Part 165

Fis"sure (?), n. [L. fissura, fr. findere, fissum, to cleave, split; akin to E. bite: cf. F. fissure.] A narrow opening, made by the parting of any substance; a cleft; as, the fissure of a rock.

Cerebral fissures (Anat.), the furrows or clefts by which the surface of the cerebrum is divided; esp., the furrows first formed by the infolding of the whole wall of the cerebrum. -- Fissure needle (Surg.), a spiral needle for catching together the gaping lips of wounds. Knight. -- Fissure of rolando (Anat.), the furrow separating the frontal from the parietal lobe in the cerebrum. -- Fissure of Sylvius (Anat.), a deep cerebral fissure separating the frontal from the temporal lobe. See Illust. under Brain. -- Fissure vein (Mining), a crack in the earth's surface filled with mineral matter. Raymond.

Fis"sure (?), v. t. To cleave; to divide; to crack or fracture.

||Fis`su*rel"la (?), n. [NL., dim. of L. fissura a fissure.] (Zoˆl.) A ||genus of marine gastropod mollusks, having a conical or limpetlike ||shell, with an opening at the apex; -- called also keyhole limpet.

Fist (fst), n. [OE. fist, fust, AS. fst; akin to D. vuist, OHG. fst, G. faust, and prob. to L. pugnus, Gr. pygmh` fist, py`x with the fist. Cf. Pugnacious, Pigmy.] 1. The hand with the fingers doubled into the palm; the closed hand, especially as clinched tightly for the purpose of striking a blow.

Who grasp the earth and heaven with my fist.

Herbert.

2. The talons of a bird of prey. [Obs.]

More light than culver in the falcon's fist.

Spenser.

3. (print.) the index mark [], used to direct special attention to the passage which follows.

Hand over fist (Naut.), rapidly; hand over hand.

Fist, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fisted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fisting.] 1. To strike with the fist. Dryden.

2. To gripe with the fist. [Obs.] Shak.

Fist"ic (?), a. [From Fist.] Pertaining to boxing, or to encounters with the fists; puglistic; as, fistic exploits; fistic heroes. [Colloq.]

Fist"i*cuff (?), n. A cuff or blow with the fist or hand; (pl.) a fight with the fists; boxing. Swift.

Fis"ti*nut (?), n. [Cf. Fr. fistinq, fistuq. See Pistachio.] A pistachio nut. [Obs.] Johnson.

||Fis*tu"ca (?), n. [L.] An instrument used by the ancients in driving ||piles.

||Fis"tu*la (?; 135), n.; pl. FistulÊ (#). [L.] 1. A reed; a pipe.

2. A pipe for convejing water. [Obs.] Knight.

3. (Med.) A permanent abnormal opening into the soft parts with a constant discharge; a deep, narrow, chronic abscess; an abnormal opening between an internal cavity and another cavity or the surface; as, a salivary fistula; an anal fistula; a recto-vaginal fistula.

Incomplete fistula (Med.), a fistula open at one end only.

Fis"tu*lar (?), a. [L. fistularis: cf. F. fistulaire.] Hollow and cylindrical, like a pipe or reed. Johnson.

||Fis`tu*la"ri*a (?), n. [NL., fr. L. fistula pipe.] (Zoˆl.) A genus of ||fishes, having the head prolonged into a tube, with the mouth at the ||extremity.

Fis`tu*la"ri*oid (?), a. [Fistularia + -oid.] (Zoˆl.) Like or pertaining to the genus Fistularia.

Fis"tu*late (?; 135), v. t. & i. [Cf. L. fistulatus furnished with pipes.] To make hollow or become hollow like a fistula, or pipe. [Obs.] "A fistulated ulcer." Fuller.

Fis"tule (?; 135), n. A fistula.

Fis"tu*li*form (? or ?), a. [Fistula + -form.] Of a fistular form; tubular; pipe-shaped.