DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan

 Moun·tain a.
 1. Of or pertaining to a mountain or mountains; growing or living on a mountain; found on or peculiar to mountains; among mountains; as, a mountain torrent; mountain pines; mountain goats; mountain air; mountain howitzer.
 2. Like a mountain; mountainous; vast; very great.
    The high, the mountain majesty of worth.   --Byron.
 Mountain antelope Zool., the goral.
 Mountain ash Bot., an ornamental tree, the Pyrus Americana (or Sorbus Americana), producing beautiful bunches of red berries. Its leaves are pinnate, and its flowers white, growing in fragrant clusters. The European species is the Pyrus aucuparia, or rowan tree.
 Mountain barometer, a portable barometer, adapted for safe transportation, used in measuring the heights of mountains.
 Mountain beaver Zool., the sewellel.
 Mountain blue Min., blue carbonate of copper; azurite.
 Mountain cat Zool., the catamount. See Catamount.
 Mountain chain, a series of contiguous mountain ranges, generally in parallel or consecutive lines or curves.
 Mountain cock Zool., capercailzie. See Capercailzie.
 Mountain cork Min., a variety of asbestus, resembling cork in its texture.
 Mountain crystal. See under Crystal.
 Mountain damson Bot., a large tree of the genus Simaruba (Simaruba amarga) growing in the West Indies, which affords a bitter tonic and astringent, sometimes used in medicine.
 Mountain dew, Scotch whisky, so called because often illicitly distilled among the mountains. [Humorous]
 Mountain ebony Bot., a small leguminous tree (Bauhinia variegata) of the East and West Indies; -- so called because of its dark wood. The bark is used medicinally and in tanning.
 Mountain flax Min., a variety of asbestus, having very fine fibers; amianthus. See Amianthus.
 Mountain fringe Bot., climbing fumitory. See under Fumitory.
 Mountain goat. Zool. See Mazama.
 Mountain green. Min. (a) Green malachite, or carbonate of copper. (b) See Green earth, under Green, a.
 Mountain holly Bot., a branching shrub (Nemopanthes Canadensis), having smooth oblong leaves and red berries.  It is found in the Northern United States.
 Mountain laurel Bot., an American shrub (Kalmia latifolia) with glossy evergreen leaves and showy clusters of rose-colored or white flowers.  The foliage is poisonous.  Called also American laurel, ivy bush, and calico bush.  See Kalmia.
 Mountain leather Min., a variety of asbestus, resembling leather in its texture.
 Mountain licorice Bot., a plant of the genus Trifolium (Trifolium Alpinum).
 Mountain limestone Geol., a series of marine limestone strata below the coal measures, and above the old red standstone of Great Britain.  See Chart of Geology.
 Mountain linnet Zool., the twite.
 Mountain magpie. Zool. (a) The yaffle, or green woodpecker. (b) The European gray shrike.
 Mountain mahogany Bot. See under Mahogany.
 Mountain meal Min., a light powdery variety of calcite, occurring as an efflorescence.
 Mountain milk Min., a soft spongy variety of carbonate of lime.
 Mountain mint. Bot. See Mint.
 Mountain ousel Zool., the ring ousel; -- called also mountain thrush and mountain colley.  See Ousel.
 Mountain pride, or Mountain green Bot., a tree of Jamaica (Spathelia simplex), which has an unbranched palmlike stem, and a terminal cluster of large, pinnate leaves.
 Mountain quail Zool., the plumed partridge (Oreortyx pictus) of California.  It has two long, slender, plumelike feathers on the head.  The throat and sides are chestnut; the belly is brown with transverse bars of black and white; the neck and breast are dark gray.
 Mountain range, a series of mountains closely related in position and direction.
 Mountain rice. Bot. (a) An upland variety of rice, grown without irrigation, in some parts of Asia, Europe, and the United States. (b) An American genus of grasses (Oryzopsis).
 Mountain rose Bot., a species of rose with solitary flowers, growing in the mountains of Europe (Rosa alpina).
 Mountain soap Min., a soft earthy mineral, of a brownish color, used in crayon painting; saxonite.
 Mountain sorrel Bot., a low perennial plant (Oxyria digyna with rounded kidney-form leaves, and small greenish flowers, found in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and in high northern latitudes. --Gray.
 Mountain sparrow Zool., the European tree sparrow.
 Mountain spinach. Bot. See Orach.
 Mountain tobacco Bot., a composite plant (Arnica montana) of Europe; called also leopard's bane.
 Mountain witch Zool., a ground pigeon of Jamaica, of the genus Geotrygon.
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 Kal·mi·a n.  Bot. A genus of North American shrubs with poisonous evergreen foliage and corymbs of showy flowers. Called also mountain laurel, ivy bush, lamb kill, calico bush, etc.
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 Lau·rel n.
 1. Bot. An evergreen shrub, of the genus Laurus (Laurus nobilis), having aromatic leaves of a lanceolate shape, with clusters of small, yellowish white flowers in their axils; -- called also sweet bay.
 Note: The fruit is a purple berry. It is found about the Mediterranean, and was early used by the ancient Greeks to crown the victor in the games of Apollo. At a later period, academic honors were indicated by a crown of laurel, with the fruit. The leaves and tree yield an aromatic oil, used to flavor the bay water of commerce.
 Note: ☞ The name is extended to other plants which in some respect resemble the true laurel. See Phrases, below.
 2. A crown of laurel; hence, honor; distinction; fame; -- especially in the plural; as, to win laurels.
 3. An English gold coin made in 1619, and so called because the king's head on it was crowned with laurel.
 Laurel water, water distilled from the fresh leaves of the cherry laurel, and containing prussic acid and other products carried over in the process.
 American laurel, or Mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia; called also calico bush. See under Mountain.
 California laurel, Umbellularia Californica.
 Cherry laurel (in England called laurel). See under Cherry.
 Great laurel, the rosebay (Rhododendron maximum).
 Ground laurel, trailing arbutus.
 New Zealand laurel, the Laurelia Novæ Zelandiæ.
 Portugal laurel, the Prunus Lusitanica.
 Rose laurel, the oleander. See Oleander.
 Sheep laurel, a poisonous shrub, Kalmia angustifolia, smaller than the mountain laurel, and with smaller and redder flowers.
 Spurge laurel, Daphne Laureola.
 West Indian laurel, Prunus occidentalis.
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 I·vy n.; pl. Ivies   Bot. A plant of the genus Hedera (Hedera helix), common in Europe.  Its leaves are evergreen, dark, smooth, shining, and mostly five-pointed; the flowers yellowish and small; the berries black or yellow. The stem clings to walls and trees by rootlike fibers.
 Direct
 The clasping ivy where to climb.   --Milton.
    Ye myrtles brown, with ivy never sere.   --Milton.
 American ivy. Bot. See Virginia creeper.
 English ivy Bot., a popular name in America for the ivy proper (Hedera helix).
 German ivy Bot., a creeping plant, with smooth, succulent stems, and fleshy, light-green leaves; a species of Senecio (Senecio scandens).
 Ground ivy. Bot. Gill (Nepeta Glechoma).
 Ivy bush. Bot. See Mountain laurel, under Mountain.
 Ivy owl Zool., the barn owl.
 Ivy tod Bot., the ivy plant. --Tennyson.
 Japanese ivy Bot., a climbing plant (Ampelopsis tricuspidata), closely related to the Virginia creeper.
 Poison ivy Bot., an American woody creeper (Rhus Toxicodendron), with trifoliate leaves, and greenish-white berries. It is exceedingly poisonous to the touch for most persons.
 To pipe in an ivy leaf, to console one's self as best one can. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
 West Indian ivy, a climbing plant of the genus Marcgravia.
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 mountain laurel
      n 1: a North American evergreen shrub having glossy leaves and
           white or rose-colored flowers [syn: wood laurel, American
           laurel, calico bush, Kalmia latifolia]
      2: Pacific coast tree having aromatic foliage and small
         umbellate flowers followed by olivelike fruit; yields a
         hard tough wood [syn: California laurel, California bay
         tree, Oregon myrtle, pepperwood, spice tree, sassafras
         laurel, California olive, Umbellularia californica]