regulus

[Lat. a little king, dim in. from rex (gen it. reg is ) =a king.] I. Ord. Lang.: A petty king or ruler. II. Technically : 1. Astron.: A star of the first magnitude in the zodiacal constellation Leo. A line drawn from the Pole Star, between the Pointers and the other five stars of the Great Bear, will, if produced, cut Regu lus. With various other stars, three of which are of the second magnitude, it forms a sickle-like body, from which the Leonids diverge. [LEONIDS.] Called also Cor leon is , or the Lion's Heart. The Greek denominated it Basil is kos a little king, which was Latinized into Regulus. [Etym.] 2. Chem .: A mineral reduced from its oxide or other compound by fusion with a reducing agent. ( Watts .) "The production of regulus from the smelting works." -London Daily Telegraph . 3. Ornith.: A genus of Sylviide, sub-family Phyll. oscopine, with seven species from all Pale arctic and Nearctic regions, and south to Guatemala. Bill small, broad at base; nostrils semi-lunar, covered with membranous scale; bill very slightly forked; tarsi with one long scale in front. rê-gûr, s. [Native name.] Geol., .: The black cotton, clayey soil of India. It occurs principally on the table land of the Dec can and in Nagpore. It is le frequent in Mysore, but re-appears in southern India in continuous sheets from six to twenty feet thick. It sometimes rests on kunkur and gravel. Though generally a surface soil, it dips beneath recent alluvium. It is extremely fertile, having produced heavy crops for many centuries without manure. Its exact age is undetermined.