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Arundinaceous – Asserted
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Arundinaceous
ARUNDINA'CEOUS, adjective [Latin arundo, a reed.]
Pertaining to a reed; resembling the reed or cane.
Arundineous
ARUNDIN'EOUS, adjective Abounding with reeds.
Arura
ARU'RA, noun [Gr.] Literally, as authors suppose, a plowed field. According to Herodotus, and Suidas, the arura of Egypt, was a piece of ground fifty feet square. Others make it a square of 100 cubits; others of 100 feet. The Grecian aroura was a square measure of half the plethron. [See Aroura.]
Aruspex
ARUS'PEX, noun [Latin] A soothsayer.
Aruspice
ARUS'PICE, noun Written also haruspice. [Latin aruspex, or haruspex, a soothsayer, or diviner, who attempted to foretell events by consulting the entrails of beasts slain in sacrifice.]
A priest, in ancient Rome, whose business was to inspect the entrails of victims, killed in sacrifice, and by them to foretell future events.
Aruspicy
ARUS'PICY, noun The act of prognosticating by inspection of the entrails of beasts, slain in sacrifice.
As
AS, adverb az. [Gr. But more probably the English word is contracted from als.]
1. Literally, like; even; similar. 'Ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil.' 'As far as we can see, ' that is, like far, equally far. Hence it may be explained by in like manner; as do as you are commanded.
2. It was formerly used where we now use that. obsolete
The relations are so uncertain as they require a great deal of examination.
3. It was formerly used where we now use that. obsolete
He lies, as he his bliss did know.
4. While; during; at the same time. 'He trembled as he spoke.' But in most of its uses, it is resolvable into like, equal, even, or equally, in like manner. In some phrases, it must be considered a nominative word, or other words must be supplied. 'Appoint to office such men as deserve public confidence.' This phrase may be elliptical for 'such men as those who deserve public confidence.'
AS seems, in some cases, to imply the sense of proportion. 'In general, men are more happy, as they are less involved in public concerns.'
AS, in a subsequent part of a sentence, answers to such; give us such things as you please; and in a preceding part of a sentence, has so to answer to it; as with the people, so with the priest.
AS, noun [Latin]
1. A Roman weight of 12 ounces, answering to the libra or pound.
2. A Roman coin, originally of a pound weight; but reduced, after the first Punic war, to two ounces; in the second Punic war, to one ounce; and by the Papirian law, to half an ounce. It was originally stamped with the figure of a sheep, sow, or ox; and afterwards with a Janus, on one side, and on the reverse, a rostrum or prow of a ship.
3. An integer; a whole or single thing. Hence the English ace. Hence the Romans used the word for the whole inheritance; haeres ex asse, an heir to the whole estate.
Asa
ASA, A corruption of lasar, an ancient name of a gum. [See Ooze.]
Asa-Dulcis
ASA-DULCIS, The same as benzoin.
Asa-Fetida
ASA-FET'IDA, noun [Asa, gum, and Latin fatidus, fetid.]
A fetid gum-resin, from the East Indies. It is the concrete juice of a large unbelliferous plant, much used in Medicine, as an antispasmodic.
Asbestine
ASBES'TINE, adjective [See Asbestus.]
Pertaining to asbestus, or partaking of its nature and qualities; incombustible.
Asbestinite
ASBES'TINITE, noun [See Asbestus.] The actinolite or strahlstein.
Calciferous abestinite; a variety of steatite.
Asbestos
ASBES'TOS, noun [Gr. inextinguishable; of neg. to extinguish.]
A mineral, which has frequently the appearance of a vegetable substance. It is always fibrous, and its fibers sometimes appear to be prismatic crystals. They are sometimes delicate, flexible, and elastic; at other times, stiff and brittle. Its powder is soft to the touch; its colors are some shade of white, gray or green, passing into brown, red or black. It is incombustible, and has been wrought into a soft, flexible cloth, which was formerly used as a shroud for dead bodies. It has been also manufactured into incombustible paper, and wicks for lamps.
Ligniform asbestus is a variety of a brown color, of a splintery fracture, and if broken across, presents an irregular filamentous structure, like wood.
Asbestus
ASBES'TUS,
ASCA'RIS, noun plural ascar'ides. [Gr.]
In zoology, a genus of intestinal worms. The body is cylindrical, and tapering at the ends. It includes two of the most common worms in the human intestines, the ascarides, and the lumbricoides.
Ascend
ASCEND', verb intransitive [Latin ascendo, from scando, to mount or climb.]
1. To move upwards; to mount; to go up; to rise, whether in air or water, or upon a material object.
2. To rise, in a figurative sense; to proceed from an inferior to a superior degree, from mean to noble objects, from particulars to generals, etc.
3. To proceed from modern to ancient times; to recur to former ages; as, our inquiries ascend to the remotest antiquity.
4. In a corresponding sense, to proceed in a line towards ancestors; as, to ascend to our first progenitors.
5. To rise as a star; to proceed or come above the horizon.
6. In music, to rise in vocal utterance; to pass from any note to one more acute.
ASCEND', verb transitive To go or move upwards upon, as to ascend a hill or ladder; or to climb, as to ascend a tree.
Ascendable
ASCEND'ABLE, adjective That may be ascended.
Ascendant
ASCEND'ANT, noun
1. Superiority or commanding influence; as, one man has the ascendant over another.
2. An ancestor, or one who precedes in genealogy, or degrees of kindred; opposed to descendant.
3. Height; elevation. [Little used.]
4. In astrology, that degree of the ecliptic which rises above the horizon at the time of one's birth. That part of the ecliptic at any particular time above the horizon, supposed to have influence on a person's life and fortune.
ASCEND'ANT, adjective
1. Superior; predominant; surpassing.
2. In astrology, above the horizon.
Ascended
ASCEND'ED, participle passive or adjective Risen; mounted up; gone to heaven.
Ascendency
ASCEND'ENCY, noun Power; governing or controlling influence.
Custom has an ascendency over the understanding.
Ascending
ASCEND'ING, participle present tense Rising; moving upwards; proceeding from the less to the greater; proceeding from modern to ancient, from grave to more acute. A star is said to be ascending when rising above the horizon, in any parallel of the equator.
Ascending latitude is the latitude of a planet, when moving towards the North pole.
Ascending node is that point of a planet's orbit, wherein it passes the ecliptic to proceed northward. It is also called the northern node.
Ascending vessels, in anatomy, are those which carry the blood upward or toward the superior parts of the body.
Ascension
ASCEN'SION, noun [Latin ascensio.]
1. The act of ascending; a rising. It is frequently applied to the visible elevation of our Savior to Heaven.
2. The thing rising, or ascending. [not authorized.]
3. In astronomy, ascension is either right or oblique. Right ascension of the sun or of a star, is that degree of the equinoctial, counted from the beginning of Aries, which rises with the sun or star, in a right sphere. Oblique ascension is an arch of the equator, intercepted between the first point of Aries, and that point of the equator which rises together with a star, in an oblique sphere.
Ascension-Day
ASCENSION-DAY, noun A festival of some christian churches, held ten days or on the Thursday but one, before Whitsuntide, which is called Holy Thursday, in commemoration of our Savior's ascension into heaven, after his resurrection.
Ascensional difference is the difference between the right and oblique ascension of the same point on the surface of the sphere.
Ascensive
ASCEN'SIVE, adjective Rising; tending to rise, or causing to rise.
Ascent
ASCENT', noun [Latin ascensus.]
1. The act of rising; motion upwards, whether in air, water or other fluid, or on elevated objects; rise; a mounting upwards; as the ascent of vapors from the earth.
2. The way by which one ascends; the means of ascending.
3. An eminence, hill or high place.
4. The degree of elevation of an object, or the angle it makes with a horizontal line; as, a road has an ascent of five degrees.
5. Acclivity; the rise of a hill; as a steep ascent
Ascertain
ASCERTA'IN, verb transitive [Latin ad certum, to a certainty.]
1. To make certain; to define or reduce to precision by moving obscurity or ambiguity.
The divine law ascertains the truth.
2. To make certain, by trial, examination or experiment, so as to know what was before unknown; as, to ascertain the weight of a commodity, or the purity of a metal.
3. To make sure by previous measures.
The ministry, in order to ascertain a majority in the house of lords, persuaded the queen to create twelve new peers.
4. To make certain or confident, followed by a pronoun; as, to ascertain us of the goodness of our work. [unusual.]
5. To fix; to establish with certainty; to render invariable, and not subject to will.
The mildness and precision of their laws ascertained the rule and measure of taxation.
Ascertainable
ASCERTA'INABLE, adjective That may be made certain in fact, or certain to the mind; that may be certainly known or reduced to a certainty.
Ascertained
ASCERTA'INED, participle passive Made certain; defined; established; reduced to a certainty.
Ascertainer
ASCERTA'INER, noun The person who ascertains or makes certain.
Ascertaining
ASCERTA'INING, participle present tense Making certain; fixing; establishing; reducing to a certainty; obtaining certain knowledge.
Ascertainment
ASCERTA'INMENT, noun The act of ascertaining; a reducing to certainty; certainty; fixed rule.
Ascessancy
ASCESSANCY,
ASCESSANT, See Acescency, Acescent.]
Ascessant
ASCESSANT, See Acescency, Acescent.]
Ascetic
ASCET'IC, adjective [Gr. exercised, hardened; from to exercise.
Retired from the world; rigid; severe; austere; employed in devotions and mortifications.
ASCET'IC, noun
1. One who retires from the customary business of life, and devotes himself to the duties of piety and devotion; a hermit; a recluse.
2. The title of certain books, on devout exercises; as the ascetics of St. Basil.
Ascian
AS'CIAN, noun [Latin ascii, from Gr. priv. and a shadow.]
A person, who, at certain times of the year, has no shadow at noon. Such are the inhabitants of the torrid zone, who have, at times, a vertical sun.
Ascitans
AS'CITANS, noun [Gr. a bag or bottle of skin.]
A sect or branch of Montanists, who appeared in the second century. They introduced into their assemblies, certain bacchanals, who danced around a bag or skin distended with air, in allusion to the bottles filled with new wine. Math. 9.
Ascites
AS'CITES, noun [Gr. a bladder.]
A dropsy or tense elastic swelling of the belly, with fluctuation, from a collection of water.
Ascitic
ASCIT'IC
ASCIT'ICAL, adjective Belonging to an ascites; dropsical; hydropical.
Ascititious
ASCITI'TIOUS, adjective [Latin ascitus; Low Latin ascititius, from ascisco, to take to or associate.]
Additional; added; supplemental; not inherent or original.
Homer has been reckoned on ascititious name.
Asclepiad
ASCLE'PIAD, noun In ancient poetry, a verse of four feet, the first of which is a spondee, the second a choriamb, and the last two, dactyls; or of four feet and a cesura, the first, a spondee, the second, a dactyl, then the cesura, followed by two dactyls.
Ascribable
ASCRI'BABLE, adjective [See Ascribe.] That may be ascribed or attributed.
Ascribe
ASCRI'BE, verb transitive [Latin ascribo, of ad and scribo, to write.]
1. To attribute, impute, or set to, as to a cause; to assign, as effect to a cause; as, losses are often to be ascribed to imprudence.
2. To attribute, as a quality, or an appurtenance; to consider or allege to belong; as, to ascribe perfection to God, or imperfection to man. . . .
Ascribed
ASCRI'BED, participle passive Attributed or imputed; considered or alleged, as belonging.
Ascribing
ASCRI'BING, participle present tense Attributing; imputing; alleging to belong.
Ascription
ASCRIP'TION, noun The act of ascribing, imputing or affirming to belong.
Ascriptitious
ASCRIPTI'TIOUS, adjective That is ascribed. This word is applied to villains under the feudal system, who are annexed to the freehold and transferable with it.
Ash
ASH, noun
1. A well known tree, of which there are many species. There is no hermaphrodite calyx, or it is quadripartite; and no corol, or it is tetrapetalous. There are two stamens; one pistil; one seed, contained in a membranous, lanceolate capsule, and the pistil of the female flower is lanceolate. The leaves are pinnate, and the capsules grow in cluster. This wood is valuable, for fuel, as well as for timber; and the tree, when it grows in an open field, often forms, with its branches, a beautiful oval figure and a thick shade.
2. The wood of the ash tree.
ASH, adjective Pertaining to or like the ash; made of ash
Ash-Colored
ASH-COLORED, adjective Of a color between brown and gray.
Ashame
ASHA'ME, verb transitive To shame. [Not used.]
Ashamed
ASHA'MED, adjective
1. Affected by shame; abashed or confused by guilt or a conviction of some criminal action or indecorous conduct, or by the exposure of some gross errors or misconduct, which the person is conscious must be wrong, and which tends to impair his honor or reputation. It is followed by of.
Thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed .
Israel shall be ashamed of his own counsel.
2. Confused by a consciousness of guilt or of inferiority; by the mortification of pride; by failure or disappointment.
They shall be greatly ashamed that trust in images.
.
[This adjective always follows its noun.]
Ashamedly
ASHA'MEDLY, adverb Bashfully. [Not used.]
Ashen
ASH'EN, adjective [See Ash.] Pertaining to ash; made of ash.
Ashes
ASH'ES, noun plural Without the singular number.
1. The earthy particles of combustible substances remaining after combustion; as of wood or coal.
2. The remains of the human body when burnt. Hence figuratively, a dead body or corpse.
3. In scripture, ashes is used to denote vileness, meanness, frailty, or humiliation.
I who am but dust and ashes .
I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes .
ASH'-FIRE, noun A low fire used in chimical operations.
ASH'-HOLE, noun A repository for ashes; the lower part of a furnace.
ASH'-LAR, noun Common or free stones, as they come from the quarry, of different lengths, breadths and thicknesses.
Ashlering
ASH'LERING, noun Quartering for lathing to, in garrets, two or three feet high, perpendicular to the floor, and reaching to the under side of the rafters.
Ashore
ASHO'RE, adverb [a, at or on, and shore. See shore.]
1. On shore; on the land adjacent to water; to the shore; as, bring the goods ashore
2. On land, opposed to aboard; as, the captain of the ship remained ashore
3. On the ground; as, the ship was driven ashore
Ashwednesday
ASHWEDNESDAY, noun The first day of Lent; supposed to be so called from a custom in the Romish Church of sprinkling ashes, that day, on the heads of penitents, then admitted to penance.
ASH'-WEED, noun A plant, the small wild angelica, gout-wort, goats-foot, or herb-gerard.
Ashy
ASH'Y, adjective Belonging to ashes; ash-colored; pale; inclining to a whitish gray.
Ashypale
ASHY'PALE, adjective Pale as ashes.
Asian
A'SIAN, adjective [from Asia, a name originally given to Asia Minor or some part of it; perhaps from the Asses, Ases or Osses, about Mount Taurus.
Pertaining to Asia.
Asiarch
A'SIARCH, noun [Asia and chief.]
A chief or pontiff of Asia; one who had the superintendence of the public games. .
Asiatic
ASIAT'IC, adjective Belonging to Asia, a quarter of the globe which extends from the strait of Constantinople and Arabian gulf, to the Pacific ocean on the east. It is probable, the name was originally appropriated to what is now Asia Minor or rather a part of it.
ASIAT'IC, noun A native of Asia.
Asiaticism
ASIAT'ICISM, noun Imitation of the Asiatic manner.
Aside
ASI'DE, ad. [a and side. See Side.]
1. On or to one side; out of a perpendicular or straight direction.
2. At a little distance from the main part or body.
Thou shalt set aside that which is full. .
3. From the body; as, to put or lay aside a garment.
.
4. From the company; at a small distance or in private; as when speakers utter something by themselves, upon the stage.
5. Separate from the person, mind or attention; in a state of abandonment.
Let us lay aside every weight. .
6. Out of the line of rectitude or propriety, in a moral view.
They are all gone aside .
7. In a state of separation to a particular use; as, to set aside a thing for a future day.
To set aside in judicial proceedings, is to defeat the effect or operation of, by a subsequent decision of a superior tribunal; as, to set aside a verdict or a judgment.
Asinego
ASINE'GO, noun A foolish fellow.
Asinine
AS'ININE, rarely. AS'INARY, adjective [Latin asinus.]
Belonging to the ass; having the qualities of the ass.
Ask
'ASK, verb transitive [Gr. In former times, the English word was pronounced ax, as in the royal style of assenting to bills in Parliament. 'Be it as it is axed.']
1. To request; to seek to obtain by words; to petition; with of before the person to whom the request is made.
Ask counsel of God. .
2. To require, expect or claim.
To whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. .
3. To interrogate, or inquire; to put a question, with a view to an answer.
He is of age, ask him. .
4. To require, or make claim.
Ask me never so much dowry. . .
5. To claim, require or demand, as the price or value of a commodity; to set a price; as, what price do you ask?
6. To require, as physically necessary.
The exigence of a state asks a much longer time to conduct the design to maturity.
This sense is nearly or entirely obsolete; ask being superseded by require and demand.
7. To invite; as, to ask guests to a wedding or entertainment; ask my friend to step into the house.
'ASK, verb intransitive
1. To request or petition, followed by for; as, ask for bread; or without for.
Ask and it shall be given you. .
2. to inquire, or seek by request; sometimes followed by after.
Wherefore dost thou ask after my name? .
This verb can hardly be considered as strictly intransitive, for some person or object is always understood.
Ask is not equivalent to demand, claim, and require, at least, in modern usage; much less, is it equivalent to beg and beseech. The first three words, demand, claim, require, imply a right or supposed right in the person asking, to the thing requested; and beseech implies more urgency, than ask ask and request imply no right, but suppose the thing desired to be a favor. The French demander is correctly rendered by ask rather than by deman.
Askance
ASK'ANCE,
ASK'ANT, adverb sideways; obliquely; towards one corner of the eye.
Askant
ASK'ANT, adv. sideways; obliquely; towards one corner of the eye.
Asked
'ASKED, participle passive Requested; petitioned; questioned; interrogated.
Askew
ASKEW', adverb
With a wry look; aside; askant; sometimes indicating scorn, or contempt, or envy.
Asking
'ASKING, participle present tense
1. Requesting; petitioning; interrogating; inquiring.
2. Silently expressing request or desire.
Explain the asking eye.
Aslake
ASLA'KE, verb transitive [See Slack.]
To remit; to slacken. [Not in use.]
Aslani
ASLA'NI, noun A silver coin worth from 115 to 120 aspers.
Aslant
ASL'ANT, adjective or adverb [a and slant. See Slant.]
On one side; obliquely; not perpendicularly or with a right angle.
The shaft drove through his neck aslant
Asleep
ASLEE'P, adjective or adverb [a and sleep.]
1. sleeping; in a state of sleep; at rest.
Sisera was fast asleep .
2. To a state of sleep; as to fall asleep
3. Dead; in a state of death.
Concerning them who are asleep sorrow not. .
4. To death.
For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue. .
Aslope
ASLO'PE, adjective or adverb [a and slope. See Slope.
With leaning or inclination; obliquely; with declivity or descent, as a hill; declining from an upright direction.
Set them not upright, but aslope
Aslug
ASLUG', ad. In a sluggish manner. [Not used.]
Asmonean
ASMONE'AN, adjective Pertaining to Asmoneus, the father of Simon, and chief of the Asmoneans, a family that reigned over the Jews 126 years.
ASMONE'AN, noun One of the family of Asmoneus.
Asomatous
ASO'MATOUS, adjective [Gr. priv and body.]
Without a material body; incorporeal. [Not used.]
Asp
'ASP,
ASPAL'ATHUS, noun A plant.
Asparagin
ASPAR'AGIN, noun White transparent crystals of a peculiar vegetable principle, which spontaneously form in asparagus juice evaporated to the consistence of syrup. They are in the form of rhomboidal prisms.
Asparagus
ASPAR'AGUS, noun [Latin and Gr. probably from to tear, from its lacerated appearance, or from the root of a spire, from its stem.]
Asparagus, sperage, vulgarly, sparrow-grass; a genus of plants. That which is cultivated in gardens, has an upright herbaceous stalk, bristly leaves, and equal stipulas. The roots have a bitterish mucilaginous taste; and the stalk is, in some degree, aperient and deobstruent, but not very efficacious.
Aspect
'ASPECT, noun [Latin aspectus, from aspicio, to look on, of ad and specio, to see or look.]
1. Look; view; appearance to the eye or the mind; as, to present an object or a subject in its true aspect or under a double aspect So we say, public affairs have a favorable aspect
2. Countenance; look, or particular appearance of the face; as a mild or severe aspect
3. View; sight; act of seeing. [This sense is now unusual.]
4. Position or situation with regard to seeing, or that position which enables one to look in a particular direction; as, a house has a southern aspect that is, a position which faces or looks to the south.
5. In astronomy, the situation of one planet with respect to another. The aspects are five sextile, when the planets are 60 degrees distant; quartile or quadrate, when their distance is 90 degrees, or the quarter of a circle; trine, when the distance is 120 degrees; opposition, when the distance is 180 degrees, or half a circle; and conjunction, when they are in the same degree.
ASPECT', verb transitive To behold. [Not used.]
Aspectable
ASPECT'ABLE, adjective That may be seen. [Not used.]
Aspected
ASPECT'ED, adjective Having an aspect. [Not used.]
Aspection
ASPEC'TION, noun The act of viewing. [Not used.]
Aspen
ASP'EN or ASP, noun
A species of the poplar, so called from the trembling of its leaves, which move with the slightest impulse of the air. Its leaves are roundish, smooth, and stand on long slender foot-stalks.
ASP'EN, adjective Pertaining to the aspen or resembling it; made of aspen wood.
Nor aspen leaves confess the gentlest breeze.
Asper
AS'PER, adjective [Latin See Asperate.] Rough; rugged. [Little used.]
AS'PER, noun [Latin aspiro, to breathe.]
In grammar, the Greek accent, importing that the letter over which it is placed ought to be aspirated, or pronounced as if the letter h preceded it.
AS'PER, noun A Turkish coin, of which three make a medine. Its value is about a cent and 12 decimals.
Asperate
AS'PERATE, verb transitive [Latin aspero, from asper, rough.]
To make rough or uneven.
Asperation
ASPERA'TION, noun A making rough.
Asperifoliate
ASPERIFO'LIATE, adjective [Latin asper, rough, and folium, a leaf.]
Having rough leaves. Plants of this kind are, by some authors, classified according to this character. They constitute the forty-first order of Linne's fragments of a natural method. In the methods of Herman, Boerhave, and Ray, this class consists of plants which have four naked seeds. Their leaves stand alternately on the stalks, and the flower is monopetalous in five divisions.
Asperifolious
ASPERIFO'LIOUS, adjective Having leaves rough to the touch. [See the preceding word.]
Asperity
ASPER'ITY, noun [Latin asperitas, from asper, rough.]
1. Roughness of surface; unevenness; opposed to smoothness.
2. Roughness of sound; that quality which grates the ear; harshness of pronunciation.
3. Roughness to the taste; sourness.
4. Roughness or ruggedness of temper; moroseness; sourness; crabbedness.
5. Sharpness.
Asperous
AS'PEROUS, adjective [Latin asper, rough.] Rough; uneven.
Asperse
ASPERSE, verb transitive aspers'. [Latin aspergo, aspersus, of ad and spargo, to scatter.]
1. To bespatter with foul reports or false and injurious charges; to tarnish in point of reputation, or good name; to slander or calumniate; as, to asperse a poet of his writings; to asperse a character.
2. To cast upon.
Asperser
ASPERS'ER, n One that asperses, or villifies another.
Aspersion
ASPER'SION, noun
1. A sprinkling, as of water or dust, in a literal sense.
2. The spreading of calumnious reports or charges, which tarnish reputation, like the bespattering of a body with foul water.
Asphalt
ASPHALT'
ASPHALT'IC, adjective Pertaining to asphalt or containing it; bituminous.
Asphaltic
ASPHALT'IC, a. Pertaining to asphalt, or containing it; bituminous.
Asphaltite
ASPHALT'ITE, adjective Pertaining to or containing asphalt.
Asphaltum
ASPHALT'UM, noun [Gr.] Bitumen Judaicum, Jew's pitch; a smooth, hard, brittle, black or brown substance, which breaks with a polish, melts easily when heated, and when pure, burns without leaving any ashes. It has little taste, and scarcely any smell, unless heated, when it emits a strong smell of pitch. it is found in a soft or liquid state on the surface of the Dead Sea, which, from this substance, is called Asphaltite, or the Asphaltic Lake. It is found also in the earth, in many parts of Asia, Europe and America. Formerly, it was used for embalming dead bodies; the solid asphalt is still employed in Arabia, Egypt, and Persia, instead of pitch for ships; and the fluid asphalt is used for varnishing, and for burning in lamps. A species found in Neufchatel is found excellent as a cement for walls and pavements; very durable in air, and not penetrable by water. A composition of asphalt, lamp black and oil is used for drawing black figures on dialplates.
Asphodel
AS'PHODEL, noun [Latin and Gr. See Theoph.]
King's-spear; a genus of lilaceous plants, cultivated for the beauty of their flowers. The ancients planted asphodels near graves, to supply the names of the dead with nourishment.
Asphurelates
ASPHU'RELATES, noun [Gr. priv. and a hammer; not malleable.]
A series of semimetallic fossils, fusible by fire, and in their purest state not malleable. In their native state, they are mixed with sulphur and other adventitious matter, in the form of ore. Under this denomination are classed bismuth, antimony, cobalt, zink and quicksilver.
Asphyxy
ASPHYX'Y, noun [Gr. of a priv. and pulse.]
A temporary suspension of the motion of the heart and arteries; swooning; fainting.
ASP'IC, noun
1. The asp, which see.
2. A piece of ordnance carrying a twelve pound shot.
ASP'IC, noun A plant growing in France, a species of lavender, which it resembles in the blue color of its flowers, and in the figure and green color of its leaves. It is called male-lavender, spica nardi, and Pseudo-nardus. The oil of this plant is used by painters, farriers and other artificers. It is very inflammable, of a white color and aromatic; and it is almost the only dissolvent of sandarac.
Aspic
ASP'IC, noun [Latin aspis; Gr. a round shield and an asp; supposed to be from Heb. to gather in, or collect; from the coil of this serpent, with his head elevated in the center, like the boss of a buckler.]
A small poisonous serpent of Egypt and Libya, whose bite occasions inevitable death, but without pain. It is said that the celebrated Cleopatra, rather than be carried a captive to Rome by Augustus, suffered death by the bite of the asp; but the fact has been questioned. Authors are not agreed, as to what species the asp of the ancients should be referred. Bruce thinks it the coluber cerastes. Linne.
Aspirant
ASPI'RANT, noun [See aspire.] One who aspires, breathes after, or seeks with eagerness.
Aspirate
AS'PIRATE, verb transitive [Latin aspiro, to breathe or blow; Gr. to palpitate, from spiro. See Spire, Spirit.]
To pronounce with a breathing or full emission of breath. We aspirate the words horse and house.
AS'PIRATE, verb intransitive To be uttered with a strong breathing; as, the letter h aspirates.
AS'PIRATE, noun A letter marked with an asper, or note of breathing; a mark of aspiration, as the Greek accent.
AS'PIRATE, adjective Pronounced with a full breath.
Aspirated
AS'PIRATED, participle passive Uttered with a strong emission of breath.
Aspirating
AS'PIRATING, participle present tense Pronouncing with a full breath.
Aspiration
ASPIRA'TION, noun
1. The pronunciation of a letter with a full emission of breath.
2. A breathing after; an ardent wish or desire, chiefly of spiritual blessings.
3. The act of aspiring or of ardently desiring what is noble or spiritual.
Aspire
ASPI'RE, verb intransitive [Latin aspiro, to breathe. See Aspirate.]
1. To desire with eagerness; to pant after an object, great, noble or spiritual; followed by to or after; as to aspire to a crown or after immortality.
2. To aim at something elevated; to rise or tower with desire.
Aspiring to be Gods, if angels fell;
Aspiring to be angels, men rebel.
Aspirer
ASPI'RER, noun One who aspires; one who aims to rise in power or consequence, or to accomplish some important object.
Aspiring
ASPI'RING, participle present tense Desiring eagerly; aiming at something noble, great, or spiritual.
ASPI'RING, adjective Ambitious; animated with an ardent desire of power, importance, or excellence.
ASPI'RING, noun
1. Ambition; eager desire of something great.
2. Points; stops. [Not used.]
Asportation
ASPORTA'TION, noun [Latin asportatio, of abs and porto, to carry. See Bear.]
A carrying away. In law, the felonious removal of goods from the place where they were deposited, is an asportation and adjudged to be theft, though the goods are not carried from the house or apartment.
Asquint
ASQUINT', adverb [See Askance, and Squint.]
1. To the corner or angle of the eye; obliquely; towards one side; not in the straight line of vision; as, to look asquint
2. Not with regard or due notice.
Ass
'ASS, noun [Latin asinus; Gr. an ear.]
1. A quadruped of the equine genus. This animal has long slouching ears, a short mane, and a tail covered with long hairs at the end. He is usually of an ash color, with a black bar across the shoulders. The tame or domestic ass is patient to stupidity, and carries a heavy burden. He is slow, but very sure footed, and for this reason very useful on rough steep hills.
2. A dull, heavy, stupid fellow; a dolt.
Ass-Head
'ASS-HEAD, noun [ass and head.] One dull, like the ass; one slow of apprehension; a blockhead.
Ass-Like
'ASS-LIKE, adjective Resembling an ass.
Assai
ASS'AI, A term in music; added to a word signifying slow, it denotes a little quicker; and to a word signifying quick, it denotes a little slower.
Assail
ASSA'IL, verb transitive [Latin assilio, to leap or rush upon, of ad and salio, to leap, to rise.]
1. To leap or fall upon by violence; to assault; to attack suddenly, as when one person falls upon another to beat him.
2. To invade or attack, in a hostile manner, as an army, or nation.
3. To attack with arguments, censure, abuse, or criticism, with a view to injure, bring into disrepute, or overthrow.
4. To attack, with a view to overcome, by motives applied to the passions.
Nor hide the encounter of assailing eyes.
Assailable
ASSA'ILABLE, adjective That may be assailed, attacked or invaded.
Assailant
ASSA'ILANT, noun One who assails, attacks or assaults.
ASSA'ILANT, adjective Assaulting; attacking; invading with violence.
Assailed
ASSA'ILED, participle passive Assaulted; invaded; attacked with violence.
Assailer
ASSA'ILER, noun One who assails.
Assailing
ASSA'ILING, participle present tense assaulting; invading by force; attacking with violence.
Assailment
ASSA'ILMENT, noun Attack. [Little used.]
Assapanic
ASSAPAN'IC, noun The flying squirrel; an animal which flies a little distance by extending the skin between the fore and hind legs. [See Squirrel.]
Assaron
AS'SARON, noun The omer or homer, a Hebrew measure of five pints.
Assart
ASSART', noun
1. In ancient laws, the offense of grubbing up trees, and thus destroying thickets or coverts of a forest.
2. a tree plucked up by the roots, also a piece of land cleared.
ASSART', verb transitive To grub up trees; to commit an assart
Assassin
ASSAS'SIN, noun
One who kills or attempts to kill, by surprise or secret assault. The circumstance of surprise or secresy seems essential to the signification of this word; though it is sometimes used to denote one who takes any advantage, in killing or attempting to murder; as by attacking one when unarmed.
Assassinate
ASSAS'SINATE, verb transitive
1. To kill or attempt to kill, by surprise or secret assault; to murder by sudden violence. Assassin as a verb is not now used.
2. To way lay; to take by treachery.
ASSAS'SINATE, noun A murder or murderer. [not used.]
Assassinated
ASSAS'SINATED, participle passive Murdered by surprise or secret assault.
Assassinating
ASSAS'SINATING, participle present tense Murdering by surprise or secret assault.
Assassination
ASSASSINA'TION, noun The act of killing or murdering, by surprise or secret assault; murder by violence.
Assassinator
ASSAS'SINATOR, noun An assassin, which see.
Assassinous
ASSAS'SINOUS, adjective Murderous. [Not used.]
Assassins
ASSAS'SINS, noun In Syria, a tribe or clan called Ismaelians, Batanists or Batenians. They originated in Persia about the year 1090; whence a colony migrated and settled on the mountains of Lebanon, and were remarkable for their assassinations. Their religion was a compound of magianism, judaism, and christianity. One article of their creed was, that the Holy Spirit resided in their Chief, and that his orders proceeded from God himself. He was called Scheik, and is better known by the denomination of Old man of the mountain. This barbarous chieftain and his followers spread terror among nations far and near, for almost two centuries, when the tribe was subdued by Sultan Bibaris.
Assation
ASSA'TION, noun [Latin assatus.] A roasting. [Not used.]
Assault
ASSAULT', noun [Latin assulto, of ad and salto, to leap, formed on salio, or its root. See Assail. We have the same root in insult and result.]
1. An attack or violent onset, whether by an individual, a company, or an army. An assault by private persons may be made with or without weapons. As assault by an army is a violent hostile attack; and when made upon a fort or fortified place is called a storm, as opposed to sap or siege.
2. An attack by hostile words or measures; as, an assault upon the prerogatives of a prince, or upon a constitution of government.
3. In Law, an unlawful setting upon one's person; an attempt or offer to beat another, without touching his person; as by lifting the fist or a cane, in a threatening manner. If the blow aimed takes effect, it is a battery.
ASSAULT', verb transitive
1. To attack or fall upon by violence, or with a hostile intention; as, to assault a man, a house or town.
2. To invade or fall on with force; as, the cry of war assaults our ears.
3. To attack by words, arguments or unfriendly measures, with a view to shake, impair or overthrow; as, to assault a character, the laws or the administration.
Assaultable
ASSAULT'ABLE, adjective That may be assaulted.
Assaulted
ASSAULT'ED, participle passive Attacked with force, arms, violence, or hostile views.
Assaulter
ASSAULT'ER, noun One who assaults, or violently attacks.
Assaulting
ASSAULT'ING, participle present tense Attacking with force, or with hostile measures.
Assay
ASSA'Y, noun [Latin sequor; assequor, to follow, to examine. See Essay.]
1. The trial of the goodness, purity, weight, value, etc. of metals or metallic substances. Any operation or experiement for ascertaining the quantity of a precious metal in an ore or mineral. Analysis is a term of more comprehensive import, extending to an examination of the nature and quantities of all parts of the compound.
2. In law, an examination of weights and measures by the standard.
3. Examination; trial; effort; first entrance upon any business; attempt. In these senses, which are found in old authors, now rarely used. [See Essay.]
4. Value; great purity. obsolete
ASSA'Y, verb transitive
1. To try or prove, by examination or experiment, the quantity and purity of metallic substances.
2. To apply to the touchstone.
ASSA'Y, verb intransitive To attempt, try or endeavor.
He assayed to go. .
[In this sense essay is now used.]
Assay-Balance
ASSAY-BALANCE, noun A balance for the trial of the weight and purity of metals.
Assay-Master
ASSAY-MASTER, noun An assayer; an officer appointed to try the weight and fineness of the precious metals.
Assayed
ASSA'YED, participle passive Examined; tested; proved by experiment.
Assayer
ASSA'YER, noun One who examines metals to find their quantity and purity. An officer of the mint, whose business is to try the weight and purity of metals.
Assaying
ASSA'YING, participle present tense Trying by some standard; examining by experiment, as metals; proving; attempting.
Assecurance
ASSECU'RANCE, noun Assurance. [Not used.]
Assecuration
ASSECURA'TION, noun assurance; a making secure. [Not used.]
Assecure
ASSECU'RE, verb transitive To secure. [Not used.]
Assecution
ASSECU'TION, noun [Latin assequor.] an obtaining or acquiring.
Assemblage
ASSEM'BLAGE, noun
1. A collection of individuals, or of particular things; the state of being assembled.
2. Rarely, the act of assembling.
Assemblance
ASSEM'BLANCE, noun Representation; an assembling. [Not in use.]
Assemble
ASSEM'BLE, verb transitive [Latin simul.]
To collect a number of individuals or particulars into one place, or body; to bring or call togethe; to convene; to congregate.
ASSEM'BLE, verb intransitive To meet or come together; to convene, as a number of individuals.
Assembled
ASSEM'BLED, participle passive collected into a body; congregated.
Assembler
ASSEM'BLER, noun One who assembles.
Assembling
ASSEM'BLING, participle present tense Coming together; collecting into one place.
ASSEM'BLING, noun A collection or meeting together. .
Assembly
ASSEM'BLY, noun
1. A company or collection of individuals, in the same place; usually for the same purpose.
2. A congregation or religious society convened.
3. In some of the United States, the legislature, consisting of different houses or branches, whether in session or not. In some states, the popular branch or House of Representatives is denominated an assembly [See the constitutions of the several states.]
4. a collection of persons for amusement; as a dancing assembly
5. A convocation, convention or council of ministers and ruling elders delegated from each presbytery; as the General assembly of Scotland or of the United States.
6. In armies, the second beating of the drum before a march, when the soldiers strike their tents.
7. An assemblage. [Not in use.]
Assembly-Room
ASSEM'BLY-ROOM, noun a room in which persons assemble.
Assent
ASSENT', noun [Latin assensus, from assentior, to assent of ad and sentio, to thing.]
1. The act of the mind in admitting, or agreeing to, the truth of a proposition.
Faith is the assent to any proposition, on the credit of the proposer.
2. Consent; agreement to a proposal, respecting some right or interest; as, the bill before the house has the assent of a great majority of the members.
The distinction between assent and consent seems to be this:assent is the agreement to an abstract proposition. We assent to a statement, but we do not consent to it. Consent is an agreement to some proposal or measure which affects the rights or interest of the consenter. We consent to a proposal of marriage. This distinction however is not always observed. [See Consent.]
3. Accord; agreement. .
ASSENT', verb intransitive To admit as true; to agree, yield or concede, or rather to express an agreement of the mind to what is alleged, or proposed.
The Jews also assented, saying these things are so.
.
It is sometimes used for consent, or an agreement to something affecting the rights or interest of the person assenting. But to assent to the marriage of a daughter is less correct than to consent.
Assentation
ASSENTA'TION, noun [Latin assentatio, from assentor, to comply.]
Compliance with the opinion of another, from flattery or dissimulation.
Assentator
ASSENTA'TOR, noun A flatterer.
Assentatorily
ASSENTATO'RILY, adverb With adulation. [Not in use.]
Assenter
ASSENT'ER, noun One who assents, agrees to, or admits.
Assenting
ASSENT'ING, participle present tense Agreeing to, or admitting as true; yielding to.
Assentingly
ASSENT'INGLY, adverb In a manner to express assent; by agreement.
Assentment
ASSENT'MENT, adjective Assent; agreement. [Rarely used.]
Assert
ASSERT', verb transitive [Latin assero, assertum, to claim or challenge, to maintain or assert; of ad and sero. The sense of sero is to sow, properly to throw or set. To assert is to throw or set firmly.]
1. To affirm positively; to declare with assurance; to aver.
2. To maintain or defend by words or measures; to vindicate a claim or title to; as, to assert our rights and liberties.
Asserted
ASSERT'ED, participle passive Affirmed positively; maintained; vindicated.
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828); edition by akaitsurugi (github.com/akaitsurugi/webster1828). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text from the CrossWire Bible Society.