Star n.
 1. One of the innumerable luminous bodies seen in the heavens; any heavenly body other than the sun, moon, comets, and nebulae.
 His eyen twinkled in his head aright,
 As do the stars in the frosty night.   --Chaucer.
 Note: ☞ The stars are distinguished as planets, and fixed stars. See Planet, Fixed stars under Fixed, and Magnitude of a star under Magnitude.
 2. The polestar; the north star.
 3. Astrol. A planet supposed to influence one's destiny; (usually pl.) a configuration of the planets, supposed to influence fortune.
    O malignant and ill-brooding stars.   --Shak.
    Blesses his stars, and thinks it luxury.   --Addison.
 4. That which resembles the figure of a star, as an ornament worn on the breast to indicate rank or honor.
 On whom . . .
 Lavish Honor showered all her stars.   --Tennyson.
 5. Specifically, a radiated mark in writing or printing; an asterisk [thus, *]; -- used as a reference to a note, or to fill a blank where something is omitted, etc.
 6. Pyrotechny A composition of combustible matter used in the heading of rockets, in mines, etc., which, exploding in the air, presents a starlike appearance.
 7. A person of brilliant and attractive qualities, especially on public occasions, as a distinguished orator, a leading theatrical performer, etc.
 Note: ☞ Star is used in the formation of compound words generally of obvious signification; as, star-aspiring, star-bespangled, star-bestudded, star-blasting, star-bright, star-crowned, star-directed, star-eyed, star-headed, star-paved, star-roofed, star-sprinkled, star-wreathed.
 Blazing star, Double star, Multiple star, Shooting star, etc. See under Blazing, Double, etc.
 Nebulous star Astron., a small well-defined circular nebula, having a bright nucleus at its center like a star.
 Star anise Bot., any plant of the genus Illicium; -- so called from its star-shaped capsules.
 Star apple Bot., a tropical American tree (Chrysophyllum Cainito), having a milky juice and oblong leaves with a silky-golden pubescence beneath. It bears an applelike fruit, the carpels of which present a starlike figure when cut across. The name is extended to the whole genus of about sixty species, and the natural order (Sapotaceae) to which it belongs is called the Star-apple family.
 Star conner, one who cons, or studies, the stars; an astronomer or an astrologer. --Gascoigne.
 Star coral Zool., any one of numerous species of stony corals belonging to Astraea, Orbicella, and allied genera, in which the calicles are round or polygonal and contain conspicuous radiating septa.
 Star cucumber. Bot. See under Cucumber.
 Star flower. Bot. (a) A plant of the genus Ornithogalum; star-of-Bethlehem. (b) See Starwort (b). (c) An American plant of the genus Trientalis (Trientalis Americana). --Gray.
 Star fort Fort., a fort surrounded on the exterior with projecting angles; -- whence the name.
 Star gauge Ordnance, a long rod, with adjustable points projecting radially at its end, for measuring the size of different parts of the bore of a gun.
 Star grass. Bot. (a) A small grasslike plant (Hypoxis erecta) having star-shaped yellow flowers. (b) The colicroot. See Colicroot.
 Star hyacinth Bot., a bulbous plant of the genus Scilla (Scilla autumnalis); -- called also star-headed hyacinth.
 Star jelly Bot., any one of several gelatinous plants (Nostoc commune, Nostoc edule, etc.). See Nostoc.
 Star lizard. Zool. Same as Stellion.
 Star-of-Bethlehem Bot., a bulbous liliaceous plant (Ornithogalum umbellatum) having a small white starlike flower.
 Star-of-the-earth Bot., a plant of the genus Plantago (Plantago coronopus), growing upon the seashore.
 Star polygon Geom., a polygon whose sides cut each other so as to form a star-shaped figure.
 Stars and Stripes, a popular name for the flag of the United States, which consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, alternately red and white, and a union having, in a blue field, white stars to represent the several States, one for each.
    With the old flag, the true American flag, the Eagle, and the Stars and Stripes, waving over the chamber in which we sit.   --D. Webster.
 Star showers. See Shooting star, under Shooting.
 Star thistle Bot., an annual composite plant (Centaurea solstitialis) having the involucre armed with stout radiating spines.
 Star wheel Mach., a star-shaped disk, used as a kind of ratchet wheel, in repeating watches and the feed motions of some machines.
 Star worm Zool., a gephyrean.
 Temporary star Astron., a star which appears suddenly, shines for a period, and then nearly or quite disappears.  These stars were supposed by some astronomers to be variable stars of long and undetermined periods.  More recently, variations star in start intensity are classified more specifically, and this term is now obsolescent.  See also nova. [Obsolescent]
 Variable star Astron., a star whose brilliancy varies periodically, generally with regularity, but sometimes irregularly; -- called periodical star when its changes occur at fixed periods.
 Water star grass Bot., an aquatic plant (Schollera graminea) with small yellow starlike blossoms.
 Dou·ble a.
 1. Twofold; multiplied by two; increased by its equivalent; made twice as large or as much, etc.
    Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.   -- 2 Kings ii. 9.
    Darkness and tempest make a double night.   --Dryden.
 2. Being in pairs; presenting two of a kind, or two in a set together; coupled.
 [Let] The swan, on still St. Mary's lake,
 Float double, swan and shadow.   --Wordsworth.
 3. Divided into two; acting two parts, one openly and the other secretly; equivocal; deceitful; insincere.
    With a double heart do they speak.   -- Ps. xii. 2.
 4. Bot. Having the petals in a flower considerably increased beyond the natural number, usually as the result of cultivation and the expense of the stamens, or stamens and pistils. The white water lily and some other plants have their blossoms naturally double.
 Note: ☞ Double is often used as the first part of a compound word, generally denoting two ways, or twice the number, quantity, force, etc., twofold, or having two.
 Double base, or Double bass Mus., the largest and lowest-toned instrument in the violin form; the contrabasso or violone.
 Double convex. See under Convex.
 Double counterpoint Mus., that species of counterpoint or composition, in which two of the parts may be inverted, by setting one of them an octave higher or lower.
 Double court Lawn Tennis, a court laid out for four players, two on each side.
 Double dagger Print., a reference mark (‡) next to the dagger (†) in order; a diesis.
 Double drum Mus., a large drum that is beaten at both ends.
 Double eagle, a gold coin of the United States having the value of 20 dollars.
 Double entry. See under Bookkeeping.
 Double floor Arch., a floor in which binding joists support flooring joists above and ceiling joists below. See Illust. of Double-framed floor.
 Double flower. See Double, a., 4.
 Double-framed floor Arch., a double floor having girders into which the binding joists are framed.
 Double fugue Mus., a fugue on two subjects.
 Double letter. (a) Print. Two letters on one shank; a ligature. (b) A mail requiring double postage.
 Double note Mus., a note of double the length of the semibreve; a breve. See Breve.
 Double octave Mus., an interval composed of two octaves, or fifteen notes, in diatonic progression; a fifteenth.
 Double pica. See under Pica.
 Double play Baseball, a play by which two players are put out at the same time.
 Double plea Law, a plea alleging several matters in answer to the declaration, where either of such matters alone would be a sufficient bar to the action. --Stephen.
 Double point Geom., a point of a curve at which two branches cross each other. Conjugate or isolated points of a curve are called double points, since they possess most of the properties of double points (see Conjugate). They are also called acnodes, and those points where the branches of the curve really cross are called crunodes. The extremity of a cusp is also a double point.
 Double quarrel. Eccl. Law See Duplex querela, under Duplex.
 Double refraction. Opt. See Refraction.
 Double salt. Chem. (a) A mixed salt of any polybasic acid which has been saturated by different bases or basic radicals, as the double carbonate of sodium and potassium, NaKCO3.6H2O. (b) A molecular combination of two distinct salts, as common alum, which consists of the sulphate of aluminium, and the sulphate of potassium or ammonium.
 Double shuffle, a low, noisy dance.
 Double standard Polit. Econ., a double standard of monetary values; i. e., a gold standard and a silver standard, both of which are made legal tender.
 Double star Astron., two stars so near to each other as to be seen separate only by means of a telescope. Such stars may be only optically near to each other, or may be physically connected so that they revolve round their common center of gravity, and in the latter case are called also binary stars.
 Double time Mil.. Same as Double-quick.
 Double window, a window having two sets of glazed sashes with an air space between them.
 double star
      n : a system of two stars that revolve around each other under
          their mutual gravitation [syn: binary star, binary]