Dryden: Don Sebastian

L To take air is to be divulged, to obtain publicity. "I am sorry to find it has taken air that I have some hand in these papers."- Pope : Letters. (d) Its healthful influence when in motion: Adverse, but bracing influence. "The keen, the wholesome air of poverty." Words worth: The Excursion , bk. i. (e) Its capability of presenting objects in different aspects at different times: 1. (See B., III.) 2. Appearance. and again they have too busine -like and simple an air for legendary stories handed down by popular tradition."-Lewis: Early Rom. Hist . , chap. xii, pt. 1, § 15. "As it was communicated with the air of a secret, it soon found its way into the world."-Pope: Dedica tion to Rape of the Lock. air-air-cells 3. The aspect, look, mien, or manners of any particular person, from which his character may be inferred. "So thinks that dame of haughty air, Who hath a page her book to hold." Words worth: White Doe of Rylstone. "Uly es sole with air majestic stands." Pope: Homer's Ody ey , bk. xiii. 72. 4. Often in the plural: Affectation, an a umption of dignity to which one is not entifled, and which it would be inexpedient to parade even if he were. "Their whole lives were employed in intrigues of state; and they naturally give themselves airs of kings and and princes, of which the ministers s of other nations are only the representatives." - Add is on : Rem. on Italy. IMG:content-0311.png:[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors] 2. Now : The gaseous substance which fills the atmosphere surrounding our planet. It is elastic, and is destitute of taste, colour, and smell. It contains by weight, oxygen 23:10 parts, and of nitrogen 76-90: and by volume, of oxygen 20-90, and of nitrogen 79-10; or of 10,000 parts there are in perfectly dry air, of nitrogen 7,912, oxygen 2,080, carbonic acid 4, carburetted hydrogen 4, with a trace of am in on i a. But air never is dry; it has always in it a varying amount of watery vapour. When exhaled from the lungs it is saturated with moisture, and contains about 4:35 parts of carbonic acid. The prevalence of this latter gas in abnormal quantity is prejudicial to human life, while air with a high per-centage of oxygen in it is healthful and invigorating. Dr. R. Angus Smith, F.R.S., found that the oxygen in the air of various localities varied as follows: IMG:content-0312.png:[blocks in formation] Quart. Journ. of Science , ii. (1865) 222-3. The density of air being fixed at the round number 1,000, it is made the standard with which the specific gravity of other substances is compared. If water be made unity, then the specific gravity of dry air is 0012759. At 62o Fahr. it is 810 times lighter than water, and 11,000 times lighter than mercury. At the surface of the sea the mean pre ure is sufficient to balance a column of mercury 30 inches, or one of water 34 feet in height. [ATMOSPHERE, ACOUSTICS, BAROMETER, PNEUMATICS, RESPIRATION.] II. Music : A tune or melody. A melodic succe ion of notes as opposed to a harmonic combination. [TUNE, MELODY.] "There is in souls a sympathy with sounds, And as the mind is pitch'd the ear is pleased With melting airs or martial, brisk or grave." Cowper: Task, bk. vi. Formerly, harmonised melodies were said to be airs in several parts, but the term is at present generally restricted to an unaccompanied tune, or the most prominent melody of a composition, as found usually in the highest part, whether in vocal or instrumental music. III. Painting & Sculpture: Gesture, attitude; that which expre es the character of the action represented. IV. Horsemanship (plur.): The artificial motion of a horse under direction. air- Enters into the composition of a number of words (in addition to those given below) denoting objects variously related to air, such as air - bath , air - blast , air - boz , air- brake , air - brick , air-cock, air- cooler , air-gauge, air-heading, air ship , . 133 air-atmosphere, s . The atmosphere consisting of or filled with air. the lofty air -atmosphere."- Prof . Airy on Sound (1868), p. 8. air-balloon, s . (1) Properly a balloon rendered lighter than the surrounding atmosphere by the rarefaction of the air within it; but (2) the word "air" may be used in the old sense for any gas, and the term "air balloon" thus becomes simply a synonym for BALLOON (q.v.). air-balloonist, s. One who makes or uses air-balloons. ( Kirby.) air-bed, s . A "bed" or mattre made of air-tight cloth or vulcanized india-rubber, divided into compartments and inflated with air. Its disadvantage is that the air within it becomes heated by the warmth of the body. In this respect it is inferior to the water-bed, which is now generally used instead of it as an easy couch for the sick.