the unauthorized interference in a legal action by a person having no interest in it (as by helping one party with money or otherwise to continue the action) so as to obstruct justice or promote unnecessary litigation or unsettle the peace of the community; "unlike champerty, criminal maintenance does not necessarily involve personal profit"
existing in fact; not theoretical; real; "a decline in the effective demand"; "confused increased equipment and expenditure with the quantity of effective work done"
able to accomplish a purpose; functioning effectively; "people who will do nothing unless they get something out of it for themselves are often highly effective persons..."-G.B.Shaw; "effective personnel"; "an efficient secretary"; "the efficient cause of the revolution"
exerting force or influence; "the law is effective immediately"; "a warranty good for two years"; "the law is already in effect (or in force)"
producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect; "an air-cooled motor was more effective than a witch's broomstick for rapid long-distance transportation"-LewisMumford; "effective teaching methods"; "effective steps toward peace"; "made an effective entrance"; "his complaint proved to be effectual in bringing action"; "an efficacious law"
works well as a means or remedy; "an effective reprimand"; "a lotion that is effective in cases of prickly heat"
ready for service; "the fort was held by about 100 effective soldiers"
a certain degree of unwillingness; "a reluctance to commit himself"; "his hesitancy revealed his basic indisposition"; "after some hesitation he agreed"
(physics) opposition to magnetic flux (analogous to electric resistance)
pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm; "a remarkably attractive young man"; "an attractive personality"; "attractive clothes"; "a book with attractive illustrations"
having power to arouse interest; "an attractive opportunity"; "the job is attractive because of the pay"
of great significance or value; "important people"; "the important questions of the day"
having or suggesting a consciousness of high position; "recited the decree with an important air"; "took long important strides in the direction of his office"
a part of the cell containing DNA and RNA and responsible for growth and reproduction
any histologically identifiable mass of neural cell bodies in the brain or spinal cord
the positively charged dense center of an atom
(astronomy) the center of the head of a comet; consists of small solid particles of ice and frozen gas that vaporizes on approaching the sun to form the coma and tail
an artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system; "spare components for cars"; "a component or constituent element of a system"
an abstract part of something; "jealousy was a component of his character"; "two constituents of a musical composition are melody and harmony"; "the grammatical elements of a sentence"; "a key factor in her success"; "humor: an effective ingredient of a speech"
a line or route along which something travels or moves; "the hurricane demolished houses in its path"; "the track of an animal"; "the course of the river"
struggle in opposition; "She tugged and wrestled with her conflicts"
pull hard; "The prisoner tugged at the chains"; "This movie tugs at the heart strings"
pull or strain hard at; "Each oar was tugged by several men"
move by pulling hard; "The horse finally tugged the cart out of the mud"
tow (a vessel) with a tug; "The tugboat tugged the freighter into the harbor"
strive and make an effort to reach a goal; "She tugged for years to make a decent living"; "We have to push a little to make the deadline!"; "She is driving away at her doctoral thesis"
the quality of being solid and reliable financially or factually or morally; "the solidity of the evidence worked in his favor"; "the solidness of her faith gave her enduring hope"