or salutation appropriate to the hour of the day, as Good morning, Good evening, . "When every one will give the time of day." Shakesp.: Henry VI., Pt. II., iii. 1. (2) The latest aspect of affairs; a dodge. ( Slang .) *20. Time of grace : Time during which hunting could be lawfully carried on. 21. Time out of mind, Time immemorial : Law : Time beyond legal memory; that is, the time prior to the reign of Richard I., A. D. 1189. 22. To beat time : [BEAT, υ., C. 16.] 23. To move, run , or go against time : To move, run, or go, as a horse, a runner, ., as fast as po ible, so as to ascertain the greatest speed attain a ble, or the greatest distance that can be pa ed over in a certain time. 24. To kill time: To beguile time; to occupy one's self so as to cause the time to pa pleasantly or without tediousne . 25. To lose time : (1) To fail by delay to take full advantage of the opportunity afforded by the conjuncture; to delay. "The earl lost no time , but marched day and night." -Clarendon . a host of needy adventurers, who were not slow to avail themselves of the opportunity of making a gain, while they had nothing to lose." -Bithell : Counting-house Dict. time-beguiling, a . Making time pa quickly and pleasantly away. "A time- beguiling ditty, for delight Of his fond partner, silent in the nest." Words worth: Excursion, bk. vi. *time-bettering, adj . Improving the state of things; full of innovations. "Some fresher stamp of the time - lettering days." Shakesp .: Sonnet $2. *time-be wasted, adj . Consumed or used up by time. "My oil-dried lamp, and time - be wasted light." Shakesp.: Richard II ., i. 3. *time-bill, s. A time-table. time-book, s. A book in which is kept a record of the time persons have worked. *time-candle, s. A candle in which the size and quality of the material and the wick are so regulated that a certain length will burn in a given time.