It is impossible to convey, in words, any idea of the hideous phantasmagoria of shifting limbs and faces which moved through the evil-smelling twilight of this terrible prison-house. Callot might have drawn it, Dante might have suggested it, but a minute attempt to describe its horrors would but disgust. There are depths in humanity which one cannot explore, as there are mephitic caverns into which one dare not penetrate.
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Mephitic — Me*phit ic, Mephitical Me*phit ic*al, a. [L. mephiticus, fr. mephitis mephitis: cf. F. m[ e]phitique.] 1. Tending to destroy life; poisonous; noxious; as, mephitic exhalations; mephitic regions. [1913 Webster] 2. Offensive to the smell; as,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
mephitic — index deadly, harmful, insalubrious, malignant, pernicious, pestilent Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
mephitic — (adj.) 1620s, of poisonous smell, from L.L. mephiticus, from L. mephitis, mefitis noxious vapor (also personified as a goddess believed to have the power to avert it) … Etymology dictionary
mephitic — toxic, *poisonous, venomous, virulent, pestilent, pestilential, miasmic, miasmatic, miasmal Analogous words: *offensive, loathsome, revolting, repulsive, repugnant: fetid, noisome, putrid, *malodorous: noxious, *pernicious, baneful … New Dictionary of Synonyms
mephitic — [mə fit′ik] adj. [LL mephiticus] 1. of or caused by mephitis 2. a) bad smelling b) poisonous; noxious … English World dictionary
mephitic — adjective Date: circa 1623 of, relating to, or resembling mephitis ; foul smelling < mephitic vapors > … New Collegiate Dictionary
Mephitic air — Mephitic Me*phit ic, Mephitical Me*phit ic*al, a. [L. mephiticus, fr. mephitis mephitis: cf. F. m[ e]phitique.] 1. Tending to destroy life; poisonous; noxious; as, mephitic exhalations; mephitic regions. [1913 Webster] 2. Offensive to the smell;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
mephitic air — Carbonic Car*bon ic, a. [Cf. F. carbonique. See {Carbon}.] (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, carbon; as, carbonic oxide. [1913 Webster] {Carbonic acid} (Chem.), an acid {HO.CO.OH}, not existing separately, which, combined with positive … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
mephitic air — noun or mephitic gas 1. archaic : carbon dioxide 2. archaic : air exhausted of oxygen and containing chiefly nitrogen … Useful english dictionary
mephitic gas — noun see mephitic air … Useful english dictionary
