List of Abbreviations Used in This Dictionary

Amphimacer, am-fim′a-sėr, n. in prosody, a foot of three syllables, the middle one short, and the first and last long, as cārĭtās. Sometimes applied to such Eng. words as runaway. [Gr., 'long at both ends;' amphi, on both sides, makros, long.]

Amphioxus, am-fī-oks′us, n. the lancelet, one of the lowest backboned animals, found on the sandy coasts of warm and temperate seas. The body is about two inches long and pointed at both ends. [Gr. amphi, on both sides, and oxys, sharp.]

Amphipods, am′fi-pods, n. an order of small sessile-eyed crustaceans—a familiar example is the sand-hopper. [Gr. amphi, both ways, pous, podos, a foot.]

Amphisbæna, am-fis-bē′na, n. a family of lizard-snakes, chiefly found in tropical America, which have their tails so rounded as to give them the appearance of having a head at both ends.—adj. Amphisbē′nic. [Gr. amphisbaina—amphi, amphis, both ways, and bain-ein, to go.]

Amphiscians, am-fish′i-anz, n.pl. the inhabitants of the torrid zone, whose shadows are thrown both ways—that is, to the north one part of the year, and to the south the other part, according as the sun is north or south of the equator. [Gr. amphiskios—amphi, both ways, skia, a shadow.]

Amphistomous, am-fis′tō-mus, adj. having a mouth-like orifice at either end, as some parasitic worms. [Gr., amphistomos, double mouthed.]

Amphitheatre, am-fi-thē′a-tėr, n. an oval or circular edifice having rows of seats one above another, around an open space, called the arena, in which public spectacles are exhibited: anything like an amphitheatre in form.—adjs. Amphitheat′rical, Amphitheat′ral.—adv. Amphitheat′rically. [Gr. amphi, round about, theatron, a place for seeing—theaomai, to see.]

Amphitryon, am-fit′ri-on, n. a host or entertainer. [From Amphitryon in Molière's comedy, who gives a great dinner. Amphitryon in Gr. mythology was husband of Alcmene, who was deceived by Zeus in her husband's semblance, and so became the mother of Hercules.]

Amphora, am′fō-ra, n. a two-handled vessel or jar used by the Greeks and Romans for holding liquids.—adj. Am′phoric (med.), like the sound produced by speaking into an amphora or any large vessel with a small mouth. [Gr. amphoreus, amphiphoreus—amphi, on both sides, pher-ein, to bear.]

Ample, am′pl, adj. spacious: large enough: abundant: liberal: copious, or of great length.—ns. Am′pleness; Ampliā′tion, enlarging, an enlargement.—adj. Ampliā′tive (rare).—adv. Am′ply. [Fr.—L. amplus, large.]

Amplexicaul, am-pleks′i-kawl, adj. (bot.) nearly surrounding the stem—said of sessile leaves. [Modern L. amplexicaulis—L. amplexus, embrace, and caulis, stem.]

Amplify, am′pli-fī, v.t. to make more copious in expression: to add to.—n. Amplificā′tion, enlargement.—adj. Amplificā′tory.—n. Am′plifier, one who amplifies: a lens which enlarges the field of vision. [L. amplus, large, and fac-ĕre, to make.]

Amplitude, am′pli-tūd, n. largeness: abundance: width: splendour: wide range of mind: the distance from the east point of a horizon at which a heavenly body rises, or from the west point at which it sets. [Fr.—L. amplitudo.]

Ampul, am′pul, n. a small earthenware or glass vessel of an oblong globular form, used for containing consecrated oil or wine and water for the eucharistic service—now more commonly Ampul′la. [O. Fr. ampole—L. ampulla.]

Ampulla, am-pul′la, n. a small two-handled flask or bottle for holding liquids or unguents: a vessel for holding consecrated oil or chrism, esp. at the coronation of kings: a kind of cruet of transparent glass for holding the wine and water used at the altar: (biol.) the dilated end of any canal or duct in an animal body, also the spongiole of a root in plants.—adjs. Ampullā′ceous, Am′pullar, Am′pullary, Am′pullate.—n. Ampullos′ity, turgidity of language, bombast. [L.; made up of amb, on both sides, and olla, a jar; or an irregular dim. of amphora, a flagon.]

Amputate, am′pūt-āt, v.t. to cut off, as a limb of an animal.—n. Amputā′tion. [L. amb, round about, putāre, to cut.]

Amrita, am-rē′ta, n. the drink of the gods in Hindu mythology. [Sans.]

Amuck, a-muk′, adv. madly: in murderous frenzy—hardly ever used save in the phrase 'to run amuck.' [Malay, amoq, intoxicated or excited to madness.]

Amulet, am′ū-let, n. a gem, scroll, or other object carried about the person, as a charm against sickness, harm, or witchcraft. [Fr.—L. amulētum, a word of unknown origin; curiously like the mod. Ar. himalat, lit. 'a carrier,' applied to a shoulder-belt, by which a small Koran is hung on the breast.]

Amuse, a-mūz′, v.t. to occupy pleasantly: to divert: to beguile with expectation: (obs.) occupy the attention with: (arch.) to beguile.—adj. Amus′able, capable of being amused.—n. Amuse′ment, that which amuses: pastime.—adj. Amus′ing, affording amusement: entertaining.—adv. Amus′ingly.—n. Amus′ingness.—adj. Amus′ive (rare), having the power to amuse or entertain.—n. Amus′iveness. [Fr. amuser.]

Amusette, am-ū-zėt′, n. a light field-gun invented by Marshal Saxe. [Fr.]

Amutter, a-mut′ėr, adv. in a muttering state.

Amygdalate, a-mig′da-lāt, adj. pertaining to, like, or made of almonds.—adj. Amygdalā′ceous, akin to the almond. [L. amygdala—Gr. amygdalē, an almond.]

Amygdalin, Amygdaline, a-mig′da-lin, n. a crystalline principle existing in the kernel of bitter almonds.

Amygdaloid, a-mig′da-loid, n. a variety of basaltic rock containing almond-shaped nodules of other minerals, as quartz, felspar.—adj. Amygdaloi′dal. [Gr. amygdalē, and eidos, form.]

Amyl, am′il, n. the fifth in the series of the alcohol radicals, a natural product of the distillation of coal. As thus found, two molecules are united together, usually called diamyl, being a colourless liquid with an agreeable smell and burning taste.—n. Am′ylene. [Gr. amylon, starchy, fine meal.]

Amylaceous, am-i-lā′shus, adj. pertaining to or resembling starch. [L. amylum, starch—Gr. amylon.]

Amyloid, am′i-loid, n. a half-gelatinous substance like starch, found in some seeds.—adj. Amyloid′al. [Gr. amylon, the finest flour, starch; lit. 'unground'—a, neg., mylē, a mill, and eidos, form.]

An, an, adj. one: the indefinite article, used before words beginning with the sound of a vowel. [A.S. ān. See One.]

An, an, conj. if. [A form of And.]

Ana, ā′na, a suffix to names of persons or places, denoting a collection of memorable sayings, items of gossip, or miscellaneous facts, as Johnsoniana, Tunbrigiana, &c.: applied also to the literature of some special subject, as Boxiana, Burnsiana, Shakespeariana.—n.pl. specially a collection of the table-talk of some one. [The neut. pl. termination of L. adjectives in -anus = pertaining to.]

Anabaptist, an-a-bapt′ist, n. one who holds that baptism ought to be administered only to adults (by immersion), and therefore that those baptised in infancy ought to be baptised again.—The name is disclaimed by recent opponents of infant baptism both in England and the Continent.—v.i. Anabap′tise.—n. Anabapt′ism.—adj. Anabaptist′ic. [Gr. ana, again, baptiz-ein, to dip in water, to baptise.]

Anabasis, an-ab′a-sis, n. a military advance into the interior of a country—specially the title of the famous story of the unfortunate expedition of Cyrus the Younger against his brother Artaxerxes, and of the retreat of his 10,000 Greek allies under the conduct of Xenophon. [Gr.; made up of ana, up, and bain-ein, to go.]

Anableps, an′a-bleps, n. a genus of bony fishes with open air-bladders, and projecting eyes divided into an upper and lower portion, so that each eye has two pupils. [Gr. anablepsis, 'a looking up.']

Anabolism, an-ab′ol-izm, n. the constructive processes within the protoplasm, by which food or other material, at a relatively low level, passes through an ascending series of ever more complex and unstable combinations, till it is finally worked up into living matter. [Gr. anabolē, 'rising up.']

Anacanthous, an-a-kan′thus, adj. without spine. [Gr. an-, without, akantha, spine.]

Anacard, an′a-kard, n. the cashew-nut, the fruit of the Anacardium occidentale. [Gr., made up of ana, according to, and kardia, heart, from the shape of the fruit.]

Anacatharsis, an-a-kath-ar′sis, n. vomiting or expectoration.—n. Anacathar′tic, a medicine with this effect—expectorants, emetics, sternutatorics, &c. [Gr.; made up of ana, up, and kathair-ein, to cleanse.]

Anacharis, an-ak′ar-is, n. a North American weed found in ponds and slow streams, which was first found in Britain in 1842, and is now very troublesome in the Trent, Derwent, and other rivers. [Made up of Gr. ana, up, and charis, grace.]

Anachorism, a-nak′ō-rizm, n. (rare) something incongruous with the spirit of the country. [Coined on the analogy of anachronism, from Gr. ana, back, and chōrion, country, with suff. ism.]

Anachronism, an-a′kron-izm, n. an error in regard to time, whereby a thing is assigned to an earlier or to a later age than it belongs to: anything out of keeping with the time.—v.t. Ana′chronise.—n. Ana′chronist.—adjs. Anachronist′ic, Ana′chronous.—adv. Ana′chronously. [Gr. ana, backwards, chronos, time.]

Anaclastic, an-a-klas′tik, adj. pertaining to refraction: bending back. [Gr. ana, back, klaein, break off.]

Anacoluthon, an-a-ko-lū′thon, n. want of sequence in the construction of a sentence, when the latter part does not grammatically correspond with the former: a sentence exhibiting an Anacoluthia, or the passing from one construction to another before the former is completed. [Gr. anakolouthos—a, an, neg., and akolouthos, following.]

Anaconda, an-a-kon′da, n. a large South American water-snake of the Python family, closely related to the boa-constrictor. [Singhalese (?).]

Anacreontic, an-a-kre-ont′ik, adj. after the manner of the Greek poet Anacreon: free, convivial, erotic.—n. a poem in this vein.—adv. Anacreont′ically.

Anacrusis, an-a-krōō′sis, n. (pros.) an upward beat at the beginning of a verse, consisting of one or two unaccented syllables introductory to the just rhythm. [Gr. from ana, up, krou-ein, to strike.]

Anadem, an′a-dem, n. a band or fillet bound round the head: a wreath or chaplet of flowers. [Gr. anadēma—ana, up, and de-ein, to bind.]

Anadromous, an-ad′rō-mus, adj. ascending rivers to spawn. [Gr. ana, up, dromos, running.]

Anæmia, an-ēm′i-a, n. a term employed to denote those conditions in which there is a deficiency of blood or of its red corpuscles: lack or poverty of blood marked by paleness and languor.—adj. Anæm′ic. [Gr.; made up of an, neg., haima, blood.]

Anaerobia, an-ā-ėr-ō′bi-a, n.pl. (biol.) bacteria which flourish without free oxygen.—adj. Anaerō′bic.

Anæsthetic, an-ēs-thet′ik, adj. producing insensibility to external impressions.—n. a substance, as chloroform or cocaine, that produces insensibility, whether general or local.—ns. Anæsthē′sia, Anæsthē′sis, loss of feeling, insensibility.—adv. Anæsthet′ically.—v.t. Anæs′thetise. [Gr. a, an, neg., aisthēsis, sensation—aisthanomai, to feel.]

Anaglyph, an′a-glif, n. an ornament carved in low relief.—adj. Anaglypt′ic. [Gr.; ana, up, glyph-ein, to carve.]

Anaglyptography, an-a-glip-tog′ra-fi, n. the art of engraving so as to give the subject the appearance of being raised from the surface of the paper as if embossed—used in representing coins, &c. [Gr. anaglyptos, embossed, and graphia, writing.]

Anagogy, an′a-goj-i, n. the mystical interpretation or hidden sense of words.—adjs. Anagog′ic, Anagog′ical.—adv. Anagog′ically. [Gr. anagōgē, elevation, an-ag-ein, to lift up.]

Anagram, an′a-gram, n. a word or sentence formed by rewriting (in a different order) the letters of another word or sentence: as, 'live' = 'evil,' 'Quid est veritas? = 'Est vir qui adest,' and 'Florence Nightingale' = 'Flit on, cheering angel.'—Many pseudonyms are merely anagrams, as 'Voltaire' = 'Arouet l. i.'—that is, 'Arouet le jeune (the younger).'—adjs. Anagrammat′ic, Anagrammat′ical.—adv. Anagrammat′ically.—v.t. Anagram′matīse, to transpose, so as to form an anagram.—ns. Anagram′matism, the practice of making anagrams; Anagram′matist, a maker of anagrams. [Gr. ana, again, graph-ein, to write.]

Anagraph, an′a-graf, n. a catalogue or inventory: a description. [Gr. anagraphē—ana, up, out, graph-ein, to write.]

Anal, ān′al, adj. pertaining to or near the anus.

Analects, an′a-lekts, n.pl. collections of literary fragments—also Analec′ta.—adj. Analec′tic. [Gr. analektos—analegein, to collect—ana, up, legein, to gather.]

Analeptic, an-a-lep′tik, adj. restorative: comforting. [Gr. analēptikos, restorative—analēpsis, recovery—ana, up, and lambanō, lēpsomai, to take.]

Analgesia, an-al-jē′zi-a, n. painlessness, insensibility to pain. [Gr. an-, priv., and algein, to feel pain.]

Analogy, an-al′o-ji, n. an agreement or correspondence in certain respects between things otherwise different—a resemblance of relations, as in the phrase, 'Knowledge is to the mind what light is to the eye:' relation in general: likeness: (geom.) proportion or the equality of ratios: (gram.) the correspondence of a word or phrase with the genius of a language, as learned from the manner in which its words and phrases are ordinarily formed: similarity of derivative or inflectional processes.—adjs. Analog′ical, Anal′ogic.—adv. Analog′ically.—v.t. Anal′ogise, to explain or consider by analogy:—pr.p. anal′ogīsing; pa.p. anal′ogīsed.—ns. Anal′ogism (obs.), investigation by analogy: argument from cause to effect; Anal′ogist, one who adheres to analogy; Anal′ogon = analogue.—adj. Anal′ogous, having analogy: bearing some correspondence with or resemblance to: similar in certain circumstances or relations (with to).—adv. Anal′ogously.—ns. Anal′ogousness; An′alogue, a word or body bearing analogy to, or resembling, another: (biol.) a term used to denote physiological, independent of morphological resemblance.—Organs are analogous to one another, or are analogues, when they perform the same function, though they may be altogether different in structure; as the wings of a bird and the wings of an insect. Again, organs are homologous, or homologues, when they are constructed on the same plan, undergo a similar development, and bear the same relative position, and this independent of either form or function. Thus the arms of a man and the wings of a bird are homologues of one another, while the wing of a bird and the wing of a bat are both analogous and homologous. [Gr. ana, according to, and logos, ratio.]

Analphabete, an-al′fa-bēt, n. and adj. one who does not know his alphabet, an illiterate.—adj. Analphabet′ic. [Gr. an, neg., and Alphabet.]

Analysis, an-al′is-is, n. a resolving or separating a thing into its elements or component parts—the tracing of things to their source, and so discovering the general principles underlying individual phenomena. Its converse is synthesis, the explanation of certain phenomena by means of principles which are for this purpose assumed as established. Analysis as the resolution of our experience into its original elements, is an artificial separation; while synthesis is an artificial reconstruction: (gram.) the arrangement into its logical and grammatical elements of a sentence or part of a sentence:—pl. Anal′yses.—adj. Analys′able.—n. Analysā′tion.—v.t. An′alyse, to resolve a whole into its elements: to separate into component parts.—n. An′alyst, one skilled in analysis, esp. chemical analysis.—adjs. Analyt′ic, -al, pertaining to analysis: resolving into first principles.—adv. Analyt′ically.—n.pl. Analyt′ics, the name given by Aristotle to his treatises on logic.—Analytical geometry, geometry treated by means of ordinary algebra, with a reference, direct or indirect, to a system of co-ordinates; Analytic method (logic) proceeds regressively or inductively to the recognition of general principles, as opposed to the Synthetic method, which advances from principles to particulars. [Gr. analysis, analy-ein, to unloose, ana, up, ly-ein, to loose.]

Anamnesis, an-am-nēs′is, n. the recalling of things past to memory: the recollection of the Platonic pre-existence: the history of his illness given by the patient to his physician. [Gr.]

Anamorphosis, an-a-mor′fo-sis, n. a figure, appearing from one view-point irregular or deformed, but from another regular and in proportion: (bot.) a gradual transformation, or an abnormal development of any part.—adj. Anamor′phous. [Gr.; ana, back, morphōsis, a shaping—morphē, shape.]

Ananas, an-an′as, n. the pine-apple: the West Indian penguin.—Also Anan′a. [Peruvian.]

Anandrous, an-an′drus, adj. without stamens, or male organs, applied to female flowers. [Gr. an, neg., and anēr, andros, a man.]

Anantherous, an-an′thėr-us, adj. without anthers. [Gr. an, neg., and Anther.]

Ananthous, an-an′thus, adj. without flowers. [Gr. an, neg., and anthos, a flower.]

Anapæst, Anapest, an′a-pest, n. (in verse) a foot consisting of three syllables, two short and the third long, or (in Eng.) two unaccented and the third accented, as colonnadé—a familiar example of a poem in this metre is Byron's Destruction of Sennacherib.—adjs. Anapæs′tic, -al. [Gr. anapaistos, reversed, because it is the dactyl reversed.]

Anaphora, an′af-or-a, n. (rhet.) the repetition of the same word or phrase in several successive clauses, as in 1 Cor. i. 20. [Gr.; ana, back, pher-ein, to bear.]

Anaphrodisiac, an-af-rō-diz′i-ak, adj. and n. tending to diminish sexual desire, or a drug supposed to have that effect. [Fr. an, neg., and adj. from Aphrodite.]

Anaplasty, an′a-plas-ti, n. the reparation of superficial lesions by the use of adjacent healthy tissue, as by transplanting a portion of skin.—adj. An′aplastic. [Gr.; that may be formed anew, ana, again, plass-ein, to form.]

Anaplerosis, an′a-plē-rō′sis, n. the filling up of a deficiency, esp. in medicine: the filling up of parts that have been destroyed, as in wounds, cicatrices, &c.—adj. Anaplerot′ic. [Gr.; from ana, up, and plēro-ein, to fill up.]

Anaptotic, an-ap-tot′ik, adj. (philol.) again uninflected—a term sometimes applied to languages which have lost most of their inflections through phonetic decay. [Gr. ana, again, aptōtos, without case, indeclinable, aptōs, -ōtos, not falling, pipt-ein, to fall.]

Anarchy, an′ark-i, n. the want of government in a state: political confusion: conflict of opinion.—adjs. Anarch′al (rare); Anarch′ic, Anarch′ical.—v.t. Anarch′ise.—ns. An′archism, anarchy: the negation of government—the name adopted by a phase of revolutionary socialism associated with the names of Proudhon and Bakunin. Their ideal of society was of one without government of any kind, when every man should be a law unto himself; An′archist, An′arch, one who promotes anarchy. [Gr. a, an, neg., archē, government.]

Anarthrous, an-är′thrus, adj. without the article, of Greek nouns: (entom.) having neither wings nor legs.—adv. Anar′thrously. [Gr. an, neg., arthron, a joint, the article.]

Anastatic, an-a-stat′ik, adj. furnished with characters standing up, or raised in relief—esp. of the anastatic printing process, in which copies of drawings are printed from fac-similes produced in relief on zinc plates. [Gr. anastatikos—ana, up, statikos, causing to stand—histēmi, to make to stand.]

Anastomosis, an-as-to-mō′sis, n. the union or intercommunication of vessels with each other, as seen in the junction of the branches of the arteries.—v.i. Anas′tomose, to communicate in such a way.—adj. Anastomot′ic.

Anastrophe, an-as′tro-fi, n. an inversion of the natural order of words, as 'Loud roared the thunder,' for 'The thunder roared,' &c. [Gr.; ana, back, and streph-ein, to turn.]

Anathema, an-ath′em-a, n. a solemn ecclesiastical curse or denunciation involving excommunication: any person or thing anathematised: generally, any imprecation or expression of execration.—n. Anathematisā′tion—v.t. Anath′ematise, to pronounce accursed.—Anathema maranātha, as in 1 Cor. xvi. 22; maranatha (Syr. māran ethā, 'our Lord hath come') is properly a mere solemn formula of confirmation, like Amen, having no other connection with the antecedent anathema—it is so printed in the Revised Version.—It seems to have been used by the early Christians as a kind of watchword of mutual encouragement and hope. So the words in 1 Cor. xvi. 22 are nearly equivalent to the similar expressions in Phil. iv. 5; Rev. xxii. 20. [The classical Gr. anathēma meant a votive offering set up in a temple, ana, up, tithenai, to place; the anathĕma of the Septuagint and New Testament meant something specially devoted to evil, as in Rom. ix. 3.]

Anatomy, an-a′tom-i, n. the art of dissecting any organised body: science of the structure of the body learned by dissection: a skeleton, a shrivelled and shrunken body, a mummy: (fig.) the lifeless form or shadow of anything: humorously for the body generally: the detailed analysis of anything, as in Burton's famous treatise, The Anatomy of Melancholy.—adjs. Anatom′ic, -al, relating to anatomy.—adv. Anatom′ically.—v.t. Anat′omise, to dissect a body: (fig.) to lay open minutely.—n. Anat′omist, one skilled in anatomy. [Gr. ana, up, asunder, temnein, to cut.]

Anatopism, an-at′op-izm, n. (rare—Coleridge) a faulty arrangement. [Gr. ana, up, topos, a place.]

Anatta, an-at′ta, n. the reddish pulp surrounding the seeds of the Bixa orellana, a medium-sized tree growing in Guiana and elsewhere. It yields a dye which gives a bright orange tint to cloth, and is much used to add colour to butter and cheese.—Also Anat′to, Annat′to, Arnot′to. [Supposed to be a native Amer. word.]

Anbury, an′bėr-i, n. a disease in turnips, produced by one of the slime-fungi, and usually the result of improper cultivation. It is often confounded with Finger-and-toe (dactylorhiza), which is rather a degeneration of the plant than a disease, the bulb branching out into a number of taproots, while the skin remains unbroken. Anbury causes a scabbed and broken skin, and tubercular growths on the roots and at the base of the bulb. [Often explained as a disguised form of A.S. ampre, a crooked swelling vein; more probably, a variant of anbury = angberry, A.S. ang-, pain, as in ang-nail.]

Ancestor, an′ses-tur, n. one from whom a person has descended: a forefather:—fem. An′cestress.—adj. Ances′tral.—ns. An′cestor-wor′ship, the chief element in the religion of China and other countries—erroneously supposed by Herbert Spencer to be the foundation of all religion; An′cestry, a line of ancestors: lineage. [O. Fr. ancestre—L. antecessor—ante, before, cedĕre, cessum, to go.]

Anchor, ang′kor, n. an implement for retaining a ship in a particular spot by temporarily chaining it to the bed of a sea or river. The most common form has two flukes, one or other of which enters the ground, and so gives hold; but many modifications are used, some with movable arms, some self-canting.—Anchors are distinguished as the starboard and port bowers, sheet, spare, stream, kedge, and grapnel, or boat anchors: (fig.) anything that gives stability or security.—v.t. to fix by an anchor: to fasten.—v.i. to cast anchor: to stop, or rest on.—ns. Anch′orage, the act of anchoring: the place where a ship anchors or can anchor: (Shak.) the anchor and all the necessary tackle for anchoring: a position affording support: (fig.) anything that gives a resting-place or support to the mind: duty imposed on ships for anchoring; Anch′or-hold, the hold of an anchor upon the ground: (fig.) security.—adj. Anch′orless, without such: unstable.—n. Mushroom-anchor, an anchor with a saucer-shaped head on a central shank, used for mooring.—At anchor, anchored.—To cast anchor, to let down the anchor, to take up a position; To weigh anchor, to take up the anchor so as to be able to sail away. [A.S. ancor—L. ancora—Gr. angkyra, angkos, a bend. Conn. with Angle.]

Anchoret, ang′kor-et, Anchorite, ang′kor-īt, n. one who has withdrawn from the world, especially for religious reasons: a hermit.—The form Anach′oret occurs in many books on church history for the recluses of the East in the early history of the church.—ns. Anch′or (Shak.), an anchorite—earlier still also an anchoress, as in the book-title Ancren Riwle, the 'Rule of Nuns;' Anch′orage, the retreat of a hermit; Anch′oress, a female anchorite: a nun—also Anc′ress, Ank′ress, Anch′oritess.—adjs. Anch′oretic, -al. [Gr. anachōrētēs—ana, apart, chōrein, to go.]

Anchovy, an-chō′vi, n. a small fish of the herring family, much fished in the Mediterranean for pickling, and for a sauce made from it, anchovy-paste, &c.—n. Anchō′vy-pear, the fruit of a myrtaceous Jamaica tree, pickled and eaten like the East Indian mango, which it much resembles in taste. [Sp. and Port. anchova; Fr. anchois. Of doubtful etymology. The Basque anchoa, anchua, has been connected with antzua, dry.]

Anchylosis, Ankylosis, ang-kī-lō′sis, n. the coalescence of two bones, or the union of the different parts of a bone: stiffness in a joint through destruction of the articular cartilages, or a thickening and shortening of the natural fibrous tissues around the joint. [Gr.; angkylos, crooked.]

Ancient, ān′shent, adj. old: belonging to former times, specifically, of times prior to the downfall of the western Roman empire (476 A.D.): of great age or duration: of past times in a general sense: venerable: antique, old-fashioned.—n. an aged man, a patriarch: a superior in age or dignity.—adv. An′ciently.—ns. An′cientness; An′cientry, ancientness, seniority: ancestry: dignity of birth: (Shak.) old people.—n.pl. An′cients, those who lived in remote times, esp. the Greeks and Romans of classical times: (B.) elders.—The Ancient of days, a title in the Holy Scriptures for the Almighty, applied by Byron to Athens. [Fr. ancien—Low L. antianus, old—L. ante, before. See Antique.]

Ancient, ān′shent, n. (obs.) a flag or its bearer: an ensign. [Corr. of Fr. enseigne. See Ensign.]

Ancillary, an′sil-ar-i, adj. subservient, subordinate (with to). [L. ancilla, a maid-servant.]

Ancipital, an-sip′i-tal, adj. two-headed: double: doubtful: (bot.) two-edged and flattened.—Also Ancip′itous. [L. anceps, ancipit-is, double—an for amb, on both sides, and caput, the head.]

Ancome, ang′kum, n. (prov.—Scot. income) a small inflammatory swelling, coming on suddenly. [Same as Income.]

And, and, conj. signifies addition, or repetition, and is used to connect words and sentences, to introduce a consequence, &c.—in M. E. (but not A.S.) it was used for if, and often also with added if, as in Luke xii. 45. An became common for and in this sense, as often in Shakespeare.—It sometimes expresses emphatically a difference in quality between things of the same class, as 'there are friends ... and friends.' [A.S., and in the other Teut. lang.; prob. allied to L. ante, Gr. anti, over against.]

Andante, an-dan′te, adj. and n. (mus.) moving with moderate and even expression: a movement or piece composed in andante time.—adj. Andanti′no, of a movement somewhat slower than andante, but sometimes meaning 'with less of andante' = somewhat quicker.—Andante affettuoso, slow but pathetically; Andante cantabile, slow, but in a singing style; Andante con moto, slow, but with emotion; Andante grazioso, slow, but gracefully; Andante maestoso, slow, with majesty; Andante non troppo, slow, but not too much so. [It.—pr.p. of andare, to go.]

Andean, an-dē′an, adj. of or like the Andes Mountains.

Andiron, and′ī-urn, n. the iron bars which support the ends of the logs in a wood fire, or in which a spit turns. [O. Fr. andier (Mod. Fr. landier—l'andier); Low. L. anderius, andena; further ety. dubious, perhaps ultimately cog. with End. The termination was early confused with iron, hence the spellings and-iron, hand-iron.]

Androcephalous, an-dro-sef′a-lus, adj. having a human head, as a sphinx or Assyrian bull. [Gr. anēr, andros, a man, kephalē, a head.]

Androgynous, an-droj′i-nus, adj. having the characteristics of both male and female in one individual: hermaphrodite: (bot.) having an inflorescence of both male and female flowers—also Androg′ynal (rare).—n. Androg′yny, hermaphroditism. [Gr.; anēr, andros, a man, and gynē, woman.]

Android, an′droid, n. an automaton resembling a human being.—Also Andrō′ides.

Andromeda, an-drom′e-da, n. a genus of shrubs of the heath family: the name of a northern constellation. [Andromeda, in Greek mythology, a maiden bound to a rock, and exposed to a sea-monster, but delivered by Perseus.]

Ane, ān, or yin, Scotch form of One.

Aneal, Anele, an-ēl′, v.t. to anoint with oil: to administer extreme unction. [M. E. anele, from an A.S. verb compounded of A.S. on, on, and ele, oil.]

Anear, a-nēr′, adv. nearly: near.—prep. near.—v.t. to approach, to come near to.

Anecdote, an′ek-dōt, n. an incident of private life: a short story.—n. An′ecdotage, anecdotes collectively: garrulous old age.—adjs. An′ecdotal, Anecdot′ical, in the form of an anecdote. [Gr.; 'not published'—a, an, neg., and ekdotos, published—ek, out, and didonai, to give.]

Anelace. See Anlace.

Anelectrotonus, an′el-ek-trot′on-us, n. (phys.) the diminished excitability of a nerve near the anode of an electric current passing through it.—adj. An′elec′tric, parting readily with its electricity.—n. a body which readily gives up its electricity.—n. Anelec′trode, the positive pole of a galvanic battery.—adj. An′electrot′onic. [Gr. an, up, elektron, amber.]

Anemograph, a-nem′ō-graf, n. an instrument for measuring and recording the direction and velocity of the wind. [Gr. anemos, wind, graphein, to write.]

Anemometer, a-ne-mom′et-ėr, n. an instrument for measuring the velocity or pressure of the wind.—adj. Anemomet′ric.—n. Anemom′etry, the measurement of the force or velocity of the wind. [Gr. anemos, wind, and Meter.]

Anemone, a-nem′o-ne, n. a plant of the crowfoot family.—n. Sea′-anem′one, a popular name of Actinia and some allied genera of Actinoza. [Gr. anemōne, said to be from anemos, wind, because some of the species love exposed and wind-swept situations.]

An-end, an-end′, prep. phrase, to the end, continuously: upright.—Most an-end, almost always.

Anent, a-nent′, prep. and adv. in a line with: against: towards: in regard to, concerning, about. [Mainly prov. Eng. and Scot., M.E. anent—A.S. on- efen, 'on even with' (dat.).]

Aneroid, an′e-roid, adj. denoting a barometer by which the pressure of the air is measured without the use of quicksilver or other fluid.—n. a contr. of 'aneroid barometer.' [Fr.—Gr. a, neg., nēros, wet.]

Aneurism, an′ūr-izm, n. a soft tumour arising from the dilatation of an artery acting on a part weakened by disease or injury: (fig.) any abnormal enlargement—adjs. An′eurismal, An′eurismatic. [Gr. aneurysma—ana, up, eurys, wide.]

Anew, a-nū′, adv. afresh: again. [Of and New.]

Anfractuous, an-fract-ū′us, adj. winding, involved, circuitous.—n. Anfractuos′ity. [L. anfractuösus, anfract-us.]

Angel, ān′jel, n. a divine messenger: a ministering spirit: an attendant or guardian spirit: a person possessing the qualities attributed to such—gentleness, purity, &c.: one supposed to have a special commission, as the head of the Church in Rev. ii. and iii., or the angel of the Catholic and Apostolic Church, who corresponds in a limited sense to the bishop of other Christian denominations: (poet.) a messenger generally: in art, the conventional figure attributed to the angel—a figure of great beauty, youthful, clothed in flowing garments, with wings: an old Eng. coin = 10s., bearing the figure of an angel.—n. An′gel-fish, a voracious fish, allied to the shark, from six to eight feet long, with large, wing-like pectoral fins.—adjs. Angel′ic (an-), Angel′ical.—adv. Angel′ically.—ns. Angelol′atry (ān-), angel-worship; Angelol′ogy, the doctrine regarding angels; Angeloph′any, the manifestation of an angel to man. [Gr. angelos, a messenger.]

Angelica, an-jel′i-ka, n. a genus of umbelliferous plants, the roots and seeds of some species of which are used in making gin, bitters, &c.—the tender stalks and midribs of the leaves are candied and used as a confection: confections.—n. An′gel-wat′er, a perfumed liquid, at first made largely from angelica, then from ambergris, rose-water, orange-flower water, &c. [From their supposed magical properties.]

Angelus, an′je-lus, n. the 'Hail, Mary,' or prayer to the Virgin, containing the angelic salutation: the bell rung in Roman Catholic countries at morning, noon, and sunset, to invite the faithful to recite the Angelic Salutation. [From its first words, 'Angelus domini nuntiavit Mariæ.']

Anger, ang′ger, n. a strong emotion excited by a real or fancied injury, and involving a desire for retaliation.—v.t. to make angry: to irritate.—adj. An′gerless.—advs. An′gerly, a 17th-cent. form (still used in an archaic sense) for Angrily; Ang′rily.—n. Ang′riness.—adj. Ang′ry, excited with anger: inflamed: lowering. [Ice. angr; allied to Anguish.]

Angevin, an′je-vin, adj. pertaining to Anjou: relating to the Plantagenet house that reigned in England from 1154 to 1485, its first king, Henry II., being son of Geoffrey V., Count of Anjou, and Matilda, daughter of Henry I. of England. By some the term Angevin is only allowed until the loss of Anjou under John (1204); by others, till the deposition of Richard II. in 1399.

Angina, an-jī′na, n. any inflammatory affection of the throat, as quinsy, croup, &c.: usually in medical phraseology with adjective, as Angina rheumatica = rheumatic sore throat.—Angina pectoris, a disease of the heart marked by paroxysms of intense pain, beginning at the breastbone and radiating thence mainly towards the left shoulder and arm. [L. angĭna. See Anguish.]

Angiocarpous, an-ji-ō-kar′pus, adj. having the fruit in an envelope distinct from the calyx. [Gr. angeion, a case, karpos, fruit.]

Angiosperm, an′ji-o-sperm, n. a plant whose ovules or future seeds are enclosed in a closed ovary, and fertilised through the medium of a stigma, while in Gymnosperms the ovule is naked, and the pollen is applied directly to its surface.—adjs. Angiosperm′ous, Angiosperm′al, Angiosper′matous.

Angle, ang′gl, n. a corner: the point where two lines meet: (geom.) the inclination of two straight lines which meet, but are not in the same straight line: any outlying corner or nook.—adj. Ang′ular, having an angle or corner: (fig.) stiff in manner: the opposite of easy or graceful: bony and lean in figure.—n. Angular′ity.—adj. Ang′ulated, formed with angles. [Fr.—L. angulus; cog. with Gr. angkylos; both from root ank, to bend, seen also in Anchor, Ankle.]

Angle, ang′gl, n. a hook or bend: a fishing-rod with line and hook.—v.i. to fish with an angle.—v.t. to entice: to try to gain by some artifice.—ns. Ang′ler, one who fishes with an angle: a voracious fish about three feet long, not uncommon on British shores, and called also the Fishing-frog, the Sea-devil, and by the Scotch, Wide-gab; Ang′ling, the art or practice of fishing with a rod and line. [A.S. angel, a hook, allied to Anchor.]

Angles, ang′glz, n.pl. the Low German stock that settled in Northumbria, Mercia, and East Anglia.

Anglican, ang′glik-an, adj. English: belonging to, or characteristic of, the Church of England.—n. Ang′licanism, attachment to English institutions, esp. the English Church: the principles of the English Church.—v.t. Ang′licise, to express in English idiom.—n. Ang′licism, an English idiom or peculiarity of language.—v.t. Ang′lify, to make English.

Anglo-, ang′glo, pfx. English—used in composition, as Anglo-Saxon, &c.—ns. Ang′lo-Cath′olic, one who calls himself a Catholic of the Anglican pattern, refusing the name of 'Protestant;' used adjectively, as in 'Anglo-Catholic Library;' Ang′lo-Catho′licism.—adj. and n. Ang′lo-Sax′on, applied to the earliest form of the English language—the term Old English is now preferred. Properly it should have referred only to the Saxons of Wessex, Essex, Middlesex, and Sussex, as distinct from the Angles.—ns. Ang′lo-Sax′ondom; Anglo-Sax′onism.—Anglo-Israelite theory, an opinion held by not a few well-meaning persons, innocent of scientific ethnology, that the English are descended from the Israelites who were carried into captivity by the Assyrians under Sargon in 721 B.C.

Anglomania, ang′glo-mān′i-a, n. a mania for what is English: an indiscriminate admiration of English institutions.—ns. Ang′loman (rare), Ang′lomān′iac.

Anglophobia, ang-glō-fō′bi-a, n. fear and dislike of England.—ns. An′glophobe, Anglophō′bist.—adj. Anglophō′bic. [Fr. Anglophobe—L. Anglo-, English, Gr. phobein, to fear.]

Angora, ang-gō′ra, n. cloth made from the wool of the Angora goat.—Angora Wool, the long white silky hair of the Angora goat, highly valued in manufactures. [Angora, a city of Asia Minor, famous for its breed of goats.]

Angostura, ang-gos-tōō′ra, n. a town of Venezuela, on the Orinoco (renamed Ciudad Bolivar in 1819), giving its name to an aromatic bitter bark, valuable as a febrifuge and tonic.—Angostura bitters is an essence containing angostura, canella, cinchona, lemon peel, and other aromatics, but much of what is sold under that name contains no angostura, but consists mainly of cheretta or other simple tonic.

Angry. See Anger.

Anguine, ang′gwīn, adj. of or like a snake. [L. anguis, anguin-is, a snake.]

Anguish, ang′gwish, n. excessive pain of body or mind: agony.—n. Ang′uishment. [O. Fr. angoisse—L. angustia, a strait, straitness—ang-u-ĕre, to press tightly: to strangle. See Anger.]

Anharmonic, an-har-mon′ik, adj. not harmonic: in geometry, a term applied to the section of a line by four points, A, B, C, D, when their mutual distances are such that AB divided by CB is unequal to AD divided by CD; the ratio between these two quotients being called the anharmonic ratio of AC.

Anhelation, an-he-lā′shun, n. difficult respiration: shortness of breath. [L. anhelatio—anhelāre, from an, for amb, around, and hal-āre, to breathe.]

Anhungered. See Ahungered.

Anhydrous, an-hī′drus, adj. a term applied to a chemical substance free from water.—n.pl. Anhy′drides, a term now commonly given to the compounds formerly known as anhydrous acids—in some cases the result of the dehydration of acids, and in all cases representing in their composition the acid minus water.—n. Anhy′drite, a mineral consisting of anhydrous sulphate of lime, with some slight addition of sea-salt, appearing in several varieties—granular, fibrous, radiated and translucent, compact and of various shades—white, blue, gray, red. [Gr. a, an, neg., hydōr, water.]

Anight, a-nīt′, adv. (Shak.) of nights, at night. [Of and Night.]

Anil, an′il, n. a plant from whose leaves and stalks indigo is made. [Sp. anil; Ar. an-nil for al-nil, the indigo plant.]

Anile, an′īl, adj. old womanish: imbecile.—n. Anil′ity, imbecile dotage. [L. anus, an old woman.]

Aniline, an′il-in, n. a product of coal-tar extensively used in dyeing and other industrial arts. [Port. anil, indigo, from which it was first obtained.]

Animadvert, an-im-ad-vėrt′, v.i. to criticise or censure.—n. Animadver′sion, criticism, censure, or reproof. [L., to turn the mind to—animus, the mind, ad, to, and vertĕre, to turn.]

Animal, an′im-al, n. an organised being, having life, sensation, and voluntary motion—it is distinguished from a plant, which is organised and has life, but not sensation or voluntary motion: the name sometimes implies the absence of the higher faculties peculiar to man.—adj. of or belonging to animals: sensual.—n. Animalisā′tion, the act of converting into animal substance, or of endowing with animal attributes: brutalisation.—v.t. An′imalise, to endow with animal life: to convert into animal matter:—pr.p. an′imalīsing; pa.p. an′imalīsed.—n. An′imalism, the state of being actuated by animal appetites only: the exercise or enjoyment of animal life, as distinct from intellectual: brutishness: sensuality: (rare) a mere animal being.—adv. An′imally, physically merely.—Animal spirits, nervous force: exuberance of health and life: cheerful buoyancy of temper: (Milton) the spirit or principle of volition and sensation. [L.—anima, air, life, Gr. anemos, wind—aō, aēmi, Sans. an, to breathe, to blow.]

Animalcule, an-im-al′kūl, n. a small animal, esp. one that cannot be seen by the naked eye:—pl. Animal′cules, Animal′cula.—adj. Animal′cular. [L. animalculum, dim. of Animal.]

Animate, an′im-āt, v.t. to give life to: to enliven or inspirit: to actuate.—adj. living: possessing animal life.—adj. An′imated, lively: full of spirit: endowed with life.—adv. Animat′edly.—p.adj. An′imating.—adv. Animat′ingly.—ns. Animā′tion, liveliness: vigour; An′imator, he who, or that which, animates. [See Animal.]