See Also: sidesaddle(medicine)

modesty (iou) and sidesaddle (medicine)


modesty (iou)



modesty noun & adjective. M16.
[Old & mod. French modestie or Latin modestia, from modestus: see MODEST, -Y3.]
A. noun.
Moderation; reasonableness; self-control; mildness of rule. M16-M19.
Gibbon The modesty of Alaric was interpreted..as a sure evidence of his weakness.
The quality of being modest about oneself. M16.
P. Medawar 'Just here our capacities fail us,' he says, with a modesty not found in..his successors. R. Deacon With typical modesty he gave most of the credit..to a Zulu assistant.
b. Deferential feeling. L16-M17.
c. The quality of being modest in size, quantity, appearance, etc.; unpretentious character. E20.
Blackwood's Magazine The straitness of their surroundings, the modesty of their homes.
Modest behaviour, manner, or appearance. M16.
E. B. Browning He could not think highly of the modesty of any woman who could read Don Juan! Mail on Sunday She still has to bow to her Muslim background in modesty of dress.
b. = modesty piece below. arch. M18.
Any of certain inconspicuous plants; spec. (a) thorow-wax; (b) a white-flowered creeping plant, Whipplea modesta, of the hydrangea family, native to the western US. M19.
b. attrib. or as adjective. Serving to prevent immodest exposure of the (female) body. Orig. in modesty piece below. E18.
modesty piece arch. a piece of lace etc. covering the bosom, worn with a low-cut dress. modesty skirt a short skirt on a woman's swimming costume.
New Scientist Carpenters..taking down all those modesty boards from the front of typing tables.

sidesaddle (medicine)


sidesaddle


A saddle for women, in which the rider sits with both feet on one side of the animal mounted.

<botany> Sidesaddle flower, a plant with hollow leaves and curiously shaped flowers.

Synonym: huntsman's cup. See Sarracenia.

Source: Websters Dictionary