Full (?), n. Complete measure;
utmost extent; the highest state or degree.
The swan's-down feather,
That stands upon the swell at full of tide.
Shak.
Full of the moon, the time of full
moon.
Full, adv. Quite; to the same
degree; without abatement or diminution; with the whole force or
effect; thoroughly; completely; exactly; entirely.
The pawn I proffer shall be full as
good.
Dryden.
The diapason closing full in man.
Dryden.
Full in the center of the sacred
wood.
Addison.
☞ Full is placed before adjectives and adverbs to heighten or
strengthen their signification. "Full sad." Milton. "Master of
a full poor cell." Shak. "Full many a gem of
purest ray serene." T. Gray.
Full is also prefixed to participles to express utmost
extent or degree; as, full-bloomed, full-blown,
full-crammed full-grown, full-laden,
full-stuffed, etc. Such compounds, for the most part, are
self-defining.
Full, v. i. To become full or
wholly illuminated; as, the moon fulls at midnight.
Full, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Fulled (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Fulling.] [OE. fullen, OF. fuler, fouler,
F. fouler, LL. fullare, fr. L. fullo fuller,
cloth fuller, cf. Gr. ? shining, white, AS. fullian to
whiten as a fuller, to baptize, fullere a fuller. Cf.
Defile to foul, Foil to frustrate, Fuller.
n. ] To thicken by moistening, heating, and
pressing, as cloth; to mill; to make compact; to scour, cleanse, and
thicken in a mill.
Full, v. i. To become fulled or
thickened; as, this material fulls well.
Full (fụl), a.
[Compar. Fuller (-ẽr); superl.
Fullest.] [OE. & AS. ful; akin to OS. ful, D.
vol, OHG. fol, G. voll, Icel. fullr, Sw.
full, Dan. fuld, Goth. fulls, L. plenus,
Gr. plh`rhs, Skr. pūṛna full,
prā to fill, also to Gr. poly`s much, E.
poly-, pref., G. viel, AS. fela. √80. Cf.
Complete, Fill, Plenary, Plenty.]
1. Filled up, having within its limits all that
it can contain; supplied; not empty or vacant; -- said primarily of
hollow vessels, and hence of anything else; as, a cup full of
water; a house full of people.
Had the throne been full, their meeting would
not have been regular.
Blackstone.
2. Abundantly furnished or provided;
sufficient in quantity, quality, or degree; copious; plenteous;
ample; adequate; as, a full meal; a full supply; a
full voice; a full compensation; a house full of
furniture.
3. Not wanting in any essential quality;
complete; entire; perfect; adequate; as, a full narrative; a
person of full age; a full stop; a full face;
the full moon.
It came to pass, at the end of two full years,
that Pharaoh
dreamed.
Gen. xii. 1.
The man commands
Like a full soldier.
Shak.
I can not
Request a fuller satisfaction
Than you have freely granted.
Ford.
4. Sated; surfeited.
I am full of the burnt offerings of
rams.
Is. i. 11.
5. Having the mind filled with ideas; stocked
with knowledge; stored with information.
Reading maketh a full man.
Bacon.
6. Having the attention, thoughts, etc.,
absorbed in any matter, and the feelings more or less excited by it,
as, to be full of some project.
Every one is full of the miracles done by cold
baths on decayed and weak constitutions.
Locke.
7. Filled with emotions.
The heart is so full that a drop overfills
it.
Lowell.
8. Impregnated; made pregnant.
[Obs.]
Ilia, the fair, . . . full of
Mars.
Dryden.
At full, when full or complete.
Shak. -- Full age (Law) the age
at which one attains full personal rights; majority; -- in England
and the United States the age of 21 years. Abbott. --
Full and by (Naut.), sailing
closehauled, having all the sails full, and lying as near the
wind as poesible. -- Full band (Mus.),
a band in which all the instruments are employed. --
Full binding, the binding of a book when made
wholly of leather, as distinguished from half binding. --
Full bottom, a kind of wig full and
large at the bottom. -- Full brother
or sister, a brother or sister having the same parents
as another. -- Full cry (Hunting),
eager chase; -- said of hounds that have caught the scent, and
give tongue together. -- Full dress, the
dress prescribed by authority or by etiquette to be worn on occasions
of ceremony. -- Full hand (Poker),
three of a kind and a pair. -- Full moon.
(a) The moon with its whole disk illuminated, as
when opposite to the sun. (b) The time when
the moon is full. -- Full organ (Mus.),
the organ when all or most stops are out. -- Full
score (Mus.), a score in which all the parts for
voices and instruments are given. -- Full sea,
high water. -- Full swing, free
course; unrestrained liberty; "Leaving corrupt nature to . . . the
full swing and freedom of its own extravagant actings." South
(Colloq.) -- In full, at length;
uncontracted; unabridged; written out in words, and not indicated by
figures. -- In full blast. See under
Blast.