Ab- (ab). [Latin prep., etymologically the same as E. of, off. See Of.] A prefix in many words of Latin origin. It signifies from, away, separating, or departure, as in a. duct, abstract, abscond. See A-(6).

Abacination
A•bac•i•na´tion (a•bas•i•na"shun), n. The act of abacinating. [R.]

Abaciscus
Ab•a•cis´cus (ab•a•sis"kus), n. [Gr. ’abaki•skos, dim of ’a•bax. See Abacus.] (Arch.) One of the tiles or squares of a tessellated pavement; an abaculus.

Aback
A•back´ (a•bak"), adv. [Pref. a. + back; AS. on baec at, on, or toward the back. See Back.]
1. Toward the back or rear; backward. "Therewith aback she started." Chaucer.
2. Behind; in the rear. Knolles.
3. (Naut.) Backward against the mast; — said of the sails when pressed by the wind. Totten. To be taken aback. (a) To be driven backward against the mast; — said of the sails, also of the ship when the sails are thus driven. (b) To be suddenly checked, baffled, or discomfited. Dickens.

Aback
Ab´ack (ab"ak), n. An abacus. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Abactinal
Ab•ac´ti•nal (ab•ak"ti•n al), a. [L. a. + E. actinal.] (Zoöl.) Pertaining to the surface or end opposite to the mouth in a radiate animal; — opposed to actinal. "The aboral or abactinal area." L. Agassiz.

Abaction
Ab•ac´tion (ab•ak"shun), n. Stealing cattle on a large scale. [Obs.]

Abactor
Ab•ac´tor (-ter), n. [L., fr. abigere to drive away; a. + agere to drive.] (Law) One who steals and drives away cattle or beasts by herds or droves. [Obs.]

Abaculus
A•bac´u•lus (ab•ak"u•lus), n. ; pl. Abaculi (-li). [L., dim. of abacus.] (Arch.) A small tile of glass, marble, or other substance, of various colors, used in making ornamental patterns in mosaic pavements. Fairholt.

Abacus
Ab´a•cus (ab"a•kus), n. ; E. pl. Abacuses ; L. pl. Abaci (-si). [L. abacus, abax, Gr. ’a•bax]
1. A table or tray strewn with sand, anciently used for drawing, calculating, etc. [Obs.]
2. A calculating table or frame; an instrument for performing arithmetical calculations by balls sliding on wires, or counters in grooves, the lowest line representing units, the second line, tens, etc. It is still employed in China.
3. (Arch.) (a) The uppermost member or division of the capital of a column, immediately under the architrave. See Column. (b) A tablet, panel, or compartment in ornamented or mosaic work.
4. A board, tray, or table, divided into perforated compartments, for holding cups, bottles, or the like; a kind of cupboard, buffet, or sideboard. Abacus harmonicus (Mus.), an ancient diagram showing the structure and disposition of the keys of an instrument. Crabb.

Abaddon
A•bad´don (a•bad"dun), n. [Heb. abaddon destruction, abyss, fr. abad to be lost, to perish.]
1. The destroyer, or angel of the bottomless pit; — the same as Apollyon and Asmodeus.
2. Hell; the bottomless pit. [Poetic]
"In all her gates, Abaddon rues Thy bold attempt." - Milton.

Abaft
A•baft´ (a•baft"), prep. [Pref. a. on + OE. baft, baften, biaften, AS. beaeftan; be by + aeftan behind. See After, Aft, By.] (Naut.) Behind; toward the stern from; as abaft the wheelhouse. Abaft the beam. See under Beam.

Abaft
A•baft´, adv. (Naut.) Toward the stern; aft; as to go abaft.

Abaisance
A•bai´sance (a•ba"s ans), n. [For obeisance; confused with F. abaisser, E. abase.] Obeisance. [Obs.] Jonson.

Abaiser
A•bai´ser (a•ba"ser), n. Ivory black or animal charcoal. Weale.

Abaist
A•baist´ (a•bast"), p. p. Abashed; confounded; discomfited. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Abalienate
Ab•al´ien•ate (ab•al"y en•at; 94, 106), v. t. [L. abalienatus, p. p. of abalienare; a. + alienus foreign, alien. See Alien.]
1. (Civil Law) To transfer the title of from one to another; to alienate.
2. To estrange; to withdraw. [Obs.]
3. To cause alienation of (mind). Sandys.

Abalone
Ab•a•lo´ne (ab•a•lo"ne), n. (Zoöl.) A univalve mollusk of the genus Haliotis. The shell is lined with mother-of-pearl, and used for ornamental purposes; the sea-ear. Several large species are found on the coast of California, clinging closely to the rocks.

Aband
A•band´ (a•band"), v. t. [Contracted from abandon.]
1. To abandon. [Obs.]
1. To abandon. [Obs.]
" Enforced the kingdom to aband." - Spenser.
2. To banish; to expel. [Obs.] Mir. for Mag.

Abandon
A•ban´don (a•ban"dun), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abandoned (- dund); p. pr. & vb. n. Abandoning.] [OF. abandoner, F. abandonner; a (L. a. ) + bandon permission, authority, LL. bandum, bannum, public proclamation, interdiction, bannire to proclaim, summon: of Germanic origin; cf. Goth. bandwjan to show by signs, to designate OHG. ban proclamation. The word meant to proclaim, put under a ban, put under control; hence, as in OE., to compel, subject, or to leave in the control of another, and hence, to give up. See Ban.]
1. To cast or drive out; to banish; to expel; to reject. [Obs.]
"That he might … abandon them from him." - Udall.
"Being all this time abandoned from your bed." - Shak.
2. To give up absolutely; to forsake entirely ; to renounce utterly; to relinquish all connection with or concern on; to desert, as a person to whom one owes allegiance or fidelity; to quit; to surrender.
"Hope was overthrown, yet could not be abandoned." - I. Taylor.
3. Reflexively: To give (one’s self) up without attempt at self-control; to yield (one’s self) unrestrainedly; — often in a bad sense.
"He abandoned himself … to his favorite vice." - Macaulay.
4. (Mar. Law) To relinquish all claim to; — used when an insured person gives up to underwriters all claim to the property covered by a policy, which may remain after loss or damage by a peril insured against.
Syn. — To give up; yield; forego; cede; surrender; resign; abdicate; quit; relinquish; renounce; desert; forsake; leave; retire; withdraw from. — To Abandon, Desert, Forsake. These words agree in representing a person as giving up or leaving some object, but differ as to the mode of doing it. The distinctive sense of abandon is that of giving up a thing absolutely and finally; as to abandon one’s friends, places, opinions, good or evil habits, a hopeless enterprise, a shipwrecked vessel. Abandon is more widely applicable than forsake or desert. The Latin original of desert appears to have been originally applied to the case of deserters from military service. Hence, the verb, when used of persons in the active voice, has usually or always a bad sense, implying some breach of fidelity, honor, etc., the leaving of something which the person should rightfully stand by and support; as to desert one’s colors, to desert one’s post, to desert one’s principles or duty. When used in the passive, the sense is not necessarily bad; as the fields were deserted, a deserted village, deserted halls. Forsake implies the breaking off of previous habit, association, personal connection, or that the thing left had been familiar or frequented; as to forsake old friends, to forsake the paths of rectitude, the blood forsook his cheeks. It may be used either in a good or in a bad sense.

Abandon
A•ban´don, n. [F. abandon. fr. abandonner. See Abandon, v. ] Abandonment; relinquishment. [Obs.]

Abandon
A•ban•don´ (a•bäN•dôN"), n. [F. See Abandon.] A complete giving up to natural impulses; freedom from artificial constraint; careless freedom or ease.

Abandonee
A•ban•don•ee´ (a•ban•dun•e"), n. (Law) One to whom anything is legally abandoned.

Abandoner
A•ban´don•er (a•ban"dun•er), n. One who abandons. Beau. & Fl.

Abandonment
A•ban´don•ment (-m ent), n. [Cf. F. abandonnement.]
1. The act of abandoning, or the state of being abandoned; total desertion; relinquishment.
"The abandonment of the independence of Europe." - Burke.
2. (Mar. Law) The relinquishment by the insured to the underwriters of what may remain of the property insured after a loss or damage by a peril insured against.
3. (Com. Law) (a) The relinquishment of a right, claim, or privilege, as to mill site, etc. (b) The voluntary leaving of a person to whom one is bound by a special relation, as a wife, husband, or child; desertion.
4. Careless freedom or ease; abandon. [R.] Carlyle.

Abandum
A•ban´dum (a•ban"dum), n. [LL. See Abandon.] (Law) Anything forfeited or confiscated.

Abarticulation
Ab•ar•tic•u•la´tion (acr/b•är•tik•u•la"shun), n. [L. a. + E. articulation : cf. F. abarticulation. See Article.] (Anat.) Articulation, usually that kind of articulation which admits of free motion in the joint; diarthrosis. Coxe.

Abasedly
A•bas´ed•ly (a•bas"ed•ly), adv. Abjectly; downcastly.

Abasement
A•base´ment (a•bas"m ent), n. [Cf. F. abaissement.] The act of abasing, humbling, or bringing low; the state of being abased or humbled; humiliation.

Abaser
A•bas´er (a•bas"er), n. He who, or that which, abases.

Abash
A•bash´ (a•bash"), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abashed (a•basht"); p. pr. & vb. n. Abashing.] [OE. abaissen, abaisshen, abashen, OF. esbahir, F. ebahir, to astonish, fr. L. ex + the interjection bah, expressing astonishment. In OE. somewhat confused with abase. Cf. Finish.] To destroy the self-possession of; to confuse or confound, as by exciting suddenly a consciousness of guilt, mistake, or inferiority; to put to shame; to disconcert; to discomfit.
"Abashed, the devil stood, And felt how awful goodness is." - Milton.
"He was a man whom no check could abash." - Macaulay.
Syn. — To confuse; confound; disconcert; shame. — To Abash, Confuse, Confound. Abash is a stronger word than confuse, but not so strong as confound. We are abashed when struck either with sudden shame or with a humbling sense of inferiority; as Peter was abashed by the look of his Master. So a modest youth is abashed in the presence of those who are greatly his superiors. We are confused when, from some unexpected or startling occurrence, we lose clearness of thought and self- possession. Thus, a witness is often confused by a severe cross- examination; a timid person is apt to be confused in entering a room full of strangers. We are confounded when our minds are overwhelmed, as it were, by something wholly unexpected, amazing, dreadful, etc., so that we have nothing to say. Thus, a criminal is usually confounded at the discovery of his guilt.
"Satan stood Awhile as mute, confounded what to say." - Milton.

Abashment
A•bash´ment (-m ent), n. [Cf. F. ebahissement.] The state of being abashed; confusion from shame. { A•bas´si (a•bas"si), A•bas´sis (a•bas"sis), } n. [Ar. & Per. abasi, belonging to Abas (a king of Persia).] A silver coin of Persia, worth about twenty cents.

Abasia
A•ba´si•a, n. [NL.; Gr. - not + a step.] (Med.) Inability to coördinate muscular actions properly in walking. — A•ba´sic (#), a.

Abatable
A•bat´a•ble (a•bat"a•b’l), a. Capable of being abated; as an abatable writ or nuisance.

Abate
A•bate´ (a•bat"), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abated, p. pr. & vb. n. Abating.] [OF. abatre to beat down, F. abattre, LL. abatere; a. or a. + batere, battere (popular form for L. batuere to beat). Cf. Bate, Batter.]
1. To beat down; to overthrow. [Obs.]
"The King of Scots … sore abated the walls." - Edw. Hall.
2. To bring down or reduce from a higher to a lower state, number, or degree; to lessen; to diminish; to contract; to moderate; to cut short; as to abate a demand; to abate pride, zeal, hope.
"His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated." - Deut. xxxiv. 7.
3. To deduct; to omit; as to abate something from a price.
"Nine thousand parishes, abating the odd hundreds." - Fuller.
4. To blunt. [Obs.]
"To abate the edge of envy." - Bacon.
5. To reduce in estimation; to deprive. [Obs.]
"She hath abated me of half my train." - Shak.
6. (Law) (a) To bring entirely down or put an end to; to do away with; as to abate a nuisance, to abate a writ. (b) (Eng. Law) To diminish; to reduce. Legacies are liable to be abated entirely or in proportion, upon a deficiency of assets. To abate a tax, to remit it either wholly or in part.

Abate
A•bate´ (a•bat"), v. i. [See Abate, v. t.]
1. To decrease, or become less in strength or violence; as pain abates, a storm abates.
"The fury of Glengarry … rapidly abated." - Macaulay.
2. To be defeated, or come to naught; to fall through; to fail; as a writ abates. To abate into a freehold, To abate in lands (Law), to enter into a freehold after the death of the last possessor, and before the heir takes possession. See Abatement, 4.
Syn. — To subside; decrease; intermit; decline; diminish; lessen. — To Abate, Subside. These words, as here compared, imply a coming down from some previously raised or excited state. Abate expresses this in respect to degrees, and implies a diminution of force or of intensity; as the storm abates, the cold abates, the force of the wind abates; or, the wind abates, a fever abates. Subside (to settle down) has reference to a previous state of agitation or commotion; as the waves subside after a storm, the wind subsides into a calm. When the words are used figuratively, the same distinction should be observed. If we conceive of a thing as having different degrees of intensity or strength, the word to be used is abate. Thus we say, a man’s anger abates, the ardor of one’s love abates, "Winter’s rage abates". But if the image be that of a sinking down into quiet from preceding excitement or commotion, the word to be used is subside; as the tumult of the people subsides, the public mind subsided into a calm. The same is the case with those emotions which are tumultuous in their nature; as his passion subsides, his joy quickly subsided, his grief subsided into a pleasing melancholy. Yet if, in such cases, we were thinking of the degree of violence of the emotion, we might use abate; as his joy will abate in the progress of time; and so in other instances.

Abate
A•bate (a•bat"), n. Abatement. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Abatement
A•bate´ment (-m ent), n. [OF. abatement, F. abattement.]
1. The act of abating, or the state of being abated; a lessening, diminution, or reduction; removal or putting an end to; as the abatement of a nuisance is the suppression thereof.
2. The amount abated; that which is taken away by way of reduction; deduction; decrease; a rebate or discount allowed.
3. (Her.) A mark of dishonor on an escutcheon.
4. (Law) The entry of a stranger, without right, into a freehold after the death of the last possessor, before the heir or devisee. Blackstone. Defense in abatement, Plea in abatement, (Law), plea to the effect that from some formal defect (e.g. misnomer, want of jurisdiction) the proceedings should be abated.

Abater
A•bat´er (-er), n. One who, or that which, abates. { Ab´a•tis, Aba´t•tis } (ab"a•tis; French a•ba•te") n. [F. abatis, abattis, mass of things beaten or cut down, fr. abattre. See Abate.] (Fort.) A means of defense formed by felled trees, the ends of whose branches are sharpened and directed outwards, or against the enemy.

Abator
A•ba´tor (a•bat"er), n. (Law) (a) One who abates a nuisance. (b) A person who, without right, enters into a freehold on the death of the last possessor, before the heir or devisee. Blackstone.

Abattoir
A•bat•toir´ (a•bat•twär"), n. ; pl. Abattoirs (- twärz"). [F., fr. abattre to beat down. See Abate.] A public slaughterhouse for cattle, sheep, etc.

Abawed
Ab•awed´ (ab•ad"), p. p. [Perh. p. p. of a verb fr. OF. abaubir to frighten, disconcert, fr. L. a. + balbus stammering.] Astonished; abashed. [Obs.] Chaucer. { Ab•ax´i•al (ab•aks"i• al), Ab•ax´ile (ab•aks"il),} a. [L. a. + axis axle.] (Bot.) Away from the axis or central line; eccentric. Balfour.

Abay
A•bay´ (a•ba"), n. [OF. abay barking.] Barking; baying of dogs upon their prey. See Bay. [Obs.]

Abbatical
Ab•bat´ic•al (ab•bat"i•k al), a. Abbatial. [Obs.]

Abbe
Ab´be (ab"ba•), n. [F. abbe. See Abbot.] The French word answering to the English abbot, the head of an abbey; but commonly a title of respect given in France to every one vested with the ecclesiastical habit or dress. After the 16th century, the name was given, in social parlance, to candidates for some priory or abbey in the gift of the crown. Many of these aspirants became well known in literary and fashionable life. By further extension, the name came to be applied to unbeneficed secular ecclesiastics generally. Littre.

Abbreviate
Ab•bre´vi•ate, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abbreviated ; p. pr. & vb. n. Abbreviating.] [L. abbreviatus, p. p. of abbreviare; a. + breviare to shorten, fr. brevis short. See Abridge.]
1. To make briefer; to shorten; to abridge; to reduce by contraction or omission, especially of words written or spoken.
"It is one thing to abbreviate by contracting, another by cutting off." - Bacon.
2. (Math.) To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction.

Abbreviate
Ab•bre´vi•ate, a. [L. abbreviatus, p. p.]
1. Abbreviated; abridged; shortened. [R.] "The abbreviate form." Earle.
2. (Biol.) Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type.

Abbreviate
Ab•bre´vi•ate, n. An abridgment. [Obs.] Elyot.

Abbreviated
Ab•bre´vi•a•ted, a. Shortened; relatively short; abbreviate.

Abbreviation
Ab•bre•vi•a´tion, n. [LL. abbreviatio: cf. F. abbreviation.]
1. The act of shortening, or reducing.
2. The result of abbreviating; an abridgment. Tylor.
3. The form to which a word or phrase is reduced by contraction and omission; a letter or letters, standing for a word or phrase of which they are a part; as Gen. for Genesis; U.S.A. for United States of America.
4. (Mus.) One dash, or more, through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, or demi-semiquavers. Moore.

Abbreviator
Ab•bre´vi•a•tor, n. [LL.: cf. F. abbreviateur.]
1. One who abbreviates or shortens.
2. One of a college of seventy-two officers of the papal court whose duty is to make a short minute of a decision on a petition, or reply of the pope to a letter, and afterwards expand the minute into official form.

Abbreviatory
Ab•bre´vi•a•to•ry, a. Serving or tending to abbreviate; shortening; abridging.

Abbreviature
Ab•bre´vi•a•ture, n.
1. An abbreviation; an abbreviated state or form. [Obs.]
2. An abridgment; a compendium or abstract.
"This is an excellent abbreviature of the whole duty of a Christian." - Jer. Taylor.

Abdal
Ab´dal, n. [Ar. badil, pl. abdal, a substitute, a good, religious man, saint, fr. badala to change, substitute.] A religious devotee or dervish in Persia.

Abderian
Ab•de´ri•an, a. [From Abdera, a town in Thrace, of which place Democritus, the Laughing Philosopher, was a native.] Given to laughter; inclined to foolish or incessant merriment.

Abderite
Ab•de´rite, n. [L. Abderita, Abderites, fr. Gr. ’Abdhri•ths.] An inhabitant of Abdera, in Thrace. The Abderite, Democritus, the Laughing Philosopher.

Abdest
Ab´dest, n. [Per. abdast; a. water + dast hand.] Purification by washing the hands before prayer; — a Mohammedan rite. Heyse.

Abdicable
Ab´di•ca•ble, a. Capable of being abdicated.

Abdicant
Ab´di•cant, a. [L. abdicans, p. pr. of abdicare.] Abdicating; renouncing; — followed by of.
"Monks abdicant of their orders." - Whitlock.

Abdicant
Ab´di•cant, n. One who abdicates. Smart.

Abdicate
Ab´di•cate, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abdicated ; p. pr. & vb. n. Abdicating.] [L. abdicatus, p. p. of abdicare; a. + dicare to proclaim, akin to dicere to say. See Diction.]
1. To surrender or relinquish, as sovereign power; to withdraw definitely from filling or exercising, as a high office, station, dignity; as to abdicate the throne, the crown, the papacy. The word abdicate was held to mean, in the case of James II., to abandon without a formal surrender.
"The cross-bearers abdicated their service." - Gibbon.
2. To renounce; to relinquish; — said of authority, a trust, duty, right, etc.
"He abdicates all right to be his own governor." - Burke.
"The understanding abdicates its functions." - Froude.
3. To reject; to cast off. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
4. (Civil Law) To disclaim and expel from the family, as a father his child; to disown; to disinherit.
Syn. — To give up; quit; vacate; relinquish; forsake; abandon; resign; renounce; desert. — To Abdicate, Resign. Abdicate commonly expresses the act of a monarch in voluntary and formally yielding up sovereign authority; as to abdicate the government. Resign is applied to the act of any person, high or low, who gives back an office or trust into the hands of him who conferred it. Thus, a minister resigns, a military officer resigns, a clerk resigns. The expression, "The king resigned his crown," sometimes occurs in our later literature, implying that he held it from his people. — There are other senses of resign which are not here brought into view.

Abdicate
Ab´di•cate, v. i. To relinquish or renounce a throne, or other high office or dignity.
"Though a king may abdicate for his own person, he cannot abdicate for the monarchy." - Burke.

Abdication
Ab•di•ca´tion, n. [L. abdicatio: cf. F. abdication.] The act of abdicating; the renunciation of a high office, dignity, or trust, by its holder; commonly the voluntary renunciation of sovereign power; as abdication of the throne, government, power, authority.

Abdicative
Ab´di•ca•tive, a. [L. abdicativus.] Causing, or implying, abdication. [R.] Bailey.

Abdicator
Ab´di•ca•tor, n. One who abdicates.

Abditive
Ab´di•tive, a. [L. abditivus, fr. abdere to hide.] Having the quality of hiding. [R.] Bailey.

Abditory
Ab´di•to•ry, n. [L. abditorium.] A place for hiding or preserving articles of value. Cowell.

Abdomen
Ab•do´men, n. [L. abdomen (a word of uncertain etymol.): cf. F. abdomen.]
1. (Anat.) The belly, or that part of the body between the thorax and the pelvis. also the cavity of the belly, which is lined by the peritoneum, and contains the stomach, bowels, and other viscera. In man, often restricted to the part between the diaphragm and the commencement of the pelvis, the remainder being called the pelvic cavity.
2. (Zoöl.) The posterior section of the body, behind the thorax, in insects, crustaceans, and other Arthropoda.

Abdominal
Ab•dom´i•nal, a. [Cf. F. abdominal.]
1. Of or pertaining to the abdomen; ventral; as the abdominal regions, muscles, cavity.
2. (Zoöl.) Having abdominal fins; belonging to the Abdominales; as abdominal fishes. Abdominal ring (Anat.), a fancied ringlike opening on each side of the abdomen, external and superior to the pubes; — called also inguinal ring.

Abdominal
Ab•dom´i•nal, n. ; E. pl. Abdominals, L. pl. Abdominales. A fish of the group Abdominales.

Abdominales
Ab•dom•i•na´les, n. pl. [NL., masc. pl.] (Zoöl.) A group including the greater part of fresh- water fishes, and many marine ones, having the ventral fins under the abdomen behind the pectorals.

Abdominalia
Ab•dom•i•na´li•a, n. pl. [NL., neut. pl.] (Zoöl.) A group of cirripeds having abdominal appendages.

Abdominoscopy
Ab•dom•i•nos´co•py, n. [L. abdomen + Gr. to examine.] (Med.) Examination of the abdomen to detect abdominal disease.

Abdominothoracic
Ab•dom•i•no•tho•rac´ic, a. Relating to the abdomen and the thorax, or chest.

Abdominous
Ab•dom´i•nous, a. Having a protuberant belly; pot-bellied.
"Gorgonius sits, abdominous and wan, Like a fat squab upon a Chinese fan." - Cowper.

Abduce
Ab•duce´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abduced ; p. pr. & vb. n. Abducing.] [L. abducere to lead away; a. + ducere to lead. See Duke, and cf. Abduct.] To draw or conduct away; to withdraw; to draw to a different part. [Obs.]
"If we abduce the eye unto either corner, the object will not duplicate." - Sir T. Browne.

Abductor
Ab•duc´tor, n. [NL.]
1. One who abducts.
2. (Anat.) A muscle which serves to draw a part out, or form the median line of the body; as the abductor oculi, which draws the eye outward.

Abeam
A•beam´, adv. [Pref. a. + beam.] (Naut.) On the beam, that is, on a line which forms a right angle with the ship’s keel; opposite to the center of the ship’s side.

Abear
A•bear´, v. t. [AS. aberan; pref. a. + beran to bear.]
1. To bear; to behave. [Obs.]
"So did the faery knight himself abear." - Spenser.
2. To put up with; to endure. [Prov.] Dickens.

Abearance
A•bear´ance, n. Behavior. [Obs.] Blackstone.

Abearing
A•bear´ing, n. Behavior. [Obs.] Sir. T. More.

Abecedarian
A•be•ce•da´ri•an, n. [L. abecedarius. A word from the first four letters of the alphabet.]
1. One who is learning the alphabet; hence, a tyro.
2. One engaged in teaching the alphabet. Wood. { A•be•ce•da´ri•an, A•be•ce´da•ry } a. Pertaining to, or formed by, the letters of the alphabet; alphabetic; hence, rudimentary. Abecedarian psalms, hymns, etc., compositions in which (like the 119th psalm in Hebrew) distinct portions or verses commence with successive letters of the alphabet. Hook.

Abecedary
A•be•ce´da•ry, n. A primer; the first principle or rudiment of anything. [R.] Fuller.

Abed
A•bed´, adv. [Pref. a. in, on + bed.]
1. In bed, or on the bed.
"Not to be abed after midnight." - Shak.
2. To childbed (in the phrase "brought abed," that is, delivered of a child). Shak.

Abegge
A•beg´ge . Same as Aby. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Abelmosk
A´bel•mosk, n. [NL. abelmoschus, fr. Ar. abu-l-misk father of musk, i. e., producing musk. See Musk.] (Bot.) An evergreen shrub ( Hibiscus — formerly Abelmoschus — moschatus), of the East and West Indies and Northern Africa, whose musky seeds are used in perfumery and to flavor coffee; — sometimes called musk mallow.

Aberr
Ab•err´, v. i. [L. aberrare. See Aberrate.] To wander; to stray. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne. { Ab•er´rance, Ab•er´ran•cy } n. State of being aberrant; a wandering from the right way; deviation from truth, rectitude, etc. Aberrancy of curvature (Geom.), the deviation of a curve from a circular form.

Aberuncate
Ab•e•run´cate, v. t. [L. aberuncare, for aberruncare. See Averruncate.] To weed out. [Obs.] Bailey.

Abet
A•bet´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abetted ; p. pr. & vb. n. Abetting.] [OF. abeter; a (L. a. ) + beter to bait (as a bear), fr. Icel. beita to set dogs on, to feed, originally, to cause to bite, fr. Icel. bita to bite, hence to bait, to incite. See Bait, Bet.]
1. To instigate or encourage by aid or countenance; — used in a bad sense of persons and acts; as to abet an ill-doer; to abet one in his wicked courses; to abet vice; to abet an insurrection. "The whole tribe abets the villany." South.
"Would not the fool abet the stealth, Who rashly thus exposed his wealth?" - Gay.
2. To support, uphold, or aid; to maintain; — in a good sense. [Obs.].
"Our duty is urged, and our confidence abetted." - Jer. Taylor.
3. (Law) To contribute, as an assistant or instigator, to the commission of an offense.
Syn. — To incite; instigate; set on; egg on; foment; advocate; countenance; encourage; second; uphold; aid; assist; support; sustain; back; connive at.

Abet
A•bet´, n. [OF. abet, fr. abeter.] Act of abetting; aid. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Abetment
A•bet´ment (-m ent), n. The act of abetting; as an abetment of treason, crime, etc.

Abettal
A•bet´tal, n. Abetment. [R.] { A•bet´ter, A•bet•tor }, n. One who abets; an instigator of an offense or an offender. The form abettor is the legal term and also in general use.
Syn. — Abettor, Accessory, Accomplice. These words denote different degrees of complicity in some deed or crime. An abettor is one who incites or encourages to the act, without sharing in its performance. An accessory supposes a principal offender. One who is neither the chief actor in an offense, nor present at its performance, but accedes to or becomes involved in its guilt, either by some previous or subsequent act, as of instigating, encouraging, aiding, or concealing, etc., is an accessory. An accomplice is one who participates in the commission of an offense, whether as principal or accessory. Thus in treason, there are no abettors or accessories, but all are held to be principals or accomplices.

Abeyance
A•bey´ance, n. [OF. abeance expectation, longing; a (L. a. ) + baer, beer, to gape, to look with open mouth, to expect, F. bayer, LL. badare to gape.]
1. (Law) Expectancy; condition of being undetermined. When there is no person in existence in whom an inheritance (or a dignity) can vest, it is said to be in abeyance, that is, in expectation; the law considering it as always potentially existing, and ready to vest whenever a proper owner appears. Blackstone.
2. Suspension; temporary suppression.
"Keeping the sympathies of love and admiration in a dormant state, or state of abeyance." - De Quincey.

Abeyancy
A•bey´an•cy, n. Abeyance. [R.] Hawthorne.

Abeyant
A•bey´ant, a. Being in a state of abeyance.

Abgeordnetenhaus
Ab´ge•ord•ne•ten•haus, n. [G.] See Legislature, Austria, Prussia.

Abhominable
Ab•hom´i•na•ble, a. Abominable. [A false orthography anciently used; h was foisted into various words; hence abholish, for abolish, etc.]
"This is abhominable, which he [Don Armado] would call abominable. Shak. Love’s Labor’s Lost, v. 1."

Abhominal
Ab•hom•i•nal, a. [L. a. away from + homo, hominis, man.] Inhuman. [Obs.] Fuller.

Abhor
Ab•hor´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abhorred ; p. pr. & vb. n. Abhorring.] [L. abhorrere; a. + horrere to bristle, shiver, shudder: cf. F. abhorrer. See Horrid.]
1. To shrink back with shuddering from; to regard with horror or detestation; to feel excessive repugnance toward; to detest to extremity; to loathe.
"Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good." - Rom. xii. 9.
2. To fill with horror or disgust. [Obs.]
"It doth abhor me now I speak the word." - Shak.
3. (Canon Law) To protest against; to reject solemnly. [Obs.]
"I utterly abhor, yea, from my soul Refuse you for my judge." - Shak.
Syn. — To hate; detest; loathe; abominate. See Hate.

Abhor
Ab•hor´, v. i. To shrink back with horror, disgust, or dislike; to be contrary or averse; — with from. [Obs.] "To abhor from those vices." Udall.
"Which is utterly abhorring from the end of all law." - Milton.

Abhorrence
Ab•hor´rence, n. Extreme hatred or detestation; the feeling of utter dislike.

Abhorrency
Ab•hor´ren•cy, n. Abhorrence. [Obs.] Locke.

Abhorrent
Ab•hor´rent, a. [L. abhorens, -rentis, p. pr. of abhorrere.]
1. Abhorring; detesting; having or showing abhorrence; loathing; hence, strongly opposed to; as abhorrent thoughts.
"The persons most abhorrent from blood and treason." - Burke.
"The arts of pleasure in despotic courts I spurn abhorrent." - Clover.
2. Contrary or repugnant; discordant; inconsistent; — followed by to. "Injudicious profanation, so abhorrent to our stricter principles." Gibbon.
3. Detestable. "Pride, abhorrent as it is." I. Taylor.

Abhorrently
Ab•hor´rent•ly, adv. With abhorrence.

Abhorrer
Ab•hor´rer, n. One who abhors. Hume.

Abhorrible
Ab•hor´ri•ble, a. Detestable. [R.]

Abhorring
Ab•hor´ring, n.
1. Detestation. Milton.
2. Object of abhorrence. Isa. lxvi. 24.

Abib
A´bib, n. [Heb. abib, lit. an ear of corn. The month was so called from barley being at that time in ear.] The first month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, corresponding nearly to our April. After the Babylonish captivity this month was called Nisan. Kitto.

Abidance
A•bid´ance, n. The state of abiding; abode; continuance; compliance ( with).
"The Christians had no longer abidance in the holy hill of Palestine." - Fuller.
"A judicious abidance by rules." - Helps.

Abide
A•bide´, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Abode, formerly Abid; p. pr. & vb. n. Abiding .] [AS. abidan; pref. a. (cf. Goth. us-, G. er-, orig. meaning out) + bidan to bide. See Bide.]
1. To wait; to pause; to delay. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. To stay; to continue in a place; to have one’s abode; to dwell; to sojourn; — with with before a person, and commonly with a. or in before a place.
"Let the damsel abide with us a few days." - Gen. xxiv. 55.
3. To remain stable or fixed in some state or condition; to continue; to remain.
"Let every man abide in the same calling." - 1 Cor. vii. 20.
Followed by by: To abide by. (a) To stand to; to adhere; to maintain.
"The poor fellow was obstinate enough to abide by what he said at first." - Fielding.
(b) To acquiesce; to conform to; as to abide by a decision or an award.

Abide
A•bide´, v. t.
1. To wait for; to be prepared for; to await; to watch for; as I abide my time. "I will abide the coming of my lord." Tennyson. [[Obs.], with a personal object.
"Bonds and afflictions abide me." - Acts xx. 23.
2. To endure; to sustain; to submit to.
"[Thou] shalt abide her judgment on it." - Tennyson.
3. To bear patiently; to tolerate; to put up with.
"She could not abide Master Shallow." - Shak.
4. [Confused with aby to pay for. See Aby.] To stand the consequences of; to answer for; to suffer for.
"Dearly I abide that boast so vain." - Milton.

Abiding
A•bid´ing, a. Continuing; lasting.

Abidingly
A•bid´ing•ly, adv. Permanently. Carlyle.

Abies
A´bi•es, n. [L., fir tree.] (Bot.) A genus of coniferous trees, properly called Fir, as the balsam fir and the silver fir. The spruces are sometimes also referred to this genus.

Abietene
Ab´i•e•tene, n. [L. abies, abietis, a fir tree.] A volatile oil distilled from the resin or balsam of the nut pine ( Pinus sabiniana) of California.

Abietic
Ab•i•et´ic, a. Of or pertaining to the fir tree or its products; as abietic acid, called also sylvic acid. Watts. { Ab´i•e•tin, Ab´i•e•tine }, n. [See Abietene.] (Chem.) A resinous obtained from Strasburg turpentine or Canada balsam. It is without taste or smell, is insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol (especially at the boiling point), in strong acetic acid, and in ether. Watts.

Abietite
Ab´i•e•tite, n. (Chem.) A substance resembling mannite, found in the needles of the common silver fir of Europe ( Abies pectinata). Eng. Cyc.

Abigail
Ab´i•gail, n. [The proper name used as an appellative.] A lady’s waiting-maid. Pepys.
"Her abigail reported that Mrs. Gutheridge had a set of night curls for sleeping in." - Leslie.

Abiliment
A•bil´i•ment (a•bil"i•m ent), n. Habiliment. [Obs.]

Ability
A•bil´i•ty, n. ; pl. Abilities. [F. habilete, earlier spelling habilite (with silent h), L. habilitas aptitude, ability, fr. habilis apt. See Able.] The quality or state of being able; power to perform, whether physical, moral, intellectual, conventional, or legal; capacity; skill or competence in doing; sufficiency of strength, skill, resources, etc.; — in the plural, faculty, talent.
"Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren." - Acts xi. 29.
"Natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study." - Bacon.
"The public men of England, with much of a peculiar kind of ability." - Macaulay.
Syn. — Capacity; talent; cleverness; faculty; capability; efficiency; aptitude; aptness; address; dexterity; skill. Ability, Capacity. These words come into comparison when applied to the higher intellectual powers. Ability has reference to the active exercise of our faculties. It implies not only native vigor of mind, but that ease and promptitude of execution which arise from mental training. Thus, we speak of the ability with which a book is written, an argument maintained, a negotiation carried on, etc. It always something to be done, and the power of doing it. Capacity has reference to the receptive powers. In its higher exercises it supposes great quickness of apprehension and breadth of intellect, with an uncommon aptitude for acquiring and retaining knowledge. Hence it carries with it the idea of resources and undeveloped power. Thus we speak of the extraordinary capacity of such men as Lord Bacon, Blaise Pascal, and Edmund Burke. "Capacity," says H. Taylor, "is requisite to devise, and ability to execute, a great enterprise." The word abilities, in the plural, embraces both these qualities, and denotes high mental endowments.

Abiogenetic
Ab•i•o•ge•net´ic, a. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to abiogenesis. Ab•i•o•ge•net´ic•al•ly, adv.

Abiogenist
Ab•i•og´e•nist, n. (Biol.) One who believes that life can be produced independently of antecedent. Huxley.

Abiogenous
Ab•i•og´e•nous, a. (Biol.) Produced by spontaneous generation.

Abiogeny
Ab•i•og´e•ny, n. (Biol.) Same as Abiogenesis.

Abirritant
Ab•ir´ri•tant, n. (Med.) A medicine that diminishes irritation.

Abirritate
Ab•ir´ri•tate, v. t. [Pref. ab- + irritate.] (Med.) To diminish the sensibility of; to debilitate.

Abirritation
Ab•ir•ri•ta´tion, n. (Med.) A pathological condition opposite to that of irritation; debility; want of strength; asthenia.

Abirritative
Ab•ir´ri•ta•tive, a. (Med.) Characterized by abirritation or debility.

Abit
A•bit´, 3d sing. pres. of Abide. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Abjectedness
Ab•ject´ed•ness, n. A very abject or low condition; abjectness. [R.] Boyle.

Abjection
Ab•jec´tion, n. [F. abjection, L. abjectio.]
1. The act of bringing down or humbling. "The abjection of the king and his realm." Joe.
2. The state of being rejected or cast out. [R.]
"An adjection from the beatific regions where God, and his angels and saints, dwell forever." - Jer. Taylor.
3. A low or downcast state; meanness of spirit; abasement; degradation.
"That this should be termed baseness, abjection of mind, or servility, is it credible?" - Hooker.

Abjectly
Ab´ject•ly, adv. Meanly; servilely.

Abjectness
Ab´ject•ness, n. The state of being abject; abasement; meanness; servility. Grew.

Abjudge
Ab•judge´, v. t. [Pref. ab- + judge, v. Cf. Abjudicate.] To take away by judicial decision. [R.]

Abjugate
Ab´ju•gate, v. t. [L. abjugatus, p. p. of abjugare.] To unyoke. [Obs.] Bailey.

Abjunctive
Ab•junc´tive, a. [L. abjunctus, p. p. of abjungere; a. + jungere to join.] Exceptional. [R.]
"It is this power which leads on from the accidental and abjunctive to the universal." - I. Taylor.

Abjuration
Ab•ju•ra´tion, n. [L. abjuratio: cf. F. abjuration.]
1. The act of abjuring or forswearing; a renunciation upon oath; as abjuration of the realm, a sworn banishment, an oath taken to leave the country and never to return.
2. A solemn recantation or renunciation; as an abjuration of heresy. Oath of abjuration, an oath asserting the right of the present royal family to the crown of England, and expressly abjuring allegiance to the descendants of the Pretender. Brande & C.

Abjuratory
Ab•ju´ra•to•ry, a. Containing abjuration.

Abjure
Ab•jure´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abjured ; p. pr. & vb. n. Abjuring .] [L. abjurare to deny upon oath; a. + jurare to swear, fr. jus, juris, right, law; cf. F. abjurer. See Jury.]
1. To renounce upon oath; to forswear; to disavow; as to abjure allegiance to a prince. To abjure the realm, is to swear to abandon it forever.
2. To renounce or reject with solemnity; to recant; to abandon forever; to reject; repudiate; as to abjure errors. "Magic I here abjure." Shak.
Syn. — See Renounce.

Abjure
Ab•jure´, v. i. To renounce on oath. Bp. Burnet.

Abjurement
Ab•jure´ment (-m ent), n. Renunciation. [R.]

Abjurer
Ab•jur´er, n. One who abjures.

Ablactate
Ab•lac´tate, v. t. [L. ablactatus, p. p. of ablactare; a. + lactare to suckle, fr. lac milk.] To wean. [R.] Bailey.

Ablactation
Ab•lac•ta´tion . n.
1. The weaning of a child from the breast, or of young beasts from their dam. Blount.
2. (Hort.) The process of grafting now called inarching, or grafting by approach.

Ablaqueate
Ab•la´que•ate, v. t. [L. ablaqueatus, p. p. of. ablaqueare; fr. a. + laqueus a noose.] To lay bare, as the roots of a tree. [Obs.] Bailey.

Ablaqueation
Ab•la•que•a´tion, n. [L. ablaqueatio.] The act or process of laying bare the roots of trees to expose them to the air and water. [Obs.] Evelyn.

Ablastemic
Ab•las•tem´ic, a. [Gr. ’a priv. + growth.] (Biol.) Non-germinal.

Ablation
Ab•la´tion, n. [L. ablatio, fr. ablatus p. p. of auferre to carry away; a. + latus, p. p. of ferre carry: cf. F. ablation. See Tolerate.]
1. A carrying or taking away; removal. Jer. Taylor.
2. (Med.) Extirpation. Dunglison.
3. (Geol.) Wearing away; superficial waste. Tyndall.

Ablative
Ab´la•tive, a. [F. ablatif, ablative, L. ablativus fr. ablatus. See Ablation.]
1. Taking away or removing. [Obs.]
"Where the heart is forestalled with misopinion, ablative directions are found needful to unteach error, ere we can learn truth." - Bp. Hall.
2. (Gram.) Applied to one of the cases of the noun in Latin and some other languages, — the fundamental meaning of the case being removal, separation, or taking away.

Ablative
Ab´la•tive, (Gram.) The ablative case. ablative absolute, a construction in Latin, in which a noun in the ablative case has a participle (either expressed or implied), agreeing with it in gender, number, and case, both words forming a clause by themselves and being unconnected, grammatically, with the rest of the sentence; as Tarquinio regnante, Pythagoras venit, i. e., Tarquinius reigning, Pythagoras came.

Ablaut
Ab´laut, n. [Ger., off-sound; a. off + laut sound.] (Philol.) The substitution of one root vowel for another, thus indicating a corresponding modification of use or meaning; vowel permutation; as get, gat, got; sing, song; hang, hung. Earle.

Ablaze
A•blaze´, adv. & a. [Pref. a. + blaze.]
1. On fire; in a blaze, gleaming. Milman.
"All ablaze with crimson and gold." - Longfellow.
2. In a state of glowing excitement or ardent desire.
"The young Cambridge democrats were all ablaze to assist Torrijos." - Carlyle.

Able
A´ble, a. [ Comp. Abler ; superl. Ablest .] [OF. habile, L. habilis that may be easily held or managed, apt, skillful, fr. habere to have, hold. Cf. Habile and see Habit.]
1. Fit; adapted; suitable. [Obs.]
"A many man, to ben an abbot able." - Chaucer.
2. Having sufficient power, strength, force, skill, means, or resources of any kind to accomplish the object; possessed of qualifications rendering competent for some end; competent; qualified; capable; as an able workman, soldier, seaman, a man able to work; a mind able to reason; a person able to be generous; able to endure pain; able to play on a piano.
3. Specially: Having intellectual qualifications, or strong mental powers; showing ability or skill; talented; clever; powerful; as the ablest man in the senate; an able speech.
"No man wrote abler state papers." - Macaulay.
4. (Law) Legally qualified; possessed of legal competence; as able to inherit or devise property. Able for, is Scotticism. "Hardly able for such a march."Robertson.
Syn. — Competent; qualified; fitted; efficient; effective; capable; skillful; clever; vigorous; powerful.

Able
A´ble, v. t. [See Able, a. ] [Obs.]
1. To make able; to enable; to strengthen. Chaucer.
2. To vouch for. "I ’ll able them." Shak.

Ablegate
Ab´le•gate, v. t. [L. ablegatus, p. p. of ablegare; a. + legare to send with a commission. See Legate.] To send abroad. [Obs.] Bailey.

Ablegate
Ab´le•gate, n. (R. C. Ch.) A representative of the pope charged with important commissions in foreign countries, one of his duties being to bring to a newly named cardinal his insignia of office.

Ablegation
Ab•le•ga´tion, n. [L. ablegatio.] The act of sending abroad. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

Able-minded
A•ble-mind´ed (#), a. Having much intellectual power. — A•ble-mind´ed•ness, n.

Ableness
A´ble•ness, n. Ability of body or mind; force; vigor. [Obs. or R.]

Ablepsy
Ab´lep•sy, n. [Gr. ; ’a priv. + to see.] Blindness. [R.] Urquhart.

Abler
A´bler, a. , comp. of Able. — A´blest, a. , superl. of Able.

Abligurition
Ab•lig•u•ri´tion, n. [L. abligurito, fr. abligurire to spend in luxurious indulgence; a. + ligurire to be lickerish, dainty, fr. lingere to lick.] Prodigal expense for food. [Obs.] Bailey.

Ablins
A´blins, adv. [See Able.] Perhaps. [Scot.]

Ablude
Ab•lude´, v. t. [L. abludere; a. + ludere to play.] To be unlike; to differ. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

Abluent
Ab´lu•ent, a. [L. abluens, p. pr. of. abluere to wash away; a. + luere ( lavere, lavare). See Lave.] Washing away; carrying off impurities; detergent. — n. (Med.) A detergent.

Ablution
Ab•lu•tion, n. [L. ablutio, fr. abluere: cf. F. ablution. See Abluent.]
1. The act of washing or cleansing; specifically, the washing of the body, or some part of it, as a religious rite.
2. The water used in cleansing. "Cast the ablutions in the main." Pope.
3. (R. C. Ch.) A small quantity of wine and water, which is used to wash the priest’s thumb and index finger after the communion, and which then, as perhaps containing portions of the consecrated elements, is drunk by the priest.

Abluvion
Ab•lu´vi•on, n. [LL. abluvio. See Abluent.] That which is washed off. [R.] Dwight.

Abnegate
Ab´ne•gate, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abnegated; p. pr. & vb. n. Abnegating.] [L. abnegatus,p. p. of abnegare; a. + negare to deny. See Deny.] To deny and reject; to abjure. Sir E. Sandys. Farrar.

Abnegative
Ab´ne•ga•tive, a. [L. abnegativus.] Denying; renouncing; negative. [R.] Clarke.

Abnegator
Ab´ne•ga•tor, n. [L.] One who abnegates, denies, or rejects anything. [R.]

Abnet
Ab´net, n. [Heb.] The girdle of a Jewish priest or officer.

Abnodate
Ab´no•date, v. t. [L. abnodatus, p. p. of abnodare; a. + nodus knot.] To clear (tress) from knots. [R.] Blount.

Abnodation
Ab•no•da´tion, n. The act of cutting away the knots of trees. [R.] Crabb.

Abnormal
Ab•nor´mal, a. [For earlier anormal.F. anormal, LL. anormalus for anomalus, Gr. . Confused with L. abnormis. See Anomalous, Abnormous, Anormal.] Not conformed to rule or system; deviating from the type; anomalous; irregular. "That deviating from the type; anomalous; irregular. " Froude.

Abnormally
Ab•nor´mal•ly, adv. In an abnormal manner; irregularly. Darwin.

Abnormity
Ab•nor´mi•ty, n. ; pl. Abnormities . [LL. abnormitas. See Abnormous.] Departure from the ordinary type; irregularity; monstrosity. "An abnormity … like a calf born with two heads." Mrs. Whitney.

Abodance
A•bod´ance, n. [See Bode.] An omen; a portending. [Obs.]

Abodement
A•bode´ment (-m ent), n. A foreboding; an omen. [Obs.] "Abodements must not now affright us." Shak.

Aboding
A•bod´ing, n. A foreboding. [Obs.]

Abolish
A•bol´ish, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abolished ; p. pr. & vb. n. Abolishing.] [F. abolir, L. abolere, aboletum; a. + olere to grow. Cf. Finish.]
1. To do away with wholly; to annul; to make void; — said of laws, customs, institutions, governments, etc.; as to abolish slavery, to abolish folly.
2. To put an end to, or destroy, as a physical objects; to wipe out. [Archaic]
"And with thy blood abolish so reproachful blot." - Spenser.
"His quick instinctive hand Caught at the hilt, as to abolish him." - Tennyson.
Syn. — To Abolish, Repeal, Abrogate, Revoke, Annul, Nullify, Cancel. These words have in common the idea of setting aside by some overruling act. Abolish applies particularly to things of a permanent nature, such as institutions, usages, customs, etc.; as to abolish monopolies, serfdom, slavery. Repeal describes the act by which the legislature of a state sets aside a law which it had previously enacted. Abrogate was originally applied to the repeal of a law by the Roman people; and hence, when the power of making laws was usurped by the emperors, the term was applied to their act of setting aside the laws. Thus it came to express that act by which a sovereign or an executive government sets aside laws, ordinances, regulations, treaties, conventions, etc. Revoke denotes the act of recalling some previous grant which conferred, privilege, etc.; as to revoke a decree, to revoke a power of attorney, a promise, etc. Thus, also we speak of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Annul is used in a more general sense, denoting simply to make void; as to annul a contract, to annul an agreement. Nullify is an old word revived in this country, and applied to the setting of things aside either by force or by total disregard; as to nullify an act of Congress. Cancel is to strike out or annul, by a deliberate exercise of power, something which has operative force.

Abolisher
A•bol´ish•er, n. One who abolishes.

Abolishment
A•bol´ish•ment (-m ent), n. [Cf. F. abolissement.] The act of abolishing; abolition; destruction. Hooker.

Abolition
Ab´o•li´tion, n. [L. abolitio, fr. abolere: cf. F. abolition. See Abolish.] The act of abolishing, or the state of being abolished; an annulling; abrogation; utter destruction; as the abolition of slavery or the slave trade; the abolition of laws, decrees, ordinances, customs, taxes, debts, etc. The application of this word to persons is now unusual or obsolete

Abolitionist
Ab•o•li´tion•ist, n. A person who favors the abolition of any institution, especially negro slavery.

Abolitionize
Ab•o•li•tion•ize, v. t. To imbue with the principles of abolitionism. [R.] Bartlett.

Aboma
A•bo´ma, n. (Zoöl.) A large South American serpent ( Boa aboma). { Ab•o•ma´sum, Ab•o•ma´sus } n. [NL., fr. L. a. + omasum (a Celtic word).] (Anat.) The fourth or digestive stomach of a ruminant, which leads from the third stomach omasum. See Ruminantia.

Abominably
A•bom´i•na•bly, adv. In an abominable manner; very odiously; detestably.

Abominate
A•bom´i•nate, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abominated; p. pr. & vb. n. Abominating.] [L. abominatus, p. p. or abominari to deprecate as ominous, to abhor, to curse; a. + omen a foreboding. See Omen.] To turn from as ill-omened; to hate in the highest degree, as if with religious dread; loathe; as to abominate all impiety.
Syn. — To hate; abhor; loathe; detest. See Hate.

Aboral
Ab•o´ral, a. [L. a. . + E. oral.] (Zoöl.) Situated opposite to, or away from, the mouth.

Abord
A•bord´, n. [F.] Manner of approaching or accosting; address. Chesterfield.

Abord
A•bord´, v. t. [F. aborder, à (L. a. ) + bord rim, brim, or side of a vessel. See Border, Board.] To approach; to accost. [Obs.] Digby.

Aboriginality
Ab•o•rig•i•nal´i•ty, n. The quality of being aboriginal. Westm. Rev.

Aboriginally
Ab•o•rig´i•nal•ly, adv. Primarily.

Aborigines
Ab•o•rig´i•nes (-rij"i•nez), n. pl. [L. Aborigines; a. + origo, especially the first inhabitants of Latium, those who originally ( ab origine) inhabited Latium or Italy. See Origin.]
1. The earliest known inhabitants of a country; native races.
2. The original fauna and flora of a geographical area

Aborsive
A•bor´sive (a•bôr"siv), a. Abortive. [Obs.] Fuller.

Abort
A•bort´ (a•bôrt"), v. i. [L. abortare, fr. abortus, p. p. of aboriri; a. + oriri to rise, to be born. See Orient.]
1. To miscarry; to bring forth young prematurely.
2. (Biol.) To become checked in normal development, so as either to remain rudimentary or shrink away wholly; to become sterile.

Abort
A•bort´, n. [L. abortus, fr. aboriri.]
1. An untimely birth. [Obs.] Sir H. Wotton.
2. An aborted offspring. [Obs.] Holland.

Aborted
A•bort´ed, a.
1. Brought forth prematurely.
2. (Biol.) Rendered abortive or sterile; undeveloped; checked in normal development at a very early stage; as spines are aborted branches.
"The eyes of the cirripeds are more or less aborted in their mature state." - Owen.

Aborticide
A•bor´ti•cide (a•bôr"ti•sid), n. [L. abortus + caedere to kill. See Abort.] (Med.) The act of destroying a fetus in the womb; feticide.

Abortionist
A•bor´tion•ist, n. One who procures abortion or miscarriage.

Abortive
A•bor´tive, a. [L. abortivus, fr. aboriri. See Abort, v. ]
1. Produced by abortion; born prematurely; as an abortive child. [R.]
2. Made from the skin of a still-born animal; as abortive vellum. [Obs.]
3. Rendering fruitless or ineffectual. [Obs.] "Plunged in that abortive gulf." Milton.
4. Coming to naught; failing in its effect; miscarrying; fruitless; unsuccessful; as an abortive attempt. "An abortive enterprise." Prescott.
5. (Biol.) Imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile; as an abortive organ, stamen, ovule, etc.
6. (Med.) (a) Causing abortion; as abortive medicines. Parr. (b) Cutting short; as abortive treatment of typhoid fever.

Abortive
A•bor´tive, n.
1. That which is born or brought forth prematurely; an abortion. [Obs.] Shak.
2. A fruitless effort or issue. [Obs.]
3. A medicine to which is attributed the property of causing abortion. Dunglison.

Abortively
A•bor´tive•ly, adv. In an abortive or untimely manner; immaturely; fruitlessly.

Abortiveness
A•bor´tive•ness, n. The quality of being abortive.

Abortment
A•bort´ment (a•bôrt"m ent), n. Abortion. [Obs.]

Abought
A•bought´, imp. & p. p. of Aby. [Obs.]

Above
A•bove´, prep. [OE. above, aboven, abuffe, AS. abufon; a. (or on) on + be by + ufan upward; cf. Goth. uf under. rad.199. See Over.]
1. In or to a higher place; higher than; on or over the upper surface; over; — opposed to below or beneath.
"Fowl that may fly above the earth." - Gen. i. 20.
2. Figuratively, higher than; superior to in any respect; surpassing; beyond; higher in measure or degree than; as things above comprehension; above mean actions; conduct above reproach. "Thy worth … is actions above my gifts." Marlowe.
"I saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun." - Acts xxxvi. 13.
3. Surpassing in number or quantity; more than; as above a hundred. (Passing into the adverbial sense. See Above, adv. , 4.) above all, before every other consideration; chiefly; in preference to other things. Over and above, prep. or adv., besides; in addition to.

Above
A•bove´, adv.
1. In a higher place; overhead; into or from heaven; as the clouds above.
2. Earlier in order; higher in the same page; hence, in a foregoing page. "That was said above." Dryden.
3. Higher in rank or power; as he appealed to the court above.
4. More than; as above five hundred were present. Above is often used elliptically as an adjective by omitting the word mentioned, quoted, or the like; as the above observations, the above reference, the above articles. — Above is also used substantively. "The waters that come down from above." Josh. iii. 13. It is also used as the first part of a compound in the sense of before, previously; as above-cited, above- described, above-mentioned, above-named, abovesaid, abovespecified, above-written, above-given.

Aboveboard
A•bove´board, adv. Above the board or table. Hence: in open sight; without trick, concealment, or deception. "Fair and aboveboard." Burke. This expression is said by Johnson to have been borrowed from gamesters, who, when they change their cards, put their hands under the table.

Above-cited
A•bove´-cit•ed, a. Cited before, in the preceding part of a book or writing.

Abovedeck
A•bove´deck, a. On deck; and hence, like aboveboard, without artifice. Smart.

Above-mentioned
A•bove´-men•tioned, A•bove´-named, a. Mentioned or named before; aforesaid.

Abovesaid
A•bove´said, a. Mentioned or recited before.

Abox
A•box´, adv. & a. (Naut.) Braced aback.

Abra
A´bra, n. [Sp., a bay, valley, fissure.] A narrow pass or defile; a break in a mesa; the mouth of a cañon. [Southwestern U. S.]

Abracadabra
Ab•ra•ca•dab´ra, n. [L. Of unknown origin.] A mystical word or collocation of letters written as in the figure. Worn on an amulet it was supposed to ward off fever. At present the word is used chiefly in jest to denote something without meaning; jargon.

Abradant
Ab•ra´dant, n. A material used for grinding, as emery, sand, powdered glass, etc.

Abrade
Ab•rade´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abraded; p. pr. & vb. n. Abrading.] [L. abradere, abrasum, to scrape off; a. + radere to scrape. See Rase, Raze.] To rub or wear off; to waste or wear away by friction; as to abrade rocks. Lyell.

Abrade
A•brade´, v. t. Same as Abraid. [Obs.]

Abrahamitic
A•bra•ham•it´ic, •ic•al, a. Relating to the patriarch Abraham.

Abraham-man
A´bra•ham-man• or A´bram-man, n. [Possibly in allusion to the parable of the beggar Lazarus in Luke xvi. Murray (New Eng. Dict. ).] One of a set of vagabonds who formerly roamed through England, feigning lunacy for the sake of obtaining alms. Nares. To sham Abraham, to feign sickness. Goldsmith.

Abraid
A•braid´, v. t. & i. [OE. abraiden, to awake, draw (a sword), AS. abredgan to shake, draw; pref. a. (cf. Goth. us-, Ger. er-, orig. meaning out) + bregdan to shake, throw. See Braid.] To awake; to arouse; to stir or start up; also to shout out. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Abranchiata
A•bran•chi•a´ta, n. pl. [NL., from Gr. ’a priv. +, pl., the gills of fishes.] (Zoöl.) A group of annelids, so called because the species composing it have no special organs of respiration.

Abranchiate
A•bran´chi•ate, a. (Zoöl.) Without gills.

Abrase
Ab•rase´, a. [L. abrasus, p. p. of abradere. See Abrade.] Rubbed smooth. [Obs.] "An abrase table." B. Jonson.

Abraum
A•braum´ orA•braum" salts, n. [Ger., fr. abräumen to remove.] A red ocher used to darken mahogany and for making chloride of potassium.

Abraxas
A•brax´as, n. [A name adopted by the Egyptian Gnostic Basilides, containing the Greek letters α, β, ρ, α, ξ, α, σ, which, as numerals, amounted to 365. It was used to signify the supreme deity as ruler of the 365 heavens of his system.] A mystical word used as a charm and engraved on gems among the ancients; also a gem stone thus engraved.

Abray
A•bray´, v. [A false form from the preterit abraid, abrayde.] See Abraid. [Obs.] Spenser.

Abregge
A•breg´ge, v. t. See Abridge. [Obs.]

Abreuvoir
A•breu•voir´, n. [F., a watering place.] (Masonry) The joint or interstice between stones, to be filled with mortar. Gwilt.

Abricock
A´bri•cock, n. See Apricot. [Obs.]

Abridgment
A•bridg´ment (-brij"m ent), n. [OE. abregement. See Abridge.]
1. The act of abridging, or the state of being abridged; diminution; lessening; reduction or deprivation; as an abridgment of pleasures or of expenses.
2. An epitome or compend, as of a book; a shortened or abridged form; an abbreviation.
"Ancient coins as abridgments of history." - Addison.
3. That which abridges or cuts short; hence, an entertainment that makes the time pass quickly. [Obs.]
"What abridgment have you for this evening? What mask? What music?" - Shak.
Syn. — Abridgment, Compendium, Epitome, Abstract, Synopsis. An abridgment is made by omitting the less important parts of some larger work; as an abridgment of a dictionary. A compendium is a brief exhibition of a subject, or science, for common use; as a compendium of American literature. An epitome corresponds to a compendium, and gives briefly the most material points of a subject; as an epitome of history. An abstract is a brief statement of a thing in its main points. A synopsis is a bird’s-eye view of a subject, or work, in its several parts.

Abroad
A•broad´, adv. [Pref. a. + broad.]
1. At large; widely; broadly; over a wide space; as a tree spreads its branches abroad.
"The fox roams far abroad." - Prior.
2. Without a certain confine; outside the house; away from one’s abode; as to walk abroad.
"I went to St. James’, where another was preaching in the court abroad." - Evelyn.
3. Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries; as we have broils at home and enemies abroad. "Another prince … was living abroad." Macaulay.
4. Before the public at large; throughout society or the world; here and there; widely.
"He went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter." - Mark i. 45.
To be abroad. (a) To be wide of the mark; to be at fault; as you are all abroad in your guess. (b) To be at a loss or nonplused.

Abrogable
Ab´ro•ga•ble, a. Capable of being abrogated.

Abrogate
Ab´ro•gate, a. [L. abrogatus, p. p.] Abrogated; abolished. [Obs.] Latimer.

Abrogate
Ab´ro•gate, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abrogated; p. pr. & vb. n. Abrogating.] [L. abrogatus, p. p. of abrogare; a. + rogare to ask, require, propose. See Rogation.]
1. To annul by an authoritative act; to abolish by the authority of the maker or his successor; to repeal; — applied to the repeal of laws, decrees, ordinances, the abolition of customs, etc.
"Let us see whether the New Testament abrogates what we so frequently see in the Old." - South.
"Whose laws, like those of the Medes and Persian, they can not alter or abrogate." - Burke.
2. To put an end to; to do away with. Shak.
Syn. — To abolish; annul; do away; set aside; revoke; repeal; cancel; annihilate. See Abolish.

Abrogative
Ab´ro•ga•tive, a. Tending or designed to abrogate; as an abrogative law.

Abrogator
Ab´ro•ga•tor, n. One who repeals by authority.

Abrood
A•brood´, adv. [Pref. a. + brood.] In the act of brooding. [Obs.] Abp. Sancroft.

Abrook
A•brook´, v. t. [Pref. a. + brook, v.] To brook; to endure. [Obs.] Shak.

Abrupt
Ab•rupt´, a. [L. abruptus, p. p. of abrumpere to break off; a. + rumpere to break. See Rupture.]
1. Broken off; very steep, or craggy, as rocks, precipices, banks; precipitous; steep; as abrupt places. "Tumbling through ricks abrupt," Thomson.
2. Without notice to prepare the mind for the event; sudden; hasty; unceremonious. "The cause of your abrupt departure." Shak.
3. Having sudden transitions from one subject to another; unconnected.
"The abrupt style, which hath many breaches." - B. Jonson.
4. (Bot.) Suddenly terminating, as if cut off. Gray.
Syn. — Sudden; unexpected; hasty; rough; curt; unceremonious; rugged; blunt; disconnected; broken.

Abrupt
Ab•rupt´, n. [L. abruptum.] An abrupt place. [Poetic]
""Over the vast abrupt."" - Milton.

Abrupt
Ab•rupt´, v. t. To tear off or asunder. [Obs.] "Till death abrupts them." Sir T. Browne.

Abruption
Ab•rup´tion, n. [L. abruptio, fr. abrumpere: cf. F. abruption.] A sudden breaking off; a violent separation of bodies. Woodward.

Abruptly
Ab•rupt´ly, adv.
1. In an abrupt manner; without giving notice, or without the usual forms; suddenly.
2. Precipitously. Abruptly pinnate (Bot.), pinnate without an odd leaflet, or other appendage, at the end. Gray.

Abruptness
Ab•rupt´ness, n.
1. The state of being abrupt or broken; craggedness; ruggedness; steepness.
2. Suddenness; unceremonious haste or vehemence; as abruptness of style or manner.

Abscess
Ab´scess, n. ; pl. Abscesses . [L. abscessus a going away, gathering of humors, abscess, fr. abscessus, p. p. of absedere to go away; a. , abs + cedere to go off, retire. See Cede.] (Med.) A collection of pus or purulent matter in any tissue or organ of the body, the result of a morbid process. Cold abscess, an abscess of slow formation, unattended with the pain and heat characteristic of ordinary abscesses, and lasting for years without exhibiting any tendency towards healing; a chronic abscess.

Abscondence
Ab•scond´ence, n. Fugitive concealment; secret retirement; hiding. [R.] Phillips.

Absconder
Ab•scond´er, n. One who absconds.

Absence
Ab´sence, n. [F., fr. L. absentia. See Absent.]
1. A state of being absent or withdrawn from a place or from companionship; — opposed to presence.
"Not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence." - Phil. ii. 12.
2. Want; destitution; withdrawal. "In the absence of conventional law." Kent.
3. Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind); as absence of mind. "Reflecting on the little absences and distractions of mankind." Addison.
"To conquer that abstraction which is called absence." - Landor.

Absentee
Ab•sen•tee´, n. One who absents himself from his country, office, post, or duty; especially, a landholder who lives in another country or district than that where his estate is situated; as an Irish absentee. Macaulay.

Absenteeism
Ab•sen•tee´ism, n. The state or practice of an absentee; esp. the practice of absenting one’s self from the country or district where one’s estate is situated.

Absenter
Ab•sent´er, n. One who absents one’s self.

Absently
Ab´sent•ly, adv. In an absent or abstracted manner.

Absentment
Ab•sent´ment (ab•sent"m ent), n. The state of being absent; withdrawal. [R.] Barrow.

Absent-minded
Ab•sent-mind´ed, a. Absent in mind; abstracted; preoccupied. — Ab•sent-mind´ed•ness, n. — Ab•sent-mind´ed•ly, adv.

Absentness
Ab´sent•ness, n. The quality of being absent-minded. H. Miller.

Absey-book
Ab´sey-book, n. An A-B-C book; a primer. [Obs.] Shak. { Ab´sinth•, Ab´sinthe• }, n. [F. absinthe. See Absinthium.]
1. The plant absinthium or common wormwood.
2. A strong spirituous liqueur made from wormwood and brandy or alcohol.

Absinthial
Ab•sin´thi•al, a. Of or pertaining to wormwood; absinthian.

Absinthian
Ab•sin´thi•an, n. Of the nature of wormwood. "Absinthian bitterness." T. Randolph.

Absinthiate
Ab´sin´thi•ate, v. t. [From L. absinthium: cf. L. absinthiatus, a.] To impregnate with wormwood.

Absinthiated
Ab•sin´thi•a•ted, a. Impregnated with wormwood; as absinthiated wine.

Absinthic
Ab•sin´thic, a. (Chem.) Relating to the common wormwood or to an acid obtained from it.

Absinthin
Ab•sin´thin, n. (Chem.) The bitter principle of wormwood ( Artemisia absinthium). Watts.

Absinthism
Ab´sin•thism, n. The condition of being poisoned by the excessive use of absinth.

Absinthium
Ab•sin´thi•um, n. [L., from Gr. .] (Bot.) The common wormwood ( Artemisia absinthium), an intensely bitter plant, used as a tonic and for making the oil of wormwood.

Absis
Ab´sis, n. See Apsis.

Absistence
Ab•sist´ence, n. A standing aloof. [Obs.]

Absolute
Ab´so•lute, a. [L. absolutus, p. p. of absolvere: cf. F. absolu. See Absolve.]
1. Loosed from any limitation or condition; uncontrolled; unrestricted; unconditional; as absolute authority, monarchy, sovereignty, an absolute promise or command; absolute power; an absolute monarch.
2. Complete in itself; perfect; consummate; faultless; as absolute perfection; absolute beauty.
"So absolute she seems, And in herself complete." - Milton.
3. Viewed apart from modifying influences or without comparison with other objects; actual; real; — opposed to relative and comparative; as absolute motion; absolute time or space. Absolute rights and duties are such as pertain to man in a state of nature as contradistinguished from relative rights and duties, or such as pertain to him in his social relations.
4. Loosed from, or unconnected by, dependence on any other being; self-existent; self-sufficing. In this sense God is called the Absolute by the Theist. The term is also applied by the Pantheist to the universe, or the total of all existence, as only capable of relations in its parts to each other and to the whole, and as dependent for its existence and its phenomena on its mutually depending forces and their laws.
5. Capable of being thought or conceived by itself alone; unconditioned; non-relative. It is in dispute among philosopher whether the term, in this sense, is not applied to a mere logical fiction or abstraction, or whether the absolute, as thus defined, can be known, as a reality, by the human intellect.
"To Cusa we can indeed articulately trace, word and thing, the recent philosophy of the absolute." - Sir W. Hamilton.
6. Positive; clear; certain; not doubtful. [R.]
"I am absolute ’t was very Cloten." - Shak.
7. Authoritative; peremptory. [R.]
"The peddler stopped, and tapped her on the head, With absolute forefinger, brown and ringed." - Mrs. Browning.
8. (Chem.) Pure; unmixed; as absolute alcohol.
9. (Gram.) Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence in government; as the case absolute. See Ablative absolute, under Ablative. Absolute curvature (Geom.), that curvature of a curve of double curvature, which is measured in the osculating plane of the curve. — Absolute equation (Astron.), the sum of the optic and eccentric equations. — Absolute space (Physics), space considered without relation to material limits or objects. — Absolute terms. (Alg.), such as are known, or which do not contain the unknown quantity. Davies & Peck. — Absolute temperature (Physics), the temperature as measured on a scale determined by certain general thermo-dynamic principles, and reckoned from the absolute zero. — Absolute zero (Physics), the be ginning, or zero point, in the scale of absolute temperature. It is equivalent to -273° centigrade or - 459.4° Fahrenheit.
Syn. — Positive; peremptory; certain; unconditional; unlimited; unrestricted; unqualified; arbitrary; despotic; autocratic.

Absolute
Ab´so•lute, n. (Geom.) In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity.

Absolutely
Ab´so•lute•ly, adv. In an absolute, independent, or unconditional manner; wholly; positively.

Absoluteness
Ab´so•lute•ness, n. The quality of being absolute; independence of everything extraneous; unlimitedness; absolute power; independent reality; positiveness.

Absolution
Ab•so•lu´tion, n. [F. absolution, L. absolutio, fr. absolvere to absolve. See Absolve.]
1. An absolving, or setting free from guilt, sin, or penalty; forgiveness of an offense. "Government … granting absolution to the nation." Froude.
2. (Civil Law) An acquittal, or sentence of a judge declaring and accused person innocent. [Obs.]
3. (R. C. Ch.) The exercise of priestly jurisdiction in the sacrament of penance, by which Catholics believe the sins of the truly penitent are forgiven. In the English and other Protestant churches, this act regarded as simply declaratory, not as imparting forgiveness.
4. (Eccl.) An absolving from ecclesiastical penalties, — for example, excommunication. P. Cyc.
5. The form of words by which a penitent is absolved. Shipley.
6. Delivery, in speech. [Obs.] B. Jonson.Absolution day (R. C. Ch.), Tuesday before Easter.

Absolutist
Ab´so•lu•tist, n.
1. One who is in favor of an absolute or autocratic government.
2. (Metaph.) One who believes that it is possible to realize a cognition or concept of the absolute. Sir. W. Hamilton.

Absolutist
Ab´so•lu•tist, a. Of or pertaining to absolutism; arbitrary; despotic; as absolutist principles.

Absolutistic
Ab•so•lu•tis´tic, a. Pertaining to absolutism; absolutist.

Absolutory
Ab•sol´u•to•ry, a. [L. absolutorius, fr. absolvere to absolve.] Serving to absolve; absolving. "An absolutory sentence." Ayliffe.

Absolvable
Ab•solv´a•ble, a. That may be absolved.

Absolvatory
Ab•solv´a•to•ry, a. Conferring absolution; absolutory.

Absolve
Ab•solve´ (#; 277), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Absolved ; p. pr. & vb. n. Absolving.] [L. absolvere to set free, to absolve; a. + solvere to loose. See Assoil, Solve.]
1. To set free, or release, as from some obligation, debt, or responsibility, or from the consequences of guilt or such ties as it would be sin or guilt to violate; to pronounce free; as to absolve a subject from his allegiance; to absolve an offender, which amounts to an acquittal and remission of his punishment.
"Halifax was absolved by a majority of fourteen." - Macaulay.
2. To free from a penalty; to pardon; to remit (a sin); — said of the sin or guilt.
"In his name I absolve your perjury." - Gibbon.
3. To finish; to accomplish. [Obs.]
"The work begun, how soon absolved." - Milton.
4. To resolve or explain. [Obs.] "We shall not absolve the doubt." Sir T. Browne.
Syn. — To Absolve, Exonerate, Acquit. We speak of a man as absolved from something that binds his conscience, or involves the charge of wrongdoing; as to absolve from allegiance or from the obligation of an oath, or a promise. We speak of a person as exonerated, when he is released from some burden which had rested upon him; as to exonerate from suspicion, to exonerate from blame or odium. It implies a purely moral acquittal. We speak of a person as acquitted, when a decision has been made in his favor with reference to a specific charge, either by a jury or by disinterested persons; as he was acquitted of all participation in the crime.

Absolver
Ab•solv´er, n. One who absolves. Macaulay.

Absonant
Ab´so•nant, a. [L. a. + sonans, p. pr. of sonare to sound.] Discordant; contrary; — opposed to consonant. "Absonant to nature." Quarles.

Absonous
Ab´so•nous, a. [L. absonus; a. + sonus sound.] Discordant; inharmonious; incongruous. [Obs.] "Absonous to our reason." Glanvill.

Absorb
Ab•sorb´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Absorbed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Absorbing.] [L. absorbere; a. + sorbere to suck in, akin to Gr. : cf. F. absorber.]
1. To swallow up; to engulf; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to use up; to include. "Dark oblivion soon absorbs them all." Cowper.
"The large cities absorb the wealth and fashion." - W. Irving.
2. To suck up; to drink in; to imbibe; as a sponge or as the lacteals of the body. Bacon.
3. To engross or engage wholly; to occupy fully; as absorbed in study or the pursuit of wealth.
4. To take up by cohesive, chemical, or any molecular action, as when charcoal absorbs gases. So heat, light, and electricity are absorbed or taken up in the substances into which they pass. Nichol. p. 8
Syn. — To Absorb, Engross, Swallow up, Engulf. These words agree in one general idea, that of completely taking up. They are chiefly used in a figurative sense and may be distinguished by a reference to their etymology. We speak of a person as absorbed (lit., drawn in, swallowed up) in study or some other employment of the highest interest. We speak of a person as ebgrossed (lit., seized upon in the gross, or wholly) by something which occupies his whole time and thoughts, as the acquisition of wealth, or the attainment of honor. We speak of a person (under a stronger image) as swallowed up and lost in that which completely occupies his thoughts and feelings, as in grief at the death of a friend, or in the multiplied cares of life. We speak of a person as engulfed in that which (like a gulf) takes in all his hopes and interests; as engulfed in misery, ruin, etc.
"That grave question which had begun to absorb the Christian mind — the marriage of the clergy." - Milman.
"Too long hath love engrossed Britannia’s stage, And sunk to softness all our tragic rage." - Tickell.
"Should not the sad occasion swallow up My other cares?" - Addison.
"And in destruction’s river Engulf and swallow those." - Sir P. Sidney.

Absorbable
Ab•sorb´a•ble, a. [Cf. F. absorbable.] Capable of being absorbed or swallowed up. Kerr.

Absorbedly
Ab•sorb´ed•ly, adv. In a manner as if wholly engrossed or engaged.

Absorbency
Ab•sorb´en•cy, n. Absorptiveness.

Absorbent
Ab•sorb´ent, a. [L. absorbens, p. pr. of absorbere.] Absorbing; swallowing; absorptive. Absorbent ground (Paint.), a ground prepared for a picture, chiefly with distemper, or water colors, by which the oil is absorbed, and a brilliancy is imparted to the colors.

Absorbent
Ab•sorb´ent, n.
1. Anything which absorbs.
"The ocean, itself a bad absorbent of heat." - Darwin.
2. (Med.) Any substance which absorbs and neutralizes acid fluid in the stomach and bowels, as magnesia, chalk, etc.; also a substance e. g., iodine) which acts on the absorbent vessels so as to reduce enlarged and indurated parts.
3. pl. (Physiol.) The vessels by which the processes of absorption are carried on, as the lymphatics in animals, the extremities of the roots in plants.

Absorber
Ab•sorb´er, n. One who, or that which, absorbs.

Absorbing
Ab•sorb´ing, a. Swallowing, engrossing; as an absorbing pursuit. — Ab•sorb´ing, adv.

Absorbition
Ab•sor•bi´tion, n. Absorption. [Obs.]

Absorpt
Ab•sorpt, a. [L. absorptus, p. p.] Absorbed. [Arcahic.] "Absorpt in care." Pope.

Absorption
Ab•sorp´tion, n. [L. absorptio, fr. absorbere. See Absorb.]
1. The act or process of absorbing or sucking in anything, or of being absorbed and made to disappear; as the absorption of bodies in a whirlpool, the absorption of a smaller tribe into a larger.
2. (Chem. & Physics) An imbibing or reception by molecular or chemical action; as the absorption of light, heat, electricity, etc.
3. (Physiol.) In living organisms, the process by which the materials of growth and nutrition are absorbed and conveyed to the tissues and organs.
4. Entire engrossment or occupation of the mind; as absorption in some employment.

Absorptiveness
Ab•sorp´tive•ness, n. The quality of being absorptive; absorptive power.

Absorptivity
Ab•sorp•tiv´i•ty, n. Absorptiveness.

Absquatulate
Ab•squat´u•late, v. i. To take one’s self off; to decamp. [A jocular word. U. S.]

Absque hoc
Abs"que hoc . [L., without this.] (Law) The technical words of denial used in traversing what has been alleged, and is repeated.

Abstain
Ab•stain´, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Abstained ; p. pr. & vb. n. Abstaining.] [OE. absteynen, abstenen, OF. astenir, abstenir, F. abstenir, fr. L. abstinere, abstentum, v. t. & v. i., to keep from; a. , abs + tenere to hold. See Tenable.] To hold one’s self aloof; to forbear or refrain voluntarily, and especially from an indulgence of the passions or appetites; — with from.
"Not a few abstained from voting." - Macaulay.
"Who abstains from meat that is not gaunt?" - Shak.
Syn. — To refrain; forbear; withhold; deny one’s self; give up; relinquish.

Abstain
Ab•stain´, v. t. To hinder; to withhold.
"Whether he abstain men from marrying." - Milton.

Abstainer
Ab•stain´er, n. One who abstains; esp., one who abstains from the use of intoxicating liquors.

Abstemious
Ab•ste´mi•ous, a. [L. abstemius; a. , abs + root of temetum intoxicating drink.]
1. Abstaining from wine. [Orig. Latin sense.]
"Under his special eye Abstemious I grew up and thrived amain." - Milton.
2. Sparing in diet; refraining from a free use of food and strong drinks; temperate; abstinent; sparing in the indulgence of the appetite or passions.
"Instances of longevity are chiefly among the abstemious." - Arbuthnot.
3. Sparingly used; used with temperance or moderation; as an abstemious diet. Gibbon.
4. Marked by, or spent in, abstinence; as an abstemious life. "One abstemious day." Pope.
5. Promotive of abstemiousness. [R.]
"Such is the virtue of the abstemious well." - Dryden.

Abstemiousness
Ab•ste´mi•ous•ness, n. The quality of being abstemious, temperate, or sparing in the use of food and strong drinks. It expresses a greater degree of abstinence than temperance.

Abstention
Ab•sten´tion, a. [F. See Abstain.] The act of abstaining; a holding aloof. Jer. Taylor.

Absterge
Ab•sterge, v. t. [L. abstergere, abstersum; a. , abs + tergere to wipe. Cf. F absterger.] To make clean by wiping; to wipe away; to cleanse; hence, to purge. [R.] Quincy.

Abstergent
Ab•ster´gent, a. [L. abstergens, p. pr. of abstergere.] Serving to cleanse, detergent.

Abstergent
Ab•ster´gent, n. A substance used in cleansing; a detergent; as soap is an abstergent.

Absterse
Ab•sterse´, v. t. To absterge; to cleanse; to purge away. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Abstersion
Ab•ster´sion, n. [F. abstersion. See Absterge.] Act of wiping clean; a cleansing; a purging.
"The task of ablution and abstersion being performed." - Sir W. Scott.

Abstersiveness
Ab•ster´sive•ness, n. The quality of being abstersive. Fuller.

Abstinence
Ab´sti•nence, n. [F. abstinence, L. abstinentia, fr. abstinere. See Abstain.]
1. The act or practice of abstaining; voluntary forbearance of any action, especially the refraining from an indulgence of appetite, or from customary gratifications of animal or sensual propensities. Specifically, the practice of abstaining from intoxicating beverages, — called also total abstinence.
"The abstinence from a present pleasure that offers itself is a pain, nay, oftentimes, a very great one." - Locke.
2. The practice of self-denial by depriving one’s self of certain kinds of food or drink, especially of meat.
"Penance, fasts, and abstinence, To punish bodies for the soul’s offense." - Dryden.

Abstinent
Ab´sti•nent, a. [F. abstinent, L. abstinens, p. pr. of abstinere. See Abstain.] Refraining from indulgence, especially from the indulgence of appetite; abstemious; continent; temperate. Beau. & Fl.

Abstinent
Ab´sti•nent, n.
1. One who abstains.
2. (Eccl. Hist.) One of a sect who appeared in France and Spain in the 3d century.

Abstinently
Ab´sti•nent•ly, adv. With abstinence.

Abstorted
Ab•stort´ed, a. [As if fr. abstort, fr. L. a. , abs + tortus, p. p. of torquere to twist.] Wrested away. [Obs.] Bailey.

Abstract
Ab´stract (#; 277), a. [L. abstractus, p. p. of abstrahere to draw from, separate; a. , abs + trahere to draw. See Trace.]
1. Withdraw; separate. [Obs.]
"The more abstract … we are from the body." - Norris.
2. Considered apart from any application to a particular object; separated from matter; existing in the mind only; as abstract truth, abstract numbers. Hence: ideal; abstruse; difficult.
3. (Logic) (a) Expressing a particular property of an object viewed apart from the other properties which constitute it; — opposed to concrete; as honesty is an abstract word. J. S. Mill. (b) Resulting from the mental faculty of abstraction; general as opposed to particular; as "reptile" is an abstract or general name. Locke.
"A concrete name is a name which stands for a thing; an abstract name which stands for an attribute of a thing. A practice has grown up in more modern times, which, if not introduced by Locke, has gained currency from his example, of applying the expression "abstract name" to all names which are the result of abstraction and generalization, and consequently to all general names, instead of confining it to the names of attributes." - J. S. Mill.
4. Abstracted; absent in mind. "Abstract, as in a trance." Milton. An abstract idea (Metaph.), an idea separated from a complex object, or from other ideas which naturally accompany it; as the solidity of marble when contemplated apart from its color or figure. — Abstract terms, those which express abstract ideas as beauty, whiteness, roundness, without regarding any object in which they exist; or abstract terms are the names of orders, genera or species of things, in which there is a combination of similar qualities. — Abstract numbers (Math.), numbers used without application to things, as 6, 8, 10; but when applied to any thing, as 6 feet, 10 men, they become concrete. — Abstract or Pure mathematics. See Mathematics.

Abstract
Ab•stract´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abstracted; p. pr. & vb. n. Abstracting.] [See Abstract, a. ]
1. To withdraw; to separate; to take away.
"He was incapable of forming any opinion or resolution abstracted from his own prejudices." - Sir W. Scott.
2. To draw off in respect to interest or attention; as his was wholly abstracted by other objects.
"The young stranger had been abstracted and silent." - Blackw. Mag.
3. To separate, as ideas by the operation of the mind; to consider by itself; to contemplate separately, as a quality or attribute. Whately.
4. To epitomize; to abridge. Franklin.
5. To take secretly or dishonestly; to purloin; as to abstract goods from a parcel, or money from a till.
"Von Rosen had quietly abstracted the bearing-reins from the harness." - W. Black.
6. (Chem.) To separate, as the more volatile or soluble parts of a substance, by distillation or other chemical processes. In this sense extract is now more generally used.

Abstract
Ab•stract´, v. t. To perform the process of abstraction. [R.]
"I own myself able to abstract in one sense." - Berkeley.

Abstract
Ab´stract, n. [See Abstract, a. ]
1. That which comprises or concentrates in itself the essential qualities of a larger thing or of several things. Specifically: A summary or an epitome, as of a treatise or book, or of a statement; a brief.
"An abstract of every treatise he had read." - Watts.
"Man, the abstract Of all perfection, which the workmanship Of Heaven hath modeled." - Ford.
2. A state of separation from other things; as to consider a subject in the abstract, or apart from other associated things.
3. An abstract term.
"The concretes "father" and "son" have, or might have, the abstracts "paternity" and "filiety."" - J. S. Mill.
4. (Med.) A powdered solid extract of a vegetable substance mixed with sugar of milk in such proportion that one part of the abstract represents two parts of the original substance. Abstract of title (Law), an epitome of the evidences of ownership.
Syn. — Abridgment; compendium; epitome; synopsis. See Abridgment.

Abstractedly
Ab•stract´ed•ly, adv. In an abstracted manner; separately; with absence of mind.

Abstractedness
Ab•stract´ed•ness, n. The state of being abstracted; abstract character.

Abstracter
Ab•stract´er, n. One who abstracts, or makes an abstract.

Abstraction
Ab•strac´tion, n. [Cf. F. abstraction. See Abstract, a. ]
1. The act of abstracting, separating, or withdrawing, or the state of being withdrawn; withdrawal.
"A wrongful abstraction of wealth from certain members of the community." - J. S. Mill.
2. (Metaph.) The act process of leaving out of consideration one or more properties of a complex object so as to attend to others; analysis. Thus, when the mind considers the form of a tree by itself, or the color of the leaves as separate from their size or figure, the act is called abstraction. So, also when it considers whiteness, softness, virtue, existence, as separate from any particular objects. Abstraction is necessary to classification, by which things are arranged in genera and species. We separate in idea the qualities of certain objects, which are of the same kind, from others which are different, in each, and arrange the objects having the same properties in a class, or collected body.
"Abstraction is no positive act: it is simply the negative of attention." - Sir W. Hamilton.
3. An idea or notion of an abstract, or theoretical nature; as to fight for mere abstractions.
4. A separation from worldly objects; a recluse life; as a hermit’s abstraction.
5. Absence or absorption of mind; inattention to present objects.
6. The taking surreptitiously for one’s own use part of the property of another; purloining. [Modern]
7. (Chem.) A separation of volatile parts by the act of distillation. Nicholson.

Abstractionist
Ab•strac´tion•ist, n. An idealist. Emerson.

Abstractitious
Ab•strac•ti´tious, a. Obtained from plants by distillation. [Obs.] Crabb.

Abstractive
Ab•strac´tive, a. [Cf. F. abstractif.] Having the power of abstracting; of an abstracting nature. "The abstractive faculty." I. Taylor.

Abstractively
Ab•strac´tive•ly, adv. In a abstract manner; separately; in or by itself. Feltham.

Abstractiveness
Ab•strac´tive•ness, n. The quality of being abstractive; abstractive property.

Abstractly
Ab´stract•ly (#; 277), adv. In an abstract state or manner; separately; absolutely; by itself; as matter abstractly considered.

Abstractness
Ab´stract•ness, n. The quality of being abstract. "The abstractness of the ideas." Locke.

Abstringe
Ab•stringe´, v. t. [L a. + stringere, strictum, to press together.] To unbind. [Obs.] Bailey.

Abstrude
Ab•strude´, v. t. [L. abstrudere. See Abstruse.] To thrust away. [Obs.] Johnson.

Abstruseness
Ab•struse´ness, n. The quality of being abstruse; difficulty of apprehension. Boyle.

Abstrusion
Ab•stru´sion, n. [L. abstrusio. See Abstruse.] The act of thrusting away. [R.] Ogilvie.

Absume
Ab•sume´ (ab•sum"), v. t. [L. absumere, absumptum; a. + sumere to take.] To consume gradually; to waste away. [Obs.] Boyle.

Absumption
Ab•sump´tion (ab•sump"shun; 215), n. [L. absumptio. See Absume.] Act of wasting away; a consuming; extinction. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Absurdity
Ab•surd´i•ty (-i•ty), n. ; pl. Absurdities (-tiz). [L. absurditas: cf. F. absurdite.]
1. The quality of being absurd or inconsistent with obvious truth, reason, or sound judgment. "The absurdity of the actual idea of an infinite number." Locke.
2. That which is absurd; an absurd action; a logical contradiction.
"His travels were full of absurdities." - Johnson.

Absurdly
Ab•surd´ly, adv. In an absurd manner.

Absurdness
Ab•surd´ness, n. Absurdity. [R.]

Abuna
A•bu´na (a•boo"na), n. [Eth. and Ar., our father.] The Patriarch, or head of the Abyssinian Church.

Abundance
A•bun´dance (a•bun"d ans), n. [OE. (h)abundaunce, abundance, F. abondance, L. abundantia, fr. abundare. See Abound.] An overflowing fullness; ample sufficiency; great plenty; profusion; copious supply; superfluity; wealth: — strictly applicable to quantity only, but sometimes used of number.
"It is lamentable to remember what abundance of noble blood hath been shed with small benefit to the Christian state." - Raleigh.
Syn. — Exuberance; plenteousness; plenty; copiousness; overflow; riches; affluence; wealth. — Abundance, Plenty, Exuberance. These words rise upon each other in expressing the idea of fullness. Plenty denotes a sufficiency to supply every want; as plenty of food, plenty of money, etc. Abundance express more, and gives the idea of superfluity or excess; as abundance of riches, an abundance of wit and humor; often, however, it only denotes plenty in a high degree. Exuberance rises still higher, and implies a bursting forth on every side, producing great superfluity or redundance; as an exuberance of mirth, an exuberance of animal spirits, etc.

Aburst
A•burst´, adv. [Pref. a. + burst.] In a bursting condition.

Abusable
A•bus´a•ble, a. That may be abused.

Abusage
A•bus´age, n. Abuse. [Obs.] Whately (1634).

Abuse
A•buse´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abused ; p. pr. & vb. n. Abusing.] [F. abuser; L. abusus, p. p. of abuti to abuse, misuse; a. + uti to use. See Use.]
1. To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to misuse; to put to a bad use; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert; as to abuse inherited gold; to make an excessive use of; as to abuse one’s authority.
"This principle (if one may so abuse the word) shoots rapidly into popularity." - Froude.
2. To use ill; to maltreat; to act injuriously to; to punish or to tax excessively; to hurt; as to abuse prisoners, to abuse one’s powers, one’s patience.
3. To revile; to reproach coarsely; to disparage.
"The … tellers of news abused the general." - Macaulay.
4. To dishonor. "Shall flight abuse your name?" Shak.
5. To violate; to ravish. Spenser.
6. To deceive; to impose on. [Obs.]
"Their eyes red and staring, cozened with a moist cloud, and abused by a double object." - Jer. Taylor.
Syn. — To maltreat; injure; revile; reproach; vilify; vituperate; asperse; traduce; malign.

Abuse
A•buse´, n. [F. abus, L. abusus, fr. abuti. See Abuse, v. t.]
1. Improper treatment or use; application to a wrong or bad purpose; misuse; as an abuse of our natural powers; an abuse of civil rights, or of privileges or advantages; an abuse of language.
"Liberty may be endangered by the abuses of liberty, as well as by the abuses of power." - Madison.
2. Physical ill treatment; injury. "Rejoice … at the abuse of Falstaff." Shak.
3. A corrupt practice or custom; offense; crime; fault; as the abuses in the civil service.
"Abuse after disappeared without a struggle.." - Macaulay.
4. Vituperative words; coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; virulent condemnation; reviling.
"The two parties, after exchanging a good deal of abuse, came to blows." - Macaulay.
5. Violation; rape; as abuse of a female child. [Obs.]
"Or is it some abuse, and no such thing?" - Shak.
Abuse of distress (Law), a wrongful using of an animal or chattel distrained, by the distrainer.
Syn. — Invective; contumely; reproach; scurrility; insult; opprobrium. — Abuse, Invective. Abuse is generally prompted by anger, and vented in harsh and unseemly words. It is more personal and coarse than invective. Abuse generally takes place in private quarrels; invective in writing or public discussions. Invective may be conveyed in refined language and dictated by indignation against what is blameworthy. C. J. Smith.

Abuser
A•bus´er, n. One who abuses [in the various senses of the verb].

Abusion
A•bu´sion, n. [OE. abusion, abusioun, OF. abusion, fr. L. abusio misuse of words, f. abuti. See Abuse, v. t.] Evil or corrupt usage; abuse; wrong; reproach; deception; cheat. Chaucer.

Abusively
A•bu´sive•ly, adv. In an abusive manner; rudely; with abusive language.

Abusiveness
A•bu´sive•ness, n. The quality of being abusive; rudeness of language, or violence to the person.
"Pick out mirth, like stones out of thy ground, Profaneness, filthiness, abusiveness." - Herbert.

Abut
A•but´, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Abutted; p. pr. & vb. n. Abutting.] [OF. abouter, aboter; cf. F. aboutir, and also abuter; a (L. a. ) + OF. boter, buter, to push: cf. F. bout end, and but end, purpose.] To project; to terminate or border; to be contiguous; to meet; — with on, upon, or against; as his land abuts on the road.

Abutment
A•but´ment (a•but"m ent), n.
1. State of abutting.
2. That on or against which a body abuts or presses; as (a) (Arch.) The solid part of a pier or wall, etc., which receives the thrust or lateral pressure of an arch, vault, or strut. Gwilt. (b) (Mech.) A fixed point or surface from which resistance or reaction is obtained, as the cylinder head of a steam engine, the fulcrum of a lever, etc. (c) In breech-loading firearms, the block behind the barrel which receives the pressure due to recoil.

Abuttal
A•but´tal, n. The butting or boundary of land, particularly at the end; a headland. Spelman.

Abutter
A•but´ter, n. One who, or that which, abuts. Specifically, the owner of a contiguous estate; as the abutters on a street or a river.

Abuzz
A•buzz´, a. [Pref. a. + buzz.] In a buzz; buzzing. [Colloq.] Dickens. { A•by´, A•bye´ }, v. t. & i. [ imp. & p. p. Abought .] [AS. abycgan to pay for; pref. a. (cf. Goth. us-, Ger. er-, orig. meaning out) + bycgan to buy. See Buy, and cf. Abide.]
1. To pay for; to suffer for; to atone for; to make amends for; to give satisfaction. [Obs.]
"Lest to thy peril thou aby it dear." - Shak.
2. To endure; to abide. [Obs.]
"But nought that wanteth rest can long aby." - Spenser.

Abysmally
A•bys´mal•ly, adv. To a fathomless depth; profoundly. "Abysmally ignorant." G. Eliot.

Abyss
A•byss´, n. [L. abyssus a bottomless gulf, fr. Gr. bottomless; ’a priv. + depth, bottom.]
1. A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable, and, specifically, hell, or the bottomless pit.
"Ye powers and spirits of this nethermost abyss." - Milton.
"The throne is darkness, in the abyss of light." - Dryden.
2. Infinite time; a vast intellectual or moral depth.
"The abysses of metaphysical theology." - Macaulay.
"In unfathomable abysses of disgrace." - Burke.
3. (Her.) The center of an escutcheon. This word, in its leading uses, is associated with the cosmological notions of the Hebrews, having reference to a supposed illimitable mass of waters from which our earth sprung, and beneath whose profound depths the wicked were punished. Encyc. Brit.

Abyssal
A•byss´al, a. [Cf. Abysmal.] Belonging to, or resembling, an abyss; unfathomable. Abyssal zone (Phys. Geog.), one of the belts or zones into which Sir E. Forbes divides the bottom of the sea in describing its plants, animals, etc. It is the one furthest from the shore, embracing all beyond one hundred fathoms deep. Hence, abyssal animals, plants, etc.