Part 23

Caliber compasses. See Calipers. -- Caliber rule, a gunner's calipers, an instrument having two scales arranged to determine a ball's weight from its diameter, and conversely. -- A ship's caliber, the weight of her armament.

Cal"i*brate (?), v. i. To ascertain the caliber of, as of a thermometer tube; also, more generally, to determine or rectify the graduation of, as of the various standards or graduated instruments.

Cal`ibra"*tion (?), n. The process of estimating the caliber a tube, as of a thermometer tube, in order to graduate it to a scale of degrees; also, more generally, the determination of the true value of the spaces in any graduated instrument.

Cal"ice (?), n. [See Calice.] See Chalice.

Cal"i*cle (?), n. [L. caliculus a small cup, dim. of calicis, a cup. Cf Calycle.] (Zo÷l.) (a) One of the small cuplike cavities, often with elevated borders, covering the surface of most corals. Each is formed by a polyp. (b) One of the cuplike structures inclosing the zooids of certain hydroids. See Campanularian. [Written also calycle. See Calycle.]

Cal"i*co (?), n.; pl. Calicoes (#). [So called because first imported from Calicut, in the East Indies: cf. F. calicot.] 1. Plain white cloth made from cotton, but which receives distinctive names according to quality and use, as, super calicoes, shirting calicoes, unbleached calicoes, etc. [Eng.]

The importation of printed or stained colicoes appears to have been coeval with the establishment of the East India Company . Beck (Draper's Dict. ).

2. Cotton cloth printed with a figured pattern.

&fist; In the United States the term calico is applied only to the printed fabric.

Calico bass (Zo÷l.), an edible, fresh-water fish (Pomoxys sparaides) of the rivers and lake of the Western United States (esp. of the Misissippi valley.), allied to the sunfishes, and so called from its variegated colors; -- called also calicoback, grass bass, strawberry bass, barfish, and bitterhead. -- Calico printing, the art or process of impressing the figured patterns on calico.

Cal"i*co (?), a. Made of, or having the appearance of, calico; -- often applied to an animal, as a horse or cat, on whose body are large patches of a color strikingly different from its main color. [Colloq. U. S.]

Cal"i*co*back` (?), n. (Zo÷l.) (a) The calico bass. (b) An hemipterous insect (Murgantia histrionica) which injures the cabbage and other garden plants; -- called also calico bug and harlequin cabbage bug.

{ Ca*lic"u*lar (?), a. Ca*lic"u*late (?), } a. Relating to, or resembling, a cup; also improperly used for calycular, calyculate.

Cal"id (?), a. [L. calidus, fr. calere to be hot.] Hot; burning; ardent. [Obs.] Bailey.

Ca*lid"i*ty (?), n. Heat. [Obs.]

Cal"i*duct (?), n. [See Caloriduct.] A pipe or duct used to convey hot air or steam.

Subterranean caliducts have been introduced. Evelyn.

{ Ca"lif (?), n., Cal"i*fate (?), } n., etc. Same as Caliph, Caliphate, etc.

Cal`i*for"ni*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to California. -- n. A native or inhabitant of California.

Cal`i*ga"tion (-gā"shŭn), n. [L. caligatio, fr. caligare to emit vapor, to be dark, from caligo mist, darkness.] Dimness; cloudiness. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

Ca*lig`i*nos"ity (?), n. [L. caliginosus dark. See Caligation.] Darkness. [R.] G. Eliot.

Ca*lig"i*nous (?), a. [L. caliginosus; cf. F. caligineux.] Affected with darkness or dimness; dark; obscure. [R.] Blount.

The caliginous regions of the air. Hallywell.

-- Ca*lig"i*nous*ly, adv. -- Ca*lig"i*nous*ness, n.

||Ca*li"go (?), n. [L., darkness.] (Med.) Dimness or obscurity of sight, dependent upon a speck on the cornea; also, the speck itself.

Cal`i*graph"ic (?), a. See Calligraphic.

Ca*lig"ra*phy (?), n. See Caligraphy.

||Ca"lin (?), n. [F., fr. Malay kelany tin, or fr. Kala'a, a town in India, fr. which it came.] An alloy of lead and tin, of which the Chinese make tea canisters.