MON
MON
MOLYBDÆNA, Leadwort, in botany, a name given by some authors to the great toothwort, or dentillaria of Rondeletius. Ger. Emac. Ind. 2. See the article Plumbago.
Molybdæna is also a mineral substance, called black lead. See the article Black Lead.
MOLYBDIA, in natural history, the name of a genus of cry-
stals. The word is derived from the Greek (
Greek characters), lead;
and expresses crystals altered in their figure by particles of that
metal. The crystals of this genus are of a cubic form, or
composed of six sides, at right angles, like a die.
Of this genus there are three known species. 1. A colourless one, composed of extremely fine crusts. This is found in many parts, both of this and other kingdoms, where there are lead mines; and tho' naturally colourless, is sometimes tinged with a red, green, or blue. 2. A dull one with thicker crusts, sometimes whitish, and sometimes coloured to a yellowish or other hue. This is found in the lead mines of Yorkshire, and some other places. And 3. A dull bluish white one, with very thick crusts. This is very frequent in the lead mines in Derbyshire, and is generally found in large clusters. Hill's Hist. of Foss. p. 193.
MOLYBDOMANTIA, (Greek characters), in antiquity, a species of divination, by observing the motions, figures, &c. of melted lead. Potter, Archæol. Græc. lib. 2. c. 18.
MOLYZA, fwteife a word ufed by the Greek phyficians to exprefs a head of garlick. Hippocrates has feveral times pre- ferred this under the name of Mslyzti, and this having fome fort of refcmblance to the word moly, feveral of the interpre- ters of Hipprocrates have been very defirous of making it the fame thing with the moly of Homer. But the words of Hip- pocrates himfelf, in his book of the difeafes of women, fet this in a clear light; for he there adds the name of garlick to the Jhfofyza, and orders a Afo/yza of garlick to be fcraped clean for ufe. Hefychius calls Mo lyza ahead of garYick) and Pfcllus, on the antiquated words of the Greek phyficians, fays the fame thing,
MOMENT (Cycl.)-A Moment ought not to be conceived as the leaft part of time, but as a termination or limit of time. Afaelaurin's Kluxions, vol. 1. p. 245-
MOMISCUS, a word ufed by fome as a name of the denies molares, and by others only as the name of that part of thofe teeth which is near the gums.
MOMORDICA, in botany, the name of a genus of plants called by many authors, balfamina and cbarantia. The cha- racters of the plants of this genus are thefe : The flower con- fifts of one leaf, fhaped like a bell, wide open at the mouth, and deeply divided into five fegments, fo as to feem a five- leaved flower. Of thefe, fume are male or fferil flowers, having no embryo fruit, others are fruitful, and have each its embryo fruit at the bottom, which ripens into a capfule, more or lefs turbinated, flefhy, hollow, and endued with an elaftic power, by means of which it throws out the feeds on touch- ing it, when ripe, to a confiderable diftance. The fpecies of this genus, enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe: 1. The common Momordica, called the round-leaved, male, or creeping balfamina. 2. The Momordica of Ceylon, with a fhorter fruit, and a vine-like leaf. 3. The longer- fruited Momordica of Ceylon, with vine-like leaves. 1 he flower of this genus of plants is fo very deeply cut into its fegments, that there is fome doubt whether it be not properly a five-leaved flower. The error of calling it balfamina 7 and confounding it with the fpecies of that genus, is very great. See the article B a l s a _m i n - a .
MOMOT, the name of a bird defcribed by Nieremberg, and faid to be an inhabitant of the hot countries. It is of the fize of a pigeon; its beak is black and crooked, three fingers breadth long, and ferratcd at the edge. Its head is blue like the peacock's, and its feet brown. The reft of the body is of a pleafant green. But what is mofl Angular in this bird, is, that it has in its tad one feather much longer than the reft, which is naked for a great way, and is feather'd only at the end. This laft circumftance Mr. Ray judges wholly falfe, as no birds have Angle feathers in their tails, but all that are there grow in pairs.
MONACANTHUS, in zoology, a name given by fome to the alpheftes, or cinedus, a fifh approaching to the turdus kind; but differing, in that its back fin is prickly all along, whereas the forepart only is fo in the turdus.
MONACHELLE, in ichthyology, a name given by fome to the fifh called, by the oldeft Greek writers, the chremp$ ) and by the later ones, as alfo by the Latin authors on thefe fiib- jects, chromis- It is properly a fpecies of the fparus, and is diftinguifhed by Artedi from the others, by the length of the fecond ray of the belly fins.
MONADELPHIA, in botany, a clafs of plants whofe ftamina or male parts, by reafon of their filaments running in among one another, are all formed into one body. The word is formed of the Greek jww«, Angle, and $tf^«, brotherhood, or community. Thefe coalitions of the fta- mina in flowers being undcrltood in botany by that term. Of this clafs are the cranefbill, mallow, fefV.
. The general characters of this clafs of plants are thefe; There is always a penanthiurn to the flower, no fpecies of the whole clafs being without it. This is always permanent, and fur- rounds the bafe of the fied -yeficl, after the flower is fallen.
The flower always confifts of five petals, which are cordatcd at the top. The ftamina are a great number of filaments, which grow together in one body at the bafe, and are loofe at the top. The external ones are fhorter than the others; and the anthene are always incumbent. In the piftils there is found a receptacle of the fructification, which is placed in the cen- ter of the flower. The germina are erect, and unround in a rotary manner the apex of the receptacle. The ftyles are all found growing together at the bottom, into one body with the receptacle, and in their upper part they are divided into z$ many filaments as there are germina. Thcftigmata are flen- der and expanded. The fruit is a capfule, divided into as many cells as there were piftils in the flower. This is of very various figures in the various genera and fpecies j but the feeds in all are reniform, or fhaped like kidneys. See Tab. 1. of Botany, Clafs 1.
This is an extremely natural clafs, and there is not one plant ufually allowed to belong to the reft; of this kind, that this character feparates, nor one of any other kind that it brings in among them. Tournefort has been guilty of a very great error, in regard to the flowers of the plants of this clafs; he fays that they are monopetalous, and only divided into five fegments j but a ftrict observation will fhew, that they really confift each of five feparate petals, which only are joined at the bafe by certain filaments, which together make one body. Hence it follows, that they are ftrictly and truly pentapeta- Ious, tho' they fall off together, not feparately, on fhaking the plant. Linnet Gen. PI. p. 325.
It is obferved, that all the plants of this clafs are mucilaginous and emollient, and have great virtues, as diuretics, tsV, The common marfhmallow defervedly ftands at the head of thefe, and is common in the prefcriptions of phyficians on thefe occafions, as well as in many of the (hop compofmons, as the fyrrup of marfiimallows, and the like. Tho' authors in general have kept this clafs of plants together, they have been much divided in their opinions, as to the cha- racters or parts of them, by which they fhonid divide them into genera. Some have had recourfe, on this occafion, to the feed-veflel j others finding that infufEcient 3 have confulted the leaves. Linnaeus ufes the cup of the flower on this occa- fion, which is a very eflcntial part in this clafs of plants, and fufficiently different in the different genera. MONANDRIA, in botany, a clafs of plants which have her- maphrodite flowers, with only one ftamen in each. The word is formed of the Greek p-wo?, Angle, and 'Amf, male. Of this clafs of plants are the blite, turmeric, and the like. See Tab. 1. of Botany, Clafs 1. MONARCHICI, in church hiftory, heretics towards the end of the fecond century, who allowed but one perfon in the godhead, and taught that the father was crucified. Hefm. Lex. in roc. MONARDA, the name by which Linnaeus calls the plant which is the origanum fpuriu?n, or baftard wild marjoram of Rivinus. This, in the Linnsean fyftem of botany, makes alfo a diftinct genus of plants, the characters of which are, that the cup is made of one leaf, and is cylindric and tubulated, with an even edge marked with five notches. The flower confifts of only one petal, which is a cylindric crooked cube, longer than the cup, and with a labiated opening. The up- per lip is long, narrow, ftrait, whole, and furrounded with rims; the lower lip is bent back, is broad, andflightly trifid, the middle fegment being the longer, narrower, and rimmed round the edge. The ftamina are two filaments, of the length of the upper lip of the flower, in which they are hid. The antherse are of a comprcflcd form, truncated above, and convex below. The piftil is a quadrifid gennen, with a thread-like ftyle involved among the ftamina, and a ftigma bifid and pointed. It has properly no fruit, the cup enclofing in its bottom the feeds, which are roundifh, and four in num- ber. Linnai Gen. Plant, p. 6. MONEMERION, Mwufwpiw, among the antient Romans, a fhew, according to fome, wherein none but tame beafts were expofed to view.
Others will have it to be a fliew of one day's continuance. Pitifc. in voc. MONEY (Cycl.)—Madimig Money. See the article Mad-
NIKC.
MONGER, a little fea-vefTel which ftfhermen ufe. Stat, 13 Eliz. c. 11. Blount.
MO'NK-FiJh, the Englifh name of a fpecies of the fqualus, ac- cording to the new Artedian fyftem; called rhirta zndfquati- nus by the old authors. It is diftinguifhed by Artedi from the other fquali, by the name of the fqualus with no pinna ani 9 and with the mouth on the top of the head. See Tab. of Kifhes, N°. 7.
Monk'j Hood, a name given to feveral fpecies of aconite, or wolfs-bane. See the article Aconite. The flowers of this plant are in common ufe in the coun- try, to garnilh difhes, tho generally fufpected of being poifonous; but the ftalks have been found very violently fo, according to an account given in the Philofophical Tran- factions, of a perfon who eat them inftead of celeri. The ftrft fymptom this perfon felr, was a biting, and fehfa- tion of a tingling heat, not only affecting his tongue, but his
jaws;
