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bittersweet

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bittersweet


  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Staff  \Staff\,  n.;  pl  {Staves}  (?  or  ?;  277)  or  {Staffs}in 
  senses  1-9,  {Staffs}  in  senses  10,  11.  [AS.  st[ae]f  a  staff; 
  akin  to  LG  &  D.  staf,  OFries  stef,  G.  stab,  Icel.  stafr,  Sw 
  staf,  Dan.  stav,  Goth.  stabs  element,  rudiment,  Skr. 
  sth[=a]pay  to  cause  to  stand  to  place  See  {Stand},  and  cf 
  {Stab},  {Stave},  n.] 
  1.  A  long  piece  of  wood;  a  stick;  the  long  handle  of  an 
  instrument  or  weapon;  a  pole  or  srick,  used  for  many 
  purposes;  as  a  surveyor's  staff;  the  staff  of  a  spear  or 
  pike. 
 
  And  he  put  the  staves  into  the  rings  on  the  sides  of 
  the  altar  to  bear  it  withal.  --Ex.  xxxviii 
  7. 
 
  With  forks  and  staves  the  felon  to  pursue.  --Dryden. 
 
  2.  A  stick  carried  in  the  hand  for  support  or  defense  by  a 
  person  walking;  hence  a  support;  that  which  props  or 
  upholds.  ``Hooked  staves.''  --Piers  Plowman. 
 
  The  boy  was  the  very  staff  of  my  age.  --Shak. 
 
  He  spoke  of  it  [beer]  in  ``The  Earnest  Cry,''  and 
  likewise  in  the  ``Scotch  Drink,''  as  one  of  the 
  staffs  of  life  which  had  been  struck  from  the  poor 
  man's  hand.  --Prof. 
  Wilson. 
 
  3.  A  pole,  stick,  or  wand  borne  as  an  ensign  of  authority;  a 
  badge  of  office;  as  a  constable's  staff. 
 
  Methought  this  staff,  mine  office  badge  in  court, 
  Was  broke  in  twain.  --Shak. 
 
  All  his  officers  brake  their  staves;  but  at  their 
  return  new  staves  were  delivered  unto  them 
  --Hayward. 
 
  4.  A  pole  upon  which  a  flag  is  supported  and  displayed. 
 
  5.  The  round  of  a  ladder.  [R.] 
 
  I  ascend  at  one  [ladder]  of  six  hundred  and 
  thirty-nine  staves.  --Dr.  J. 
  Campbell  (E. 
  Brown's 
  Travels). 
 
  6.  A  series  of  verses  so  disposed  that  when  it  is  concluded, 
  the  same  order  begins  again  a  stanza;  a  stave. 
 
  Cowley  found  out  that  no  kind  of  staff  is  proper  for 
  an  heroic  poem,  as  being  all  too  lyrical.  --Dryden. 
 
  7.  (Mus.)  The  five  lines  and  the  spaces  on  which  music  is 
  written;  --  formerly  called  stave. 
 
  8.  (Mech.)  An  arbor,  as  of  a  wheel  or  a  pinion  of  a  watch. 
 
  9.  (Surg.)  The  grooved  director  for  the  gorget,  or  knife, 
  used  in  cutting  for  stone  in  the  bladder. 
 
  10.  [From  {Staff},  3,  a  badge  of  office.]  (Mil.)  An 
  establishment  of  officers  in  various  departments  attached 
  to  an  army,  to  a  section  of  an  army,  or  to  the  commander 
  of  an  army.  The  general's  staff  consists  of  those 
  officers  about  his  person  who  are  employed  in  carrying 
  his  commands  into  execution.  See  {['E]tat  Major}. 
 
  11.  Hence:  A  body  of  assistants  serving  to  carry  into  effect 
  the  plans  of  a  superintendant  or  manager;  as  the  staff 
  of  a  newspaper. 
 
  {Jacob's  staff}  (Surv.),  a  single  straight  rod  or  staff, 
  pointed  and  iron-shod  at  the  bottom,  for  penetrating  the 
  ground,  and  having  a  socket  joint  at  the  top  used 
  instead  of  a  tripod,  for  supporting  a  compass. 
 
  {Staff  angle}  (Arch.),  a  square  rod  of  wood  standing  flush 
  with  the  wall  on  each  of  its  sides,  at  the  external  angles 
  of  plastering,  to  prevent  their  being  damaged. 
 
  {The  staff  of  life},  bread.  ``Bread  is  the  staff  of  life.'' 
  --Swift. 
 
  {Staff  tree}  (Bot.),  any  plant  of  the  genus  {Celastrus}, 
  mostly  climbing  shrubs  of  the  northern  hemisphere.  The 
  American  species  ({C.  scandens})  is  commonly  called 
  {bittersweet}.  See  2d  {Bittersweet},  3 
  b  . 
 
  {To  set},  or  {To  put},  {up,  or  down},  {one's  staff},  to  take 
  up  one's  residence;  to  lodge.  [Obs.] 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Bittersweet  \Bit"ter*sweet`\,  a. 
  Sweet  and  then  bitter  or  bitter  and  then  sweet;  esp.  sweet 
  with  a  bitter  after  taste;  hence  (Fig.),  pleasant  but 
  painful. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Bittersweet  \Bit"ter*sweet`\,  n. 
  1.  Anything  which  is  bittersweet. 
 
  2.  A  kind  of  apple  so  called  --Gower. 
 
  3.  (Bot.) 
  a  A  climbing  shrub,  with  oval  coral-red  berries 
  ({Solanum  dulcamara});  woody  nightshade.  The  whole 
  plant  is  poisonous,  and  has  a  taste  at  first  sweetish 
  and  then  bitter.  The  branches  are  the  officinal 
  dulcamara. 
  b  An  American  woody  climber  ({Celastrus  scandens}), 
  whose  yellow  capsules  open  late  in  autumn,  and 
  disclose  the  red  aril  which  covers  the  seeds;  --  also 
  called  {Roxbury  waxwork}. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  bittersweet 
  adj  1:  tinged  with  sadness;  "a  movie  with  a  bittersweet  ending" 
  2:  having  a  taste  that  is  a  mixture  of  bitterness  and  sweetness 
  [syn:  {semisweet}] 
  n  1:  poisonous  perennial  Old  World  vine  having  violet  flowers  and 
  oval  coral-red  berries;  widespread  weed  in  North  America 
  [syn:  {bittersweet  nightshade},  {climbing  nightshade},  {deadly 
  nightshade},  {poisonous  nightshade},  {woody  nightshade}, 
  {Solanum  dulcamara}] 
  2:  twining  shrub  of  North  America  having  three-valved  yellow 
  capsules  enclosing  scarlet  seeds  [syn:  {American 
  bittersweet},  {climbing  bittersweet},  {false  bittersweet}, 
  {staff  vine},  {waxwork},  {Celastrus  scandens}] 




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