Part 617

Pro`ter*an"thous (?), a. [Gr. &?; earlier (fr. &?; before) + &?; flower.] (Bot.) Having flowers appearing before the leaves; -- said of certain plants. Gray.

Pro`te*rog"ly*pha (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; before + &?; to carve.] (Zoˆl.) A suborder of serpents including those that have permanently erect grooved poison fangs, with ordinary teeth behind them in the jaws. It includes the cobras, the asps, and the sea snakes. Called also Proteroglyphia.

Pro`ter*og"y*nous (?), a. [Gr. &?; earlier (fr. &?; before) + &?; woman, female.] (Bot.) Having the pistil come to maturity before the stamens; protogynous; -- opposed to proterandrous.

||Pro`te*ro*sau"rus (?), n. [NL., from Gr. &?; earlier (fr. &?; before) ||+ &?; a lizard.] (Paleon.) An extinct genus of reptiles of the ||Permian period. Called also Protosaurus.

Pro*ter"vi*ty (?), n. [L. protervitas, from protervus violent.] Peevishness; petulance. [Obs.] Fuller.

Pro*test" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Protested; p. pr. & vb. n. Protesting.] [F. protester, L. protestari, pro before + testari to be a witness, testis a witness. See Testify.] 1. To affirm in a public or formal manner; to bear witness; to declare solemnly; to avow.

He protest that his measures are pacific.

Landor.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

Shak.

2. To make a solemn declaration (often a written one) expressive of opposition; -- with against; as, he protest against your votes. Denham.

The conscience has power . . . to protest againts the exorbitancies of the passions.

Shak.

Syn. -- To affirm; asseverate; assert; aver; attest; testify; declare; profess. See Affirm.

Pro*test", v. t. 1. To make a solemn declaration or affirmation of; to proclaim; to display; as, to protest one's loyalty.

I will protest your cowardice.

Shak.

2. To call as a witness in affirming or denying, or to prove an affirmation; to appeal to.

Fiercely opposed My journey strange, with clamorous uproar Protesting fate supreme.

Milton.

To protest a bill or note (Law), to make a solemn written declaration, in due form, on behalf of the holder, against all parties liable for any loss or damage to be sustained by the nonacceptance or the nonpayment of the bill or note, as the case may be. This should be made by a notary public, whose seal it is the usual practice to affix. Kent. Story.

Pro"test (?), n. [Cf. F. protÍt, It. protesto. See Protest, v.] 1. A solemn declaration of opinion, commonly a formal objection against some act; especially, a formal and solemn declaration, in writing, of dissent from the proceedings of a legislative body; as, the protest of lords in Parliament.

2. (Law) (a) A solemn declaration in writing, in due form, made by a notary public, usually under his notarial seal, on behalf of the holder of a bill or note, protesting against all parties liable for any loss or damage by the nonacceptance or nonpayment of the bill, or by the nonpayment of the note, as the case may be. (b) A declaration made by the master of a vessel before a notary, consul, or other authorized officer, upon his arrival in port after a disaster, stating the particulars of it, and showing that any damage or loss sustained was not owing to the fault of the vessel, her officers or crew, but to the perils of the sea, etc., ads the case may be, and protesting against them. (c) A declaration made by a party, before or while paying a tax, duty, or the like, demanded of him, which he deems illegal, denying the justice of the demand, and asserting his rights and claims, in order to show that the payment was not voluntary. Story. Kent.

Prot"es*tan*cy (?), n. Protestantism. [R.]

Prot"es*tant (?), n. [F. protestant, fr. L. protestans, -antis, p. pr. of protestare. See Protest, v.] One who protests; -- originally applied to those who adhered to Luther, and protested against, or made a solemn declaration of dissent from, a decree of the Emperor Charles V. and the Diet of Spires, in 1529, against the Reformers, and appealed to a general council; -- now used in a popular sense to designate any Christian who does not belong to the Roman Catholic or the Greek Church.

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Prot"es*tant (?), a. [Cf. F. protestant.] 1. Making a protest; protesting.

2. Of or pertaining to the faith and practice of those Christians who reject the authority of the Roman Catholic Church; as, Protestant writers.