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10 definitions found
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 :   [ gcide ]

  Soft \Soft\ (s[o^]ft; 115), a. [Compar. Softer
     (s[o^]ft"[~e]r); superl. Softest.] [OE. softe, AS.
     s[=o]fte, properly adv. of s[=e]fte, adj.; akin to OS.
     s[=a]fto, adv., D. zacht, OHG. samfto, adv., semfti, adj., G.
     sanft, LG. sacht; of uncertain origin.]
     1. Easily yielding to pressure; easily impressed, molded, or
        cut; not firm in resisting; impressible; yielding; also,
        malleable; -- opposed to hard; as, a soft bed; a soft
        peach; soft earth; soft wood or metal.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Not rough, rugged, or harsh to the touch; smooth;
        delicate; fine; as, soft silk; a soft skin.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              They that wear soft clothing are in king's houses.
                                                    --Matt. xi. 8.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Hence, agreeable to feel, taste, or inhale; not irritating
        to the tissues; as, a soft liniment; soft wines. ``The
        soft, delicious air.'' --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring; pleasing
        to the eye; not exciting by intensity of color or violent
        contrast; as, soft hues or tints.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The sun, shining upon the upper part of the clouds .
              . . made the softest lights imaginable. --Sir T.
                                                    Browne.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. Not harsh or rough in sound; gentle and pleasing to the
        ear; flowing; as, soft whispers of music.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Her voice was ever soft,
              Gentle, and low, -- an excellent thing in woman.
                                                    --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Soft were my numbers; who could take offense?
                                                    --Pope.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     6. Easily yielding; susceptible to influence; flexible;
        gentle; kind.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              I would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's;
              Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The meek or soft shall inherit the earth. --Tyndale.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     7. Expressing gentleness, tenderness, or the like; mild;
        conciliatory; courteous; kind; as, soft eyes.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              A soft answer turneth away wrath.     --Prov. xv. 1.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              A face with gladness overspread,
              Soft smiles, by human kindness bred.  --Wordsworth.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     8. Effeminate; not courageous or manly, weak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution
              of the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft,
              and wandering.                        --Jer. Taylor.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     9. Gentle in action or motion; easy.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              On her soft axle, white she paces even,
              And bears thee soft with the smooth air along.
                                                    --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     10. Weak in character; impressible.
         [1913 Webster]
  
               The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's.
                                                    --Glanvill.
         [1913 Webster]
  
     11. Somewhat weak in intellect. [Colloq.]
         [1913 Webster]
  
               He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as
               were foolish quite mad.              --Burton.
         [1913 Webster]
  
     12. Quiet; undisturbed; paceful; as, soft slumbers.
         [1913 Webster]
  
     13. Having, or consisting of, a gentle curve or curves; not
         angular or abrupt; as, soft outlines.
         [1913 Webster]
  
     14. Not tinged with mineral salts; adapted to decompose soap;
         as, soft water is the best for washing.
         [1913 Webster]
  
     15. (Phonetics)
         (a) Applied to a palatal, a sibilant, or a dental
             consonant (as g in gem, c in cent, etc.) as
             distinguished from a guttural mute (as g in go, c in
             cone, etc.); -- opposed to hard.
         (b) Belonging to the class of sonant elements as
             distinguished from the surd, and considered as
             involving less force in utterance; as, b, d, g, z, v,
             etc., in contrast with p, t, k, s, f, etc.
             [1913 Webster]
  
     Soft clam (Zo["o]l.), the common or long clam ({Mya
        arenaria). See Mya.
  
     Soft coal, bituminous coal, as distinguished from
        anthracite, or hard, coal.
  
     Soft crab (Zo["o]l.), any crab which has recently shed its
        shell.
  
     Soft dorsal (Zo["o]l.), the posterior part of the dorsal
        fin of fishes when supported by soft rays.
  
     Soft grass. (Bot.) See Velvet grass.
  
     Soft money, paper money, as distinguished from coin, or
        hard money. [Colloq. U.S.]
  
     Soft mute. (Phonetics) See Media.
  
     Soft palate. See the Note under Palate.
  
     Soft ray (Zo["o]l.), a fin ray which is articulated and
        usually branched.
  
     Soft soap. See under Soap.
  
     Soft-tack, leavened bread, as distinguished from
        hard-tack, or ship bread.
  
     Soft tortoise (Zo["o]l.), any river tortoise of the genus
        Trionyx. See Trionyx.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 :   [ gcide ]

  Long \Long\, a. [Compar. Longer; superl. Longest.] [AS.
     long, lang; akin to OS, OFries., D., & G. lang, Icel. langr,
     Sw. l[*a]ng, Dan. lang, Goth. laggs, L. longus. [root]125.
     Cf. Length, Ling a fish, Linger, Lunge, Purloin.]
     1. Drawn out in a line, or in the direction of length;
        protracted; extended; as, a long line; -- opposed to
        short, and distinguished from broad or wide.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Drawn out or extended in time; continued through a
        considerable tine, or to a great length; as, a long series
        of events; a long debate; a long drama; a long history; a
        long book.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Slow in passing; causing weariness by length or duration;
        lingering; as, long hours of watching.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in
        time; far away.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The we may us reserve both fresh and strong
              Against the tournament, which is not long.
                                                    --Spenser.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. Having a length of the specified measure; of a specified
        length; as, a span long; a yard long; a mile long, that
        is, extended to the measure of a mile, etc.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     6. Far-reaching; extensive. `` Long views.'' --Burke.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     7. (Phonetics) Prolonged, or relatively more prolonged, in
        utterance; -- said of vowels and syllables. See Short,
        a., 13, and Guide to Pronunciation, [sect][sect] 22, 30.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     8. (Finance & Com.) Having a supply of stocks or goods;
        prepared for, or depending for a profit upon, advance in
        prices; as, long of cotton. Hence, the phrases: to be, or
        go, long of the market, to be on the long side of the
        market, to hold products or securities for a rise in
        price, esp. when bought on a margin. Contrasted to
        short.
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
  
     Note: Long is used as a prefix in a large number of compound
           adjectives which are mostly of obvious meaning; as,
           long-armed, long-beaked, long-haired, long-horned,
           long-necked, long-sleeved, long-tailed, long- worded,
           etc.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     In the long run, in the whole course of things taken
        together; in the ultimate result; eventually.
  
     Long+clam+(Zo["o]l.),+the+common+clam+({Mya+arenaria" rel="nofollow">Long clam (Zo["o]l.), the common clam ({Mya arenaria) of
        the Northern United States and Canada; -- called also
        soft-shell clam and long-neck clam. See Mya.
  
     Long cloth, a kind of cotton cloth of superior quality.
  
     Long clothes, clothes worn by a young infant, extending
        below the feet.
  
     Long division. (Math.) See Division.
  
     Long dozen, one more than a dozen; thirteen.
  
     Long home, the grave.
  
     Long measure, Long meter. See under Measure, Meter.
        
  
     Long Parliament (Eng. Hist.), the Parliament which
        assembled Nov. 3, 1640, and was dissolved by Cromwell,
        April 20, 1653.
  
     Long price, the full retail price.
  
     Long purple (Bot.), a plant with purple flowers, supposed
        to be the Orchis mascula. --Dr. Prior.
  
     Long suit
        (a) (Whist), a suit of which one holds originally more
            than three cards. --R. A. Proctor.
        (b) One's most important resource or source of strength;
            as, as an entertainer, her voice was her long suit.
  
     Long tom.
        (a) A pivot gun of great length and range, on the dock of
            a vessel.
        (b) A long trough for washing auriferous earth. [Western
            U.S.]
        (c) (Zo["o]l.) The long-tailed titmouse.
  
     Long wall (Coal Mining), a working in which the whole seam
        is removed and the roof allowed to fall in, as the work
        progresses, except where passages are needed.
  
     Of long, a long time. [Obs.] --Fairfax.
  
     To be long of the market, or To go long of the market,
     To be on the long side of the market, etc. (Stock
        Exchange), to hold stock for a rise in price, or to have a
        contract under which one can demand stock on or before a
        certain day at a stipulated price; -- opposed to short
        in such phrases as, to be short of stock, to sell short,
        etc. [Cant] See Short.
  
     To have a long head, to have a farseeing or sagacious mind.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 :   [ gcide ]

  Clam \Clam\ (kl[a^]m), n. [Cf. Clamp, Clam, v. t.,
     Clammy.]
     1. (Zo["o]l.) A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially
        those that are edible; as, the long clam ({Mya arenaria),
        the quahog or round clam ({Venus mercenaria), the sea
        clam or hen clam ({Spisula solidissima), and other
        species of the United States. The name is said to have
        been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East
        Indian bivalve.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              You shall scarce find any bay or shallow shore, or
              cove of sand, where you may not take many clampes,
              or lobsters, or both, at your pleasure. --Capt. John
                                                    Smith (1616).
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Clams, or clamps, is a shellfish not much unlike a
              cockle; it lieth under the sand.      --Wood (1634).
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Ship Carp.) Strong pinchers or forceps.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. pl. (Mech.) A kind of vise, usually of wood.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Blood clam. See under Blood.
        [1913 Webster]

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) :   [ web1913 ]

  
  
     2. Drawn out or extended in time; continued through a
        considerable tine, or to a great length; as, a long series
        of events; a long debate; a long drama; a long history; a
        long book.
  
     3. Slow in passing; causing weariness by length or duration;
        lingering; as, long hours of watching.
  
     4. Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in
        time; far away.
  
              The we may us reserve both fresh and strong Against
              the tournament, which is not long.    --Spenser.
  
     5. Extended to any specified measure; of a specified length;
        as, a span long; a yard long; a mile long, that is,
        extended to the measure of a mile, etc.
  
     6. Far-reaching; extensive. `` Long views.'' --Burke.
  
     7. (Phonetics) Prolonged, or relatively more prolonged, in
        utterance; -- said of vowels and syllables. See Short,
        a., 13, and Guide to Pronunciation, [sect][sect] 22, 30.
  
     Note: Long is used as a prefix in a large number of compound
           adjectives which are mostly of obvious meaning; as,
           long-armed, long-beaked, long-haired, long-horned,
           long-necked, long-sleeved, long-tailed, long- worded,
           etc.
  
     In the long run, in the whole course of things taken
        together; in the ultimate result; eventually.
  
     Long+clam+(Zo["o]l.),+the+common+clam+({Mya+arenaria" rel="nofollow">Long clam (Zo["o]l.), the common clam ({Mya arenaria) of
        the Northern United States and Canada; -- called also
        soft-shell clam and long-neck clam. See Mya.
  
     Long cloth, a kind of cotton cloth of superior quality.
  
     Long clothes, clothes worn by a young infant, extending
        below the feet.
  
     Long division. (Math.) See Division.
  
     Long dozen, one more than a dozen; thirteen.
  
     Long home, the grave.
  
     Long measure, Long mater. See under Measure, Meter.
        
  
     Long Parliament (Eng. Hist.), the Parliament which
        assembled Nov. 3, 1640, and was dissolved by Cromwell,
        April 20, 1653.
  
     Long price, the full retail price.
  
     Long purple (Bot.), a plant with purple flowers, supposed
        to be the Orchis mascula. --Dr. Prior.
  
     Long suit (Whist), a suit of which one holds originally
        more than three cards. --R. A. Proctor.
  
     Long tom.
        (a) A pivot gun of great length and range, on the dock of
            a vessel.
        (b) A long trough for washing auriferous earth. [Western
            U.S.]
        (c) (Zo["o]l.) The long-tailed titmouse.
  
     Long wall (Coal Mining), a working in which the whole seam
        is removed and the roof allowed to fall in, as the work
        progresses, except where passages are needed.
  
     Of long, a long time. [Obs.] --Fairfax.
  
     To be, or go, long of the market, To be on the long
     side of the market, etc. (Stock Exchange), to hold stock for
        a rise in price, or to have a contract under which one can
        demand stock on or before a certain day at a stipulated
        price; -- opposed to short in such phrases as, to be
        short of stock, to sell short, etc. [Cant] See Short.
  
     To have a long head, to have a farseeing or sagacious mind.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) :   [ web1913 ]

  Soft \Soft\, a. [Compar. Softer; superl. Softest.] [OE.
     softe, AS. s?fte, properly adv. of s?fte, adj.; akin to OS.
     s[=a]fto, adv., D. zacht, OHG. samfto, adv., semfti, adj., G.
     sanft, LG. sacht; of uncertain origin.]
     1. Easily yielding to pressure; easily impressed, molded, or
        cut; not firm in resisting; impressible; yielding; also,
        malleable; -- opposed to hard; as, a soft bed; a soft
        peach; soft earth; soft wood or metal.
  
     2. Not rough, rugged, or harsh to the touch; smooth;
        delicate; fine; as, soft silk; a soft skin.
  
              They that wear soft clothing are in king's houses.
                                                    --Matt. xi. 8.
  
     3. Hence, agreeable to feel, taste, or inhale; not irritating
        to the tissues; as, a soft liniment; soft wines. ``The
        soft, delicious air.'' --Milton.
  
     4. Not harsh or offensive to the sight; not glaring; pleasing
        to the eye; not exciting by intensity of color or violent
        contrast; as, soft hues or tints.
  
              The sun, shining upon the upper part of the clouds .
              . . made the softest lights imaginable. --Sir T.
                                                    Browne.
  
     5. Not harsh or rough in sound; gentle and pleasing to the
        ear; flowing; as, soft whispers of music.
  
              Her voice was ever soft, Gentle, and low, -- an
              excellent thing in woman.             --Shak.
  
              Soft were my numbers; who could take offense?
                                                    --Pope.
  
     6. Easily yielding; susceptible to influence; flexible;
        gentle; kind.
  
              I would to God my heart were flint, like Edward's;
              Or Edward's soft and pitiful, like mine. --Shak.
  
              The meek or soft shall inherit the earth. --Tyndale.
  
     7. Expressing gentleness, tenderness, or the like; mild;
        conciliatory; courteous; kind; as, soft eyes.
  
              A soft answer turneth away wrath.     --Prov. xv. 1.
  
              A face with gladness overspread, Soft smiles, by
              human kindness bred.                  --Wordsworth.
  
     8. Effeminate; not courageous or manly, weak.
  
              A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolution
              of the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft,
              and wandering.                        --Jer. Taylor.
  
     9. Gentle in action or motion; easy.
  
              On her soft axle, white she paces even, And bears
              thee soft with the smooth air along.  --Milton.
  
     10. Weak in character; impressible.
  
               The deceiver soon found this soft place of Adam's.
                                                    --Glanvill.
  
     11. Somewhat weak in intellect. [Colloq.]
  
               He made soft fellows stark noddies, and such as
               were foolish quite mad.              --Burton.
  
     12. Quiet; undisturbed; paceful; as, soft slumbers.
  
     13. Having, or consisting of, a gentle curve or curves; not
         angular or abrupt; as, soft outlines.
  
     14. Not tinged with mineral salts; adapted to decompose soap;
         as, soft water is the best for washing.
  
     15. (Phonetics)
         (a) Applied to a palatal, a sibilant, or a dental
             consonant (as g in gem, c in cent, etc.) as
             distinguished from a guttural mute (as g in go, c in
             cone, etc.); -- opposed to hard.
         (b) Belonging to the class of sonant elements as
             distinguished from the surd, and considered as
             involving less force in utterance; as, b, d, g, z, v,
             etc., in contrast with p, t, k, s, f, etc.
  
     Soft clam (Zo["o]l.), the common or long clam ({Mya
        arenaria). See Mya.
  
     Soft coal, bituminous coal, as distinguished from
        anthracite, or hard, coal.
  
     Soft crab (Zo["o]l.), any crab which has recently shed its
        shell.
  
     Soft dorsal (Zo["o]l.), the posterior part of the dorsal
        fin of fishes when supported by soft rays.
  
     Soft grass. (Bot.) See Velvet grass.
  
     Soft money, paper money, as distinguished from coin, or
        hard money. [Colloq. U.S.]
  
     Soft mute. (Phonetics) See Media.
  
     Soft palate. See the Note under Palate.
  
     Soft ray (Zo["o]l.), a fin ray which is articulated and
        usually branched.
  
     Soft soap. See under Soap.
  
     Soft-tack, leavened bread, as distinguished from
        hard-tack, or ship bread.
  
     Soft tortoise (Zo["o]l.), any river tortoise of the genus
        Trionyx. See Trionyx.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) :   [ web1913 ]

  Clam \Clam\, n. [Cf. Clamp, Clam, v. t., Clammy.]
     1. (Zo["o]l.) A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially
        those that are edible; as, the long clam ({Mya arenaria),
        the quahog or round clam ({Venus mercenaria), the sea
        clam or hen clam ({Spisula solidissima), and other
        species of the United States. The name is said to have
        been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East
        Indian bivalve.
  
              You shall scarce find any bay or shallow shore, or
              cove of sand, where you may not take many clampes,
              or lobsters, or both, at your pleasure. --Capt. John
                                                    Smith (1616).
  
              Clams, or clamps, is a shellfish not much unlike a
              coclke; it lieth under the sand.      --Wood (1634).
  
     2. (Ship Carp.) Strong pinchers or forceps.
  
     3. pl. (Mech.) A kind of vise, usually of wood.
  
     Blood clam. See under Blood.

From WordNet (r) 2.0 :   [ wn ]

  Mya arenaria
       n : an edible clam with thin oval-shaped shell found in coastal
           regions of the United States and Europe [syn: soft-shell
           clam, steamer, steamer clam, long-neck clam]

From English Wiktionary: All languages (2023-07-27) :   [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-ALL-2023-07-27 ]

  Mya arenaria
     Translingual n.
     {taxon|species|family|Myidae|the+(vern:+softshell+clam)" rel="nofollow">{taxon|species|family|Myidae|the (vern: softshell clam)

From English Wiktionary: Western, Greek, and Slavonic languages only (2023-07-27) :   [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-Western_Greek_Slavonic-2023-07-27 ]

  Mya arenaria
     Translingual n.
     {taxon|species|family|Myidae|the+(vern:+softshell+clam)" rel="nofollow">{taxon|species|family|Myidae|the (vern: softshell clam)

From English Wiktionary: Western languages only (2023-07-27) :   [ dictinfo.com:wikt-en-Western-2023-07-27 ]

  Mya arenaria
     Translingual n.
     {taxon|species|family|Myidae|the+(vern:+softshell+clam)" rel="nofollow">{taxon|species|family|Myidae|the (vern: softshell clam)

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