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Heretic

One who holds to a heresy; one who believes some doctrine contrary to the established faith or prevailing religion.

Heretical

Containing heresy; of the nature of, or characterized by, heresy.

Hereticate

To decide to be heresy or a heretic; to denounce as a heretic or heretical.

Heretofore

Up to this time; hitherto; before; in time past.

Hereunto

Unto this; up to this time; hereto.

Herie

To praise; to worship.

Heriot

Formerly, a payment or tribute of arms or military accouterments, or the best beast, or chattel, due to the lord on the death of a tenant; in modern use, a customary tribute of goods or chattels to the lord of the fee, paid on the decease of a tenant.

Herisson

A beam or bar armed with iron spikes, and turning on a pivot; -- used to block up a passage.

Heritable

Capable of being inherited or of passing by inheritance; inheritable.

Heritage

That which is inherited, or passes from heir to heir; inheritance.

Heritor

A proprietor or landholder in a parish.

Herl

Same as Harl, 2.

Hermaphrodite

Including, or being of, both sexes; as, an hermaphrodite animal or flower.

Hermaphroditical Hermaphroditic

Partaking of the characteristics of both sexes; having male and female reproductive organs in the same plant or animal; characterized by hermaphroditism. Opposite of dioecious.

Hermaphroditism

The union of the two sexes in the same individual, or the combination of some of their characteristics or organs in one individual.

Hermeneutical Hermeneutic

Unfolding the signification; of or pertaining to interpretation; exegetical; explanatory; as, hermeneutic theology, or the art of expounding the Scriptures; a hermeneutic phrase.

Hermeneutically

According to the principles of interpretation; as, a verse of Scripture was examined hermeneutically.

Hermeneutics

The science of interpretation and explanation; exegesis; esp., that branch of theology which defines the laws whereby the meaning of the Scriptures is to be ascertained.

Hermetical Hermetic

Of, pertaining to, or taught by, Hermes Trismegistus; as, hermetic philosophy. Hence: Alchemical; chemic.

Hermit

A person who retires from society and lives in solitude; a recluse; an anchoret; especially, one who so lives from religious motives.

Hermitage

The habitation of a hermit; a secluded residence.

Hermitary

A cell annexed to an abbey, for the use of a hermit.

Hermodactyl

A heart-shaped bulbous root, about the size of a finger, brought from Turkey, formerly used as a cathartic.

Hermogenian

A disciple of Hermogenes, an heretical teacher who lived in Africa near the close of the second century. He held matter to be the fountain of all evil, and that souls and spirits are formed of corrupt matter.

Hern

A heron; esp., the common European heron.

Hernani

A thin silk or woolen goods, for women's dresses, woven in various styles and colors.

Hernia

A protrusion, consisting of an organ or part which has escaped from its natural cavity, and projects through some natural or accidental opening in the walls of the latter; as, hernia of the brain, of the lung, or of the bowels. Hernia of the abdominal viscera in most common. Called also rupture.

Hernial

Of, or connected with, hernia.

Herniotomy

A surgical procedure for the cure or relief of hernia; celotomy.

Hero

An illustrious man, supposed to be exalted, after death, to a place among the gods; a demigod, as Hercules.

Herodian

One of a party among the Jews, composed of partisans of Herod of Galilee. They joined with the Pharisees against Christ.

Herodiones

A division of wading birds, including the herons, storks, and allied forms. Called also Herodii.

Heroic

Of or pertaining to, or like, a hero; of the nature of heroes; distinguished by the existence of heroes; as, the heroic age; an heroic people; heroic valor.

heroin

a morphine derivative, diacetyl morphine, used to relieve severe pain and as a sedative. It is highly addictive, and its use is strictly controlled in the U.S. by federal law. It is a popular strong narcotic drug of abuse, in part because it is more soluble than morphine. It is sometimes included as one of the components of Brompton's mixture, used to control pain in terminallly ill patients.

Heroine

A woman of an heroic spirit.

Heroism

The qualities characteristic of a hero, as courage, bravery, fortitude, unselfishness, etc.; the display of such qualities.

Heron

Any wading bird of the genus Ardea and allied genera, of the family Ardeidae. The herons have a long, sharp bill, and long legs and toes, with the claw of the middle toe toothed. The common European heron (Ardea cinerea) is remarkable for its directly ascending flight, and was formerly hunted with the larger falcons.

Heroner

A hawk used in hunting the heron.

Heroship

The character or personality of a hero.

Herpes

An eruption of the skin, taking various names, according to its form, or the part affected, caused by a herpesvirus infection; especially, an eruption of vesicles in small distinct clusters, accompanied with itching or tingling, including shingles, ringworm, and the like; -- so called from its tendency to creep or spread from one part of the skin to another.

Herpes simplex

either of two forms of herpesvirus infection, distinguished as being caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), which causes mostly sores and eruptions around the mouth (cold sores and fever blisters) and at other points above the waist, and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), causing genital herpes. HSV-1 is also known in some cases to cause genital herpes infections.

Herpes zoster

same as shingles; -- a form of herpes caused by the varicella-zoster virus.

Herpestes

A genus of carnivores including the mongooses.

Herpesvirus

any of several dozen DNA-containing virus of the family Herpetoviridae, including among them such human-disease-causing agents as Herpes simplex virus causing oral and genital herpes, varicella-zoster virus (Herpes zoster virus) causing shingles and chickenpox (varicella), Epstein-Barr virus (EB virus) causing infectious mononucleosis, and Cytomegalovirus.

Herpetic

Pertaining to, or resembling, the herpes; partaking of the nature of herpes; as, herpetic eruptions.

Herpetism

See Dartrous diathesis, under Dartrous.

Herpetologist

One versed in herpetology, or the natural history of reptiles.

Herpetology

The natural history of reptiles; that branch of Zoology which relates to reptiles, including their structure, classification, and habits.

Herpetotomist

One who dissects, or studies the anatomy of, reptiles.

Herr

A title of respect given to gentlemen in Germany, equivalent to the English Mister.

Herrenvolk

a race that considers itself superior to all others and fitted to rule the others; -- referred to especially in NAZI racial theories.

Herring

One of various species of fishes of the genus Clupea, and allied genera, esp. the common round or English herring (Clupea harengus) of the North Atlantic. Herrings move in vast schools, coming in spring to the shores of Europe and America, where they are salted and smoked in great quantities.

Herringbone

Pertaining to, or like, the spine of a herring; especially, characterized by an arrangement of work in rows of parallel lines, which in the alternate rows slope in different directions.

Herrnhuter

One of the Moravians; -- so called from the settlement of Herrnhut (the Lord's watch) made, about 1722, by the Moravians at the invitation of Nicholas Lewis, count of Zinzendorf, upon his estate in the circle of Bautzen.

Hers

See the Note under Her, pron.

Herschelian

Of or relating to Sir William Herschel; as, the Herschelian telescope.

Herse

Same as Hearse, v. t.

Herself

An emphasized form of the third person feminine pronoun; -- used as a subject with she; as, she herself will bear the blame; also used alone in the predicate, either in the nominative or objective case; as, it is herself; she blames herself.

Hersillon

A beam with projecting spikes, used to make a breach impassable.

Hertz

a unit of frequency equal to one cycle per second; it is abbreviated Hz. It is commonly used to specify the frequency of radio waves, and also the clock frequencies in digital computers. For these applications, kilohertz and megahertz are the most commonly used units, derived from hertz.

Hertzian

Of or pert. to the German physicist Heinrich Hertz.

Hery

To worship; to glorify; to praise.

Herzog

A member of the highest rank of nobility in Germany and Austria, corresponding to the British duke.

Hesitancy

The act of hesitating, or pausing to consider; slowness in deciding; vacillation; also, the manner of one who hesitates.

Hesitant

Not prompt in deciding or acting; hesitating.

Hesitate

To utter with hesitation or to intimate by a reluctant manner.

hesitating

holding back because of doubt or lack of confidence.

Hesitation

The act of hesitating; suspension of opinion or action; doubt; vacillation.

Hesitative

Showing, or characterized by, hesitation.

Hesp

A measure of two hanks of linen thread.

Hesperetin

A white, crystalline substance having a sweetish taste, obtained by the decomposition of hesperidin, and regarded as a complex derivative of caffeic acid.

Hesperian

Of or pertaining to a family of butterflies called Hesperidae, or skippers. Any one of the numerous species of Hesperidae; a skipper.

Hesperidene

An isomeric variety of terpene from orange oil.

Hesperidin

A glucoside found in ripe and unripe fruit (as the orange), and extracted as a white crystalline substance.

Hesperidium

A large berry with a thick rind, as a lemon or an orange.

Hesperornis

A genus of large, extinct, wingless birds from the Cretaceous deposits of Kansas, belonging to the Odontornithes. They had teeth, and were essentially carnivorous swimming ostriches. Several species are known. See Illust. in Append.

Hesperus

Venus when she is the evening star; Hesper.

Hessian

A native or inhabitant of Hesse.

Hessite

A lead-gray sectile mineral. It is a telluride of silver.

Hest

Command; precept; injunction.

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