Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

   {Blazing star}, {Double star}, {Multiple star}, {Shooting
   star}, etc. See under {Blazing}, {Double}, etc.

   {Nebulous star} (Astron.), a small well-defined circular
      nebula, having a bright nucleus at its center like a star.
      

   {Star anise} (Bot.), any plant of the genus Illicium; -- so
      called from its star-shaped capsules.

   {Star apple} (Bot.), a tropical American tree ({Chrysophyllum
      Cainito}), having a milky juice and oblong leaves with a
      silky-golden pubescence beneath. It bears an applelike
      fruit, the carpels of which present a starlike figure when
      cut across. The name is extended to the whole genus of
      about sixty species, and the natural order
      ({Sapotace[ae]}) to which it belongs is called the
      Star-apple family.

   {Star conner}, one who cons, or studies, the stars; an
      astronomer or an astrologer. --Gascoigne.

   {Star coral} (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of stony
      corals belonging to {Astr[ae]a}, {Orbicella}, and allied
      genera, in which the calicles are round or polygonal and
      contain conspicuous radiating septa.

   {Star cucumber}. (Bot.) See under {Cucumber}.

   {Star flower}. (Bot.)
      (a) A plant of the genus {Ornithogalum};
          star-of-Bethlehem.
      (b) See {Starwort}
      (b) .
      (c) An American plant of the genus {Trientalis}
          ({Trientalis Americana}). --Gray.

   {Star fort} (Fort.), a fort surrounded on the exterior with
      projecting angles; -- whence the name.

   {Star gauge} (Ordnance), a long rod, with adjustable points
      projecting radially at its end, for measuring the size of
      different parts of the bore of a gun.

   {Star grass}. (Bot.)
      (a) A small grasslike plant ({Hypoxis erecta}) having
          star-shaped yellow flowers.
      (b) The colicroot. See {Colicroot}.

   {Star hyacinth} (Bot.), a bulbous plant of the genus {Scilla}
      ({S. autumnalis}); -- called also {star-headed hyacinth}.
      

   {Star jelly} (Bot.), any one of several gelatinous plants
      ({Nostoc commune}, {N. edule}, etc.). See {Nostoc}.

   {Star lizard}. (Zo["o]l.) Same as {Stellion}.

   {Star-of-Bethlehem} (Bot.), a bulbous liliaceous plant
      ({Ornithogalum umbellatum}) having a small white starlike
      flower.

   {Star-of-the-earth} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Plantago}
      ({P. coronopus}), growing upon the seashore.

   {Star polygon} (Geom.), a polygon whose sides cut each other
      so as to form a star-shaped figure.

   {Stars and Stripes}, a popular name for the flag of the
      United States, which consists of thirteen horizontal
      stripes, alternately red and white, and a union having, in
      a blue field, white stars to represent the several States,
      one for each.

            With the old flag, the true American flag, the
            Eagle, and the Stars and Stripes, waving over the
            chamber in which we sit.              --D. Webster.

   {Star showers}. See {Shooting star}, under {Shooting}.

   {Star thistle} (Bot.), an annual composite plant ({Centaurea
      solstitialis}) having the involucre armed with radiating
      spines.

   {Star wheel} (Mach.), a star-shaped disk, used as a kind of
      ratchet wheel, in repeating watches and the feed motions
      of some machines.

   {Star worm} (Zo["o]l.), a gephyrean.

   {Temporary star} (Astron.), a star which appears suddenly,
      shines for a period, and then nearly or quite disappears.
      These stars are supposed by some astronometers to be
      variable stars of long and undetermined periods.

   {Variable star} (Astron.), a star whose brilliancy varies
      periodically, generally with regularity, but sometimes
      irregularly; -- called {periodical star} when its changes
      occur at fixed periods.

   {Water star grass} (Bot.), an aquatic plant ({Schollera
      graminea}) with small yellow starlike blossoms.

Double \Dou"ble\, a. [OE. doble, duble, double, OF. doble,
   duble, double, F. double, fr. L. duplus, fr. the root of duo
   two, and perh. that of plenus full; akin to Gr. ? double. See
   {Two}, and {Full}, and cf. {Diploma}, {Duple}.]
   1. Twofold; multiplied by two; increased by its equivalent;
      made twice as large or as much, etc.

            Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. -- 2
                                                  Kings ii. 9.

            Darkness and tempest make a double night. --Dryden.

   2. Being in pairs; presenting two of a kind, or two in a set
      together; coupled.

            [Let] The swan, on still St. Mary's lake, Float
            double, swan and shadow.              --Wordsworth.

   3. Divided into two; acting two parts, one openly and the
      other secretly; equivocal; deceitful; insincere.

            With a double heart do they speak.    -- Ps. xii. 2.

   4. (Bot.) Having the petals in a flower considerably
      increased beyond the natural number, usually as the result
      of cultivation and the expense of the stamens, or stamens
      and pistils. The white water lily and some other plants
      have their blossoms naturally double.

   Note: Double is often used as the first part of a compound
         word, generally denoting two ways, or twice the number,
         quantity, force, etc., twofold, or having two.

   {Double base}, or {Double bass} (Mus.), the largest and
      lowest-toned instrument in the violin form; the
      contrabasso or violone.

   {Double convex}. See under {Convex}.

   {Double counterpoint} (Mus.), that species of counterpoint or
      composition, in which two of the parts may be inverted, by
      setting one of them an octave higher or lower.

   {Double court} (Lawn Tennis), a court laid out for four
      players, two on each side.

   {Double dagger} (Print.), a reference mark ([dag]) next to
      the dagger ([dagger]) in order; a diesis.

   {Double drum} (Mus.), a large drum that is beaten at both
      ends.

   {Double eagle}, a gold coin of the United States having the
      value of 20 dollars.

   {Double entry}. See under {Bookkeeping}.

   {Double floor} (Arch.), a floor in which binding joists
      support flooring joists above and ceiling joists below.
      See Illust. of Double-framed floor.

   {Double flower}. See {Double}, a., 4.

   {Double-framed floor} (Arch.), a double floor having girders
      into which the binding joists are framed.

   {Double fugue} (Mus.), a fugue on two subjects.

   {Double letter}.
      (a) (Print.) Two letters on one shank; a ligature.
      (b) A mail requiring double postage.

   {Double note} (Mus.), a note of double the length of the
      semibreve; a breve. See {Breve}.

   {Double octave} (Mus.), an interval composed of two octaves,
      or fifteen notes, in diatonic progression; a fifteenth.

   {Double pica}. See under {Pica}.

   {Double play} (Baseball), a play by which two players are put
      out at the same time.

   {Double plea} (Law), a plea alleging several matters in
      answer to the declaration, where either of such matters
      alone would be a sufficient bar to the action. --Stephen.

   {Double point} (Geom.), a point of a curve at which two
      branches cross each other. Conjugate or isolated points of
      a curve are called double points, since they possess most
      of the properties of double points (see {Conjugate}). They
      are also called {acnodes}, and those points where the
      branches of the curve really cross are called {crunodes}.
      The extremity of a cusp is also a double point.

   {Double quarrel}. (Eccl. Law) See {Duplex querela}, under
      {Duplex}.

   {Double refraction}. (Opt.) See {Refraction}.

   {Double salt}. (Chem.)
      (a) A mixed salt of any polybasic acid which has been
          saturated by different bases or basic radicals, as the
          double carbonate of sodium and potassium,
          {NaKCO3.6H2O}.
      (b) A molecular combination of two distinct salts, as
          common alum, which consists of the sulphate of
          aluminium, and the sulphate of potassium or ammonium.
          

   {Double shuffle}, a low, noisy dance.

   {Double standard} (Polit. Econ.), a double standard of
      monetary values; i. e., a gold standard and a silver
      standard, both of which are made legal tender.

   {Double star} (Astron.), two stars so near to each other as
      to be seen separate only by means of a telescope. Such
      stars may be only optically near to each other, or may be
      physically connected so that they revolve round their
      common center of gravity, and in the latter case are
      called also binary stars.

   {Double time} (Mil.). Same as {Double-quick}.

   {Double window}, a window having two sets of glazed sashes
      with an air space between them.

Source : WordNet®

double star
     n : a system of two stars that revolve around each other under
         their mutual gravitation [syn: {binary star}, {binary}]