WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Ap*ply"
Part of Speech : v. t. [imp. & p. p. Applied; p. pr. & vb. n. Applying.]
Etymology : [OF. aplier, F. appliquer, fr. L. applicare to join, fix, or attach to; ad + plicare to fold, to twist together. See Applicant, Ply.]
Definition : 1. To lay or place; to put or adjust (one thing to another); -- with to; as, to apply the hand to the breast; to apply medicaments to a diseased part of the body. He said, and the sword his throat applied. Dryden.

2. To put to use; to use or employ for a particular purpose, or in a particular case; to appropriate; to devote; as, to apply money to the payment of a debt.

3. To make use of, declare, or pronounce, as suitable, fitting, or relative; as, to apply the testimony to the case; to apply an epithet to a person. Yet God at last To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied. Milton.

4. To fix closely; to engage and employ diligently, or with attention; to attach; to incline. Apply thine heart unto instruction. Prov. xxiii. 12.

5. To direct or address. [R.] Sacred vows . . . applied to grisly Pluto. Pope.

6. To betake; to address; to refer; -- used reflexively. I applied myself to him for help. Johnson.

7. To busy; to keep at work; to ply. [Obs.] She was skillful in applying his "humors." Sir P. Sidney.

8. To visit. [Obs.] And he applied each place so fast. Chapman. Applied chemistry. See under Chemistry. -- Applied mathematics. See under Mathematics.


Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913

Pronunciation : Ap*ply"
Part of Speech : v. i.
Definition : 1. To suit; to agree; to have some connection, agreement, or analogy; as, this argument applies well to the case.

2. To make request; to have recourse with a view to gain something; to make application. (to); to solicit; as, to apply to a friend for information.

3. To ply; to move. [R.] I heard the sound of an oar applying swiftly through the water. T. Moore.

4. To apply or address one's self; to give application; to attend closely (to).


Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913