FIG
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that figurative Exprcffions denote not only the principal Matter, but alio the Emotion and Paffion of the Perlon who fpeaks.
The Term figurative Is alfo much ufed in fpeaking of the Myfteries and Figures of the old Law. Thus, Manna is faid to be figurative of the Eucharift.
In the Greek Grammar, figurative is alfo ufed for what we otherwife call charaBeriflick, v». a Letter that charac- terifes certain Tenfes of the Greek Verbs; or that diftin- guifhes, and fpecifies them.
In the firft Conjugation of the Sarytonous Verbs, the is charaaeriftick, or figurative of the Preterit; and the 4 of the Future. See Characteristics.
Figurate Counter-point, in Muiick, is that wherein there is a Mixture of Difcords along with the Concords. See Counter-point.
Figurative Counter-point is of two Kinds : That wherein the Difcords are introduced occafionally, to ferve only as Tranfitions, from Concord to Concord; and that, wherein the Difcord bears a chief Part in the Harmony. See Dis- cord.
'Tis a Rule in Compofition, that the Harmony muft al- ways be full on the accented Parts of the Bar, or Meafure i. e. Nothing but Concords are allowed in the Beginning and Middle; or the Beginning of the firft half of the Bar, and Beginning of the latter half thereof in common Time; and the Beginning, and firft three Notes in triple Time. But upon the unaccented Parts, this is not fo neceffary : But Difcords may traniiently pals there without any Offence to the Ear.
This the French call Suppofition, becaufe the tranfient Difcord fuppofes a Concord immediately to follow it. See Supposition.
Where the Difcords are ufed as a folid, and fubftantial Part of the Harmony, the Counter-point is properly called the Harmony of "Difcords. See Harmony of Difcords.
FIGURE, in Phyficks.is the Surface, or terminating Ex- tremes of a Body.
All Bodies have fome Figure; whence, Figuralility is generally rank'd among the eflential Properties of Body, or Matter. See Matter.
A Body that fhould have no Figure, would be an infi- nite Body. See Infinite.
The corpufcular Philofophers account for every thing from the Figures^ Bulks, and Motions of the Atoms, or primary Corpufcles. See Corpuscular.
The Earth is of a fpherical Figure, or rather a fpheroi- dical. See Earth. Saturn fometimes appears of an Ellip- tick, or Oblong Figure. See Saturn.
For the Figures of Bodies, confider'd as Objects of Sight, fee Vision.
The Author of a Collection of Differtations, printed at "Paris, in 17 1 5. fhcws in the firft Differtation on the He- brew Medals, p. 66. That the Jews were allowed to make any kind of Figures, or Images of Trees, Plants, Flowers, Buildings, c/f- excepting thole of Animals, the Sun, Moon, and Stars. See Images.
Figure, is particularly ufed by the Philofophers, in oppofition to eflential Form. See Form.
There are Bodies of the fame nature, and they only dif- fer in Figure, or Configuration. See Configuration.
The Schoolmen difpute, whether or no the Quality of Figure be the fame with that of Form 5 and if they differ, what it is conftitutes the Difference.
Soetius will have Figure only predicated of inanimate Bodies, and Form of animate. Others extend Figure to all natural Things, and Form to all artificial ones: Whence the Verfe,
Formam viventis, pitTi die effc Figuram.
Laftly, others apply Figure indifferently to all kinds of Bodies, but not in all Relations. If only the bare Circum- ference, or Circumfcription be confider d, they call it Fi- gures but if the Circumference be confider'd as endued with Colour, then they call it Form.
Figure is alfo applied to all Reprefentations, or Images of Things, in Prints, tfc. Such a Book is printed with Fi- gures.
The Figures, or Schemes in Mathematical and Phyfical Writings, fhould be made to fold out of the Book.
Some Readers chufe to have the Figures, efpecially the Mathematical ones, in Wood, for the Convenience of hav- ing them immediately annex'd to the Matter they refer to: Others, rather chufe to be at the Pains of turning over, and having Recourfe to another Part of the Book, that they may have the Figures more neat and accurate on Copper.
Figure, in Geometry, a Surface inclofed, or circumfcribed with one or more Lines. See Surface.
Such are •Triangles, Squares, 'Polygons, Circles, Ellipfss, &.«. which fee.
Wclfius defines Fipirk a Continuum, terminated by a Pe- rimeter.
In which Senfe Figure is applicable both to Superficies and Solids.
In the former Cafe, the Perimeter is Lines; in the fe- , cond, Surfaces. See Perimeter.
Figures are either Rcffilinear, or Curvilinear, or Mixt, according as the Perimeter confifts of right Lines, curve Lines, or both. See Curve.
The fuperficial Parts of a Figure are called its Sides; the loweft Side, its Safe; and the Angle oppofite to theBafe, the Vertex. See Base, Vertex, gfc
The Height of a Figure is the Diftance of the Vertex from the Bafe. See Height.
An Equilateral Figure is that whofe Sides are equal. See Equilateral.
A Figure Circumfcribed, and Itifcribed, fee Circum- scribed, and Inscribed.
Similar Ficup.es, fee Similar Figure. All Similar Figures, both Regular, and Irregular, are in a duplicate Ratio of the homologous Sides.
A Regular Figure is that which is Equilateral, and E- quiangular.
An Irregular Figure is that which is not both. See Regular.
Figure, in Conicks, is the Rectangle, made under the Latus rectum, and tranfverfum in the Hyperbola, and El- lipfis.
Figure of the Diameter. The Rectangle under any Dia- meter, and its proper Parameter, is in the Ellipfis and Hy- perbola called the Figure of that Diameter. See Dia- meter.
Figure, in Painting, and Defigning, is the Lines and Colours, that form the Reprefentation of a Man, or other Animal. See Design.
Thus we fay, There are above an hundred Figures in this Piece : Such a Figure is lame, isle.
But the Term Figure is in a more immediate and pe- culiar manner underftood of human Perfonages : Thus, a Painting is faid to be full of Figures, when thcie are abun- dance of Reprefentations of Men : And a Landfkip is with- out Figr'res, when there is nothing but Trees, Plants, Moun- tains, &c. See Colour.
Figure, in Architecture, and Sculpture, is ufed for Re- prefentations of Things, made in folid Matters; fuch as Sta- tues, i$c. ■- ■> -,; c In this Senfe we fay, Figures of Brafs, of Marble, ot Stuck, of Plafter, &C. But in this Senfe too, the Term is more ufually applied to human Reprefentations, than other Things. Thus we fay, an Equeftrian Figure, for a Man on Horfeback. See Statue.
Daviler, however, obferves, that thofe, either reprelented fitting, as Popes, SSc. or kneeling, as thofe on Monuments , &c. or laid all along, as Rivers, gfc. are more properly called Figures, than Statues.
Figure, in Heraldry, a bearing in a Shield, reprefenting,
or refembling a human Face; as a Sun, a Wind, an Angel, £?c.
Among the Matters of Defence, Figures are the divers
Guards, Poftures or Difpofitions of the Body, Arm, or
Sword. ■
In Aftronomy we fay, the Figure of an Eclipfe, meaning the Reprefentation of the Path, or Orbit of the Sun and Moon, during the Time of the Eclipfe, upon Paper; with the Number of Digits eclipfed, and the Beginning, Mid- dle and End of Darknefs. See Eclipse.
The Figure, or Delineation of the Full Moon, fuch as viewed thro' a Telefcope, with two convex Glaffes, is of confiderable ufe in Obfervations of Eclipfes, and Conjunfti- ons of the Moon with other Luminaries. In this Figure, of the Moon, are reprelented the Macula;, or Spots of the Moon, mark'd by Numbers; beginning with the Spots, which ufually enter firft, within the Shade at the Time of great Eclipfes, and alfo emerge the firft. See Moon, Maculje. _ ,
Figure, in Aftrology, a Defcription, or Draught ot the State and Difpofition of the Heavens, at a certain Hour; containing the Places of the Planets and S;ars, mark'd dowa in a Figure of twelve Triangles, called Houfes.
This is alfo called a Horcfcope, and Theme. See Ho- roscope, &c. rn .
In Geomancy, Figure isapplied to the Extremes ot Points, Lines or Numbers, thrown, or caftat random; on the Com- binations or Variations whereof the Sages of this Art found their fantaftical Divinations.
Figure, in Fortification, is the Plan of the tortihea Place; or the interior Polygon. See Polygon, &c.
When the Sides and Angles are equal, 'tis called a Re- gular; when unequal, an Irregular Figure. See Regu- lar, i$c. , . , ,» „
Figure, in Dancing, the feveral Steps which the Dancers make in Order, and Cadence; which marlc aivera Figures on the Floor. Figure,
