Chamberss Twentieth Century Dictionary A to D

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Title: Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)

Author: Various

Editor: Thomas Davidson

Release Date: October 9, 2011 [EBook #37683]

Language: English

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CHAMBERS'S

TWENTIETH CENTURY

DICTIONARY

OF THE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

PRONOUNCING, EXPLANATORY, ETYMOLOGICAL, WITH COMPOUND PHRASES,

TECHNICAL TERMS IN USE IN THE ARTS AND SCIENCES,

COLLOQUIALISMS, FULL APPENDICES, AND

COPIOUSLY ILLUSTRATED

EDITED BY

REV. THOMAS DAVIDSON

ASSISTANT-EDITOR OF 'CHAMBERS'S ENCYCLOPÆDIA'

EDITOR OF 'CHAMBERS'S ENGLISH DICTIONARY'

LONDON: 47 Paternoster Row

W. & R . C H A M B E R S , L I M I T E D

EDINBURGH: 339 High Street

1908

CHAMBERS'S

NEW LARGE TYPE

ENGLISH DICTIONARY

EDITED BY

REV. THOMAS DAVIDSON

Pronouncing, Explanatory, Etymological

1264 pp. Imp. 8vo, cloth, 12/6; hf.-mor., 18/-

———

"The best one volume dictionary in existence."

W. & R. Chambers, Limited, London and Edinburgh.

P R E FAC E .

This is the third English Dictionary which the present Editor has prepared, and he may therefore lay claim to an unusually
prolonged apprenticeship to his trade. It is surely unnecessary for him to say that he believes this to be the best book of the
three, and he can afford to rest content if the Courteous Reader receive it with the indulgence extended to his Library
Dictionary, published in the spring of 1898. It is based upon that work, but will be found to possess many serviceable qualities
of its own. It is not much less in content, and its greater relative portability is due to smaller type, to thinner paper, and still more
to a rigorous compression and condensation in the definitions, by means of which room has been found for many additional
words.

The aim has been to include all the common words in literary and conversational English, together with words obsolete save in
the pages of Spenser, Shakespeare, Milton, and the Authorised Version of the Bible. An attempt has been made also to include
the common terms of the sciences and the arts of life, the vocabulary of sport, those Scotch and provincial words which assert
themselves in Burns, Scott, the Brontës, and George Eliot, and even the coinages of word-masters like Carlyle, Browning, and
Meredith. Numberless compound idiomatic phrases have also been given a place, in each case under the head of the significant
word.

Correctness in technical matters has been ensured by consulting such books as Smyth's Sailor's Word-Book, Voyle's Military
Dictionary, Wilson's Stock-Exchange Glossary, Lee's Glossary of Liturgical and Ecclesiastical Terms, &c. Besides
books of this class, the Editor has made constant use of special books such as Schmidt's Shakespeare-Lexicon, Calderwood's
edition of Fleming's Vocabulary of Philosophy, Jamieson's Scottish Dictionary, the Stanford Dictionary of Anglicised
Words and Phrases, Yule and Burnell's Anglo-Indian Glossary, Addis and Arnold's Catholic Dictionary, and the
Dictionaries of the Bible of Sir William Smith and Dr Hastings.

In Latin, his authority is Lewis and Short; in Greek, Liddell and Scott; in Romance Philology, Diez and Scheler; in French,
Littré; in Spanish, Velazquez; in German, Weigand and Flügel; in Gaelic, Macleod and Dewar, and M'Bain; in Hebrew,
Gesenius.

In English etymology the Editor has consulted Professor Skeat's Dictionary and his Principles of English Etymology—First
and Second Series; the magistral New English Dictionary of Dr James A. H. Murray and Mr Henry Bradley, so far as
completed; and the only less valuable English Dialect Dictionary of Professor Wright (begun 1896).

Two complete American English Dictionaries still hold the first place as works of reference, Professor Whitney's Century
Dictionary and Funk and Wagnall's Standard Dictionary.

The Editor has great pleasure in acknowledging his personal obligations to his brothers, the Rev. Robert P. Davidson, B.A., of
Trinity College, Oxford, and David G. Davidson, M.D., Edinburgh; and to his equally capable and courteous colleagues, Mr J.
R. Pairman and David Patrick, LL.D., Editor of Chambers's Encyclopædia.

T. D.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

PREFACE
iii

EXPLANATIONS TO THE STUDENT
v

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS
DICTIONARY
vii

THE DICTIONARY
1-

1150

PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES
1151

ETYMOLOGY OF NAMES OF PLACES, ETC.
1158

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS, TOGETHER WITH
SIGNS AND SYMBOLS USED IN MEDICINE AND
MUSIC
1161

CORRECT CEREMONIOUS FORMS OF ADDRESS
1174

PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY OF SCRIPTURE
PROPER NAMES
1176

THE MORE COMMON ENGLISH CHRISTIAN
NAMES, WITH THEIR ORIGIN AND MEANING
1178

WORDS AND PHRASES IN MORE OR LESS
CURRENT USE FROM LATIN, GREEK, AND
MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES
1184

ADDENDA
1208

EXPLANATIONS TO THE STUDENT.

The Arrangement of the Words.—Every word is given in its alphabetical order, except in cases where, to save space,
derivatives are given after and under the words from which they are derived. Each uncompounded verb has its participles, when
irregular, placed after it. Exceptional plurals are also given. When a word stands after another, with no meaning given, its
meanings can be at once formed from those of the latter, by adding the signification of the affix: thus the meanings of Darkness
are obtained by prefixing the meaning of ness, state of being, to those of Dark.

Many words from French and other tongues, current in English usage, but not yet fairly Anglicised, are inserted in the list of
Foreign Phrases, &c., at the end, rather than in the body of the Dictionary.

The Pronunciation.—The Pronunciation is given immediately after each word, by the word being spelled anew. In this new
spelling, every consonant used has its ordinary unvarying sound, no consonant being employed that has more than one
sound. The same sounds are always represented by the same letters, no matter how varied their actual spelling in the language.
No consonant used has any mark attached to it, with the one exception of th, which is printed in common letters when sounded
as in thick, but in italics when sounded as in then. Unmarked vowels have always their short sounds, as in lad, led, lid, lot,
but, book. The marked vowels are shown in the following line, which is printed at the top of each page:—

fāte, fär; mē, hėr; mīne; mōte; mūte; mōōn; then.

The vowel u when marked thus, ü, has the sound heard in Scotch bluid, gude, the French du, almost that of the German ü in
Müller. Where more than one pronunciation of a word is given, that which is placed first is more accepted.

The Spelling.—When more than one form of a word is given, that which is placed first is the spelling in current English use.
Unfortunately our modern spelling does not represent the English we actually speak, but rather the language of the 16th century,
up to which period, generally speaking, English spelling was mainly phonetic, like the present German. The fundamental
principle of all rational spelling is no doubt the representation of every sound by an invariable symbol, but in modern English the
usage of pronunciation has drifted far from the conventional forms established by a traditional orthography, with the result that
the present spelling of our written speech is to a large extent a mere exercise of memory, full of confusing anomalies and
imperfections, and involving an enormous and unnecessary strain on the faculties of learners. Spelling reform is indeed an
imperative necessity, but it must proceed with a wise moderation, for, in the words of Mr Sweet, 'nothing can be done without
unanimity, and until the majority of the community are convinced of the superiority of some one system unanimity is impossible.'
The true path of progress should follow such wisely moderate counsels as those of Dr J. A. H. Murray:—the dropping of the
final or inflexional silent e; the restoration of the historical -t after breath consonants; uniformity in the employment of double
consonants, as in traveler, &c.; the discarding of ue in words like demagogue and catalogue; the uniform levelling of the
agent -our into -or; the making of ea = ĕ short into e and the long ie into ee; the restoration of some, come, tongue, to their
old English forms, sum, cum, tung; a more extended use of z in the body of words, as chozen, praize, raize; and the
correction of the worst individual monstrosities, as foreign, scent, scythe, ache, debt, people, parliament, court, would,
sceptic, phthisis, queue, schedule, twopence-halfpenny, yeoman, sieve, gauge, barque, buoy, yacht, &c.

Already in America a moderate degree of spelling reform may be said to be established in good usage, by the adoption of -or
for -our, as color, labor, &c.; of -er for -re, as center, meter, &c.; -ize for -ise, as civilize, &c.; the use of a uniform single
consonant after an unaccented vowel, as traveler for traveller; the adoption of e for œ or æ in hemorrhage, diarrhea, &c.

The Meanings.—The current and most important meaning of a word is usually given first. But in cases like Clerk, Livery,
Marshal, where the force of the word can be made much clearer by tracing its history, the original meaning is also given, and
the successive variations of its usage defined.

The Etymology.—The Etymology of each word is given after the meanings, within brackets. Where further information
regarding a word is given elsewhere, it is so indicated by a reference. It must be noted under the etymology that whenever a
word is printed thus, Ban, Base, the student is referred to it; also that here the sign—is always to be read as meaning 'derived
from.' Examples are generally given of words that are cognate or correspond to the English words; but it must be remembered
that they are inserted merely for illustration. Such words are usually separated from the rest by a semicolon. For instance, when
an English word is traced to its Anglo-Saxon form, and then a German word is given, no one should suppose that our English
word is derived from the German. German and Anglo-Saxon are alike branches from a common Teutonic stem, and have
seldom borrowed from each other. Under each word the force of the prefix is usually given, though not the affix. For fuller

explanation in such cases the student is referred to the list of Prefixes and Suffixes in the Appendix.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS DICTIONARY.

aor.
aorist.
geol.
geology.
perh.
perhaps.

abbrev.
abbreviation.
geom.
geometry.
pers.
person.

abl.
ablative.
ger.
gerundive.
pfx.
prefix.

acc.
according.
gram.
grammar.
phil., philos.
philosophy.

accus.
accusative.
gun.
gunnery.
philol.
philology.

adj.
adjective.
her.
heraldry.
phon.
phonetics.

adv.
adverb.
hist.
history.
phot.
photography.

agri.
agriculture.
hort.
horticulture.
phrenol.
phrenology.

alg.
algebra.
hum.
humorous.
phys.
physics.

anat.
anatomy.
i.e.
that is.
physiol.
physiology.

app.
apparently.
imit.
imitative.
pl.
plural.

arch.
archaic.
imper.
imperative.
poet.
poetical.

archit.
architecture.
impers.
impersonal.
pol. econ.
political economy.

arith.
arithmetic.
indic.
indicative.
poss.
possessive.

astrol.
astrology.
infin.
infinitive.
Pr.Bk.
Book of Common

astron.
astronomy.
inten.
intensive.
Prayer.

attrib.
attributive.
interj.
interjection.
pr.p.
present participle.

augm.
augmentative.
interrog.
interrogative.
prep.
preposition.

B.
Bible.
jew.
jewellery.
pres.
present.

biol.
biology.
lit.
literally.
print.
printing.

book-k.
book-keeping.
mach.
machinery.
priv.
privative.

bot.
botany.
masc.
masculine.
prob.
probably.

c. (circa)
about.
math.
mathematics.
Prof.
Professor.

c., cent.
century.
mech.
mechanics.

pron.

pronoun;

carp.
carpentry.
med.
medicine.
pronounced;

cf.
compare.
metaph.
metaphysics.
pronunciation.

chem.
chemistry.
mil.
military.
prop.
properly.

cog.
cognate.
Milt.
Milton.
pros.
prosody.

coll., colloq.
colloquially.
min.
mineralogy.
prov.
provincial.

comp.
comparative.
mod.
modern.
q.v.
which see.

conch.
conchology.
Mt.
Mount.
R.C.
Roman Catholic.

conj.
conjunction.
mus.
music.
recip.
reciprocal.

conn.
connected.
myth.
mythology.
redup.
reduplication.

contr.
contracted.
n., ns.
noun, nouns.
refl.
reflexive.

cook.
cookery.
nat. hist.
natural history.
rel.
related; relative.

corr.
corruption.
naut.
nautical.
rhet.
rhetoric.

crystal.
crystallography.
neg.
negative.
sculp.
sculpture.

dat.
dative.
neut.
neuter.
Shak.
Shakespeare.

demons.
demonstrative.
n.pl.
noun plural.
sig.
signifying.

der.
derivation.
n.sing.
noun singular.
sing.
singular.

dial.
dialect, dialectal.
N.T.
New Testament.
spec.
specifically.

Dict.
Dictionary.
obs.
obsolete.
Spens.
Spenser.

dim.
diminutive.
opp.
opposed.
subj.
subjunctive.

dub.
doubtful.
opt.
optics.
suff.
suffix.

eccles.
ecclesiastical history.
orig.
originally.
superl.
superlative.

e.g.
for example.
ornith.
ornithology.
surg.
surgery.

elect.
electricity.
O.S.
old style.
term.
termination.

entom.
entomology.
O.T.
Old Testament.
teleg.
telegraphy.

esp.
especially.
p., part.
participle.
Tenn.
Tennyson.

ety.
etymology.
p.adj.
participial adjective.
Test.
Testament.

fem.
feminine.
paint.
painting.
theat.
theatre; theatricals.

fig.
figuratively.
paleog.
paleography.
theol.
theology.

fol.
followed; following.
paleon.
paleontology.
trig.
trigonometry.

fort.
fortification.
palm.
palmistry.
ult.
ultimately.

freq.
frequentative.
pa.p.
past participle.
v.i.
verb intransitive.

fut.
future.
pass.
passive.
voc.
vocative.

gen.
genitive.
pa.t.
past tense.
v.t.
verb transitive.

A

gener.
generally.
path.
pathology.
vul.
vulgar.

geog.
geography.
perf.
perfect.
zool.
zoology.

Amer.
American.
Fris.
Frisian.
Norw.
Norwegian.

Ar.
Arabic.
Gael.
Gaelic.
O. Fr.
Old French.

A.S.
Anglo-Saxon.
Ger.
German.
Pers.
Persian.

Austr.
Australian.
Goth.
Gothic.
Peruv.
Peruvian.

Bav.
Bavarian.
Gr.
Greek.
Pol.
Polish.

Beng.
Bengali.
Heb.
Hebrew.
Port.
Portuguese.

Bohem.
Bohemian.
Hind.
Hindustani.
Prov.
Provençal.

Braz.
Brazilian.
Hung.
Hungarian.
Rom.
Romance.

Bret.
Breton.
Ice.
Icelandic.
Russ.
Russian

Carib.
Caribbean.
Ind.
Indian.
Sans.
Sanskrit.

Celt.
Celtic.
Ion.
Ionic.
Scand.
Scandinavian.

Chal.
Chaldean.
Ir.
Irish.
Scot.
Scottish.

Chin.
Chinese.
It.
Italian.
Singh.
Singhalese.

Corn.
Cornish.
Jap.
Japanese.
Slav.
Slavonic.

Dan.
Danish.
Jav.
Javanese.
Sp.
Spanish.

Dut.
Dutch.
L.
Latin.
Sw.
Swedish.

Egypt.
Egyptian.
Lith.
Lithuanian.
Teut.
Teutonic.

Eng.
English.
L. L.
Low or Late Latin.
Turk.
Turkish.

Finn.
Finnish.
M. E.
Middle English.
U.S.
United States.

Flem.
Flemish.
Mex.
Mexican.
W.
Welsh.

Fr.
French.
Norm.
Norman.

CHAMBERS'S

TWENTIETH CENTURY

DICTIONARY.

the first letter in our alphabet, its corresponding symbol standing first also in many other alphabets derived from the

Phœnician. It originated in the hieroglyphic picture of an eagle (Old Egyptian ahom), the cursive hieratic form of which was the
original of the Phœnician aleph, an ox, from a fancied resemblance to its head and horns.—A, as a note in music, is the major
sixth of the scale of C; A1, the symbol by which first-class vessels are classed in Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign
Shipping, hence first-rate.

A, the indefinite article, a broken-down form of An, and used before words beginning with the sound of a consonant. [An was
a new development, after the Conquest, of the A.S. numeral án, one.]

A, ä or ā, a prep., derived from the old prep. on, and still used, as a prefix, in afoot, afield, apart, asleep, nowadays, twice-a-
day; also with verbal nouns, as a-building, to be a-doing, to set a-going. It is now admitted only colloquially. [Short for A.S.
an, a dialectic form of on, on, in, at. See Prefixes.]

A, ä, a dialectic corruption of he or she, as in quotha, (Shak.) 'A babbled of green fields.'—A, usually written a', Scotch for
all; A, a form of the L. prep. ab, from, of, used before consonants, as in Thomas à Kempis, Thomas à Becket, &c.

Aardvark, ard′vark, n. the ground-hog of South Africa. [Dut. aarde, earth; vark, found only in dim. varken, a pig.]

Aardwolf, ard′wōōlf, n. the earth-wolf of South Africa, a carnivore belonging to a sub-family of the Hyænidæ. [Dut. aarde,
earth, wolf, wolf.]

Aaronic, -al, ā-ron′ik, -al, adj. pertaining to Aaron, the Jewish high-priest, or to his priesthood.—n. Aa′ron's-rod (archit.), a
rod having one serpent twined round it.—Aaron's beard, a popular name for a number of cultivated plants—among the best
known, a species of Saxifrage (S. sarmentosa), usually grown in hanging pots, from which hang long stems, bearing clumps of
roundish, hairy leaves.

Ab, ab, n. the eleventh month of the Jewish civil year, and the fifth of the ecclesiastical year, answering to parts of July and
August. [Syriac.]

Aba, ab′a, n. a Syrian woollen stuff, of goat's or camel's hair, usually striped; an outer garment made of this. [Ar.]

Abaca, ab′a-ka, n. the native name of the so-called Manilla hemp of commerce—really a plantain, much grown in the
Philippine Islands.

Abacus.

Aback, a-bak′, adv. (naut.) said of sails pressed backward against the mast by the wind—hence (fig.) Taken aback, taken
by surprise, [A.S. on bæc. See On and Back.]

Abacot. See Bycocket.

Abactinal, ab-ak′ti-nal, adj. (zool.) remote from the actinal area, without rays.—adv. Abac′tinally.

Abaction, ab-ak′shun, n. (law) the stealing of a number of cattle at once.—n. Abac′tor, one who does this. [L. abigĕre,
abactum, to drive off.]

Abacus, ab′a-kus, n. a counting-frame or table: (archit.) a level tablet on the capital of a column,
supporting the entablature:—pl. Ab′acī.—ns. Abacis′cus, Abac′ulus, dims. of Abacus; Ab′acist, one who counts with the
abacus. [L.—Gr. abax, abakos, a board for reckoning on.]

Abaddon, a-bad′don, n. the destroyer, or angel of the bottomless pit: (Milton) the bottomless pit, or abyss of hell itself. [Heb.,
from ābad, to be lost.]

Abaft, a-baft′, adv. and prep. on the aft, hind, or stern part of a ship: behind. [Pfx. a-, for A.S. on, on, and bæftan, after,
behind; itself made up of pfx. be-, and æftan. See Aft.]

Abalienate, ab-āl′yen-āt, v.t. Same as Alienate.

Abandon, a-ban′dun, v.t. to give up: to desert: to yield (one's self) without restraint (with to).—v.t. Aband′ (Spens.), to
abandon.—n. Aban′don (n to be nasalised), freedom from conventional restraints: careless freedom of manners.—adj.
Aban′doned, given up, as to a vice: profligate: completely deserted: very wicked.—adv. Aban′donedly.—n.
Aban′donment, act of abandoning: state of being given up: enthusiastic surrender of self to a cause: (law) the renunciation of a
claim. [O. Fr. bandon, from the Teut. root ban, proclamation, came to mean decree, authorisation, permission; hence à
bandon—at will or discretion, abandonner, to give up to the will or disposal of some one. See Ban, Banns.]

Abase, a-bās′, v.t. to cast down: to humble: to degrade.—adjs. Abā′sed, Abaissé (her.), depressed.—n. Abase′ment,
state of humiliation. [O. Fr. abaissier, to bring low—L. ad, to, and root of Base, adj.]

Abash, a-bash′, v.t. to confuse with shame or guilt.—pa.p. Abashed′ (with at, of an occasion; by, of a cause).—n.
Abash′ment, confusion from shame. [O. Fr. esbhir (Fr. s'ébahir), pr.p. esbahiss-ant, to be amazed—L. ex, out, and interj.
bah, expressive of astonishment.]

Abate, a-bāt′, v.t. to lessen: to deduct (with of): to mitigate: (law) to put an end to, do away with, as of an action or a
nuisance, to render null, as a writ.—v.i. to grow less.—adjs. Abāt′able, capable of being abated; Abāt′ed, beaten down or
cut away, as the background of an ornamental pattern in relief.—n. Abate′ment, the act of abating: the sum or quantity abated:
(law) the act of intruding on a freehold and taking possession before the heir, the abandonment of an action, or the reduction of
a legacy: (her.) a supposed mark of dishonour on a coat of arms—apparently never actually used.—Abated arms, those
whose edges have been blunted for the tournament. [O. Fr. abatre, to beat down—L. ab, from, and batĕre, popular form of
batuĕre, to beat: conn. with Beat.]

Abatis, Abattis, a′bat-is, n.sing. and pl. (fort.) a rampart of trees felled and laid side by side, with the branches towards the
enemy. [Fr. See Abate.]

Abattoir, a-bat-wär′, n. a public slaughter-house. [Fr. See ety. of Abate.]

Abature, ab′a-tūr, n. the trail of a beast of the chase. [Fr.]

Abb, ab, n. properly woof- or weft-yarn, but sometimes warp-yarn. [Pfx. a-, and Web.]

Abba, ab′a, n. father, a term retained in the Gr. text of the New Testament, together with its translation 'father,' hence Abba
father, applied to God the Father: also a bishop in the Syriac and Coptic Churches. [L.—Gr.—Syriac and Chaldee, abbā—
Heb. ab, father.]

Abbacy, ab′a-si, n. the office or dignity of an abbot: the establishment under an abbot: an abbey.—adj. Abbā′tial. [The earlier
form was abbatie—said by Dr Murray to have been originally a Scotch form.]

Abbate, ab-bä′te, n. a title loosely applied to ecclesiastics in Italy.—Also Abate. [It.]

Abbaye, an arch. form of Abbey.

Abbé, ab′ā, n. originally the French name for an abbot, but often used in the general sense of a priest or clergyman. Before the
Revolution, abbés were often merely holders of benefices, enjoying a portion of the revenues, although in minor orders, or even
laymen. They were often tutors in noble families, or men of letters, and were marked by a short violet-coloured robe.

Abbess, ab′es, n. the female superior of a religious community of women. [Earlier Abbatess, fem. of Abbot.]

Abbey, ab′e, n. a monastery of persons of either sex presided over by an abbot or abbess: the church now or formerly
attached to it: in Newstead Abbey, &c., the name has been retained after the abbatial building had become a private house:
—pl. Abb′eys. [O. Fr. abaïe (Fr. abbaye)—L. abbatia, See Abba.]

Abbot, ab′ut, n. the father or head of an abbey:—fem. Abb′ess.—n. Ab′botship. [L. abbas, abbatis—Abba.]

Abbreviate, ab-brē′vi-āt, v.t. to make brief or short: to abridge.—ns. Abbreviā′tion, Abbrē′viature, a shortening, a part of
a word put for the whole; Abbrē′viator, one who abbreviates.—adj. Abbrē′viatory. [L. abbreviāre, -ātum—ab, intensive,
and brevis, short. See Brief.]

Abc, Abcee, ā-bē-sē′, n. the alphabet from its first letters: a first reading-book (obs.), hence fig. the first rudiments of anything.
—ABC book (Shak.), a book to teach the a, b, c, or alphabet.

Abdicate, ab′di-kāt, v.t. and v.i. formally to renounce or give up office or dignity.—adj. Ab′dicant.—n. Abdicā′tion. [L. ab,
from or off, dicāre, -ātum, to proclaim.]

Abdomen, ab-dō′men, n. the belly: the lower part of the trunk.—adj. Abdom′inal.—adv. Abdom′inally.—adj.
Abdom′inous, pot-bellied. [L.]

Abduce, ab-dūs′, v.t. an earlier form of Abduct.—adj. Abduc′ent, drawing back: separating. [L. abducĕre—ab, from
ducĕre, ductum, to draw.]

Abduct, ab-dukt′, v.t. to take away by fraud or violence.—ns. Abduc′tion, the carrying away, esp. of a person by fraud or
force; Abduc′tor, one guilty of abduction: a muscle that draws away. [L. abducĕre. See Abduce.]

Abeam, a-bēm′, adv. (naut.) on the beam, or in a line at right angles to a vessel's length. [Pfx. a- (A.S. on), on, and Beam.]

Abear, a-bār′, v.t. (Spens.) to bear, to behave: (prov.) to endure or tolerate.—n. Abear′ance, (obs.) behaviour. [A.S. pfx.
a-, and Bear.]

Abecedarian, ā-be-se-dā′ri-an, adj. pertaining to the a, b, c: rudimentary.—Abecedarian Psalms (as the 119th) or Hymns
are such as are divided into successive portions according to the letters of the alphabet.

Abed, a-bed′, adv. in bed. [Pfx. a-, on, and Bed.]

Abele, a-bēl′, n. the white poplar-tree. [Dut. abeel; O. Fr. abel, aubel—Late L. albellus, albus, white.]

Aberdevine, ab-ėr-de-vīn′, n. a bird-fancier's name for the siskin. [Ety. uncertain; prob. a fanciful coinage.]

Aberrate, ab′ėr-rāt, v.i. to wander or deviate from the right way:—pr.p. ab′errāting; pa.p. ab′errāted.—ns. Aber′rance,
Aber′rancy (rare forms).—adj. Aber′rant (zool. and bot.), wandering, deviating in some particulars from its group.—n.
Aberrā′tion, a wandering from the right path: deviation from truth or rectitude: in science, deviation from the type: abnormal
structure or development.—Aberration of light, an apparent alteration in the place of a star, arising from the motion of the
earth in its orbit, combined with the progressive passage of light. [L. aberrāre, -ātum—ab, from, errāre, to wander.]

Abet, a-bet′, v.t. to incite by encouragement or aid (used chiefly in a bad sense):—pr.p. abet′ting; pa.p. abet′ted.—ns.
Abet′ment; Abet′ter, Abet′tor, one who abets. [O. Fr. abeter—à (—L. ad, to), and beter, to bait, from root of Bait.]

Abeyance, a-bā′ans, n. a state of suspension or expectation: temporary inactivity—also Abey′ancy.—The v. to Abey is rare.
[Fr.—à (—L. ad, to), and bayer, to gape in expectation, from imitative root ba, to gape.]

Abhominable, an earlier spelling of Abominable.

Abhor, ab-hor′, v.t. to shrink from with horror: to detest: to loathe:—pr.p. abhor′ring; pa.p. abhorred′.—ns. Abhor′rence,
extreme hatred; (obs.) Abhor′rency.—adj. Abhor′rent, detesting; repugnant (with of).—ns. Abhor′rer, one who abhors;
Abhor′ring (B. and Shak.), object of abhorrence. [L. abhorrēre, from ab, from, and horrēre. See Horror.]

Abib, ā′bib, n. the first month of the Jewish ecclesiastical, the seventh of the civil year, later called Nisan, answering to parts of
March and April. [Heb., 'an ear of corn'—ābab, to produce early fruit.]

Abide, a-bīd′, v.t. to bide or wait for: to endure: to tolerate.—v.i. to remain in a place, dwell or stay:—pa.t. and pa.p. abōde′.
—n. Abid′ance.—adj. Abid′ing, continual.—n. an enduring.—adv. Abid′ingly. [A.S. ábídan—pfx. á- (= Goth. us = Ger.
er), and bídan, to wait.]

Abide, a-bīd′, v.t. (Shak. and Milton) to redeem, pay the penalty for, suffer. [M. E. abyen, confounded with Abide. See
Aby.]

Abies, ab′i-ez, n. the silver-fir.—adj. Abiet′ic, pertaining to trees of the genus Abies. [L.]

Abigail, ab′i-gāl, n. a lady's-maid. [From Abigail, 1 Sam. xxv.]

Ability, a-bil′i-ti, n. quality of being able: power: strength: skill.—n.pl. Abil′ities, the powers of the mind. [O. Fr. ableté (Fr.
habileté)—L. habilitas—habilis, easily handled, from habēre, to have, hold. See Able.]

Abintestate, ab-in-tes′tāt, adj. inheriting the estate of one who died without having made a will. [L. ab, from, and Intestate.]

Abiogenesis,
ab-i-o-jen′es-is, n. the origination of living by not-living matter, spontaneous generation.—adj.

Abiogenet′ic—n. Abio′genist, one who believes in such. [Coined by Huxley in 1870; Gr. a, neg., bios, life, genesis, birth.]

Abject, ab-jekt′, v.t. (obs.) to throw or cast down or away. [L. abjicĕre, -jectum—ab, away, jacĕre, to throw.]

Abject, ab′jekt, adj. cast away: mean: worthless: cowering: base.—n. an outcast.—ns. Abjec′tion, Ab′jectness, a mean or
low state: baseness: degradation.—adv. Ab′jectly. [L. abjectus, cast away—ab, away, jacĕre, to throw.]

Abjudge, ab-juj′, v.t. (rare) to take away by judicial sentence. [L. ab, from, and Judge.]

Abjudicate, ab-jōō′di-kāt, v.t. to give by judgment from one to another. [L. ab, from, and Judicate.]

Abjure, ab-jōōr′, v.t. to renounce on oath or solemnly: to recant: to repudiate.—n. Abjurā′tion, official renunciation on oath
of any principle or pretension.—adj. Abjur′atory.—n. Abjur′er. [L. ab, from, jurāre, -ātum, to swear.]

Abkari, ab-kä′ri, n. the manufacture or sale of spirituous liquors: the excise duty levied on such.—Also Abka′ry. [Pers.]

Ablactation, ab-lak-tā′shun, n. a weaning. [L. ab, from, lactāre, to suckle—lac, lactis, milk.]

Ablation, ab-lā′shun, n. the act of carrying away: (geol.) the wearing away of rock by the action of water.—adj. Ablati′tious.
[L. ab, from, latum, supine of ferre, to bear.]

Ablative, ab′lat-iv, adj. used as a noun. The name applied to one of the cases in the declension of nouns and pronouns in the
Indo-European languages, retained as in Latin and Sanskrit, or merged in another case, as in the genitive in Greek. Its meaning
was to express direction from or time when.—adj. Ablatī′val. [L. ablativus—ab, from, ferre, latum, to take; as if it
indicated taking away, or privation.]

Ablaut, ab′lowt, n. (philol.) vowel permutation, a substitution of one root vowel for another in derivation, as in sing, sang,
song, sung, distinct from the phonetic influence of a succeeding vowel, as in the Umlaut. It is especially the change of a vowel to
indicate tense-change in strong verbs. [Ger., from ab, off, and laut, sound.]

Ablaze, a-blāz′, adj. in a blaze, on fire: gleaming brightly. [Prep. a, and Blaze.]

Able, ā′bl, adj. (comp. A′bler; superl. A′blest) having sufficient strength, power, or means to do a thing: skilful.—adj.
A′ble-bod′ied, of a strong body: free from disability, of a sailor, labourer, &c.: robust.—adv. A′bly. [See Ability.]

Ablegate, ab′le-gāt, n. a papal envoy who carries the insignia of office to a newly-appointed cardinal.

Abloom, a-blōōm′, adv. in a blooming state. [Prep. a, on, and Bloom.]

Abluent, ab′lōō-ent, adj. washing or cleaning by a liquid.—n. a medicine which carries off impurities from the system. [L.
abluens, -entis, pr.p. of abluĕre, to wash away—ab, from, away, and luĕre = lavāre, to wash. See Lave.]

Ablution, ab-lōō′shun, n. act of washing, esp. the body, preparatory to religious rites: any ceremonial washing, symbolic of
moral purification: the wine and water used to rinse the chalice, drunk by the officiating priest.—adj. Ablu′tionary. [L.
ablutio—ab, away, luĕre = lavāre, to wash.]

Abnegate, ab′ne-gāt, v.t. to deny.—ns. Abnegā′tion, renunciation; Ab′negator, one who abnegates or renounces. [L. ab,
away, and negāre, to deny.]

Abnormal, ab-nor′mal, adj. not normal or according to rule: irregular—also Abnor′mous.—ns. Abnormal′ity, Abnor′mity.
—adv. Abnor′mally. [L. ab, away from, and Normal.]

Aboard, a-bōrd′, adv. or prep. on board: in a ship, or in a train (Amer.). [Prep. a, on, and Board.]

Abococke. See Bycocket.

Abode, a-bōd′, n. a dwelling-place: stay. [See Abide.]

Abode, a-bōd′, pa.t. and pa.p. of Abide.

Abodement, a-bōd′ment, n. (obs.) a foreboding: an omen. [From Abode, with suff. -ment. See Bode, Forebode.]

Abolish, ab-ol′ish, v.t. to put an end to: to annul.—adj. Abol′ishable, capable of being abolished.—ns. Abol′ishment
(rare); Aboli′tion, the act of abolishing; Aboli′tionism, advocacy of abolitionist principles; Aboli′tionist, one who seeks to
abolish anything, esp. slavery. [Fr. abolir, aboliss—from L. abolēre, -itum—ab, from, olēre, to grow. The prep. ab here
reverses the meaning of the simple verb.]

Abomasus, ab-ō-mā′sus, n. the fourth stomach of ruminants, lying close to the omasum or third stomach.—Also Abomā′sum.
[L. ab, and omasum, paunch.]

Abominate, ab-om′in-āt, v.t. to abhor: to detest extremely.—adj. Abom′inable, hateful: detestable, an old spelling is
Abhom′inable, to agree with a fancied etymology in Lat. ab homine.—n. Abom′inableness.—adv. Abom′inably.—n.
Abominā′tion, extreme aversion: anything disgusting or detestable. [L. abomināri, -ātus, to turn from as of bad omen. See
Omen.]

Abord, a-bōrd′, v.t. (arch.) to accost: (Spens.) astray, at a loss.—n. (Spens.) harbour: act of approaching: manner of
approach. [Fr. aborder, à bord. See Aboard and Border.]

Aboriginal, ab-o-rij′in-al, adj. first, primitive, indigenous.—adv. Aborig′inally.

Aborigines, ab-o-rij′in-ēz, n.pl. the original inhabitants of a country. [L. See Origin.]

Abort, ab-ort′, v.i. to miscarry in birth: to remain in a rudimentary state.—n. Abor′tion, premature delivery, or the procuring of
such: anything that does not reach maturity: a mis-shapen being or monster.—adj. Abort′ive, born untimely: unsuccessful:
producing nothing: brought forth in an imperfect condition: rudimentary.—adv. Abort′ively.—n. Abort′iveness. [L. aborīri,
abortus—ab, from, away, orīri, to rise.]

Abound, ab-ownd′, v.i. to overflow, be in great plenty: to possess in plenty (with in): to be filled with (used with with). [O. Fr.
abunder—L. abundāre, to overflow, ab, from, unda, a wave.]

About, a-bowt′, prep. round on the outside: around: here and there in: near to: concerning: engaged in.—adv. around: nearly:
here and there.—Bring about, to cause to take place; Come about, to take place; Go about, to prepare to do; Put about,
disturbed; To be about, to be astir; Turn about, alternately. [A.S. on bútan; on, in, bútan, without, itself compounded of be,
by, and útan, locative of út, out.]

Abraxas.

Above, a-buv′, prep. on the upside: higher than: more than.—adv. overhead: in a higher position, order, or power.—adjs.
Above′-board, open, honourable; Above′-ground, alive: not buried. [A.S. ábúfan—á, on, bufan, above, itself compounded
of be, by, ufan, high, upwards, prop. the locative of uf, up.]

Abracadabra, ab-ra-ka-dab′ra, n. a cabbalistic word, written in successive lines, each shorter by a letter than the one above it,
till the last letter A formed the apex of a triangle. It was worn as a charm for the cure of diseases. Now used generally for a
spell or conjuring word: mere gibberish. [First found in 2d-cent. poem (Præcepta de Medicina) by Q. Serenus Sammonicus;
further origin unknown.]

Abrade, ab-rād′, v.t. to scrape or rub off: to wear down by friction. [L. ab, off, radĕre, rasum, to scrape.]

Abraham-man, ā′bra-ham-man, n. originally a lunatic beggar from Bethlehem Hospital in London, marked by a special badge.
Many sturdy beggars assumed this, hence the phrase To sham Abraham, to feign sickness, still used among sailors. [The
wards in the old Bedlam are said to have been distinguished by the names of saints and patriarchs, as Abraham. Some find the
origin of the name in an allusion to the parable of the beggar Lazarus, who found his rest in Abraham's bosom (Luke xvi.).]

Abranchiate, a-brang′ki-āt, adj. having no gills.—Also Abran′chial. [Gr. a, priv., and brangchia, gills.]

Abrasion, ab-rā′zhun, n. the act of rubbing off.—adj. and n. Abrā′sive. [See Abrade.]

Abraxas, a-braks′as, n. a mystic word, or an amulet, consisting of a gem engraved therewith on some part of
it, often bearing a mystical figure of combined human and animal form, used as a charm. [Said to be coined by the Egyptian
Gnostic Basilides in 2d century to express 365 in Greek letters; thus αβραξας used as numerals = 1 + 2 + 100 + 1 + 60 + 1
+ 200. But Mr C. W. King finds its origin in Heb. ha-b'rākāh, 'the blessing,' or 'sacred name,' used as the title of a Gnostic
deity representing the 365 emanations of the Divine Plērōma or fullness.]

Abray, a-brā′, Abrayd, a-brād′, v.i. (Spens.) to start out of sleep: to awake.—v.t. and v.i. to arouse, startle.—The more
correct form is abraid. [Made up of pfx. a-, and abrédan. A.S. breydan, to twist. See Braid.]

Abreast, a-brest′, adv. with fronts in a line: side by side: (naut.) opposite to. [Prep. a, on, and Breast.]

Abricock. See Apricot.

Abridge, a-brij′, v.t. to make brief or short: to shorten: to epitomise: to curtail, as privileges or authority.—ns. Abridg′ment,
Abridge′ment, contraction: shortening of time, labour or privileges: a compendium of a larger work: an epitome or synopsis:
(law) the leaving out of certain portions Of a plaintiff's demand, the writ still holding good for the remainder. [O. Fr. abregier
(Fr. abréger)—L. abbreviāre. See Abbreviate.]

Abroach, a-brōch′, adv. broached: in a condition to let the liquor run out: in a state to be diffused, afloat: astir. [Prep. a, and
Broach.]

Abroad, a-brawd′, adv. on the broad or open space: out of doors: public: in another country. [Prep. a, and Broad.]

Abrogate, ab′ro-gāt, v.t. to repeal (a law): to set aside.—n. Abrogā′tion, act of repealing or setting aside.—adj.
Ab′rogative. [L. ab, away, rogāre, -ātum, to ask or propose a law.]

Abrook, a-brook′, v.t. (Shak.) to brook, bear, or endure. [Pfx. a-, and Brook, v.]

Abrupt, ab-rupt′, adj. the opposite of gradual, as if broken off: sudden: unexpected: precipitous: (of style) passing from one
thought to another without transitions: (of manners) short, rude.—n. an abrupt place.—n. Abrup′tion, a sudden breaking off:
violent separation: (Shak.) interruption, pause.—adv. Abrupt′ly.—n. Abrupt′ness. [L. abruptus—ab, off, rumpĕre,
ruptum, to break.]

Abscess, ab′ses, n. a collection of purulent matter within some tissue of the body. [L. abscessus—abs, away, cedĕre, cessum,
to go, to retreat.]

Abscind, ab-sind′, v.t. to cut off.—n. Abscis′sion, act of cutting off, or state of being cut off: (rhet.) a figure of speech in
which the words demanded by the sense are left unsaid, the speaker stopping short suddenly. [L. abscindo; ab, off, scindo, to
cut.]

Absciss, ab′sis, Abscissa, ab-sis′sa, n. the straight line cut off or intercepted between the vertex of a curve and an ordinate,
measured along the principal axis:—pl. Absciss′es, Absciss′æ, Absciss′as. [L. abscissus, cut off, pa.p. of abscindĕre—ab,
from, scindĕre, to cut.]

Abscond, abs-kond′, v.i. to hide, or quit the country, in order to escape a legal process. [L. abscondĕre, abs, from or away,
condĕre, to hide.]

Absent, abs′ent, adj. being away: not present: inattentive—v.t. (abs-ent′) to keep one's self away.—ns. Abs′ence, the state of
being away or not present: want: inattention; Absentee′, one who is absent on any occasion: one who makes a habit of living
away from his estate or his office; Absentee′ism, the practice of absenting one's self from duty or station, esp. of a landowner
living away from his estate.—adv. Ab′sently. [L. absent-, pr.p. of absum—ab, away from, sum, esse, to be.]

Absinth, Absinthe, ab′sinth, n. spirit combined with extract of wormwood.—adjs. Absinth′ian, Absinth′iated, impregnated
with absinth. [Fr.—L. absinthium, wormwood—Gr.]

Absolute, ab′sol-ūt, adj. free from limits or conditions: complete: unlimited: free from mixture: considered without reference to
other things: unconditioned, unalterable: unrestricted by constitutional checks (said of a government): (gram.) not immediately
dependent: (phil.) existing in and by itself without necessary relation to any other being: capable of being conceived of as

unconditioned. In the sense of being finished, perfect, it may be considered as opposed to the Infinite; but, in the sense of being
freed from restriction or condition, it is evident the Infinite itself must be absolute. Opposite schools differ on the question
whether the Absolute can be known under conditions of consciousness.—adv. Ab′solutely, separately: unconditionally:
positively: completely.—ns. Ab′soluteness; Absolū′tion, release from punishment: acquittal: remission of sins declared
officially by a priest, or the formula by which such is expressed; Ab′solutism, government where the ruler is without restriction;
Ab′solutist, a supporter of absolute government.—adjs. Absol′utory, Absolv′atory.—The Absolute, that which is
absolute, self-existent, uncaused. [L. absolutus, pa.p. of absolvĕre. See Absolve.]

Absolve, ab-zolv′, v.t. to loose or set free: to pardon: to acquit: to discharge (with from).—ns. Absolv′er, one who gives
absolution or acquits; Absolv′itor, a decision favourable to a defender.—v.t. Assoil′zie, in Scots law, to absolve the accused
on the grounds that the evidence disproves or does not establish the charge. [L. ab, from, solvĕre, solutum, to loose. See
Solve.]

Absonant, ab′so-nant, adj. discordant: absurd: unnatural (with to or from)—opp. to Consonant. [L. ab, from, sonant-, pr.p.
of sonāre, to sound.]

Absorb, ab-sorb′, v.t. to suck in: to swallow up: to engage wholly.—n. Absorbabil′ity.—adj. Absorb′able, that may be
absorbed.—p.adj. Absorbed′, swallowed up: entirely occupied.—advs. Absorb′edly, Absorb′ingly.—adj. Absorb′ent,
imbibing: swallowing.—n. that which absorbs.—n. Absorp′tion, the act of absorbing: entire occupation of mind.—adj.
Absorp′tive, having power to absorb.—n. Absorptiv′ity. [Fr.—L. ab, from, sorbēre, -sorptum, to suck in.]

Abstain, abs-tān′, v.i. to hold or refrain from.—ns. Abstain′er, specially one who does not take alcoholic drinks;
Absten′tion, a refraining. [Fr. abstenir—L. abs, from, tenēre, to hold. See Tenable.]

Abstemious,
abs-tēm′i-us, adj.
temperate: sparing in food, drink, or enjoyments.—adv. Abstem′iously.—n.

Abstem′iousness. [L. abstemius—abs, from, temetum, strong wine.]

Abstersion, abs-ter′shun, n. act of cleansing or washing away impurities.—v.t. Absterge′, to cleanse, purge.—adjs.
Abster′gent, serving to cleanse; Abster′sive, having the quality of cleansing: purgative. [L. abstergēre, -tersum, to wipe
away.]

Abstinent, abs′tin-ent, adj. abstaining from: temperate.—n. Abs′tinence, an abstaining or refraining, especially from some
indulgence (with from)—also Abs′tinency.—adv. Abs′tinently. [See Abstain.]

Abstract, abs-trakt′, v.t. to draw away: to separate: to purloin.—adj. Abstract′ed, drawn off (with from): removed: absent in
mind.—adv. Abstract′edly.—ns. Abstract′edness; Abstrac′tion, act of abstracting: state of being abstracted: absence of
mind: the operation of the mind by which certain qualities or attributes of an object are considered apart from the rest: a
purloining.—adj. Abstract′ive, having the power of abstracting.—n. anything abstractive: an abstract.—adv. Abs′tractly.
—n. Abs′tractness. [L. abs, away from, trahĕre, tractum, to draw. See Trace.]

Abstract, abs′trakt, adj. general, as opposed to particular or individual (the opposite of abstract is concrete—a red colour is
an abstract notion, a red rose is a concrete notion; an abstract noun is the name of a quality apart from the thing, as redness).
—n. summary: abridgment: essence. [L. abstractus, as if a quality common to a number of things were drawn away from the
things and considered by itself.]

Abstruse, abs-trōōs′, adj. hidden: remote from apprehension: difficult to be understood.—adv. Abstruse′ly.—ns.
Abstruse′ness; Abstrus′ity (Sir T. Browne). [L. abstrusus, thrust away (from observation)—trudĕre, trusum, to thrust.]

Absurd, ab-surd′, adj. obviously unreasonable or false: ridiculous.—ns. Absurd′ity, Absurd′ness, the quality of being
absurd: anything absurd.—adv. Absurd′ly. [L. absurdus—ab, from, surdus, harsh-sounding, deaf.]

Abundance, ab-und′ans, n. ample sufficiency: great plenty.—adj. Abund′ant, plentiful.—adv. Abund′antly. [See Abound.]

Abuse, ab-ūz′, v.t. to use wrongly: to pervert: to revile: to violate.—ns. Abuse (ab-ūs′), ill use: misapplication: reproach:
vituperation; Abū′sion (Spens.), abuse: deception: reproach.—adj. Abus′ive, containing or practising abuse: full of abuses:
vituperative.—adv. Abus′ively.—n. Abus′iveness. [L. ab, away (from what is right), uti, usus, to use.]

Abut, a-but′, v.i. to end: to border (on):—pr.p. abut′ting; pa.p. abut′ted.—ns. Abut′ment, that which abuts: (archit.) what a
limb of an arch ends or rests on; Abut′tal, an abutment: (pl.) the boundaries.—p.adj. Abut′ting, facing each other: front to
front. [Fr. abouter, lit. to join end to end (à, to, bout, end). See Butt, the end.]

Aby, Abye, a-bī, v.t. or v.i. (arch.) to pay the penalty: to suffer for: to give satisfaction.—Aby occurs in Spens. with sense of
'abide.' [Pfx. a-, and A.S. bycgan. See Buy.]

Abysm, a-bizm′, n. a form of Abyss.—adj. Abys′mal, bottomless: unending.—adv. Abysm′ally. [O. Fr. abisme, from Lat.
abyssimus, superl. of abyssus, bottomless.]

Abyss, a-bis′, n. a bottomless gulf: a deep mass of water.—adj. Abyss′al. [Gr. abyssos, bottomless—a, without, byssos,
bottom.]

Acacia, a-kā′shi-a, n. a genus of thorny leguminous plants with pinnate leaves. [L.—Gr. akakia—akē, a sharp point.]

Academe, ak-a-dēm′, n. (obs.) an academy.

Academic, ak-ad-em′ik, n. a Platonic philosopher: a student in a college. [See Academy.]

Academy, ak-ad′em-i, n. (orig.) the school of Plato: a higher school: a society for the promotion of science or art.—adjs.
Academ′ic, -al, of an academy: theoretical as opposed to practical.—adv. Academ′ically.—n.pl. Academ′icals, the articles

Acanthus (archit.).

of dress worn by members of an academy or college.—ns. Academic′ian, Acad′emist, a member of an academy, or,
specially, of the French Academy, or the Royal Academy in London. [Gr. Akadēmia, the name of the garden near Athens
where Plato taught.]

Acadian, a-kā′di-an, adj. of or native to Nova Scotia, Acadia being the name given to the country by the first French settlers in
1604.

Acajou, ak′a-jōō, n. the gum or resin of a kind of red mahogany. [Origin doubtful. See Cashew.]

Acalepha, ak-a-lē′fa, n. a class of Radiate marine animals, consisting of soft gelatinous substance. The name was first applied
to the Jelly-fish tribe, but later was made to include the true Medusæ or jelly-fishes, and others.—Other forms are Acaleph
and Acalephan. [Gr. akalēphē, a nettle.]

Acanthopterygian, ak-an-thop-tėr-ij′i-an, adj. having spiny fins. [Gr. akantha, thorn, pteryx, pterygos, a wing, a fin.]

Acanthus, a-kan′thus, n. a prickly plant, called bear's breech or brank-ursine: (archit.) an ornament
resembling its leaves used in the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders, &c.—also Acan′tha.—adjs. Acan′thine,
Acanthā′ceous. [L.—Gr. akanthos—akē, a point, anthos, a flower.]

Acarpous, a-kar′pus, adj. (bot.) without, or not producing, fruit. [Gr. a, neg., and karpos, fruit.]

Acarus, ak′ar-us, n. a genus of minute insects, of the class Arachnides, embracing the mites and ticks:—pl. Ac′arī. [L.; Gr.
akares, minute, too small to cut—a, neg., keirein, to cut short.]

Acatalectic, a-kat-a-lek′tik, adj. having the complete number of syllables as a verse: without defect.—n. an acatalectic verse.
[L.—Gr. a, not, and Catalectic.]

Acatalepsy, a-kat-a-lep′si, n. incomprehensibility, a term of the sceptic school of Carneades, who thought nothing could be
known to certainty by man.—adj. Acatalep′tic. [Gr. akatalēpsia—a, neg., kata, thoroughly, lēpsis, a seizing—lambanein,
to take hold.]

Acater, a-kāt′ėr, n. (obs.) a caterer.—n.pl. Acates′, provisions: food. [O. Fr. acateor, achatour (Fr. acheteur)—Low L.
accaptātōr-em, accaptare, to acquire—L. ad-, to, and captāre, to seize. See Cates.]

Acaulescent, a-kaw-les′ent, adj. without a stalk: (bot.) having no stem above ground, or only a very short one.—Also
Acau′lous. [a, neg., L. caulis, a stalk, formed on pattern of Arborescent.]

Accable, ak-kā′bl, v.t. (obs.) to crush, to encumber. [Fr. accabler, to crush.]

Accadian, a-kā′di-an, adj. of or belonging to Accad, an ancient city mentioned in Gen. x. 10: the language preserved in the
earliest form of cuneiform writing.

Accede, ak-sēd′, v.i. to come to, or arrive at, a place or condition: to join one's self, hence to agree or assent (with to).—ns.
Acced′er; Acced′ing. [L. accedĕre, accessum, to go near to—ad, to, cedĕre, to go. See Cede.]

Accelerate, ak-sel′ėr-āt, v.t. to increase the speed of: to hasten the progress of.—n. Accelerā′tion, the act of hastening:
increase of speed.—adj. Accel′erative, quickening.—n. Accel′erator, one who or that which accelerates: a light van to take
mails between a post-office and a railway station.—adj. Accel′eratory. [L. accelerāre, -ātum—ad, to, celer, swift. See
Celerity.]

Accend, ak-send′, v.i. (obs.) to kindle.—ns. Accendibil′ity, Accen′sion.—adjs. Accend′ible, Accend′ing.

Accent, ak′sent, n. modulation of the voice: stress on a syllable or word: a mark used to direct this stress: any mode of
utterance peculiar to a country, a province, or an individual: (poet.) a significant word, or words generally: (pl.) speech,
language.—v.t. Accent′, to express or note the accent.—adj. Accent′ual, relating to accent.—n. Accentual′ity.—adv.
Accent′ually.—v.t. Accent′uate, to mark or pronounce with accent: to make prominent.—n. Accentuā′tion, the act of
marking or of pronouncing accents. [Fr.—L. accentus, a tone or note—ad, to, canĕre, to sing.]

Accentor, ak-sent′or, n. the so-called 'hedge-sparrow' (q.v.).

Accept, ak-sept′, v.t. to receive: to agree to: to promise to pay: (B.) to receive with favour.—adj. Acceptable (ak-sept′a-bl,
or ak′sept-a-bl), to be accepted: pleasing: agreeable.—ns. Accept′ableness, Acceptabil′ity, quality of being acceptable.
—adv. Accept′ably.—ns. Accept′ance, a favourable reception: an agreeing to terms: an accepted bill; Accept′ancy,
willingness to receive; Accept′ant, one who accepts—also adj.; Acceptā′tion, a kind reception: the received meaning of a
word; Accept′er, Accept′or, one who accepts. [L. acceptāre—accipĕre, acceptum—ad, to, capĕre, to take.]

Acceptilation, ak-sept-il-ā′shun, n. (Roman and Scots law) the remission of a debt through an acquittance by the creditor
testifying to the receipt of money which never has been paid—a kind of legal fiction for a free remission: (theol.) the doctrine
that the satisfaction rendered by Christ was not in itself really a true or full equivalent, but was merely accepted by God, through
his gracious good-will, as sufficient—laid down by Duns Scotus, and maintained by the Arminians. [L. acceptilatio.]

Access, ak′ses, or ak-ses′, n. liberty to come to, approach: increase.—n. Accessibil′ity.—adj. Access′ible, that may be
approached.—adv. Access′ibly. [See Accede.]

Accessary, ak-ses′ar-i, or ak′ses-ar-i. Same as Accessory. Accessary is now the usual spelling of both the adjective and the
noun in their legal sense.

Accession, ak-sesh′un, n. a coming to: increase.—A deed of accession (Scots law), a deed by which...