Ava
A´va, n. Same as Kava. Johnston.
Avail
A•vail´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Availed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Availing.] [OE. availen, fr. F. (L. a. ) + valoir to be worth, fr. L. valere to be strong, to be worth. See Valiant.]
1. To turn to the advantage of; to be of service to; to profit; to benefit; to help; as artifices will not avail the sinner in the day of judgment.
"O, what avails me now that honor high !" - Milton.
2. To promote; to assist. [Obs.] Pope. To avail one’s self of, to make use of; take advantage of.
"Then shall they seek to avail themselves of names." - Milton.
"I have availed myself of the very first opportunity." - Dickens.
Avail
A•vail´, v. t. & i. See Avale, v. [Obs.] Spenser.
Availably
A•vail´a•bly, adv. In an available manner; profitably; advantageously; efficaciously.
Avalanche
Av´a•lanche ( 277), n. [F. avalanche, fr. avaler to descend, to let down, from aval down, downward; (L. a. ) + val, L. vallis, valley. See Valley.]
1. A large mass or body of snow and ice sliding swiftly down a mountain side, or falling down a precipice.
2. A fall of earth, rocks, etc., similar to that of an avalanche of snow or ice.
3. A sudden, great, or irresistible descent or influx of anything.
Avale
A•vale´, v. t. & i. [F. avaler to descend, to let down. See Avalanche.]
1. To cause to descend; to lower; to let fall; to doff. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. To bring low; to abase. [Obs.] Sir H. Wotton.
3. (v. i.) To descend; to fall; to dismount. [Obs.]
"And from their sweaty courses did avale." - Spenser.
Avant
A•vant´, n. [For avant-guard. Cf. Avaunt, Van.] The front of an army. [Obs.] See Van.
Avant-courier
A•vant´-cou•ri•er, n. [F., fr. avant before + courrier. See Avaunt, and Courier.] A person dispatched before another person or company, to give notice of his or their approach.
Avant-guard
A•vant´-guard ( rad.277), n. [F. avant before + E. guard, F. avant-garde. See Avaunt.] The van or advanced body of an army. See Vanguard.
Avaricious
Av•a•ri´cious, a. [Cf. F. avaricieux.] Actuated by avarice; greedy of gain; immoderately desirous of accumulating property.
Syn. — Greedy; stingy; rapacious; griping; sordid; close. — Avaricious, Covetous, Parsimonious, Penurious, Miserly, Niggardly. The avaricious eagerly grasp after it at the expense of others, though not of necessity with a design to save, since a man may be covetous and yet a spendthrift. The penurious, parsimonious, and miserly save money by disgraceful self- denial, and the niggardly by meanness in their dealing with others. We speak of persons as covetous in getting, avaricious in retaining, parsimonious in expending, penurious or miserly in modes of living, niggardly in dispensing. — Av•a•ri´cious•ly, adv. — Av•a•ri´cious•ness, n.
Avast
A•vast´, interj. [Corrupted from D. houd vast hold fast. See Hold, v. t., and Fast, a. ] (Naut.) Cease; stop; stay. "Avast heaving." Totten.
Avaunce
A•vaunce´, v. t. & i. [See Advance.] To advance; to profit. Chaucer.
Avaunt
A•vaunt´, interj. [F. avant forward, fr. L. a. + ante before. Cf. Avant, Advance.] Begone; depart; — a word of contempt or abhorrence, equivalent to the phrase "Get thee gone."
Avaunt
A•vaunt´, v. t. & i. [OF. avanter; à (L. a. ) + vanter. See Vaunt.] To vaunt; to boast. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Avauntour
A•vaunt´our, n. [OF. avanteur.] A boaster. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Avenge
A•venge´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Avenged ; p. pr. & vb. n. Avenging .] [OF. avengier; L. a. + vindicare to lay claim to, to avenge, revenge. See Vengeance.]
1. To take vengeance for; to exact satisfaction for by punishing the injuring party; to vindicate by inflicting pain or evil on a wrongdoer.
"He will avenge the blood of his servants." - Deut. xxxii. 43.
"Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered saints, whose bones
Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold." - Milton.
"He had avenged himself on them by havoc such as England had never before seen." - Macaulay.
2. To treat revengefully; to wreak vengeance on. [Obs.]
"Thy judgment in avenging thine enemies." - Bp. Hall.
Syn. — To Avenge, Revenge. To avenge is to inflict punishment upon evil doers in behalf of ourselves, or others for whom we act; as to avenge one’s wrongs; to avenge the injuries of the suffering and innocent. It is to inflict pain for the sake of vindication, or retributive justice. To revenge is to inflict pain or injury for the indulgence of resentful and malicious feelings. The former may at times be a duty; the latter is one of the worst exhibitions of human character.
"I avenge myself upon another, or I avenge another, or I avenge a wrong. I revenge only myself, and that upon another." - C. J. Smith.
Avengeress
A•ven´ger•ess, n. A female avenger. [Obs.] Spenser.
Avenor
Av´e•nor, n. See Avener. [Obs.]
Avens
Av´ens, n. [OF. avence.] (Bot.) A plant of the genus Geum, esp. Geum urbanum, or herb bennet.
Aventail
Av´en•tail, n. [OF. esventail. Cf. Ventail.] The movable front to a helmet; the ventail.
Aventre
A•ven´tre, v. t. To thrust forward (at a venture), as a spear. [Obs.] Spenser.
Aventure
A•ven´ture ( 135), n. [See Adventure, n. ]
1. Accident; chance; adventure. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. (Old Law) A mischance causing a person’s death without felony, as by drowning, or falling into the fire.
Avenue
Av´e•nue, n. [F. avenue, fr. avenir to come to, L. advenire. See Advene.]
1. A way or opening for entrance into a place; a passage by which a place may by reached; a way of approach or of exit. "The avenues leading to the city by land." Macaulay.
"On every side were expanding new avenues of inquiry." - Milman.
2. The principal walk or approach to a house which is withdrawn from the road, especially, such approach bordered on each side by trees; any broad passageway thus bordered.
"An avenue of tall elms and branching chestnuts." - W. Black.
3. A broad street; as the Fifth Avenue in New York.
Aver
A´ver (a"ver), n. [OF. aver domestic animal, whence LL. averia, pl. cattle. See Habit, and cf. Average.] A work horse, or working ox. [Obs. or Dial. Eng.]
Aver
A•ver´ (a•ver"), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Averred (a•verd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Averring.] [F. averer, LL. adverare, averare; L. a. + versus true. See Verity.]
1. To assert, or prove, the truth of. [Obs.]
2. (Law) To avouch or verify; to offer to verify; to prove or justify. See Averment.
3. To affirm with confidence; to declare in a positive manner, as in confidence of asserting the truth.
"It is sufficient that the very fact hath its foundation in truth, as I do seriously aver is the case." - Fielding.
"Then all averred I had killed the bird." - Coleridge.
Syn. — To assert; affirm; asseverate. See Affirm.
Average
Av´er•age, n. [OF. average, LL. averagium, prob. fr. OF. aver, F. avoir, property, horses, cattle, etc.; prop. infin., to have, from L. habere to have. Cf. F. average small cattle, and avarie (perh. of different origin) damage to ship or cargo, port dues. The first meaning was perh. the service of carting a feudal lord’s wheat, then charge for carriage, the contribution towards loss of things carried, in proportion to the amount of each person’s property. Cf. Aver, n. , Avercorn, Averpenny.]
1. (OLd Eng. Law) That service which a tenant owed his lord, to be done by the work beasts of the tenant, as the carriage of wheat, turf, etc.
2. [Cf. F. avarie damage to ship or cargo.] (Com.) (a) A tariff or duty on goods, etc. [Obs.] (b) Any charge in addition to the regular charge for freight of goods shipped. (c) A contribution to a loss or charge which has been imposed upon one of several for the general benefit; damage done by sea perils. (d) The equitable and proportionate distribution of loss or expense among all interested. General average, a contribution made, by all parties concerned in a sea adventure, toward a loss occasioned by the voluntary sacrifice of the property of some of the parties in interest for the benefit of all. It is called general average, because it falls upon the gross amount of ship, cargo, and freight at risk and saved by the sacrifice. Kent. — Particular average signifies the damage or partial loss happening to the ship, or cargo, or freight, in consequence of some fortuitous or unavoidable accident; and it is borne by the individual owners of the articles damaged, or by their insurers. — Petty averages are sundry small charges, which occur regularly, and are necessarily defrayed by the master in the usual course of a voyage; such as port charges, common pilotage, and the like, which formerly were, and in some cases still are, borne partly by the ship and partly by the cargo. In the clause commonly found in bills of lading, "primage and average accustomed," average means a kind of composition established by usage for such charges, which were formerly assessed by way of average. Arnould. Abbott. Phillips.
3. A mean proportion, medial sum or quantity, made out of unequal sums or quantities; an arithmetical mean. Thus, if A loses 5 dollars, B 9, and C 16, the sum is 30, and the average 10.
4. Any medial estimate or general statement derived from a comparison of diverse specific cases; a medium or usual size, quantity, quality, rate, etc. "The average of sensations." Paley.
5. pl. In the English corn trade, the medial price of the several kinds of grain in the principal corn markets. On an average, taking the mean of unequal numbers or quantities.
Average
Av´er•age, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Averaged ; p. pr. & vb. n. Averaging.]
1. To find the mean of, when sums or quantities are unequal; to reduce to a mean.
2. To divide among a number, according to a given proportion; as to average a loss.
3. To do, accomplish, get, etc., on an average.
Averment
A•ver´ment, n. [Cf. OF. averement, LL. averamentum. See Aver, v. t.]
1. The act of averring, or that which is averred; affirmation; positive assertion.
"Signally has this averment received illustration in the course of recent events." - I. Taylor.
2. Verification; establishment by evidence. Bacon.
3. (Law) A positive statement of facts; an allegation; an offer to justify or prove what is alleged. In any stage of pleadings, when either party advances new matter, he avers it to be true, by using this form of words: "and this he is ready to verify." This was formerly called an averment. It modern pleading, it is termed a verification. Blackstone. { A•ver´nal, A•ver´ni•an } a. Of or pertaining to Avernus, a lake of Campania, in Italy, famous for its poisonous vapors, which ancient writers fancied were so malignant as to kill birds flying over it. It was represented by the poets to be connected with the infernal regions.
Averruncate
Av•er•run´cate, v. t. [L. averruncare to avert; a, a. , off + verruncare to turn; formerly derived from a. and eruncare to root out. Cf. Aberuncate.]
1. To avert; to ward off. [Obs.] Hudibras.
2. To root up. [Obs.] Johnson.
Averruncator
Av•er•run•ca´tor, n. [Cf. Aberuncator.] An instrument for pruning trees, consisting of two blades, or a blade and a hook, fixed on the end of a long rod.
Aversation
Av•er•sa´tion, n. [L. aversatio, fr. aversari to turn away, v. intens. of avertere. See Avert.] A turning from with dislike; aversion. [Obs.or Archaic]
"Some men have a natural aversation to some vices or virtues, and a natural affection to others." - Jer. Taylor.
Averse
A•verse´, a. [L. aversus, p. p. of avertere. See Avert.]
1. Turned away or backward. [Obs.]
"The tracks averse a lying notice gave,
And led the searcher backward from the cave." - Dryden.
2. Having a repugnance or opposition of mind; disliking; disinclined; unwilling; reluctant.
"Averse alike to flatter, or offend." - Pope.
"Men who were averse to the life of camps." - Macaulay.
"Pass by securely as men averse from war." - Micah ii. 8.
The prevailing usage now is to employ to after averse and its derivatives rather than from, as was formerly the usage. In this the word is in agreement with its kindred terms, hatred, dislike, dissimilar, contrary, repugnant, etc., expressing a relation or an affection of the mind to an object.
Syn. — Averse, Reluctant, Adverse. Averse expresses an habitual, though not of necessity a very strong, dislike; as averse to active pursuits; averse to study. Reluctant, a term of the of the will, implies an internal struggle as to making some sacrifice of interest or feeling; as reluctant to yield; reluctant to make the necessary arrangements; a reluctant will or consent. Adverse denotes active opposition or hostility; as adverse interests; adverse feelings, plans, or movements; the adverse party.
Averseness
A•verse´ness, n. The quality of being averse; opposition of mind; unwillingness.
Aversion
A•ver´sion, n. [L. aversio: cf. F. aversion. See Avert.]
1. A turning away. [Obs.]
"Adhesion to vice and aversion from goodness." - Bp. Atterbury.
2. Opposition or repugnance of mind; fixed dislike; antipathy; disinclination; reluctance.
"Mutual aversion of races." - Prescott.
"His rapacity had made him an object of general aversion." - Macaulay.
It is now generally followed by to before the object. [See Averse.] Sometimes towards and for are found; from is obsolete.
"A freeholder is bred with an aversion to subjection." - Addison.
"His aversion towards the house of York." - Bacon.
"It is not difficult for a man to see that a person has conceived an aversion for him." - Spectator.
"The Khasias … have an aversion to milk." - J. D. Hooker.
3. The object of dislike or repugnance.
"Pain their aversion, pleasure their desire." - Pope.
Syn. — Antipathy; dislike; repugnance; disgust. See Dislike.
Avert
A•vert´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Averted; p. pr. & vb. n. Averting.] [L. avertere; a, a. + vertere to turn: cf. OF. avertir. See Verse, n. ] To turn aside, or away; as to avert the eyes from an object; to ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of; as how can the danger be averted? "To avert his ire." Milton.
"When atheists and profane persons do hear of so many discordant and contrary opinions in religion, it doth avert them from the church." - Bacon.
"Till ardent prayer averts the public woe." - Prior.
Avert
A•vert´, v. i. To turn away. [Archaic]
"Cold and averting from our neighbor’s good." - Thomson.
Avertible
A•vert´i•ble, a. Capable of being averted; preventable.
Aves
A´ves, n. pl. [L., pl. of avis bird.] (Zoöl.) The class of Vertebrata that includes the birds. Aves, or birds, have a complete double circulation, oviparous, reproduction, front limbs peculiarly modified as wings; and they bear feathers. All existing birds have a horny beak, without teeth; but some Mesozoic fossil birds (Odontornithes) had conical teeth inserted in both jaws. The principal groups are: Carinatae, including all existing flying birds; Ratitae, including the ostrich and allies, the apteryx, and the extinct moas; Odontornithes, or fossil birds with teeth. The ordinary birds are classified largely by the structure of the beak and feet, which are in direct relation to their habits. See Beak, Bird, Odontonithes.
Avesta
A•ves´ta, n. The Zoroastrian scriptures. See Zend-Avesta.
Aviate
A´vi•ate, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Aviated p. pr. & vb. n. Aviating.] To fly, or navigate the air, in an aëroplane or heavier-than-air flying machine. [Colloq.]
Aviator
A´vi•a•tor, n. (a) An experimenter in aviation. (b) A flying machine.
Avicularia
A•vic•u•la´ri•a, n. pl. [NL. See Avicular.] (Zoöl.) See prehensile processes on the cells of some Bryozoa, often having the shape of a bird’s bill.
Avid
Av´id, a. [L. avidus, fr. avre to long: cf. F. avide. See Avarice.] Longing eagerly for; eager; greedy. "Avid of gold, yet greedier of renown." Southey.
Avidity
A•vid´i•ty, n. [L. aviditas, fr. avidus: cf. F. avidite. See Avid.] Greediness; strong appetite; eagerness; intenseness of desire; as to eat with avidity.
"His books were received and read with avidity." - Milward.
Avile
A•vile´, v. t. [OF. aviler, F. avilir; a (L. a. ) + vil vile. See Vile.] To abase or debase; to vilify; to depreciate. [Obs.]
"Want makes us know the price of what we avile." - B. Jonson.
Avis
A•vis´, n. [F. avis. See Advice.] Advice; opinion; deliberation. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Avise
A•vise´, v. t. [F. aviser. See Advise, v. t.]
1. To look at; to view; to think of. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. To advise; to counsel. [Obs.] Shak. To avise one’s self, to consider with one’s self, to reflect, to deliberate. [Obs.] Chaucer.
"Now therefore, if thou wilt enriched be, Avise thee well, and change thy willful mood." - Spenser.
Aviseful
A•vise´ful, a. Watchful; circumspect. [Obs.]
"With sharp, aviseful eye." - Spenser.
Avisement
A•vise´ment, n. Advisement; observation; deliberation. [Obs.]
Aviso
A•vi´so, n. [Sp.]
1. Information; advice.
2. An advice boat, or dispatch boat.
Avocate
Av´o•cate, v. t. [L. avocatus, p. p. of avocare; a, a. + vocare to call. Cf. Avoke, and see Vocal, a. ] To call off or away; to withdraw; to transfer to another tribunal. [Obs. or Archaic]
"One who avocateth his mind from other occupations." - Barrow.
"He, at last, … avocated the cause to Rome." - Robertson.
Avoid
A•void´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Avoided; p. pr. & vb. n. Avoiding.] [OF. esvuidier, es (L. ex) + vuidier, voidier, to empty. See Void, a. ]
1. To empty. [Obs.] Wyclif.
2. To emit or throw out; to void; as to avoid excretions. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
3. To quit or evacuate; to withdraw from. [Obs.]
"Six of us only stayed, and the rest avoided
the room." - Bacon.
4. To make void; to annul or vacate; to refute.
"How can these grants of the king’s be avoided?" - Spenser.
5. To keep away from; to keep clear of; to endeavor no to meet; to shun; to abstain from; as to avoid the company of gamesters.
"What need a man forestall his date of grief.
And run to meet what he would most avoid ?" - Milton.
"He carefully avoided every act which could goad them into open hostility." - Macaulay.
6. To get rid of. [Obs.] Shak.
7. (Pleading) To defeat or evade; to invalidate. Thus, in a replication, the plaintiff may deny the defendant’s plea, or confess it, and avoid it by stating new matter. Blackstone.
Syn. — To escape; elude; evade; eschew. — To Avoid, Shun. Avoid in its commonest sense means, to keep clear of, an extension of the meaning, to withdraw one’s self from. It denotes care taken not to come near or in contact; as to avoid certain persons or places. Shun is a stronger term, implying more prominently the idea of intention. The words may, however, in many cases be interchanged.
"No man can pray from his heart to be kept from temptation, if the take no care of himself to avoid it." - Mason.
"So Chanticleer, who never saw a fox,
Yet shunned him as a sailor shuns the rocks." - Dryden.
Avoirdupois
Av•oir•du•pois´ (av•er•du•poiz"), n. & a. [OE. aver de peis, goods of weight, where peis is fr. OF. peis weight, F. poids, L. pensum. See Aver, n. , and Poise, n. ]
1. Goods sold by weight. [Obs.]
2. Avoirdupois weight.
3. Weight; heaviness; as a woman of much avoirdupois. [Colloq.] Avoirdupois weight, a system of weights by which coarser commodities are weighed, such as hay, grain, butter, sugar, tea. The standard Avoirdupois pound of the United States is equivalent to the weight of 27.7015 cubic inches of distilled water at 62° Fahrenheit, the barometer being at 30 inches, and the water weighed in the air with brass weights. In this system of weights 16 drams make 1 ounce, 16 ounces 1 pound, 25 pounds 1 quarter, 4 quarters 1 hundred weight, and 20 hundred weight 1 ton. The above pound contains 7,000 grains, or 453.54 grams, so that 1 pound avoirdupois is equivalent to 1 31-144 pounds troy. (See Troy weight.) Formerly, a hundred weight was reckoned at 112 pounds, the ton being 2,240 pounds (sometimes called a long ton).
Avoke
A•voke´, v. t. [Cf. Avocate.] To call from or back again. [Obs.] Bp. Burnet.
Avolation
Av•o•la´tion, n. [LL. avolatio.] The act of flying; flight; evaporation. [Obs.]
Avouch
A•vouch´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Avouched ; p. pr. & vb. n. Avouching.] [OF. avochier, LL. advocare to recognize the existence of a thing, to advocate, fr. L. advocare to call to; a. + vocare to call. Cf. Avow to declare, Advocate, and see Vouch, v. t.]
1. To appeal to; to cite or claim as authority. [Obs.]
"They avouch many successions of authorities." - Coke.
2. To maintain a just or true; to vouch for.
"We might be disposed to question its authenticity, it if were not avouched by the full evidence." - Milman.
3. To declare or assert positively and as matter of fact; to affirm openly.
"If this which he avouches does appear." - Shak.
"Such antiquities could have been avouched for the Irish." - Spenser.
4. To acknowledge deliberately; to admit; to confess; to sanction.
"Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God." - Deut. xxvi. 17.
Avouchment
A•vouch´ment, n. The act of avouching; positive declaration. [Obs.] Milton.
Avoutrer
A•vou´trer, n. See Advoutrer. [Obs.]
Avow
A•vow´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Avowed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Avowing.] [F. avouver, fr. L. advocare to call to (whence the meanings, to call upon as superior; recognize as lord, own, confess); a. + vocare to call. See Advocate, Avouch.]
1. To declare openly, as something believed to be right; to own or acknowledge frankly; as a man avows his principles or his crimes.
"Which I to be the of Israel’s God Avow, and challenge Dagon to the test." - Milton.
2. (Law) To acknowledge and justify, as an act done. See Avowry. Blackstone.
Syn. — To acknowledge; own; confess. See Confess.
Avow
A•vow´, n. [Cf. F. aveu.] Avowal. [Obs.] Dryden.
Avow
A•vow´, v. t. & i. [OF. avouer, fr. LL. votare to vow, fr. L. votun. See Vote, n. ] To bind, or to devote, by a vow. [Obs.] Wyclif.
Avowable
A•vow´a•ble, a. Capable of being avowed, or openly acknowledged, with confidence. Donne.
Avowal
A•vow´al, n. An open declaration; frank acknowledgment; as an avowal of such principles. Hume.
Avowed
A•vowed´, a. Openly acknowledged or declared; admitted. — A•vow´ed•ly, adv.
Avowee
A•vow•ee´, n. [F. avoue. Cf. Advowee, Advocate, n. ] The person who has a right to present to a benefice; the patron; an advowee. See Advowson.
Avowry
A•vow´ry, n. [OE. avouerie protection, authority, OF. avouerie. See Avow to declare.]
1. An advocate; a patron; a patron saint. [Obs.]
"Let God alone be our avowry." - Latimer.
2. The act of the distrainer of goods, who, in an action of replevin, avows and justifies the taking in his own right. Blackstone. When an action of replevin is brought, the distrainer either makes avowry, that is, avours taking the distress in his own right, or the right of his wife, and states the reason if it, as for arrears of rent, damage done, or the like; or makes cognizance, that is, acknowledges the taking, but justifies in an another’s right, as his bailiff or servant.
Avoyer
A•voy´er, n. [F.] A chief magistrate of a free imperial city or canton of Switzerland. [Obs.]