[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

general \gen"eral\, a. f. g'en'eral, fr. l. generalis. see
   genus.
   1. relating to a genus or kind; pertaining to a whole class
      or order; as, a general law of animal or vegetable
      economy.
      1913 webster

   2. comprehending many species or individuals; not special or
      particular; including all particulars; as, a general
      inference or conclusion.
      1913 webster

   3. not restrained or limited to a precise import; not
      specific; vague; indefinite; lax in signification; as, a
      loose and general expression.
      1913 webster

   4. common to many, or the greatest number; widely spread;
      prevalent; extensive, though not universal; as, a general
      opinion; a general custom.
      1913 webster

            this general applause and cheerful shout
            argue your wisdom and your love to richard. --shak.
      1913 webster

   5. having a relation to all; common to the whole; as, adam,
      our general sire. --milton.
      1913 webster

   6. as a whole; in gross; for the most part.
      1913 webster

            his general behavior vain, ridiculous. --shak.
      1913 webster

   7. usual; common, on most occasions; as, his general habit or
      method.
      1913 webster

   note: the word general, annexed to a name of office, usually
         denotes chief or superior; as, attorney-general;
         adjutant general; commissary general; quartermaster
         general; vicar-general, etc.
         1913 webster

   general agent law, an agent whom a principal employs to
      transact all his business of a particular kind, or to act
      in his affairs generally.

   general assembly. see the note under assembly.

   general average, general court. see under average,
      court.

   general court-martial mil., the highest military and
      naval judicial tribunal.

   general dealer com., a shopkeeper who deals in all
      articles in common use.

   general demurrer law, a demurrer which objects to a
      pleading in general terms, as insufficient, without
      specifying the defects. --abbott.

   general epistle, a canonical epistle.

   general guides mil., two sergeants called the right, and
      the left, general guide posted opposite the right and
      left flanks of an infantry battalion, to preserve accuracy
      in marching. --farrow.

   general hospitals mil., hospitals established to receive
      sick and wounded sent from the field hospitals. --farrow.

   general issue law, an issue made by a general plea, which
      traverses the whole declaration or indictment at once,
      without offering any special matter to evade it.
      --bouvier. --burrill.

   general lien law, a right to detain a chattel, etc.,
      until payment is made of any balance due on a general
      account.

   general officer mil., any officer having a rank above
      that of colonel.

   general orders mil., orders from headquarters published
      to the whole command.

   general practitioner, in the united states, one who
      practices medicine in all its branches without confining
      himself to any specialty; in england, one who practices
      both as physician and as surgeon.

   general ship, a ship not chartered or let to particular
      parties.

   general term logic, a term which is the sign of a general
      conception or notion.

   general verdict law, the ordinary comprehensive verdict
      in civil actions, "for the plaintiff" or "for the
      defendant". --burrill.

   general warrant law, a warrant, now illegal, to apprehend
      suspected persons, without naming individuals.

   syn: syn. general, common, universal.

   usage: common denotes primarily that in which many share; and
          hence, that which is often met with. general is
          stronger, denoting that which pertains to a majority
          of the individuals which compose a genus, or whole.
          universal, that which pertains to all without
          exception. to be able to read and write is so common
          an attainment in the united states, that we may
          pronounce it general, though by no means universal.
          1913 webster
see also:
genus general agent general assembly assembly general average general court 
average court general court-martial general dealer general demurrer 
general epistle general guides general hospitals general issue general lien 
general officer general orders general practitioner general ship general term 
general verdict general warrant general common universal 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

order \or"der\, n. oe. ordre, f. ordre, fr. l. ordo, ordinis.
   cf. ordain, ordinal.
   1913 webster
   1. regular arrangement; any methodical or established
      succession or harmonious relation; method; system; as:
      a of material things, like the books in a library.
      b of intellectual notions or ideas, like the topics of a
          discource.
      c of periods of time or occurrences, and the like.
          1913 webster

                the side chambers were . . . thirty in order.
                                                  --ezek. xli.
                                                  6.
          1913 webster

                bright-harnessed angels sit in order
                serviceable.                      --milton.
          1913 webster

                good order is the foundation of all good things.
                                                  --burke.
          1913 webster

   2. right arrangement; a normal, correct, or fit condition;
      as, the house is in order; the machinery is out of order.
      --locke.
      1913 webster

   3. the customary mode of procedure; established system, as in
      the conduct of debates or the transaction of business;
      usage; custom; fashion. --dantiel.
      1913 webster

            and, pregnant with his grander thought,
            brought the old order into doubt.     --emerson.
      1913 webster

   4. conformity with law or decorum; freedom from disturbance;
      general tranquillity; public quiet; as, to preserve order
      in a community or an assembly.
      1913 webster

   5. that which prescribes a method of procedure; a rule or
      regulation made by competent authority; as, the rules and
      orders of the senate.
      1913 webster

            the church hath authority to establish that for an
            order at one time which at another time it may
            abolish.                              --hooker.
      1913 webster

   6. a command; a mandate; a precept; a direction.
      1913 webster

            upon this new fright, an order was made by both
            houses for disarming all the papists in england.
                                                  --clarendon.
      1913 webster

   7. hence: a commission to purchase, sell, or supply goods; a
      direction, in writing, to pay money, to furnish supplies,
      to admit to a building, a place of entertainment, or the
      like; as, orders for blankets are large.
      1913 webster

            in those days were pit orders -- beshrew the
            uncomfortable manager who abolished them. --lamb.
      1913 webster

   8. a number of things or persons arranged in a fixed or
      suitable place, or relative position; a rank; a row; a
      grade; especially, a rank or class in society; a group or
      division of men in the same social or other position;
      also, a distinct character, kind, or sort; as, the higher
      or lower orders of society; talent of a high order.
      1913 webster

            they are in equal order to their several ends.
                                                  --jer. taylor.
      1913 webster

            various orders various ensigns bear.  --granville.
      1913 webster

            which, to his order of mind, must have seemed little
            short of crime.                       --hawthorne.
      1913 webster

   9. a body of persons having some common honorary distinction
      or rule of obligation; esp., a body of religious persons
      or aggregate of convents living under a common rule; as,
      the order of the bath; the franciscan order.
      1913 webster

            find a barefoot brother out,
            one of our order, to associate me.    --shak.
      1913 webster

            the venerable order of the knights templars. --sir
                                                  w. scott.
      1913 webster

   10. an ecclesiastical grade or rank, as of deacon, priest, or
       bishop; the office of the christian ministry; -- often
       used in the plural; as, to take orders, or to take holy
       orders, that is, to enter some grade of the ministry.
       1913 webster

   11. arch. the disposition of a column and its component
       parts, and of the entablature resting upon it, in
       classical architecture; hence as the column and
       entablature are the characteristic features of classical
       architecture a style or manner of architectural
       designing.
       1913 webster

   note: the greeks used three different orders, easy to
         distinguish, doric, ionic, and corinthian. the romans
         added the tuscan, and changed the doric so that it is
         hardly recognizable, and also used a modified
         corinthian called composite. the renaissance writers on
         architecture recognized five orders as orthodox or
         classical, -- doric the roman sort, ionic, tuscan,
         corinthian, and composite. see illust. of capital.
         1913 webster

   12. nat. hist. an assemblage of genera having certain
       important characters in common; as, the carnivora and
       insectivora are orders of mammalia.
       1913 webster

   note: the linnaean artificial orders of plants rested mainly
         on identity in the numer of pistils, or agreement in
         some one character. natural orders are groups of genera
         agreeing in the fundamental plan of their flowers and
         fruit. a natural order is usually in botany
         equivalent to a family, and may include several tribes.
         1913 webster

   13. rhet. the placing of words and members in a sentence in
       such a manner as to contribute to force and beauty or
       clearness of expression.
       1913 webster

   14. math. rank; degree; thus, the order of a curve or
       surface is the same as the degree of its equation.
       1913 webster

   artificial order or artificial system. see artificial
      classification, under artificial, and note to def. 12
      above.

   close order mil., the arrangement of the ranks with a
      distance of about half a pace between them; with a
      distance of about three yards the ranks are in open
      order.

   the four orders, the orders four, the four orders of
      mendicant friars. see friar. --chaucer.

   general orders mil., orders issued which concern the
      whole command, or the troops generally, in distinction
      from special orders.

   holy orders.
       a eccl. the different grades of the christian
           ministry; ordination to the ministry. see def. 10
           above.
       b r. c. ch. a sacrament for the purpose of conferring
           a special grace on those ordained.

   in order to, for the purpose of; to the end; as means to.

            the best knowledge is that which is of greatest use
            in order to our eternal happiness.    --tillotson.

   minor orders r. c. ch., orders beneath the diaconate in
      sacramental dignity, as acolyte, exorcist, reader,
      doorkeeper.

   money order. see under money.

   natural order. bot. see def. 12, note.

   order book.
       a a merchant's book in which orders are entered.
       b mil. a book kept at headquarters, in which all
           orders are recorded for the information of officers
           and men.
       c a book in the house of commons in which proposed
           orders must be entered. eng.

   order in council, a royal order issued with and by the
      advice of the privy council. great britain

   order of battle mil., the particular disposition given to
      the troops of an army on the field of battle.

   order of the day, in legislative bodies, the special
      business appointed for a specified day.

   order of a differential equation math., the greatest
      index of differentiation in the equation.

   sailing orders naut., the final instructions given to the
      commander of a ship of war before a cruise.

   sealed orders, orders sealed, and not to be opened until a
      certain time, or arrival at a certain place, as after a
      ship is at sea.

   standing order.
       a a continuing regulation for the conduct of
           parliamentary business.
       b mil. an order not subject to change by an officer
           temporarily in command.

   to give order, to give command or directions. --shak.

   to take order for, to take charge of; to make arrangements
      concerning.
      1913 webster

            whiles i take order for mine own affairs. --shak.
      1913 webster

   syn: arrangement; management. see direction.
        1913 webster
see also:
ordain ordinal capital artificial order artificial system artificial classification 
artificial close order open order the four orders the orders four 
friar general orders special orders holy orders in order to 
minor orders money order money natural order order book 
order in council order of battle order of the day order of a differential equation sailing orders 
sealed orders standing order to give order to take order for direction 

General >> G Words
General, definition of term: General
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General Practit >> G Words
General Practit, definition of term: General Practit
general+practit_pag1.html

General Protect >> G Words
General Protect, definition of term: General Protect
general+protect_pag1.html

General Manager >> G Words
General Manager, definition of term: General Manager
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General Public >> G Words
General Public, definition of term: General Public
general+public_pag1.html

General Ledger >> G Words
General Ledger, definition of term: General Ledger
general+ledger_pag1.html

General Court >> G Words
General Court, definition of term: General Court
general+court_pag1.html

General Assembl >> G Words
General Assembl, definition of term: General Assembl
general+assembl_pag1.html

General Electio >> G Words
General Electio, definition of term: General Electio
general+electio_pag1.html

Surgeon General >> S Words
Surgeon General, definition of term: Surgeon General
surgeon+general_pag1.html

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