paragrele

[French, from parer =to guard against, and grêle = hail.) A small lightning-conductor set up by means of a pole in French vineyards to aid in drawing off the electricity from the atmosphere over them. The intention is to prevent the occurrence of hailstorms. Arago proposed that the conductors should be raised and supported by small balloons connected by slender wires or chains with the ground. [PARA GRAN DINE.] Păr-a-guāy' (u as w), s. [See def.] Geog.: A state of South America, south and west of Brazil. Paraguay-tea, s . 1. Ord. Lang.: An infusion of the leaves of Ilex paraguensis , and that tree itself. The leaves, which when green taste like those of mallow, are roasted, dried, and almost pulverized. Three kinds of it exist; the first, the half expanded buds; the second, the leaves stripped of the ribs; and the third, the leaves unstripped. These are put in a teapot, called maté (q. v.), hot water added, and, when cool, the infusion is sucked up through a tube. The tea is used generally in central South America. 2. Chem.: Yerba Maté. The dried leaves and twigs of Ilex paraguay ens is . They have been examined by Sten house, who found them to contain 12 per cent. of caffeine.