Part 540

Gnomic Poets, Greek poets, as Theognis and Solon, of the sixth century B. C., whose writings consist of short sententious precepts and reflections.

Gnom"ic*al, a. [See Gnomon.] Gnomonical. Boyle.

Gnom"ic*al*ly, adv. In a gnomic, didactic, or sententious manner.

{ Gno`mo*log"ic (?), Gno`mo*log"ic*al (?), } a. [Gr. &?;.] Pertaining to, of the nature of, or resembling, a gnomology.

Gno*mol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. &?;; &?; judgment, maxim + &?; discourse: cf. F. gnomologie.] A collection of, or a treatise on, maxims, grave sentences, or reflections. [Obs.] Milton.

Gno"mon (?), n. [L. gnomon, Gr. &?; one that knows, the index of a sundial. See Gnome.]

1. (Dialing) The style or pin, which by its shadow, shows the hour of the day. It is usually set parallel to the earth's axis.

2. (Astron.) A style or column erected perpendicularly to the horizon, formerly used in astronomocal observations. Its principal use was to find the altitude of the sun by measuring the length of its shadow.

3. (Geom.) The space included between the boundary lines of two similar parallelograms, the one within the other, with an angle in common; as, the gnomon bcdefg of the parallelograms ac and af. The parallelogram bf is the complement of the parallelogram df.

4. The index of the hour circle of a globe.

{ Gno*mon"ic (?), Gno*mon"ic*al (?), } a. [L. gnomonicus, Gr. &?;: cf. F. gnomonique. See Gnomon.] Of or pertaining to the gnomon, or the art of dialing.

Gnomonic projection, a projection of the circles of the sphere, in which the point of sight is taken at the center of the sphere, and the principal plane is tangent to the surface of the sphere. "The gnomonic projection derives its name from the connection between the methods of describing it and those for the construction of a gnomon or dial." Cyc. of Arts & Sciences.

Gno*mon"ic*al*ly (?), adv. According to the principles of the gnomonic projection.

Gno*mon"ics (?), n. [See Gnomonic.] The art or science of dialing, or of constructing dials to show the hour of the day by the shadow of a gnomon.

Gno"mon*ist (?), n. One skilled in gnomonics. Boyle.

Gno`mon*ol"o*gy (?), n. [Gnomon + -logy. Cf. Gnomonology.] A treatise on gnomonics.

Gnos"co*pine (?), n. [Gr. gignw`skein to know + E. opium?] (Chem.) An alkaloid existing in small quantities in opium.

||Gno"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. gnw^sis.] (Metaph.) The deeper wisdom; ||knowledge of spiritual truth, such as was claimed by the Gnostics.

Gnos"tic (?), a. 1. Knowing; wise; shrewd. [Old Slang]

I said you were a gnostic fellow.

Sir W. Scott.

2. (Eccl. Hist.) Of or pertaining to Gnosticism or its adherents; as, the Gnostic heresy.

Gnos"tic, n. [L. gnosticus, Gr. &?; good at knowing, sagacious; as a n., man that claims to have a deeper wisdom, fr. gignw`skein to know: cf. F. gnostique. See Know.] (Eccl. Hist.) One of the so-called philosophers in the first ages of Christianity, who claimed a true philosophical interpretation of the Christian religion. Their system combined Oriental theology and Greek philosophy with the doctrines of Christianity. They held that all natures, intelligible, intellectual, and material, are derived from the Deity by successive emanations, which they called Eons.

Gnos"ti*cism (?), n. The system of philosophy taught by the Gnostics.

Gnow (?), obs. imp. of Gnaw. Gnawed. Chaucer.

Gnu (?), n. [Hottentot gnu, or nju: cf. F. gnou.] (Zoˆl.) One of two species of large South African antelopes of the genus Catoblephas, having a mane and bushy tail, and curved horns in both sexes. [Written also gnoo.]

The common gnu or wildebeest (Catoblephas gnu) is plain brown; the brindled gnu or blue wildebeest (C. gorgon) is larger, with transverse stripes of black on the neck and shoulders.

Go (g), obs. p. p. of Go. Gone. Chaucer.