Part 118

Fet"ter*er (?), n. One who fetters. Landor.

Fet"ter*less, a. Free from fetters. Marston.

Fet"tle (?), v. t. [OE. & Prov. E., to fettle (in sense 1), fettle, n., order, repair, preparation, dress; prob. akin to E. fit. See Fit, a.] 1. To repair; to prepare; to put in order. [Prov. Eng.] Carlyle.

2. (Metal.) To cover or line with a mixture of ore, cinders, etc., as the hearth of a puddling furnace.

Fet"tle, v. i. To make preparations; to put things in order; to do trifling business. [Prov. Eng.] Bp. Hall.

Fet"tle, n. The act of fettling. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

In fine fettle, in good spirits.

Fet"tling (?), n. 1. (Metal.) A mixture of ore, cinders, etc., used to line the hearth of a puddling furnace. [Eng.] [It is commonly called fix in the United States.]

2. (Pottery) The operation of shaving or smoothing the surface of undried clay ware.

Fet"u*ous (?), a. Neat; feat. [Obs.] Herrick.

Fe"tus (?), n.; pl. Fetuses (#). [L. fetus, foetus, a bringing forth, brood, offspring, young ones, cf. fetus fruitful, fructified, that is or was filled with young; akin to E. fawn a deer, fecundity, felicity, feminine, female, and prob. to do, or according to others, to be.] The young or embryo of an animal in the womb, or in the egg; often restricted to the later stages in the development of viviparous and oviparous animals, embryo being applied to the earlier stages. [Written also fútus.]

||Fet"wah (?), n. [Ar.] A written decision of a Turkish mufti on some ||point of law. Whitworth.

Feu (?), n. [See 2d Feud, and Fee.] (Scots Law) A free and gratuitous right to lands made to one for service to be performed by him; a tenure where the vassal, in place of military services, makes a return in grain or in money. Burrill.

Feu"ar (?), n. [From Feu.] (Scots Law) One who holds a feu. Sir W. Scott.

Feud (fd), n. [OE. feide, AS. fh, fr. fh hostile; akin to OHG. fhida, G. fehde, Sw. fejd, D. feide; prob. akin to E. fiend. See Foe.] 1. A combination of kindred to avenge injuries or affronts, done or offered to any of their blood, on the offender and all his race.

2. A contention or quarrel; especially, an inveterate strife between families, clans, or parties; deadly hatred; contention satisfied only by bloodshed.

Mutual feuds and battles betwixt their several tribes and kindreds.

Purchas.

Syn. -- Affray; fray; broil; contest; dispute; strife.

Feud, n. [LL. feudum, feodum prob. of same origin as E. fief. See Fief, Fee.] (Law) A stipendiary estate in land, held of superior, by service; the right which a vassal or tenant had to the lands or other immovable thing of his lord, to use the same and take the profists thereof hereditarily, rendering to his superior such duties and services as belong to military tenure, etc., the property of the soil always remaining in the lord or superior; a fief; a fee.

Feu"dal (?), a. [F. fÈodal, or LL. feudalis.] 1. Of or pertaining to feuds, fiefs, or feels; as, feudal rights or services; feudal tenures.

2. Consisting of, or founded upon, feuds or fiefs; embracing tenures by military services; as, the feudal system.

Feu"dal*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. fÈodalisme.] The feudal system; a system by which the holding of estates in land is made dependent upon an obligation to render military service to the kind or feudal superior; feudal principles and usages.

Feu"dal*ist, n. An upholder of feudalism.

Feu*dal"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. fÈodalitÈ.] The state or quality of being feudal; feudal form or constitution. Burke.

Feu`dal*i*za"tion (?), n. The act of reducing to feudal tenure.

Feu"dal*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feudalized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Feudalizing (?).] To reduce to a feudal tenure; to conform to feudalism.

Feu"dal*ly, adv. In a feudal manner.