<B>madness, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the fact or condition of being crazy; insane condition; loss of one's mind. <BR> <I>Ex. Great wits are sure to madness near allied (John Dryden).</I> (SYN) insanity. <DD><B> 2. </B>great anger; rage; fury. <BR> <I>Ex. In his madness he kicked the fence post. The madness of the people soon subsided (Edward Gibbon).</I> (SYN) wrath. <DD><B> 3. </B>folly. <BR> <I>Ex. It would be madness to try to sail a boat in this storm.</I> (SYN) idiocy. <DD><B> 4. </B>extravagant enthusiasm. <DD><B> 5. </B><B>=rabies.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="madonna">
<B>madonna, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a former Italian title for a married woman equivalent to <I>madame</I> (<I>signora</I> is now used). </DL>
<A NAME="madonna">
<B>Madonna, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>Mary, the mother of Jesus. <DD><B> 2. </B>a picture or statue of her. </DL>
<A NAME="madonnalily">
<B>Madonna lily,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a common, early-blooming lily whose white blossom is a symbol of purity. </DL>
<A NAME="madras">
<B>madras, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a closely woven cotton cloth with a design on plain background, used for shirts, dresses, and similar clothing. <DD><B> 2. </B>a thin cloth, often with a design or pattern, used for such items as curtains and draperies. <DD><B> 3. </B>a brightly colored kerchief of silk and cotton. </DL>
<A NAME="madrasah">
<B>madrasah, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a Moslem school or college. Also, <B>medresseh.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="madre">
<B>MADRE, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> magnetic drum receiving equipment. </DL>
<A NAME="madreporarian">
<B>madreporarian, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of or belonging to a group of anthozoans with a continuous calcareous skeleton, including most of the stony corals. <DD><I>noun </I> a madreporarian anthozoan. </DL>
<A NAME="madrepore">
<B>madrepore, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of an order of stony corals that often form reefs in tropical seas. </DL>
<B>madreporic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or having to do with madrepores. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with a madreporite. </DL>
<A NAME="madreporite">
<B>madreporite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the external opening of the stone canal in an echinoderm. </DL>
<A NAME="madrigal">
<B>madrigal, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a short poem, often about love, that can be set to music. <DD><B> 2. </B>a song with parts for several voices, usually sung without instrumental accompaniment. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) any song. </DL>
<A NAME="madrigalian">
<B>madrigalian, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with madrigals. <BR> <I>Ex. madrigalian counterpoint.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="madrigalist">
<B>madrigalist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a composer or singer of madrigals. </DL>
<A NAME="madrilene">
<B>madrilene, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a consomme flavored with tomato, usually served chilled or jellied. </DL>
<A NAME="madrileno">
<B>Madrileno, </B>noun, pl. <B>-nos.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a native or inhabitant of Madrid, Spain. </DL>
<A NAME="madrona">
<B>madrona, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an evergreen tree or shrub of the heath family, growing especially in western North America and in other parts of the world. It has a very hard wood and a smooth, reddish bark, and bears a rough, berrylike fruit that has mealy flesh and hard seeds. </DL>
<A NAME="madronaapple">
<B>madrona apple,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the berry of the madrona. </DL>
<A NAME="madrone">
<B>madrone, </B>noun. <B>=madrona.</B></DL>
<A NAME="madrono">
<B>madrono, </B>noun, pl. <B>-nos.</B> <B>=madrona.</B></DL>
<A NAME="madstone">
<B>madstone, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) a concretion of mineral salts found in the stomach and intestines of deer, formerly thought to relieve or cure the effects of a poisonous bite when placed on the wound. </DL>
<A NAME="madtom">
<B>madtom, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a large group of small catfish with a poison gland at the base of the pectoral spine, found in lakes and streams. </DL>
<A NAME="madurafoot">
<B>Madura foot,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> mycetoma of the foot, a fungous disease. </DL>
<A NAME="maduro">
<B>maduro, </B>adjective, noun, pl. <B>-ros.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> made with dark and strong tobacco. <DD><I>noun </I> a maduro cigar. </DL>
<A NAME="madwoman">
<B>madwoman, </B>noun, pl. <B>-women.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a woman who is insane. <DD><B> 2. </B>a wildly foolish woman. </DL>
<A NAME="madwort">
<B>madwort, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>any one of a group of low, branching herbs of the mustard family, such as the gold-of-pleasure; alyssum. <DD><B> 2. </B>a low, weedy herb of the borage family native to Europe. </DL>
<A NAME="mae">
<B>M.A.E.</B> or <B>MAE</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>Master of Aeronautical Engineering. <DD><B> 2. </B>Master of Art Education. <DD><B> 3. </B>Master of Arts in Education. </DL>
<A NAME="maecenas">
<B>Maecenas, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a generous patron of literature or art. </DL>
<A NAME="maed">
<B>M.A.Ed.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Master of Arts in Education. </DL>
<A NAME="maelstrom">
<B>maelstrom, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a great or turbulent whirlpool. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) a violent confusion of feelings, ideas, or conditions. <BR> <I>Ex. The poor man lived always in the whirl of a perfect Maelstrom of promises and engagements (Harriet Beecher Stowe).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="maenad">
<B>maenad, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Greek and Roman Mythology.) a woman attendant or worshiper of Bacchus; bacchante. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) a woman who is extremely excited or in a frenzy. Also, <B>menad.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="maenadic">
<B>maenadic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or like the maenads; frenzied; raving. Also, <B>menadic.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="maeroe">
<B>M.Aero.E.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Master of Aeronautical Engineering. </DL>
<A NAME="maestoso">
<B>maestoso, </B>adjective, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Music.) with majesty or dignity; stately. </DL>
<A NAME="maestro">
<B>maestro, </B>noun, pl. <B>maestros,</B> (Italian) <B>maestri.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a great composer, teacher, or conductor of music. <BR> <I>Ex. His appearance in the dual role of pianist and maestro, was nevertheless an impressive demonstration of a remarkable musical talent (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a master of any art. <BR> <I>Ex. ... a maestro in the field of travel and gastronomy (Atlantic).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="maewest">
<B>Mae West,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an inflatable vest worn as a life preserver by an aviator in flying over water. </DL>
<A NAME="maffeigalaxy">
<B>Maffei galaxy,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> either of two large galaxies which are part of the Local Group, discovered in 1971. One is an elliptical and the other a spiral galaxy; they are about 3 million light-years away from earth. <BR> <I>Ex. The Maffei galaxies, obscured by the Milky Way dust, appear as small, diffuse patches (Hyron Spinrad).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="maffick">
<B>maffick, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) <DD><I>v.i. </I> to celebrate a national victory with great demonstrations of joy. <DD><I>noun </I> an act of mafficking. noun <B>mafficker.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="mafia">
<B>mafia</B> or <B>maffia, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the spirit of popular hostility to the law, manifesting itself frequently in criminal acts. </DL>
<A NAME="mafia">
<B>Mafia</B> or <B>Maffia, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a secret organization of criminals supposed to control underworld activities in various parts of the world. <DD><B> 2. </B>a secret Sicilian society hostile to the law and practicing terrorism. <DD><B> 3. </B>Also, <B>mafia.</B> any secret society or exclusive set, circle or clique. <BR> <I>Ex. the Diplomatic Mafia. The composers' Mafia, with its dedication to atonality ... (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="mafic">
<B>mafic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Geology.) of or having to do with magnesium and iron. <BR> <I>Ex. mafic rocks.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="mafioso">
<B>Mafioso</B> or <B>mafioso, </B>noun, pl. <B>-si.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a member of the Mafia. <BR> <I>Ex. A jailed mafioso traded his influence over the waterfront gangs for a remission of sentence (Manchester Guardian Weekly).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="mafoi">
<B>ma foi,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) <DD><B> 1. </B>upon my word! indeed! <DD><B> 2. </B>(literally) my faith. </DL>
<A NAME="mag">
<B>mag</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British Slang.) a halfpenny. </DL>
<B>mag.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>magazine. <DD><B> 2. </B>(British.) magister (Latin, used as a title for a university master). <DD><B> 3. </B>magnetism. <DD><B> 4. </B>magnitude. </DL>
<A NAME="magainin">
<B>magainin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a group of broad-spectrum antibiotics obtained from secretions in the skin of certain species of frogs. <BR> <I>Ex. The magainins ... kill bacteria, funguses, the yeast that often infects AIDS patients, and protozoans like those that cause malaria (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="magarac">
<B>Magarac, </B>noun. <B>Joe,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a legendary hero of the steel mills in American folklore. </DL>