NTC''''s Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases part 40 pps

memento and momento [m@ "mEn to ] n. a souvenir; something that reminds one of someone else or of a place that one has been to. memo ["mEm o] n. a note or announcement, especially in an office. (A shortened form of the word memorandum. Plural ends in -s.) memorable ["mEm @ r@ b@l] adj. worth remembering; easy to remember. (Adv: memorably.) memorial [m@ "mor i @l] 1. adj. [of something] used to remind some- one of a person, thing, place, or event. (Prenominal only.) 2. n. something that is a reminder of an event in the past or of a person no longer living. memory ["mEm @ ri] 1. n. the brain or mind, thought of as a place where ideas, words, images, and past events reside. (No plural.) 2. n. the functioning or quality of Q; the ability of Q to function. 3. n. an instance of remembering a past event, experience, person, or sensation; someone or some- thing that is remembered. 4. n. the part of a computer where infor- mation is kept until it is needed. (No plural.) → in memory of someone → in recent memory → jog someone’s memory → know something from memory men ["mEn] plural of man. → separate the men from the boys menace ["mEn Is] 1. n. a threat; someone or something that threat- ens harm, violence, or danger. 2. tv. to threaten someone or something with harm, violence, or danger. mend ["mEnd] 1. tv. to fix some- thing; to repair something. 2. iv. to become healthy; to become well. → on the mend mend ( one’s ) fences to restore good relations (with someone). mend one’s ways to improve one’s behavior. menstrual ["mEn str(u )@l] adj. associated with menstruation. (Adv: menstrually.) menstrual period ["mEn str(u )@l "pIr I @d ] n. the time during which a woman menstruates. (Can be shortened to period.) menstruate ["mEn stru et] iv. to experience menstruation; to have a menstrual period. menstruation [mEn stru "e S@n] n. the monthly process in sexually mature women who are not preg- nant in which the lining of the uterus is shed. (No plural.) mental ["mEn t@l] 1. adj. of or about the mind; done by the mind. (Adv: mentally.) 2. adj. of or about illness of the mind. mention ["mEn S@n] 1. tv. to say or write something; to tell about something briefly. (The object can be a clause with that U.) 2. tv. to refer to someone or something. 3. n. an instance of saying or writ- ing something as in W; a brief statement; a reference. → not worth mentioning mention something in passing to mention something casually; to mention something while talking about something else. memento 356 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 356 TLFeBOOK menu ["mEn ju] 1. n. a list of food and drink available at a restaurant. 2. n. a list of options or functions available in a computer program. (Figurative on Q.) meow [mi "aU] 1. n. the sound a cat makes. 2. iv. [for a cat] to make its characteristic sound. merchandise ["m# tS@n daIs] n. products for sale or trade; things that are for sale. (No plural. Treated as singular.) merchant ["m# tS@nt] n. someone who buys and sells products in order to make money; a retailer. mercury ["m# kj@ ri] 1. n. a silver- gray element that is liquid at room temperature. (No plural.) 2. n. the closest planet to the sun in our solar system. (Capitalized.) mercy ["m# si] n. kindness; pity; compassion. (No plural except when referring to God’s mercies.) → throw oneself at the mercy of the court → throw oneself on the mercy of the court mere ["mIr] adj. only; nothing more than. (Prenominal only. Adv: merely. Comp: none; sup: merest.) merely ["mIr li] adv. this only; only this and nothing else; just. merge ["m#dZ] 1. iv. to join with something else. 2. iv. to enter the flow of traffic. 3. tv. to cause two or more things to come together and become one. merger ["m#dZ #] n. an act or pro- cess of joining two organizations into one. merit ["mEr It] 1. n. worth; value. (No plural.) 2. n. a good point; a virtue. (Usually plural.) 3. tv. to deserve something; to be worthy of something. merry ["mEr i] adj. happy; cheerful; joyful. (Adv: merrily. Comp: mer- rier; sup: merriest.) → lead someone on a merry chase → make merry mesh ["mES] n. material that is woven in such a way that there are holes between the threads or wires. (Plural only for types and instances.) mesh together to fit together. mesh with something to fit with something. mess ["mEs] 1. n. something or someplace that is dirty or untidy. 2. n. a group of things that are not in order; a situation that is not organized; confusion. 3. n. [in the military services] a meal, eaten by a group. mess someone or something up 1. to put someone or something into disarray; to make someone or something dirty or untidy. 2. to interfere with someone or some- thing; to misuse or abuse someone or something. message ["mEs IdZ] 1. n. a com- munication between two or more people; a piece of written or spo- ken information for someone. 2. n. the moral of a story; a lesson that is to be learned from a story. → get the message messenger ["mEs @n dZ#] n. some- one who delivers messages, docu- ments, parcels, or flowers. messy ["mEs i] adj. dirty or not organized; not clean and tidy. messy 357 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 357 TLFeBOOK (Adv: messily. Comp: messier; sup: messiest.) met ["mEt] past tense and past par- ticiple of meet. metal ["mEt @l] 1. n. a solid mineral substance that can be cast or beaten into different shapes. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. adj. made from Q. metallic [m@ "tAl Ik] adj. associated with metal; made of metal. meter ["mit #] 1. n. the basic unit of the measurement of length in the metric system, equal to 39.37 inches. 2. n. a device that meas- ures and displays the amount of something that is used. 3. n. the rhythms caused by accents in poetry and music. (Plural only for types and instances.) 4. tv. to measure the flow of something with W. method ["mET @d] n. a way of doing something; a system; a procedure. metric ["mE trIk] adj. of or about the system of measurement based on the meter. (Adv: metrically [ Ik li].) mice ["maIs] a plural of mouse. microphone ["maI kr@ fon] n. a device that changes sound waves into electrical waves so that the sound can be broadcast, recorded, or made louder. (Can be shortened to mike.) microscope ["maI kr@ skop] n. a device that makes very small objects appear much larger. midair ["mId "Er] adj. in the air; not touching the ground. → in midair → keep someone or something hanging in midair → leave someone or something hanging in midair midday 1. ["mId "de] n. noon; the middle of the day. (No plural.) 2. ["mId de] adj. happening in the middle of the day; happening at noon. (Prenominal only.) middle ["mId l] 1. n. a place or time halfway between two ends or sides; the center. 2. n. the area of the waist; halfway along the body of a human or other creature. 3. adj. central; at the same dis- tance from either end; halfway between the beginning and the end. (Prenominal only.) → play both ends (against the middle) → smack-dab in the middle middle-of-the-road halfway between two extremes, especially political extremes. midnight ["mId naIt] 1. n. 12:00 at night; twelve o’clock at night. 2. adj. happening at Q; beginning at Q. (Prenominal only.) → burn the midnight oil Midwest ["mId "wEst] 1. n. the middle part of the United States. (No plural.) 2. the adj. use of Q. might ["maIt] 1. n. power; strength. (No plural.) 2. aux. a form that expresses possibility. (See also may and could.) 3. aux. a form expressing permission. (See also may and could.) mighty ["maIt i] adj. powerful; strong; very great. (Adv: mightily. Comp: mightier; sup: mightiest.) → act high-and-mighty met 358 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 358 TLFeBOOK mike ["maIk] n. a device for con- verting sounds to electronic audio signals. (Short for microphone.) mild ["maIld] 1. adj. gentle or calm; not extreme, powerful, or severe. (Adv: mildly. Comp: milder; sup: mildest.) 2. adj. [of food] plain and not spicy. (Adv: mildly. Comp: milder; sup: mildest.) 3. adj. light; not severe or harsh. (Adv: mildly. Comp: milder; sup: mildest.) mile ["maIl] n. a unit of measure- ment of length, equal to 5,280 feet or about 1.6 kilometers. → be a million miles away → go the extra mile → miss ( something ) by a mile → nautical mile → stand out a mile → stick out a mile mileage ["maIl IdZ] 1. n. a distance expressed in miles. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. the total number of miles that can be traveled using one gallon of gaso- line. (No plural.) → get a lot of mileage out of something milestone in someone’s life a very important event or point in one’s life. (From the stone at the side of a road showing the distance to or from a place.) military ["mIl @ tEr i] adj. having to do with the armed forces. (Adv: militarily [ mIl @ "tEr @ li].) the military n. the armed forces; the army. (Treated as singular.) militia [m@ "lIS @] n. a group of citi- zens who are not part of the pro- fessional army but who are trained as soldiers. milk ["mIlk] 1. n. the white liquid made by female mammals to feed their young. (Usually refers to cows’ milk used as food. No plu- ral.) 2. n. a white liquid from cer- tain plants. (No plural.) 3. tv. to take Q from an animal. → cry over spilled milk the milk of human kindness the natural kindness and sympathy shown to others. milk someone for something to pressure someone into giving information or money. mill ["mIl] 1. n. a building contain- ing the machinery needed to turn grain into meal. 2. n. a machine or device that crushes grains, seeds, or coffee beans. → been through the mill milligram ["mIl @ grAm] n. a unit of measurement of weight; one one- thousandth (¹⁄₁₀₀₀) of a gram. millimeter ["mIl @ mit #] n. a unit of measurement of length; one one-thousandth (¹⁄₁₀₀₀) of a meter. million ["mIl j@n] 1. n. the number 1,000,000. (Additional numbers are formed as with two million, three million, four million, etc.) 2. adj. 1,000,000; consisting of 1,000,000 things; having 1,000,000 things. → be a million miles away → feel like a million (dollars) → look like a million dollars → one in a million millionaire [mIl j@ "nEr] n. some- one who has $1,000,000 in assets after debt is subtracted. a millstone about one’s neck a continual burden or handicap. millstone about one’s neck 359 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 359 TLFeBOOK mincemeat ["mIns mit] 1. n. a mixture of fruit, spices, and some- times chopped meat, as a filling for pies. (No plural form.) 2. the adj. use of Q. → make mincemeat of someone mind ["maInd] 1. n. the part of humans that thinks and has feel- ings. 2. n. the center of intelli- gence and memory; the imagina- tion; the creative part of humans. 3. tv. to care for someone or some- thing; to tend to someone or something. 4. tv. to be opposed to something; to care if someone does something. 5. iv. to be opposed [to something]; to object. → bear someone or something in mind → boggle someone’s mind → enter one’s mind → get a load off one’s mind → give someone a piece of one’s mind → have a one-track mind → have the presence of mind to do something → in one’s mind’s eye → in one’s right mind → keep someone or something in mind → a meeting of minds → on one’s mind → out of one’s mind → put one’s mind to something → slip one’s mind mind one’s own business to attend only to the things that con- cern one. mind one’s p’s and q’s 1. to mind one’s manners; to pay attention to small details of behavior. 2. to pay attention to small details of behav- ior. mind you a phrase indicating that something should be taken into consideration. mine ["maIn] 1. n. an opening into the earth from which precious metals, minerals, or gems are recovered. 2. n. a source of some- thing in large amounts; someone, something, or someplace that sup- plies large amounts of something. (Figurative on Q.) 3. n. a bomb that is placed under the surface of the soil or water and explodes when it is touched. 4. tv. to remove precious metals, minerals, or gems from the earth. 5. tv. to place bombs under the surface of the soil or water at a particular location. 6. pron. the first-person singular possessive pronoun. (Used in place of a noun.) → back to the salt mines → Your guess is as good as mine. a mine of information someone or something that is full of infor- mation. mineral ["mIn (@) r@l] 1. n. one of many kinds of crystallike sub- stances dug from the earth; a sub- stance that is gotten by mining. 2. n. an element that plants and animals need in order to function properly. 3. the adj. use of Q. minimal ["mIn @ m@l] adj. smallest possible [amount]. (Adv: mini- mally.) minimum ["mIn @ m@m] 1. n. the least amount or degree possible; the smallest amount or degree possible. 2. adj. minimal; smallest; lowest; least. minister ["mIn I st#] 1. n. a pastor; a preacher; the leader of a Chris- tian church. 2. n. [in many coun- tries] someone who is the head of a government department. mincemeat 360 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 360 TLFeBOOK mink ["mINk] 1. n., irreg. a small, long, furry animal similar to the weasel or ferret. (Plural: mink or minks.) 2. n. the fur of Q. (No plural.) 3. n. a coat made from W. 4. adj. made from W. minnow ["mIn o] n. a kind of very small, thin fish that lives in fresh water. minor ["maIn #] 1. adj. small in size or amount; not serious; not very important. 2. the adj. use of Q. 3. n. a student’s secondary area of study. 4. n. someone who is younger than the legal age of responsibility. mint ["mInt] 1. n. a small plant with leaves that have a fresh, strong fla- vor, and the leaves themselves. (No plural.) 2. n. a candy that is fla- vored with Q. 3. n. a building where the government makes coins and paper money. 4. adj. tasting like Q; flavored with Q. 5. adj. perfect; in excellent condi- tion. 6. tv. to make something, especially coins, from metal. → in mint condition minus ["maIn @s] 1. prep. reduced by some amount; decreased by some amount; made less by some amount; with something omitted or subtracted. (Symbolized by (Ϫ).) 2. adj. below zero; less than zero; [of a number] negative. (Precedes the amount. Symbolized by (Ϫ).) 3. adj. [of a school letter grade] less than the full grade. (Follows the letter. Symbolized by (Ϫ).) 4. n. a negative factor; a lack. minute 1. ["mIn It] n. a unit of the measurement of time, equal to 60 seconds or ¹⁄₆₀ hour. 2. [maI "nut] adj. very small. (Adv: minutely.) → at the last minute → every minute counts → just a minute minutes ["mIn Its] n. a written account of what happened at a meeting. (Treated as plural, but not countable.) miracle ["mIr @ k@l] 1. n. a remark- able event that cannot be ex- plained by the laws of nature. 2. n. an unexpected, lucky event. (Figurative on Q.) miraculous [mI "rAk j@ l@s] 1. adj. not able to be explained by the laws of science or nature. (Adv: miraculously.) 2. adj. unexpectedly excellent. (Figurative on Q. Adv: miraculously.) mirage [mI "raZ] n. an image of something that does not really exist, especially an image of water in the desert; something that fools one’s vision. mirror ["mIr #] 1. n. a piece of pol- ished glass, treated in a way that makes it reflect images perfectly. 2. n. someone or something that shows what someone or something thinks, looks like, acts like, or is. (Figurative on Q.) 3. tv. to show something as though it were seen in Q; to represent something. mirth ["m#T] n. fun and laughter. (No plural.) miscarriage of justice a wrong or mistaken decision, especially one made in a court of law. mischief ["mIs tSIf] 1. n. playful trouble; slightly bad tricks or deeds. (No plural.) 2. n. some- mischief 361 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 361 TLFeBOOK one—usually a child—who is a source of trouble or problems. → make mischief misconduct [mIs "kan d@kt] n. bad behavior; behavior that is not good or moral. (No plural.) miser ["maIz #] n. someone who is very selfish and has a lot of money. miserable ["mIz @ r@ b@l] 1. adj. unhappy; very sad; depressed. (Adv: miserably.) 2. adj. unpleas- ant; depressing. (Adv: miserably.) 3. adj. poor; squalid; wretched. (Adv: miserably.) → make life miserable for someone misfit ["mIs fIt] n. someone who does not seem to belong with other people or fit a situation. misfortune [mIs "for tS@n] n. bad luck; bad fortune. (Plural only for types and instances.) mishap ["mIs hAp] n. an unlucky event or accident; bad luck; an unfortunate accident. misjudge [mIs "dZ^dZ] tv. to make the wrong judgment about some- one or something. mislaid [mIs "led] past tense and past participle of mislay. mislay [mIs "le] tv., irreg. to put something in a location that is later forgotten. (Past tense and past participle: mislaid.) mismanage [mIs "mAn IdZ] tv. to manage someone or something badly; to deal with someone or something badly. misplace [mIs "ples] tv. to put something someplace and then forget where it is. miss ["mIs] 1. tv. to fail to hit, catch, meet, or reach someone or something. 2. tv. to fail to locate or observe people or things that are where they are meant to be. 3. tv. to notice the absence of someone or something. 4. tv. to feel sad about the loss, departure, or absence of someone or some- thing. 5. tv. to avoid or escape something; to avoid doing some- thing. 6. tv. to lack something; to fail to acquire or experience some- thing that is available. 7. n. a fail- ure to hit, reach, catch, or do something. 8. n. a polite form of address for girls and young women. 9. n. a title for a girl or unmarried woman. (Capitalized when written as a proper noun.) miss out (on something ) not to do something because one is unaware of the opportunity; to fail to or neglect to take part in something. miss ( something ) by a mile to fail to hit something by a great dis- tance. miss the point to fail to under- stand the point, purpose, or intent of something. mission ["mI S@n] 1. n. a journey to a place to do an important task. 2. n. a specific task or duty; a spe- cific aim or objective. → one’s mission in life misspell [mIs "spEl] tv. to spell something wrongly. mist ["mIst] 1. n. a light spray of water or other liquid; a small cloud formed by spraying water or other liquid. 2. tv. to spray someone or something with water or other liq- uid; to cover something with Q or water vapor. mist over Go to mist up. misconduct 362 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 362 TLFeBOOK mist up and mist over [for some- thing] to acquire a coating of mist. mistake [mI "stek] 1. n. an error; something that is wrong; some- thing that is not correct. 2. tv., irreg. to have the wrong idea about something. (Past tense: mistook; past participle: mistaken.) mistake someone or something for someone or something to think that one thing or person is another; to confuse one thing or person with another. mistaken [mI "stek @n] Past par- ticiple of mistake. → a case of mistaken identity mister ["mIs t#] n. a title for an adult male; a form of address for men. (The abbreviation, Mr., is used in writing.) mistook [mIs "tUk] past tense of mistake. mistreat [mIs "trit] tv. to treat someone or something badly; to abuse someone or something. mistrust [mIs "tr^st] 1. tv. not to trust someone or something; to doubt someone or something. 2. n. lack of trust; doubts about someone or something; distrust. (No plural.) misty ["mIs ti] adj. [of a surface] covered with mist; [of air] filled with mist. (Adv: mistily. Comp: mistier; sup: mistiest.) misunderstand [mIs @n d# "stAnd ] tv., irreg. to understand someone or something incorrectly. (Past tense and past participle: mis- understood .) misunderstood [mIs @n d# "stUd] past tense and past participle of misunderstand. misuse 1. [mIs "jus] n. incorrect use; improper use; using some- thing wrongly. (No plural.) 2. [mIs "juz] tv. to use something the wrong way; to use something for a purpose for which it was not meant to be used. mitten ["mIt n] n. a piece of cloth- ing for one’s hand, without sepa- rate parts for each finger but with a separate area for the thumb. mix ["mIks] 1. n. a mixture; a com- bination of different people or things. 2. n. a combination of dif- ferent foods that is ready to be cooked or used in cooking. 3. tv. to combine or blend different things so that they form one thing. 4. tv. to do two things at the same time. 5. iv. to be friendly and com- fortable with other people; to be with other people. → have mixed feelings (about someone or something ) mix in (with someone or something ) to mix or combine with people or substances. mix someone or something in(to something ) to combine someone or something into something. mix someone up to confuse some- one. mix someone up with someone to confuse one person with another. mix something up (with something ) 1. to mix or stir some- thing with a mixing or stirring device. 2. to confuse something with something else. mix something up (with something) 363 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 363 TLFeBOOK mixed ["mIkst] 1. adj. combined; blended. 2. adj. [of the thoughts or feelings that someone has about someone or something] combin- ing very different things, such as liking and disliking. 3. adj. having both males and females; for both sexes. a mixed bag a varied collection of people or things. mixture ["mIks tS#] n. a combina- tion or blend of different people or things. moan ["mon] 1. n. a deep, long cry of sadness, suffering, pain, or grief. 2. iv. to make a deep, long cry of sadness, suffering, pain, or grief. mob ["mab] 1. n. a large group of people crowded around someone or something. 2. tv. [for a large group of people] to crowd around someone or something. mobile 1. ["mob @l] adj. able to move easily; able to be moved eas- ily; movable. 2. ["mo bil] n. a hanging arrangement of balanced objects that move with air cur- rents. (Refers to decorations, works of art, or devices to enter- tain infants.) mock ["mak] 1. tv. to make fun of someone; to laugh at or ridicule someone, especially by copying how that person speaks or acts. 2. tv. to copy or imitate someone or something. 3. adj. not real. mockery ["mak @ ri] n. something that is a poor substitute for the real thing or person. mockingbird ["mak IN b#d] n. a bird native to the Americas, so called because it imitates the calls or songs of other birds. mode ["mod] 1. n. a way of doing something; a method; a manner. 2. n. a feature of a verb that shows whether it is a statement, com- mand, or wish; mood W. model ["mad l] 1. n. a copy of an object, usually made smaller than the original. 2. n. someone or something that is the perfect example of something; someone or something that is to be copied or imitated; a standard. 3. n. someone who is paid to wear and show off clothing that is available for sale. 4. n. someone who poses for artists and photographers. 5. n. one style of a certain product in a series of styles. 6. adj. perfect; worthy of imitation; regarded as the perfect example. (Prenominal only.) 7. adj. built to a smaller scale than normal. (Prenominal only.) 8. iv. to work as E or R. 9. tv. [for E] to wear and show off clothing. modem ["mod @m] n. a device that connects a computer with a tele- phone line or a television cable system so that information can be sent or received over that line. moderate 1. ["mad @ rIt] adj. not extreme; in the center; average or medium. (Adv: moderately.) 2. ["mad @ rIt] n. someone whose political or social views are not extreme. 3. ["mad @ ret] tv. to reduce something; to cause some- thing to be less strong. 4. ["mad @ ret ] tv. to lead a discussion; to lead a meeting. mixed 364 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 364 TLFeBOOK moderation [mad @ "re S@n] n. being moderate; [doing things] within reasonable limits. (No plural.) modern ["mad #n] adj. up-to-date; new; of or about the present or very recent time. (Adv: modernly.) modest ["mad Ist] 1. adj. shy; humble; not bragging about one- self. (Adv: modestly.) 2. adj. not excessive; moderate; not large. (Adv: modestly.) 3. adj. decent; not revealing too much of one’s body. (Adv: modestly.) moist ["moIst] adj. damp; a little bit wet. (Adv: moistly. Comp: moister; sup: moistest.) moisten ["moI s@n] tv. to make something moist; to make some- thing damp. moisture ["moIs tS#] n. wetness; water in the air; vapor. (No plural.) molasses [m@ "lAs Iz] n. a sweet, dark, sticky liquid made in the process of making sugar. (This is singular. No plural.) mold ["mold] 1. n. a fuzzy or slimy growth that forms on animal or plant matter. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. a hollow object that has a certain shape. (Certain liquids—such as clay, resin, cement, rubber, etc.—are poured into it, and when the liquid hardens, it will have the same shape as the mold.) 3. n. some- thing that was shaped by or made in W. 4. tv. to shape something; to form something into a certain shape; to shape something using W. 5. iv. to be covered with Q. → cast in the same mold mole ["mol] n. a small, furry mam- mal that lives underground, eats worms and bugs, and cannot see well. molecule ["mal @ kjul] n. the small- est part into which a chemical compound can be divided without changing its chemical composi- tion. molt ["molt] 1. tv. [for an animal] to shed feathers, skin, or fur. 2. iv. [for animals] to shed [something], as with Q. molten ["molt n] adj. melted; made into liquid. (Adv: moltenly.) mom ["mam] n. mother. (Informal. Also a term of address. Capitalized when written as a proper noun.) moment ["mo m@nt] 1. n. an instant in time; a brief period of time. 2. n. a certain point in time. → the big moment → every moment counts → not a moment to spare → on the spur of the moment → without a moment to spare the moment everyone has been waiting for Go to the big moment. moment of truth the point at which someone has to face the reality of a situation. momento [m@ "mEn to] Go to memento. momentum [mo "mEn t@m] n. the force and speed of movement or progress. (No plural.) monarch ["man ark] n. a king or a queen. Monday ["m^n de] Go to day. Monday 365 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 365 TLFeBOOK . form.) 2. the adj. use of Q. → make mincemeat of someone mind ["maInd] 1. n. the part of humans that thinks and has feel- ings. 2. n. the center of intelli- gence and memory; the imagina- tion;. seeds, or coffee beans. → been through the mill milligram ["mIl @ grAm] n. a unit of measurement of weight; one one- thousandth (¹⁄₁₀₀₀) of a gram. millimeter ["mIl @ mit #] n. a unit of measurement. mind, thought of as a place where ideas, words, images, and past events reside. (No plural.) 2. n. the functioning or quality of Q; the ability of Q to function. 3. n. an instance of remembering a