Joseph kept Simeon as a hostage in Egypt, when the rest of his brothers returned home, in order that they might not fail to bring Benjamin with them when they came again. Hos tile, a. opposed to, with the feel ings of an enemy. Cato the elder, a distinguished Roman, was so hostile to the Carthaginians, that he never gave his opinion in the Senate on any subject, without adding that he thought Carthage ought to be destroyed. What belongs to an enemy is also called hostile; as a hostile country, a hostile fleet. House, n. a place to live in..—a family or household. Joshua said; "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." a person with all his descendants. "All the souls of the house of Jacob which came into Egypt were three score and ten." a branch of a legislature; as the House of Representatives in Con gress. Hov' er, (huv er,) v. n. to hang fluttering in the air over or about a place. A hawk hovered some time over the barnyard, and then darting suddenly down carried off a chicken. to move back and forth in the neigh borhood of a place. The ship which was seen hovering off the coast for several days, was supposed to be a pirate. Huge, a. very large in size; as a huge ox, a huge mountain. Ни Hü man, a. belonging to mankind; as a human face, a human voice, hu man nature. Hu māne, a. having kind and tender feelings. The jailer is decided and strict, but yet Hū mor, n. the peculiar condition of one's feelings at a particular time, as it respects being cheerful or melancholy, good-natured or fretful, playful or serious, active or inactive, and the like. One day he is in the humor for writing, and the next day he does nothing but read, and then the humor takes him to be idle. His humor is very changeable. an agreeable way of representing things which tends to excite laughter or mirth. Addison, an elegant English writer, has a great deal of humor. Hyp o crite, n. one who puts on the appearance of being what he is not. One man pretended to be a great friend of another, and spoke very kindly to him whenever they met, while he hated him and was all the while trying to injure him. He was a great hypocrite. The Pharisees used to make long prayers in the synagogues and at the corners of the I saw a beautiful rose yesterday. 1 am now thinking how it looked. I have an idea of it. Last evening I heard a flute. I am now thinking of it. I have an idea of its sound. in The word idea is sometimes used to denote opinion or purpose; as, they did not agree their ideas on the subject,-he said, he had no idea of going to Boston at present. I dol, n. an image or representation of some thing made by man, and worshipped as a god. In the wilderness the Israelites made a calf and offered sacrifices unto the idol. Whole nations, at the present day, worship idols. any thing which men love very much more than they ought to do. The mother made such an idol of her little boy that he was spoiled by her indulgence. I dol a ter, n. one who worships an idol, or any thing else as a god which is not the true God. The ancient Greeks were idolaters, and they had so many false gods, that an Athenian once said, it was easier to find a god in Athens than a man. Ig no min i ous, a. very disgraceful. Among the Romans crucifixion was considered a most ignominious punishment. Ill, n. wickedness.—any thing which causes injury or unhappiness. "Love worketh no ill to his neighbor." Il lit e rate, a. not having learning. He is so illiterate that he cannot read in the streets. Truth is often compared to light, and is said to illuminate the mind." Il lū sion, n. something supposed to be true and real, when it is not so. She thinks often that she sees her absent friends. It is an illusion of sight. She thinks that she hears them speaking to her. It is an illusion of hearing. Illustrate, v. a. to make a thing more clear, and easy to be understood. The master drew a map of the country on the black board, and in that way illustrated the lesson in geography to his pupils. In this book, the definitions are usually followed by illustrative examples. Il lus tri ous, a. very highly distinguished for goodness or great is not so. He is a rich man, and his fears of coming to want are wholly imaginary. Im ag' ine, (im aj ine,) v. a. to picture things in the mind as we have seen or felt them. A lad at sea, in his dreams, imagined him self at home, and that he saw his father's house and every thing about it just as they used to be. to picture things in the mind as we have seen or felt them, and to put them together under new forms. Robert imagined, one day, how beautifully the trees in his father's orchard would look if they were all loaded with oranges instead of apples. to contrive. "Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil." Im bībe, v. a. to drink in, to receive in. The beautiful rose-bud imbibed the dew which fell upon it. He was early taught the truths of the Bible by a pious mother, and imbibed sound religious principles from her lips. Im bue, v. a. to give a deep color to. -to cause the mind to imbibe. The teacher took great pains to imbue the minds of his scholars with a strict regard to truth. Im i tate, v. a. to do or make something like another thing. It is surprising how well the mocking-bird will imitate the notes of other birds. Choose the best examples for imitation. Im mense, a. so extensive that it cannot be bounded. Space is immense; go into it which way you will, you will never come to an end. exceedingly great. The distance from the earth to the sun is immense. Im mi nent, a. hanging over, as if about to fall on one; threatening immediate evil. The boat had got into the rapids, and the men were in imminent danger of being carried over the cataract. Im mor tal, a. never dying or ending. The soul of man is immortal. Im pair, v. a. to injure a thing by diminishing its worth, quantity, or strength. He read so long and so late by candle light, that his sight was, at length, quite impaired by it. A severe fit of sickness seemed for a time to impair his memory, but it was afterwards restored. Im pårt, v. a. to give a part or share of what one has to another. John the Baptist said to the people who sought his instruction; "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none, and he that hath meat, let him do likewise." to communicate the knowledge of something. When deeply afflicted, he found much relief in imparting his sorrows to his friend. Im peach, v. a. to accuse a public officer of misconduct or crime before those who have a right to try him. A judge of one of the United States' courts was impeached before the Senate of the United States, tried and acquitted. to censure or call in question. He impeached the motive of his neighbor in giving some clothes to a poor man, by saying that it was done to get praise for doing it. Im pēde, v. a. to make it difficult to go forward. The ship was much impeded in its course by the floating islands of ice. The habit which he formed when young of getting his lessons slightly, impeded his progress in his studies for a long time. Im pěl, v. a. to push or drive onward. The power of steam impelled the boat through the water. A strong desire to have a large navy for the defense of his kingdom, impelled Peter the Great, Emperor of Russia, to go in disguise to Holland and work there, for some time, as a ship carpenter. This happened in the year 1698. Im pěnd, v. n. to hang over, to be near and threatening. A dark cloud impended over the mountain which we were ascending, but disappeared before we reached the summit. Our Saviour wept over Jerusalem when he saw its impending destruction. Im pěn e tra ble, a. not to be pierced. Achilles is represented by Homer as having a body which was impenetrable in all its parts excepting the heel, so that no weapon could injure him but in that place. not to be seen into or understood. Many things which God does, are impenetrable to our minds. 'Im pět u ous, a. rushing on with violence. The gale was so impetuous that it rent the sails of the ship in pieces. Charles XII. king of Sweden had a very impetuous temper. He caused himself to be declared king at the age of fifteen, and boldly seizing the crown from the hands of the archbishop at his coronation, placed it upon his own head. This happened in the year 1697. Im pi ous, a. very wicked, without reverence for God or religion. Some men are so impious as to laugh at the Bible and all sacred things. He was guilty of great impiety in uttering oaths so horrible. Îm pli cate, v. a. to be concerned in, or connected with some wicked affair. He did not kill the man with his own hand; but he was implicated in the murder, as he stood by and assisted the person who committed it. Im plōre, v. a. to beg with great earnestness for aid, relief, or pardon. Poor, blind Bartimeus implored Jesus to cause him to see; and the Saviour said; Receive thy sight, thy faith hath saved thee." Im ply, v. a. to say or do that from which something may be inferred that is not distinctly expressed. His sending his son to the school the day that it was opened, implied that he meant to pay for his tuition although nothing was said on the subject. Im pōrt, v. a. to bring things into one country from another. Tea is imported into the United States from China. Im pōs tor, n. one who pretends to be what he is not, in order to deceive people and gain some advantage. Mohammed claimed to be a prophet sent from God, when he had no right to call himself so. He was a mere impostor. the best opportunities for gaining knowledge, which he was careful to improve. v. n. to become better. I had not seen him for a long time, and was very glad to find him so much improved in health, in mind, and in manners. In, prefixed to words, and sometimes In cen di a ry, n. one who wickedly Im press, v. a. to make a mark or fig-In ure on any thing by pressure. With his seal he impressed the first letters of his name on the soft wax. to act strongly upon the mind or feelings. The teacher read to his pupils an affecting account of the death of a little child, and they were much impressed by it. to fix deeply in the mind. The witness in court said, it was strongly impressed on his memory that a certain thing happened on the 19th of April, because that was the day of the month when the battle of Lexington was fought, in the year 1775. Im prove, v. a. to make better. The farmer improved his meadow very much by draining it. Although working at his trade industriously, Chosroes, a proud king of Persia, was greatly incensed against one of his generals for sending to him the Roman embassadors to ask for peace. He imprisoned the embassadors, and caused his general to be flayed alive. ces sant, a. keeping on continually so long as it lasts. The river on which his mill stands is never dry; it is an incessant stream during the whole year. În ci dent, n. something which hap pens. One striking incident during the voyage was, that a large whale passed so near the ship that we had a full view of him. In cite, v. a. to stir up to action. Frank was incited to great diligence in his studies by the desire of pleasing his parents. In clem ent, a. not mild, rough, se vere. The snow storm was so violent, and the weather so inclement, that the traveller was in great danger of perishing. he found time to improve his mind by reading, In cline, v. n. to lean towards, to turn and conversing with intelligent persons. to make a good use of. He spent several years in Europe, and had from a direct line. It was easy to perceive that the steeple of |