Chapter Maya to Meal of M by Webster's Dictionary (1913 Edition)

Mead
(Mead), n. [AS. m&aemacrd. See Meadow.] A meadow.

A mede
All full of freshe flowers, white and reede.

Chaucer.

To fertile vales and dewy meads
My weary, wandering steps he leads.

Addison.

Meadow
(Mead"ow) n. [AS. meady; akin to m&aemacrd, and to G. matte; prob. also to E. mow. See Mow to cut and cf. 2d Mead.]

1. A tract of low or level land producing grass which is mown for hay; any field on which grass is grown for hay.

2. Low land covered with coarse grass or rank herbage near rives and in marshy places by the sea; as, the salt meadows near Newark Bay.

Meadow
(Mead"ow), a. Of or pertaining to a meadow; of the nature of a meadow; produced, growing, or living in, a meadow. "Fat meadow ground." Milton.

For many names of plants compounded with meadow, see the particular word in the Vocabulary.

Meadow beauty. (Bot.) Same as Deergrass. — Meadow foxtail (Bot.), a valuable pasture grass (Alopecurus pratensis) resembling timothy, but with softer spikes. — Meadow grass (Bot.), a name given to several grasses of the genus Poa, common in meadows, and of great value for nay and for pasture. See Grass. — Meadow hay, a coarse grass, or true sedge, growing in uncultivated swamp or river meadow; — used as fodder or bedding for cattle, packing for ice, etc. [Local, U. S.] — Meadow hen. (Zoöl.) (a) The American bittern. See Stake-driver. (b) The American coot (c) The clapper rail. — Meadow lark (Zoöl.), any species of Sturnella, a genus of American birds allied to the starlings. The common species (S. magna) has a yellow breast with a black crescent. — Meadow mouse (Zoöl.), any mouse of the genus Arvicola, as the common American species A. riparia; — called also field mouse, and field vole. — Meadow mussel (Zoöl.), an American ribbed mussel (Modiola plicatula), very abundant in salt marshes. — Meadow ore (Min.), bog-iron ore , a kind of limonite. — Meadow parsnip. (Bot.) See under Parsnip. — Meadow pink. (Bot.) See under Pink. — Meadow pipit (Zoöl.), a small singing bird of the genus Anthus, as A. pratensis, of Europe. — Meadow rue (Bot.), a delicate early plant, of the genus Thalictrum, having compound leaves and numerous white flowers. There are many species. — Meadow saffron. (Bot.) See under Saffron. — Meadow sage. (Bot.) See under Sage. — Meadow saxifrage (Bot.), an umbelliferous plant of Europe (Silaus pratensis), somewhat resembling fennel. — Meadow snipe (Zoöl.), the common or jack snipe.

Meadowsweet
(Mead"ow*sweet` Mead"ow*wort`) n. (Bot.) The name of several plants of the genus Spiræa, especially the white- or pink-flowered S. salicifolia, a low European and American shrub, and the herbaceous S. Ulmaria, which has fragrant white flowers in compound cymes.

Meadowy
(Mead"ow*y) a. Of or pertaining to meadows; resembling, or consisting of, meadow.

Meager
(Mea"ger, Mea"gre) a. [OE. merge, F. maigre, L. macer; akin to D. & G. mager, Icel. magr, and prob. to Gr. makro`s long. Cf. Emaciate, Maigre.]

1. Destitue of, or having little, flesh; lean.

Meager were his looks;
Sharp misery had worn him to the bones.

Shak.