Volume 1

The new complete dictionary of arts and sciences; or, an universal system of useful knowledge. The theological, philosophical, critical, and poetical branches / by the Rev. Erasmus Middleton ... the medicinal, chemical, and anatomical, by William Turnbull ... the gardening and botanical, by Thomas Ellis ... the mathematical, etc. by John Davison.

Date:
1778
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The new complete dictionary of arts and sciences; or, an universal system of useful knowledge. The theological, philosophical, critical, and poetical branches / by the Rev. Erasmus Middleton ... the medicinal, chemical, and anatomical, by William Turnbull ... the gardening and botanical, by Thomas Ellis ... the mathematical, etc. by John Davison. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    GREGARI OUS, an epithet applied to fuch animals I been given For a long courfe of time to people in com as live together in flocks or herds. GREGORIAN Calendar. See Calendar. Gregorian Fw. See Year. GREWT, among miners, implies earth of a differ¬ ent colour from the reft, found on the banks of rivers as they are fearching for mines. GRIFFON, in heraldry, an imaginary animal, fuppofed by the ancients to be half eagle and half lion. GRINDING, Trituratio, the reducing hard fub- ftances to dine powders, by means of mills, rubbing I them in a mortar, or with a mulLer on a marble. GRIPE, in hufbandy, a fmall ditch cut acrofs meadow or ploughed land, in order to drain it. . GRIPES, among bailors, certain ropes hooked to] fumptions, and it is laid with fuccels. Lindanus fpeaks greatly of it in an empyema and vomica pulmonum, and recommends it before all other medicines to fuch as void blood and purulent matter by urine. Etmuller recommends it in bruifes from falls, and St. Paulii teils us, that in cafe of the gravel or ftone in the kidnies, there is no medicine equal to the powder of ground-ivy given in drops of a fcruple or i a dram two or three times a day for a conflderable time. Ray tells us, that the juice of it fnuffed up the nole is a cure for head-achs, even of the worft kind, and externally very great praifes are given to it as a cleanfer and healer of ulcers • the leaves bruifed and applied with a little lard, or any fuch fub- ftance, to reduce them to form, and keep them from certain the decks of a fhip, and drawn tight over the boats, to I drying up too foon fecure and prevent them from being fhaken by the agi- GROPE, in painting and fculpture, an aftemblage tation of a fhip at fea. of feveral figures of men, animals, fruits, &c. that have GRIPING, in the fea-language, the inclination of fome relation to one another. In a good painting, all a fhip to run to the windward of her courfe, when fhe the figures muft be divided into two or three groupes. fleers with a wind on either quarter. This is partly There are two ways of confidering groupes; i. With occafioned by the fhock of the waves which ftrike her regard to the defign ; and adly, to the clair obfcure. on her weather-quarter, but chiefly by the arrangement The firft is common to works of painting and fculpture ; of the fails, which difpofe her at fuch a time to edge! the latter peculiar to painting. Groupes with regard to continually to windward. See Quarter. the defign are aflembiages of divers figures which have GRIST, in country affairs, implies corn already relation to each other. Groupes with regard to the clair ground, or ready for grinding. obicure are figures wherein the lights and fhades are dif- GROAT, an Englilh money of account, equal to 4d. fufed fo as to ftrike the eye together, and naturally lead GROGRAM, among manufadlurers, a kind of fluff compofed of filk and mohair. GROIN, Pubes, in anatomy. See Pubes. it to confider them in one view, GRUBS, in medicine, white untluoiis pimples com¬ monly on the face, and chiefly on the alee of the nole. GROOM, a name applied to feveral fuperior officers They are cured by evacuation and acrid lotions, belonging to the king’s houlhold. GRUME, Grurnus a concreted clot of blood, milk. Groom, is more particularly ufed for a fervant ap- or any other fubftance. Hence grumous blood denotes pointed to attend horfes in the liable. that confiftence of the blood wherein it is too vilcid for GROMMET, among failors, a fort of wreath or a due circulation, and by ftagnating in the capillaries, ring of rope to fallen a fail to any flay, upon which it produces divers difeafes. is drawn along at the time ofhoifting and lowering it, . GRY, a meafure containing^ of aline; a line is by the help of thefe grommets, as a curtain is extended fto of a digit; and a digit W of a foot; and a philo- or drawn together along its rod, by the affiftance of rings, fophical foot j of a pendulum, whofe vibrations in GROOVE, among miners, the lhaft or pit funk 45 deg. latitude, are each equal to i or A? of a minuta into the earth, whether in the vein or .not. of time! , . Groove, among joiners, implies the channel made G UAIACUM, called alfo lignum vitae, is a medici- by their plough in the edge of a moulding, &c. nal wood, extremely hard and folid, of adenfe compact GROSS-WEIGHT, among merchants, fighifies texture, and remarkably heavy ; it confifts of two parts, the whole weight of any commodity, including the dull, a central matter or heart, as it is called in trees, and an drofs, and bag, cheft, &c. in which it is contained. GROSSULARIA, the goofeberry and currant] buffies. GROTESQUE, fomething whimfical, extravagant, and monftrous, GROTTO, in natural hiftory, a large deep cavern in fome rock or mountain. Grotto is alfo ufed for a fmall artificial edifice] made in a garden, in imitation of a natural grotto. exterior one or blea. Guaiacum is attenuant and aperient: it promotes the difeharge by fweat and urine, artd at the fame time ftreilgthens the ftomach and the other vifeera. It is an excellent medicine in obftrueftions of the liver and fpleen, in jaundices, dropfies, and many other chronick cafes. It gives great relief in rhumatifnls, and even in the gout. The bark is a more powerful attenuant than the The outfides of thefe grottos are ufually adorned with I wood, but it is lefs proper to people of a 'feveriffi dif- ruftick architecture, and their iniide with fhell-work, coral, &c. and alfo furnifhed with various fountains, and other ornaments. GROVE, in gardening, a fmall wood impervious to the rays of the fun. GROUND, in painting, that furface upon which figures, &c. are reprefented. polition. Neither of them are given mtich in fubftance, the ufual way being in decoftion with faffafras, and other medicines of the fame intention. Got-Guaiacum, a refin exuding from the guaia- enm-tree. It is of a brown colour, partly redilh, and often greenifli, brittle, of a gloflfy furface when broke, of a pungent talle ; and when rubbed or heated, of Ground, in etching, a gummous, &c. compofition an agreeable ftnell: its fmoke, in burning, has fome- With which the copper-plate is belmeared, fo that the what the ftnell of that of wood. Such ffiould be cliofen aqua fortis may only eat mto the parts cut through, or as has pieces of the bark adhering, and eafily parts pared off with the needle-points. from them by a few quick blows. The maffes which GROUND-IVY, Hedera terrejlris, in botany, a have no bark, efpecially the large ones, are often fo- low plant, whofe ftalks are lquare, hollow, and jointed, phifticated. We received for gum-guaiacum, a whole fomewhat hairy and of a duiky green, or more ufually a box of an artificial compofition of colophony and bal- purpliffi colour. fam of fulphur : this abufe was readily diftinguilhabie Ground-ivy is an attenuant and diffolvent, and is fa- by the fmell of the compound, when laid upon burning mous as a vulnerary. It is much ufed with us in an coals, and even by its appearance Upon breaking. Out infufion, in form of tea, for diforders of the breaft and of an ounce of gum-guaiacum, reClified fpirit of wine diflolves fix drams and two fcruples : of the remainder, water applied at firft, extracts four fcruples out of an ounce : of therefiduum, fpirit diflolves four drams and two fcruples. In diftillation, it gives over a little both t6 water and to fpirit, fo little as to be altogether in- confiderable, Its virtues are the fame with thole of the wood. It is ufed pretty frequently in England, very i rarely lungs, and is fometimes made an ingredient in the pec¬ toral decodlions. A conferve made of the young plant when in flower early in lpring retains its virtues in a Very agreeable form, but it is leldom kept in the Ihops. Authors give it the character of a fpecifick in erofions and exulcerations of the vifeera, and particularly of the kidnies, and of the lungs : on this account the juice has j