flexibility (fleksibiliti)

[F. flexibilité = Pr. flexibilitat = Sp. flexibilidad =Pg. flexibili dade = It. fle ibilità, fle ibilitade, fle ibilitate, The authority of the teachers, the flexibility of the taught. Hammond , Works, II. 664. Adaptation to any special climate may be looked at as a quality readily grafted on an innate wide flexibility of constitution, common to most animals. Darwin, Origin of Species, p. 145. Some flexibility has in fact become indispensable to keep the services true to the conscience and close to the affections of a modern congregation. Contemporary Rev., L. 23, IMG:content-1492.png:[blocks in formation] 2268 thumb. See cut under muscle. - Flexor carpi radial is, a long muscle of the radial side of the front of the forearm, bending the See cut under muscle. - Flexor carpi radial is brevis of pro fundus, an occasio muscle, acce ory to the last named. - Flexor carpi ulnar is, a long muscle of the ulnar side of the front of the forearm, bending the hand. See cut under muscle. Flexor digitorum pro fundus or perforans, a deep seated muscle of the front of the forearm, the principal flexor of the fingers, exclusive of the thumb. Flexor digitorum sublimis or perforatus, a superficial muscle of the front of the forearm, bending the fingers. Flexor hallucis long us. Same as flexor long us pollicis (b). Flexor long us digitorum, a muscle of the back of the leg, flexing the toes. Flexor long us pollicis. ( a ) A deep-seated muscle of the front of the forearm, flexing the thumb. (b) A deep-seated muscle of the back of the leg, flexing the great toe. - Flexor metatarsi. Same as peroneus tertius. See peroneus. Flexor o is metacarpi pollicis or opponens pollicis, a short muscle lying upon the ball of the thumb. Flexor palmar is, the palmar flexor; the long palmar muscle. See palm a ris. Flexor tarsi anterior, the anterior tarsal flexor, an occasional muscle pa ing from the crus to the tarsus anteriorly. - Flexor tarsi fibular is, a name of the third peroneal muscle, or flexor metatarsi. flexuose (flek'su-os), a. Same as flexuous, 3. flexuous (flek su-us), a. [= F. flexueux = Sp. Pg. flexuoso It. fle uoso, L. flexuosus, Physic carrieth men in narrow and restrained ways, subject to many accidents of impediments, imitating the ordinary flexuous courses of nature. Bacon , Advancement of Learning, ii. 166. Elsie danced with a kind of pa ionate fiercene , her lithe body undulating with flexuous grace. O. W. Holines, Elsie Venner, x. 2. Wavering; not steady; variable. The flexuous burning of flames doth shew the air beginneth to be unquiet. Bacon, Nat. Hist. Mutable, subiect to temptation, and each way flexible 3. In bot ., curved or bent alternately in oppo to vertue or vice. Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 24. Thou dost not know the flexible condition Of my apt nature. Ford, Perkin Warbeck, iii. 2. Nor was he flexible to any prayers or weeping of them that besought him to tarry there. Milton , Hist. Eng., ii. 3. That may be adapted or accommodated; capable of receiving different forms, or of being applied to a variety of uses; plastic: as, a flexible language; a flexible text. This was a principle more flexible to their purpose. Rogers . We do not apprehend that it is a le flexible cant than those which have preceded it, or that it will le easily furnish a pretext for any design for which a pretext may be required. Macaulay, West. Rev. Def. of Mill. 4. In music, able to execute or perform with rapidity: particularly used of the voice. - Flexible case. See limp case, under case2. - Flexible coupling, frame, etc. See the nouns. Syn. Pliable, supple, limber, lithe, facile, adaptable. flexiblene (flek'si-bl-nes), n. The condition or quality of being flexible; flexibility; pliablene ; ductility; manageablene ; tractable ne . The flexiblene of the former part of a man's age, not yet grown up to be headstrong, makes it more governable. Locke. flexibly (flek'si-bli), adv. In a flexible manner. flex i costate (flek-si-kos'tāt), a. [L. flex us, pp. of flectere, bend, + costa, a rib: see costate.] Having the ribs bent or curved. [Rare.] flexile (flek's il), a. [= Pg. flexil (obs.), And she has flexile features, acting eyes, And seems with every look to sympathise. Crabbe, Works, V. 57. A remarkable point about her [Margaret Fuller] was that long, flexile neck, arching and undulating in strange sinuous movements, which one who loved her would compare to those of a swan. [ O. W. Holmes, Old Vol. of Life, p. 242. flexiloquent (flek-sil'ō-kwent), a. flexiloquus , ambiguous, equivocal, flex us , pp. of flectere , bend, + loqui , ppr. loquen (t-)s, speak.] Speaking doubtfully or doubly. Coles, flexion, flexional, etc. See flection , etc. site directions, as a stem or branch. Also flexu ose.-4. In zoöl., almost zigzag, but with rounded angles; between undulated and zigzag: as, a flexuous margin. flexuously (flek'su-us-li), adr. In a flexuous or zigzag manner. Flexuously curved. H. C. Wood , Fresh-Water Algæ, p. 34, flexura (flek-şü'rä), n.; pl. flexuræ (-re). [L.: see flexure .] 1. In an at . , same as flexure .-2. In vet . surg ., specifically, the radio carpal artic ulation, as the knee of a horse, corresponding to the human wrist-joint. flexure (flek's ur), n. [= Pg. flexura = It. fles sura, Remember ki ing of your hand, and answering With the French time, and flexure of your body. B. Jonson, Devil is an A , iii. 1. God. and bends in reads the secret purposes, all the flexures and intrigues of crafty people. Jer. Taylor , Works (ed. 1835), I. 677. Contrary is the flexure of the joints of our arms and legs to that of quadrupeds: our knees bend forward, whereas the same joint of their hind legs bends backward. Ray. 2. The part bent; a bend; a fold.-3t. Obsequious bowing or cringing. Think'st thou, the fiery fever will go out With titles blown from adulation? Will it give place to flexure and low bending? Shak., Hen. V., iv. 1. Caudal flexure, the bending of the tail of the embryo forward toward the trunk. - Cephalic flexure. See cephalic. - Contrary flexure, in math., the changing of the direction of bending of a plane curve. If the tangent, as it rolls upon the curve, ceases to turn in one direction and instantly begins to turn in the opposite direction, it is at that instant called a stationary or inflectional tangent, and its point of tangency is called a point of inflection, or of contrary flexure. - Flexure of a curve. Flexure of the wing, alar flexure, in ornith, the bend of the wing; the carpal angle; the salience formed at the wrist when the wing is folded. - Hemal flexure, in an at., a bending toward the hemal side or aspect of the body; a See curve. flexor (flek's or), n.; pl. flexors and flexores (-sorz, flek-sō'rēz)." [= Pg. flexor = It. fle ore , flexor , a bender, flectere , pp. flex us , bend: see flex1 .] In an at ., a muscle whose function is to bend or produce flexion: opposed to ex- tensor. See flection , 5. Also, improperly, flec- tor.-Flexor acce orius, a muscle of the sole of the foot, acce ory to the flexor long us digitorum. Flexor brevis digitorum, a short muscle of the sole of the foot, bending the toes. Flexor brevis minim i digit i. (a) A short muscle of the sole of the foot, bending the lit- tle toe. (b) A short muscle of the palm of the hand, bending the little finger. Flexor brevis pollicis. (a) A short muscle of the sole of the foot, bending the great toe. (b) fleyl, v. and n. See flay2 . turning ventrad: as, the hemal flexure of the cerebral vesi- cles. Hepatic flexure, in an at . , the bend between the ascending and the transverse colon. Moment of flexure, in mech., a couple measured by the product of the intensity of the resultant of all the forces tending to bend a beam multiplied by the distance from the line of action of that resultant of any transverse plane with reference to which the moment is taken. Sigmoid flexure, in an at., the S-shaped curve between the descending colon and the rectum. See cut under alimentary. Splenic flexure, in an at., the bend between the transverse and the descending colon. A short muscle of the palm of the hand, bending the fley2t. An obsolete preterit of fly1. flicker