F.

FACILITY. Fact.--Faculty. See FACIO. Factotum. One employed in all kinds of business. The word is formed of fac, do, totum, all, (things being understood.) Fanatic. See FANUM. Among the heathen there were a sort of priests called fanatici, who performed their sacrifices in a wild enthusiastic manner; and the appellation has been generally given in modern times to those who have made pretences to inspiration, and who have conducted their worship in an extravagant and licentious manner.

Fate. See F. Fate, in a general sense, denotes an inevitable necessity depending on some superior cause; but it literally implies a word or decree pronounced by God; or a fixed sentence whereby the deity has prescribed the order of things, and allotted every person what shall befal him.

February, from Februa, an epithet given to Juno as the goddess of purification, from februo, I purify by sacrifice.

Feminine, from femina, a woman. The feminine gender is that which denotes the noun or name to belong to a female. Figure, from figura, (from fingo, I form,) a thing which is formed. Figures or numeral characters, now used in arithmetic, were brought into Europe by the Moors of Spain, and were introduced into this country, as it is supposed, about 1130. Some have conceived that these figures were originally Indian.-Figure, in Grammar, is an expression that deviates from the common and natural rules of grammar, either for the sake of elegance or brevity.-Figure, in Rhetoric, a mode of speaking, in which words are detorted from their literal and primitive sense. The term seems to have been

borrowed from the stage, where the different habits and gestures of actors, suitable to the several characters they sustained, were, by the Latins, called figura, Nor is it unusual for us to say of a person, both with respect to his dress and actions, that he makes a very bad or a very graceful figure. And as language is the dress, as it were, of our thoughts, in which they appear and are represented to others; so any particular manner of speaking may, in a more extended sense of the word, be called its figure; but rhetoricians have restrained the sense of the word to such forms of speech as differ from the more common and ordinary ways of expression; as the theatrical habits of actors, and their deportment on the stage, are different from their usual garb and behaviour at other times. Filial, from filius, a son. Pertaining to a son. Focus. The Latin word for a fire-hearth, also for the fire itself. The focus of a glass is the point where the rays concur and are collected. It is thus called, because the rays being here brought together and united, their force and effect are increased; so that they become able to burn; accordingly it is in this point that bodies are placed to sustain the force of burning glasses or mirrors.

Folio, from folium, a leaf. A large book, of which the pages are formed by a sheet of paper once doubled. Forensic, from forensis, belonging to courts of judica

ture.

Fraction and fracture. See FRANCO. Fraction, in Arithmetic, a part or division of an integer or whole number. The word literally imports a broken num-ber. Fractions are usually divided into vulgar and decimal. Vulgar fractions, or simple fractions, are expressed by two numbers, the one placed over the other with a line between them. The lower, called the denominator, denotes the unit or whole that is divided into parts; and the upper, called the numerator of the fraction, expresses the parts given in the present case. Thus, two-third parts of any thing are

written, where the denominator 3, shows that the whole line is supposed to be divided into three equal parts; and the numerator 2, indicates two of such parts.

Fraternal, from frater, brother. Fratricide. See CADO.

G.

GARRULITY, from garrulo, I chatter. The quality of talking too much.

Gender, from genus, kind. Gender, in Grammar, denotes a division or distinction of nouns or names, according to the different sexes of the things they denote. This institution of genders was not made with design by the masters of language, but was introduced by custom and usage. At first, there was only a difference between the names of animals, when speaking of males and females; and, by degrees, the same regulation was extended to other things. Grammarians have only noted and allowed what usage had established. The English language, with singular propriety, following nature alone, applies the distinction of masculine and feminine only to the names of animals; all the rest are neuter; except when by a poetical or rhetorical fiction things inanimate and qualities are exhibited as persons, and consequently become either male or female. This gives the English an advantage above most other languages in the poetical and rhetorical style; for when nouns naturally neuter are converted into masculine or feminine, the personification is more distinctly and forcibly marked.

Genitive. See GIGNO. When one thing is represented as belonging to another, in the relation of cause, origin, or author, its name has a termination given it, called the Genitive case; and as the author is properly the owner of a thing, the genitive is also called the possessive case. In English, the genitive case

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is made by prefixing the particle of; or it is expressed by an apostrophe with the letter s, as "God's grace,' formerly written, "Godis grace,' or "the grace of God." Dr. Jones, in his Greek Grammar, page 194, observes," that though the termination called the ge nitive case, be rendered by of, it means invariably from, beginning, motive; and this seems to be the true signification of of, if we regard its etymology, it being taken from ap, which signifies from; and though custom seems to have assigned it some different undefinable meaning, it is in all cases resolvable into the sense of from. Thus, a table of wood, is a table from wood, wood being the origin or beginning of it." Genius. See GIGNO. Genius, in mythology, a good or evil spirit whom the ancients supposed set over each person, to direct his birth, accompany him in life, and be his guard until death. It seems in the original, to be nothing else but the particular bent and temper of each person deified; and as every one's own temper is in a great measure the cause of his happiness or misery, these Genii were supposed to share, and have an equal feeling in all the enjoyments and sufferings of the persons they attended. The Mahometans also admit the existence of Genii, supposed by them to be a class of intermediate beings, between augels and men. Genius is more frequently used for the force or faculty of the soul considered as it thinks or judges: thus we say, "a happy genius,” “ a superior genius;" in like sense we say, "a work of genius.' Genius is also used, in a more restrained sense, for a natural talent, or disposition to one thing more than another; in which sense we say, "a genius for verse." "Taste," says Dr. Blair, "consists in the power of judging: Genius, in the power of executing." Genuflexion, from genu, knee, and flecto, I bend. The act of bowing, or bending, the knee; or rather of kneeling down.

Genus. The Latin word for kindred, breed. In science, a class of being, comprehending under it many species;

as quadruped is a genus, comprehending under it almost all terrestrial beasts. Genus may be said to be a class of a greater extent than species.

Gerund, from re gerundâ, i. e. gerendâ, an action being carried on; that is, an action in the state of progression. Grammarians are much embarrassed to settle the nature and character of the gerunds : they are not verbs, because they do not mark any judgment or affirmation of the mind, which is supposed to be the essence of a verb: and, besides, they have their several cases, which verbs have not. Dr. Jones, in his Latin Grammar, page 137, observes" that the Latin Gerunds, in di, do, and dum, are but the participle in dus, in the oblique cases: and as this is taken from the present participle, they have its sense, namely, an active sense. Participles express powers or habits, in action; and their tendency is to signify those powers, and not their operation; that is, to become abstract nouns: thus learning, feeling, hearing, assume the character of nouns. On the same principle the oblique cases of the participle, in dus, when alone, become in their nature abstract nouns. The gerunds, being thus nouns in reality, are governed like other nouns in the genitive, dative, accusative, and ablative, either with or without a preposition."

Gladiator, from gladius, a sword. The gladiators were usually slaves. Their masters made them swear that they would fight to death. To please the people, many hundreds fought one after another in one day. The annihilation of this vile practice is one of the triumphs of christianity.

Glebe, from gleba, a clod of earth. Glebe land is most commonly used for land belonging to a parish church, besides the tithes.

Gratis.

A contraction of gratiis, with or by thanks. For nothing without any other recompense than thanks. Gravity, gravitation, from gravitas, heaviness. Gravity is a term applied to that force by which all bodies are continually urged towards the centre of the earth.--