General \Gen"er*al\, a. [F. g['e]n['e]ral, fr. L. generalis. See
   Genus.]
   1. Relating to a genus or kind; pertaining to a whole class
      or order; as, a general law of animal or vegetable
      economy.
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   2. Comprehending many species or individuals; not special or
      particular; including all particulars; as, a general
      inference or conclusion.
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   3. Not restrained or limited to a precise import; not
      specific; vague; indefinite; lax in signification; as, a
      loose and general expression.
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   4. Common to many, or the greatest number; widely spread;
      prevalent; extensive, though not universal; as, a general
      opinion; a general custom.
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            This general applause and cheerful shout
            Argue your wisdom and your love to Richard. --Shak.
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   5. Having a relation to all; common to the whole; as, Adam,
      our general sire. --Milton.
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   6. As a whole; in gross; for the most part.
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            His general behavior vain, ridiculous. --Shak.
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   7. Usual; common, on most occasions; as, his general habit or
      method.
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   Note: The word general, annexed to a name of office, usually
         denotes chief or superior; as, attorney-general;
         adjutant general; commissary general; quartermaster
         general; vicar-general, etc.
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   General agent (Law), an agent whom a principal employs to
      transact all his business of a particular kind, or to act
      in his affairs generally.

   General assembly. See the Note under Assembly.

   General average, General Court. See under Average,
      Court.

   General court-martial (Mil.), the highest military and
      naval judicial tribunal.

   General dealer (Com.), a shopkeeper who deals in all
      articles in common use.

   General demurrer (Law), a demurrer which objects to a
      pleading in general terms, as insufficient, without
      specifying the defects. --Abbott.

   General epistle, a canonical epistle.

   General guides (Mil.), two sergeants (called the right, and
      the left, general guide) posted opposite the right and
      left flanks of an infantry battalion, to preserve accuracy
      in marching. --Farrow.

   General hospitals (Mil.), hospitals established to receive
      sick and wounded sent from the field hospitals. --Farrow.

   General issue (Law), an issue made by a general plea, which
      traverses the whole declaration or indictment at once,
      without offering any special matter to evade it.
      --Bouvier. --Burrill.

   General lien (Law), a right to detain a chattel, etc.,
      until payment is made of any balance due on a general
      account.

   General officer (Mil.), any officer having a rank above
      that of colonel.

   General orders (Mil.), orders from headquarters published
      to the whole command.

   General practitioner, in the United States, one who
      practices medicine in all its branches without confining
      himself to any specialty; in England, one who practices
      both as physician and as surgeon.

   General ship, a ship not chartered or let to particular
      parties.

   General term (Logic), a term which is the sign of a general
      conception or notion.

   General verdict (Law), the ordinary comprehensive verdict
      in civil actions, "for the plaintiff" or "for the
      defendant". --Burrill.

   General warrant (Law), a warrant, now illegal, to apprehend
      suspected persons, without naming individuals.

   Syn: Syn. General, Common, Universal.

   Usage: Common denotes primarily that in which many share; and
          hence, that which is often met with. General is
          stronger, denoting that which pertains to a majority
          of the individuals which compose a genus, or whole.
          Universal, that which pertains to all without
          exception. To be able to read and write is so common
          an attainment in the United States, that we may
          pronounce it general, though by no means universal.
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Ship \Ship\, n. [OE. ship, schip, AS. scip; akin to OFries.
   skip, OS. scip, D. schip, G. schiff, OHG. scif, Dan. skib,
   Sw. skeep, Icel. & Goth. skip; of unknown origin. Cf.
   Equip, Skiff, Skipper.]
   1. Any large seagoing vessel.
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            Like a stately ship . . .
            With all her bravery on, and tackle trim,
            Sails filled, and streamers waving.   --Milton.
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            Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State!  --Longfellow.
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   2. Specifically, a vessel furnished with a bowsprit and three
      masts (a mainmast, a foremast, and a mizzenmast), each of
      which is composed of a lower mast, a topmast, and a
      topgallant mast, and square-rigged on all masts. See
      Illustation in Appendix.
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      [1913 Webster] l Port or Larboard Side; s Starboard Side;
      1 Roundhouse or Deck House; 2 Tiller; 3 Grating; 4 Wheel;
      5 Wheel Chains; 6 Binnacle; 7 Mizzenmast; 8 Skylight; 9
      Capstan; 10 Mainmast; 11 Pumps; 12 Galley or Caboose; 13
      Main Hatchway; 14 Windlass; 15 Foremast; 16 Fore Hatchway;
      17 Bitts; 18 Bowsprit; 19 Head Rail; 20 Boomkins; 21
      Catheads on Port Bow and Starboard Bow; 22 Fore Chains; 23
      Main Chains; 24 Mizzen Chains; 25 Stern.
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      [1913 Webster] 1 Fore Royal Stay; 2 Flying Jib Stay; 3
      Fore Topgallant Stay;4 Jib Stay; 5 Fore Topmast Stays; 6
      Fore Tacks; 8 Flying Martingale; 9 Martingale Stay,
      shackled to Dolphin Striker; 10 Jib Guys; 11 Jumper Guys;
      12 Back Ropes; 13 Robstays; 14 Flying Jib Boom; 15 Flying
      Jib Footropes; 16 Jib Boom; 17 Jib Foottropes; 18
      Bowsprit; 19 Fore Truck; 20 Fore Royal Mast; 21 Fore Royal
      Lift; 22 Fore Royal Yard; 23 Fore Royal Backstays; 24 Fore
      Royal Braces; 25 Fore Topgallant Mast and Rigging; 26 Fore
      Topgallant Lift; 27 Fore Topgallant Yard; 28 Fore
      Topgallant Backstays; 29 Fore Topgallant Braces; 30 Fore
      Topmast and Rigging; 31 Fore Topsail Lift; 32 Fore Topsail
      Yard; 33 Fore Topsail Footropes; 34 Fore Topsail Braces;
      35 Fore Yard; 36 Fore Brace; 37 Fore Lift; 38 Fore Gaff;
      39 Fore Trysail Vangs; 40 Fore Topmast Studding-sail Boom;
      41 Foremast and Rigging; 42 Fore Topmast Backstays; 43
      Fore Sheets; 44 Main Truck and Pennant; 45 Main Royal Mast
      and Backstay; 46 Main Royal Stay; 47 Main Royal Lift; 48
      Main Royal Yard; 49 Main Royal Braces; 50 Main Topgallant
      Mast and Rigging; 51 Main Topgallant Lift; 52 Main
      Topgallant Backstays; 53 Main Topgallant Yard; 54 Main
      Topgallant Stay; 55 Main Topgallant Braces; 56 Main
      Topmast and Rigging; 57 Topsail Lift; 58 Topsail Yard; 59
      Topsail Footropes; 60 Topsail Braces; 61 Topmast Stays; 62
      Main Topgallant Studding-sail Boom; 63 Main Topmast
      Backstay; 64 Main Yard; 65 Main Footropes; 66 Mainmast and
      Rigging; 67 Main Lift; 68 Main Braces; 69 Main Tacks; 70
      Main Sheets; 71 Main Trysail Gaff; 72 Main Trysail Vangs;
      73 Main Stays; 74 Mizzen Truck; 75 Mizzen Royal Mast and
      Rigging; 76 Mizzen Royal Stay; 77 Mizzen Royal Lift; 78
      Mizzen Royal Yard; 79 Mizzen Royal Braces; 80 Mizzen
      Topgallant Mast and Rigging; 81 Mizzen Topgallant Lift; 82
      Mizzen Topgallant Backstays; 83 Mizzen Topgallant Braces;
      84 Mizzen Topgallant Yard; 85 Mizzen Topgallant Stay; 86
      Mizzen Topmast and Rigging; 87 Mizzen Topmast Stay; 88
      Mizzen Topsail Lift; 89 Mizzen Topmast Backstays; 90
      Mizzen Topsail Braces; 91 Mizzen Topsail Yard; 92 Mizzen
      Topsail Footropes; 93 Crossjack Yard; 94 Crossjack
      Footropes; 95 Crossjack Lift; 96 Crossjack Braces; 97
      Mizzenmast and Rigging; 98 Mizzen Stay; 99 Spanker Gaff;
      100 Peak Halyards; 101 Spanker Vangs; 102 Spanker Boom;
      103 Spanker Boom Topping Lift; 104 Jacob's Ladder, or
      Stern Ladder; 105 Spanker Sheet; 106 Cutwater; 107
      Starboard Bow; 108 Starboard Beam; 109 Water Line; 110
      Starboard Quarter; 111 Rudder.
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   3. A dish or utensil (originally fashioned like the hull of a
      ship) used to hold incense. [Obs.] --Tyndale.
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   Armed ship, a private ship taken into the service of the
      government in time of war, and armed and equipped like a
      ship of war. [Eng.] --Brande & C.

   General ship. See under General.

   Ship biscuit, hard biscuit prepared for use on shipboard;
      -- called also ship bread. See Hardtack.

   Ship boy, a boy who serves in a ship. "Seal up the ship
      boy's eyes." --Shak.

   Ship breaker, one who breaks up vessels when unfit for
      further use.

   Ship broker, a mercantile agent employed in buying and
      selling ships, procuring cargoes, etc., and generally in
      transacting the business of a ship or ships when in port.
      

   Ship canal, a canal suitable for the passage of seagoing
      vessels.

   Ship carpenter, a carpenter who works at shipbuilding; a
      shipwright.

   Ship chandler, one who deals in cordage, canvas, and other,
      furniture of vessels.

   Ship chandlery, the commodities in which a ship chandler
      deals; also, the business of a ship chandler.

   Ship fever (Med.), a form of typhus fever; -- called also
      putrid fever, jail fever, or hospital fever.

   Ship joiner, a joiner who works upon ships.

   Ship letter, a letter conveyed by a ship not a mail packet.
      

   Ship money (Eng. Hist.), an imposition formerly charged on
      the ports, towns, cities, boroughs, and counties, of
      England, for providing and furnishing certain ships for
      the king's service. The attempt made by Charles I. to
      revive and enforce this tax was resisted by John Hampden,
      and was one of the causes which led to the death of
      Charles. It was finally abolished.

   Ship of the line. See under Line.

   Ship pendulum, a pendulum hung amidships to show the extent
      of the rolling and pitching of a vessel.

   Ship railway.
      (a) An inclined railway with a cradelike car, by means of
          which a ship may be drawn out of water, as for
          repairs.
      (b) A railway arranged for the transportation of vessels
          overland between two water courses or harbors.

   Ship's company, the crew of a ship or other vessel.

   Ship's days, the days allowed a vessel for loading or
      unloading.

   Ship's husband. See under Husband.

   Ship's papers (Mar. Law), papers with which a vessel is
      required by law to be provided, and the production of
      which may be required on certain occasions. Among these
      papers are the register, passport or sea letter, charter
      party, bills of lading, invoice, log book, muster roll,
      bill of health, etc. --Bouvier. --Kent.

   To make ship, to embark in a ship or other vessel.
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GENERAL SHIP. One which is employed by the master or owners, on a particular 
voyage, and is hired by a number of persons, unconnected with each other, to 
convey their respective goods to the place of destination. 
     2. This contract, although usually made with the master, and not with 
the owners, is considered in law to be made with them also, and that both he 
and they are separately bound to the performance of it. Abbott on Ship. 112, 
215, 216.