Part 875

2. The home or seat of a family; place of origin.

We can trace them back to a homestead on the Rivers Volga and Ural.

W. Tooke.

3. (Law) The home and appurtenant land and buildings owned by the head of a family, and occupied by him and his family.

Homestead law. (a) A law conferring special privileges or exemptions upon owners of homesteads; esp., a law exempting a homestead from attachment or sale under execution for general debts. Such laws, with limitations as to the extent or value of the property, exist in most of the States. Called also homestead exemption law. (b) Also, a designation of an Act of Congress authorizing and regulating the sale of public lands, in parcels of 160 acres each, to actual settlers. [U.S.]

Home"stead*er (?), n. One who has entered upon a portion of the public land with the purpose of acquiring ownership of it under provisions of the homestead law, so called; one who has acquired a homestead in this manner. [Local, U.S.]

Home"ward (?), a. Being in the direction of home; as, the homeward way.

{ Home"ward (?), Home"wards (?), } adv. [AS. hmweard.] Toward home; in the direction of one's house, town, or country.

Homeward bound, bound for home; going homeward; as, the homeward bound fleet.

Hom"i*ci`dal (?), a. Pertaining to homicide; tending to homicide; murderous.

Hom"i*cide (?), n. [F., fr. L. homicidium, fr. homicida a man slayer; homo man + caedere to cut, kill. See Homage, and cf. Concise, Shed, v. t.] 1. The killing of one human being by another.

Homicide is of three kinds: justifiable, as when the killing is performed in the exercise of a right or performance of a duty; excusable, as when done, although not as duty or right, yet without culpable or criminal intent; and felonious, or involving what the law terms malice; the latter may be either manslaughter or murder. Bouvier.

2. One who kills another; a manslayer. Chaucer. Shak.

Hom"i*form (?), a. [L. homo man + -form.] In human form. [Obs.] Cudworth.

Hom"i*lete (?), n. A homilist.

{ Hom`i*let"ic (?), Hom`i*let"ic*al (?), } a. [Gr. &?;: cf. F. homilÈtique. See Homily.] 1. Of or pertaining to familiar intercourse; social; affable; conversable; companionable. [R.]

His virtues active, chiefly, and homiletical, not those lazy, sullen ones of the cloister.

Atterbury.

2. Of or pertaining to homiletics; hortatory.

Hom`i*let"ics (?), n. [Cf. F. homilÈtique.] The art of preaching; that branch of theology which treats of homilies or sermons, and the best method of preparing and delivering them.

Hom"i*list (?), n. One who prepares homilies; one who preaches to a congregation.

Hom"i*lite (?), n. [From Gr. &?; to be in company with.] (Min.) A borosilicate of iron and lime, near datolite in form and composition.

Hom"i*ly (?), n.; pl. Homilies (#). [LL. homilia, Gr. &?; communion, assembly, converse, sermon, fr. &?; an assembly, fr. &?; same; cf. &?; together, and &?; crowd, cf. &?; to press: cf. F. homÈlie. See Same.] 1. A discourse or sermon read or pronounced to an audience; a serious discourse. Shak.

2. A serious or tedious exhortation in private on some moral point, or on the conduct of life.

As I have heard my father Deal out in his long homilies.

Byron.

Book of Homilies. A collection of authorized, printed sermons, to be read by ministers in churches, esp. one issued in the time of Edward VI., and a second, issued in the reign of Elizabeth; -- both books being certified to contain a "godly and wholesome doctrine."

Hom"ing (?), a. Home-returning; -- used specifically of carrier pigeons.