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1. The exterior part of anything that has length and breadth; one of the limits that bound a solid, esp.
the upper face; superficies; the outside; as, the surface of the earth; the surface of a diamond; the surface
of the body.
The bright surface of this ethereous mold. Milton. 2. Hence, outward or external appearance.
Vain and weak understandings, which penetrate no deeper than the surface. V. Knox. 3. (Geom.) A magnitude that has length and breadth without thickness; superficies; as, a plane surface; a
spherical surface.
4. (Fort.) That part of the side which is terminated by the flank prolonged, and the angle of the nearest
bastion. Stocqueler.
Caustic surface, Heating surface, etc. See under Caustic, Heating, etc. — Surface condensation,
Surface condenser. See under Condensation, and Condenser. — Surface gauge (Mach.), an
instrument consisting of a standard having a flat base and carrying an adjustable pointer, for gauging
the evenness of a surface or its height, or for marking a line parallel with a surface. — Surface grub
(Zoöl.), the larva of the great yellow underwing moth (Triphœna pronuba). It is often destructive to the
roots of grasses and other plants. — Surface plate (Mach.), a plate having an accurately dressed flat
surface, used as a standard of flatness by which to test other surfaces. — Surface printing, printing
from a surface in relief, as from type, in distinction from plate printing, in which the ink is contained in
engraved lines.
Surface
(Sur"face) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Surfaced ; p. pr. & vb. n. Surfacing ]
1. To give a surface to; especially, to cause to have a smooth or plain surface; to make smooth or plain.
2. To work over the surface or soil of, as ground, in hunting for gold.
Surfacer
(Sur"fa*cer) n. A form of machine for dressing the surface of wood, metal, stone, etc.
Surfboat
(Surf"boat`) n. (Naut.) A boat intended for use in heavy surf. It is built with a pronounced
sheer, and with a view to resist the shock of waves and of contact with the beach.
Surfeit
(Sur"feit) n. [OE. surfet, OF. surfait, sorfait, excess, arrogance, crime, fr. surfaire, sorfaire,
to augment, exaggerate, F. surfaire to overcharge; sur over + faire to make, do, L. facere. See Sur-,
and Fact.]
1. Excess in eating and drinking.
Let not Sir Surfeit sit at thy board. Piers Plowman.
Now comes the sick hour that his surfeit made. Shak. 2. Fullness and oppression of the system, occasioned often by excessive eating and drinking.
To prevent surfeit and other diseases that are incident to those that heat their blood by travels. Bunyan. 3. Disgust caused by excess; satiety. Sir P. Sidney.
Matter and argument have been supplied abundantly, and even to surfeit. Burke. Surfeit
(Sur"feit), v. i.
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