2. " A layer, " a shoot partly buried in the ground, and there cut halfway through.
Mallet
(Mal"let) n. [F. maillet, dim. of mail. See Mall a beetle.] A small maul with a short handle,
— used esp. for driving a tool, as a chisel or the like; also, a light beetle with a long handle, — used in
playing croquet.
Malleus
(||Mal"le*us) n.; pl. Mallei [L., hammer. See Mall a beetle.]
1. (Anat.) The outermost of the three small auditory bones, ossicles; the hammer. It is attached to the
tympanic membrane by a long process, the handle or manubrium. See Illust. of Far.
2. (Zoöl.) One of the hard lateral pieces of the mastax of Rotifera. See Mastax.
3. (Zoöl.) A genus of bivalve shells; the hammer shell.
Mallophaga
(||Mal*loph"a*ga) n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. mallo`s a lock of wool + fagei^n to eat.] (Zoöl.) An
extensive group of insects which are parasitic on birds and mammals, and feed on the feathers and
hair; — called also bird lice. See Bird louse, under Bird.
Mallotus
(||Mal*lo"tus) n. [NL., fr Gr. fleecy.] (Zoöl.) A genus of small Arctic fishes. One American species,
the capelin is extensively used as bait for cod.
Mallow
(Mal"low Mal"lows) n. [OE. malwe, AS. mealwe, fr. L. malva, akin to Gr. mala`chh; cf. mala`ssein
to soften, malako`s soft. Named either from its softening or relaxing properties, or from its soft downy
leaves. Cf. Mauve, Malachite.] (Bot.) A genus of plants (Malva) having mucilaginous qualities. See
Malvaceous.
The flowers of the common mallow (M. sylvestris) are used in medicine. The dwarf mallow (M. rotundifolia)
is a common weed, and its flattened, dick-shaped fruits are called cheeses by children. Tree mallow
(M. Mauritiana and Lavatera arborea), musk mallow rose mallow or hollyhock, and curled mallow are
less commonly seen.
Indian mallow. See Abutilon. — Jew's mallow, a plant (Corchorus olitorius) used as a pot herb by
the Jews of Egypt and Syria. — Marsh mallow. See under Marsh.
Mallowwort
(Mal"low*wort`) n. (Bot.) Any plant of the order Malvaceæ.
Malm
(Malm Malm"brick`) n. [Cf. AS. mealm sand.] A kind of brick of a light brown or yellowish color,
made of sand, clay, and chalk.
Malma
(Mal"ma) n. (Zoöl.) A spotted trout inhabiting Northern America, west of the Rocky Mountains; —
called also Dolly Varden trout, bull trout, red-spotted trout, and golet.
Malmag
(||Mal"mag) n. [F., from native name in Madagascar.] (Zoöl.) The tarsius, or spectral lemur.
Malmsey
(Malm"sey) n. [OE. malvesie, F. malvoisie, It. malvasia, malavagia, fr. Malvasia, or Napoli
di Malvasia, in the Morea.] A kind of sweet wine from Crete, the Canary Islands, etc. Shak.
Malnutrition
(Mal`nu*tri"tion) n. [Mal- + nutrition.] (Physiol.) Faulty or imperfect nutrition.
Malobservation
(Mal*ob`ser*va"tion) n. [Mal- + observation.] Erroneous observation. J. S Mill.
Malodor
(Mal*o"dor) n. An offensive odor.
[1913 Webster]
Malodorous
(Mal*o"dor*ous) a. Offensive to the sense of smell; ill-smelling. — Mal*o"dor*ous*ness. n.
Carlyle.
[1913 Webster]
