| merit system |
a system in which people are hired or promoted to civil service positions on the basis of the results of competitive examinations. |
| Meriwether Lewis |
U.S. co-leader with William Clark of an expedition to explore the uncharted American West, from Missouri to Oregon, from 1804 to 1807 (b.1774--d.1809). |
| Merlin |
in Arthurian legend, a magician and seer who helps King Arthur. |
| merlin |
a small aggressive falcon of Europe and North America. [2 definitions] |
| merlot |
a red grape from which some French Bordeaux wines are made. [2 definitions] |
| mermaid |
a mythical sea creature with the head and upper body of a woman and the lower body and tail of a fish. |
| merman |
a mythical sea creature with the head and upper body of a man and the lower body and tail of a fish. |
| -merous |
having parts of (such) a type or number; partite. |
| Merovingian |
of or pertaining to the line of kings who ruled over ancient France from about 500 A.D. to 751 A.D. [2 definitions] |
| merriment |
gaiety and mirth; happy enjoyment, esp. in company. |
| merry |
cheerful and gay, or inclined to be so. [3 definitions] |
| merry-andrew |
one who plays a fool; buffoon; clown. |
| merry-go-round |
a circular, machine-driven, revolving platform with seats, often in the form of horses that go up and down on vertical poles, on which rides may be purchased; carousel. [2 definitions] |
| merrymaker |
one who participates in some joyous or festive occasion. |
| merrymaking |
participation in some joyous or festive occasion. [2 definitions] |
| mesa |
a plateau with a flat top and steep sides, found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| mescal |
one of two species of cactus, esp. a small, globe-shaped plant with buttonlike projections that are chewed as a hallucinogenic drug by certain Mexican Indians during religious ceremonies. [2 definitions] |
| mescaline |
a drug that causes hallucinations and similar mind-altering effects, derived from the buttonlike protuberances of the mescal cactus; peyote. |
| mesdames |
pl. of madame. |
| mesdemoiselles |
pl. of mademoiselle. |