Chapter XXX: Appendix: Vermiformis (9)

Syn. -- Attitude, Posture. Both of these words describe the visible disposition of the limbs. Posture relates to their position merely; attitude refers to their fitness for some specific object. The object of an attitude is to set forth exhibit some internal feeling; as, attitude of wonder, of admiration, of grief, etc. It is, therefore, essentially and designedly expressive. Its object is the same with that of gesture; viz., to hold forth and represent. Posture has no such design. If we speak of posture in prayer, or the posture of devotion, it is only the natural disposition of the limbs, without any intention to show forth or exhibit. 'T is business of a painter in his choice of attitudes (posituræ) to foresee the effect and harmony of the lights and shadows. Dryden. Never to keep the body in the same posture half an hour at a time. Bacon.

ATTITUDINAL At`ti*tu"di*nal, a.

Defn: Relating to attitude.

ATTITUDINARIAN At`ti*tu`di*na"ri*an, n.

Defn: One who attitudinizes; a posture maker.

ATTITUDINARIANISM At`ti*tu`di*na"ri*an*ism, n.

Defn: A practicing of attitudes; posture making.

ATTITUDINIZE At`ti*tu"di*nize, v. i.

Defn: To assume affected attitudes; to strike an attitude; to pose. Maria, who is the most picturesque figure, was put to attitudinize at the harp. Hannah More.

ATTITUDINIZER At`ti*tu"di*ni`zer, n

Defn: One who practices attitudes.

ATTLE At"tle, n. Etym: [Cf. Addle mire.] (Mining)

Defn: Rubbish or refuse consisting of broken rock containing little or no ore. Weale.

ATTOLLENT At*tol"lent, a. Etym: [L. attollens, p. pr. of attollere; ad + tollere to lift.]

Defn: Lifting up; raising; as, an attollent muscle. Derham.

ATTONCE At*tonce", adv. Etym: [At + once.]

Defn: At once; together. [Obs.] Spenser.

ATTONE At*tone", adv.

Defn: See At one. [Obs.]

ATTORN At*torn", v. i. Etym: [OF. atorner, aturner, atourner, to direct, prepare, dispose, attorn (cf. OE. atornen to return, adorn); à (L. ad) + torner to turn; cf. LL. attornare to commit business to another, to attorn; ad + tornare to turn, L. tornare to turn in a lathe, to round off. See Turn, v. t.]

1. (Feudal Law)

Defn: To turn, or transfer homage and service, from one lord to another. This is the act of feudatories, vassals, or tenants, upon the alienation of the estate. Blackstone.

2. (Modern Law)

Defn: To agree to become tenant to one to whom reversion has been granted.

ATTORNEY At*tor"ney, n.; pl. Attorneys. Etym: [OE. aturneye, OF. atorné, p. p. of atorner: cf. LL. atturnatus, attornatus, fr. attornare. See Attorn.]

1. A substitute; a proxy; an agent. [Obs.] And will have no attorney but myself. Shak.

2. (Law) (a) One who is legally appointed by another to transact any business for him; an attorney in fact. (b) A legal agent qualified to act for suitors and defendants in legal proceedings; an attorney at law.

Note: An attorney is either public or private. A private attorney, or an attorney in fact, is a person appointed by another, by a letter or power of attorney, to transact any business for him out of court; but in a more extended sense, this class includes any agent employed in any business, or to do any act in pais, for another. A public attorney, or attorney at law, is a practitioner in a court of law, legally qualified to prosecute and defend actions in such court, on the retainer of clients. Bouvier. -- The attorney at law answers to the procurator of the civilians, to the solicitor in chancery, and to the proctor in the ecclesiastical and admiralty courts, and all of these are comprehended under the more general term lawyer. In Great Britain and in some states of the United States, attorneys are distinguished from counselors in that the business of the former is to carry on the practical and formal parts of the suit. In many states of the United States however, no such distinction exists. In England, since 1873, attorneys at law are by statute called solicitors. A power, letter, or warrant, of attorney, a written authority from one person empowering another to transact business for him.

ATTORNEY At*tor"ney, v. t.

Defn: To perform by proxy; to employ as a proxy. [Obs.] Shak.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL At*tor"ney-gen"er*al, n.; (pl. Attorney-generals or Attorneys- general). (Law)

Defn: The chief law officer of the state, empowered to act in all litigation in which the law-executing power is a party, and to advise this supreme executive whenever required. Wharton.

ATTORNEYISM At*tor"ney*ism, n.

Defn: The practice or peculiar cleverness of attorneys.

ATTORNEYSHIP At*tor"ney*ship, n.

Defn: The office or profession of an attorney; agency for another. Shak.

ATTORNMENT At*torn"ment, n. Etym: [OF. attornement, LL. attornamentum. See Attorn.] (Law)

Defn: The act of a feudatory, vassal, or tenant, by which he consents, upon the alienation of an estate, to receive a new lord or superior, and transfers to him his homage and service; the agreement of a tenant to acknowledge the purchaser of the estate as his landlord. Burrill. Blackstone.

ATTRACT At*tract", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attracted; p. pr. & vb. n. Attracting.] Etym: [L. attractus, p. p. of attrahere; ad + trahere to draw. See Trace, v. t.]

1. To draw to, or cause to tend to; esp. to cause to approach, adhere, or combine; or to cause to resist divulsion, separation, or decomposition. All bodies and all parts of bodies mutually attract themselves and one another. Derham.

2. To draw by influence of a moral or emotional kind; to engage or fix, as the mind, attention, etc.; to invite or allure; as, to attract admirers. Attracted by thy beauty still to gaze. Milton.

Syn. -- To draw; allure; invite; entice; influence.

ATTRACT At*tract", n.

Defn: Attraction. [Obs.] Hudibras.

ATTRACTABILITY At*tract`a*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or fact of being attractable. Sir W. Jones.

ATTRACTABLE At*tract"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being attracted; subject to attraction. -- At*tract"a*ble*ness, n.

ATTRACTER At*tract"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, attracts.

ATTRACTILE At*tract"ile, a.

Defn: Having power to attract.

ATTRACTING At*tract"ing, a.

Defn: That attracts. -- At*tract"ing*ly, adv.

ATTRACTION At*trac"tion, n. Etym: [L. attractio: cf. F. attraction.]

1. (Physics)

Defn: An invisible power in a body by which it draws anything to itself; the power in nature acting mutually between bodies or ultimate particles, tending to draw them together, or to produce their cohesion or combination, and conversely resisting separation.

Note: Attraction is exerted at both sensible and insensible distances, and is variously denominated according to its qualities or phenomena. Under attraction at sensible distances, there are, --(1.) Attraction of gravitation, which acts at all distances throughout the universe, with a force proportional directly to the product of the masses of the bodies and inversely to the square of their distances apart. (2.) Magnetic, diamagnetic, and electrical attraction, each of which is limited in its sensible range and is polar in its action, a property dependent on the quality or condition of matter, and not on its quantity. Under attraction at insensible distances, there are, -- (1.) Adhesive attraction, attraction between surfaces of sensible extent, or by the medium of an intervening substance. (2.) Cohesive attraction, attraction between ultimate particles, whether like or unlike, and causing simply an aggregation or a union of those particles, as in the absorption of gases by charcoal, or of oxygen by spongy platinum, or the process of solidification or crystallization. The power in adhesive attraction is strictly the same as that of cohesion. (3.) Capillary attraction, attraction causing a liquid to rise, in capillary tubes or interstices, above its level outside, as in very small glass tubes, or a sponge, or any porous substance, when one end is inserted in the liquid. It is a special case of cohesive attraction. (4.) Chemical attraction, or affinity, that peculiar force which causes elementary atoms, or groups of atoms, to unite to form molecules.

2. The act or property of attracting; the effect of the power or operation of attraction. Newton.

3. The power or act of alluring, drawing to, inviting, or engaging; an attractive quality; as, the attraction of beauty or eloquence.

4. That which attracts; an attractive object or feature.

Syn. -- Allurement; enticement; charm.

ATTRACTION SPHERE At*trac"tion sphere.

1. (Zoöl.) (a) The central mass of the aster in mitotic cell division; centrosphere. (b) Less often, the mass of archoplasm left by the aster in the resting cell.

2. (Bot.) A small body situated on or near the nucleus in the cells of some of the lower plants, consisting of two centrospheres containing centrosomes. It exercises an important function in mitosis.

ATTRACTIVE At*tract"ive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. attractif.]

1. Having the power or quality of attracting or drawing; as, the attractive force of bodies. Sir I. Newton.

2. Attracting or drawing by moral influence or pleasurable emotion; alluring; inviting; pleasing. "Attractive graces." Milton. "Attractive eyes." Thackeray. Flowers of a livid yellow, or fleshy color, are most attractive to flies. Lubbock. -- At*tract"ive*ly, adv. -- At*tract"ive*ness, n.

ATTRACTIVE At*tract"ive, n.

Defn: That which attracts or draws; an attraction; an allurement. Speaks nothing but attractives and invitation. South.

ATTRACTIVITY At`trac*tiv"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or degree of attractive power.

ATTRACTOR At*tract"or, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, attracts. Sir T. Browne

ATTRAHENT At"tra*hent, a. Etym: [L. attrahens, p. pr. of attrahere. See Attract, v. t.]

Defn: Attracting; drawing; attractive.

ATTRAHENT At"tra*hent, n.

1. That which attracts, as a magnet. The motion of the steel to its attrahent. Glanvill.

2. (Med.)

Defn: A substance which, by irritating the surface, excites action in the part to which it is applied, as a blister, an epispastic, a sinapism.

ATTRAP At*trap", v. t. Etym: [F. attraper to catch; à (L. ad) + trappe trap. See Trap (for taking game).]

Defn: To entrap; to insnare. [Obs.] Grafton.

ATTRAP At*trap", v. t. Etym: [Pref. ad + trap to adorn.]

Defn: To adorn with trapping; to array. [Obs.] Shall your horse be attrapped . . . more richly Holland.

ATTRECTATION At`trec*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. attrectatio; ad + tractare to handle.]

Defn: Frequent handling or touching. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

ATTRIBUTABLE At*trib"u*ta*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being attributed; ascribable; imputable. Errors . . . attributable to carelessness. J. D. Hooker.

ATTRIBUTE At*trib"ute, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attributed; p. pr. & vb. n. Attributing.] Etym: [L. attributus, p. p. of attribuere; ad + tribuere to bestow. See Tribute.]

Defn: To ascribe; to consider (something) as due or appropriate (to); to refer, as an effect to a cause; to impute; to assign; to consider as belonging (to). We attribute nothing to God that hath any repugnancy or contradiction in it. Abp. Tillotson. The merit of service is seldom attributed to the true and exact performer. Shak.

Syn. -- See Ascribe.

ATTRIBUTE At"tri*bute, n. Etym: [L. attributum.]

1. That which is attributed; a quality which is considered as belonging to, or inherent in, a person or thing; an essential or necessary property or characteristic. But mercy is above this sceptered away; . . . It is an attribute to God himself. Shak.

2. Reputation. [Poetic] Shak.

3. (Paint. & Sculp.)

Defn: A conventional symbol of office, character, or identity, added to any particular figure; as, a club is the attribute of Hercules.

4. (Gram.)

Defn: Quality, etc., denoted by an attributive; an attributive adjunct or adjective.

ATTRIBUTION At`tri*bu"tion, n. Etym: [L. attributio: cf. F. attribution.]

1. The act of attributing or ascribing, as a quality, character, or function, to a thing or person, an effect to a cause.

2. That which is ascribed or attributed.

ATTRIBUTIVE At*trib"u*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. attributif.]

Defn: Attributing; pertaining to, expressing, or assigning an attribute; of the nature of an attribute.

ATTRIBUTIVE At*trib"u*tive, n., (Gram.)

Defn: A word that denotes an attribute; esp. a modifying word joined to a noun; an adjective or adjective phrase.

ATTRIBUTIVELY At*trib"u*tive*ly, adv.

Defn: In an attributive manner.

ATTRITE At*trite", a. Etym: [L. attritus, p. p. of atterere; ad + terere to rub. See Trite.]

1. Rubbed; worn by friction. Milton.

2. (Theol.)

Defn: Repentant from fear of punishment; having attrition of grief for sin; -- opposed to contrite.

ATTRITION At*tri"tion, n. Etym: [L. attritio: cf. F. attrition.]

1. The act of rubbing together; friction; the act of wearing by friction, or by rubbing substances together; abrasion. Effected by attrition of the inward stomach. Arbuthnot.

2. The state of being worn. Johnson.

3. (Theol.)

Defn: Grief for sin arising only from fear of punishment or feelings of shame. See Contrition. Wallis.

ATTRITUS At*tri"tus, n. [L. attritus, p. p. of atterere; ad + terere to rub.]

Defn: Matter pulverized by attrition.

ATTRY At"try, a. Etym: [See Atter.]

Defn: Poisonous; malignant; malicious. [Obs.] Chaucer.

ATTUNE At*tune", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attuned (; p. pr. & vb. n. Attuning.] Etym: [Pref. ad- + tune.]

1. To tune or put in tune; to make melodious; to adjust, as one sound or musical instrument to another; as, to attune the voice to a harp.

2. To arrange fitly; to make accordant. Wake to energy each social aim, Attuned spontaneous to the will of Jove. Beattie.

ATWAIN A*twain", adv. Etym: [OE. atwaine, atwinne; pref. a- + twain.]

Defn: In twain; asunder. [Obs. or Poetic] "Cuts atwain the knots." Tennyson.

ATWEEN A*tween", adv. or prep. Etym: [See Atwain, and cf. Between.]

Defn: Between. [Archaic] Spenser. Tennyson.

ATWIRL A*twirl", a. & adv. Etym: [Pref. a- + twist.]

Defn: Twisted; distorted; awry. [R.] Halliwell.

ATWITE A*twite", v. t. Etym: [OE. attwyten, AS. ætwitan. See Twit.]

Defn: To speak reproachfully of; to twit; to upbraid. [Obs.]

ATWIXT A*twixt", adv.

Defn: Betwixt. [Obs.] Spenser.

ATWO A*two", adv. Etym: [Pref. a- + two.]

Defn: In two; in twain; asunder. [Obs.] Chaucer.

ATYPIC; ATYPICAL A*typ"ic, A*typ"ic*al, a. Etym: [Pref. a- not + typic, typical.]

Defn: That has no type; devoid of typical character; irregular; unlike the type.

AUBADE Au`bade", n. Etym: [F., fr. aube the dawn, fr. L. albus white.]

Defn: An open air concert in the morning, as distinguished from an evening serenade; also, a pianoforte composition suggestive of morning. Grove. The crowing cock . . . Sang his aubade with lusty voice and clear. Longfellow.

AUBAINE Au`baine", n. Etym: [F., fr. aubain an alien, fr. L. alibi elsewhere.]

Defn: Succession to the goods of a stranger not naturalized. Littré. Droit d'aubaine (, the right, formerly possessed by the king of France, to all the personal property of which an alien died possessed. It was abolished in 1819. Bouvier.

AUBE Aube, n. Etym: [See Ale.]

Defn: An alb. [Obs.] Fuller.

AUBERGE Au`berge", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: An inn. Beau. & Fl.

AUBIN Au"bin, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A broken gait of a horse, between an amble and a gallop; -- commonly called a Canterbury gallop.

AUBURN Au"burn, a. Etym: [OE. auburne blonde, OF. alborne, auborne, fr. LL. alburnus whitish, fr. L. albus white. Cf. Alburn.]

1. Flaxen-colored. [Obs.] Florio.

2. Reddish brown. His auburn locks on either shoulder flowed. Dryden.

AUCHENIUM Au*che"ni*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The part of the neck nearest the back.

AUCTARY Auc"ta*ry, n. Etym: [L. auctarium.]

Defn: That which is superadded; augmentation. [Obs.] Baxter.

AUCTION Auc"tion, n. Etym: [L. auctio an increasing, a public sale, where the price was called out, and the article to be sold was adjudged to the last increaser of the price, or the highest bidder, fr. L. augere, auctum, to increase. See Augment.]

1. A public sale of property to the highest bidder, esp. by a person licensed and authorized for the purpose; a vendue.

2. The things sold by auction or put up to auction. Ask you why Phryne the whole auction buys Pope.

Note: In the United States, the more prevalent expression has been "sales at auction," that is, by an increase of bids (Lat. auctione). This latter form is preferable. Dutch auction, the public offer of property at a price beyond its value, then gradually lowering the price, till some one accepts it as purchaser. P. Cyc.

AUCTION Auc"tion, v. t.

Defn: To sell by auction.

AUCTIONARY Auc"tion*a*ry, a. Etym: [L. auctionarius.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to an auction or an auctioneer. [R.] With auctionary hammer in thy hand. Dryden.

AUCTION BRIDGE Auc"tion bridge.

Defn: A variety of the game of bridge in which the players, beginning with the dealer, bid for the privilege of naming the trump and playing with the dummy for that deal, there being heavy penalties for a player's failure to make good his bid. The score value of each trick more than six taken by the successful bidder is as follows: when the trump is spades, 2; clubs, 6; diamonds, 7; hearts, 8; royal spades (lilies), 9; and when the deal is played with no trump, 10.

AUCTIONEER Auc`tion*eer", n.

Defn: A person who sells by auction; a person whose business it is to dispose of goods or lands by public sale to the highest or best bidder.

AUCTIONEER Auc`tion*eer", v. t.

Defn: To sell by auction; to auction. Estates . . . advertised and auctioneered away. Cowper.

AUCTION PITCH Auction pitch.

Defn: A game of cards in which the players bid for the privilege of determining or "pitching" the trump suit. R. F. Foster.

AUCUPATION Au`cu*pa"tion, n. Etym: [L. aucupatio, fr. auceps, contr. for aviceps; avis bird + capere to take.]

Defn: Birdcatching; fowling. [Obs.] Blount.

AUDACIOUS Au*da"cious, a. Etym: [F. audacieux, as if fr. LL. audaciosus (not found), fr. L. audacia audacity, fr. audax, -acis, bold, fr. audere to dare.]

1. Daring; spirited; adventurous. As in a cloudy chair, ascending rides Audacious. Milton.

2. Contemning the restraints of law, religion, or decorum; bold in wickedness; presumptuous; impudent; insolent. " Audacious traitor." Shak. " Such audacious neighborhood." Milton.

3. Committed with, or proceedings from, daring effrontery or contempt of law, morality, or decorum. "Audacious cruelty." "Audacious prate." Shak.

AUDACIOUSLY Au*da"cious*ly, adv.

Defn: In an audacious manner; with excess of boldness; impudently.

AUDACIOUSNESS Au*da"cious*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being audacious; impudence; audacity.

AUDACITY Au*dac"i*ty, n.

1. Daring spirit, resolution, or confidence; venturesomeness. The freedom and audacity necessary in the commerce of men. Tatler.

2. Reckless daring; presumptuous impudence; -- implying a contempt of law or moral restraints. With the most arrogant audacity. Joye.

AUDIBILITY Au`di*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality of being audible; power of being heard; audible capacity.

AUDIBLE Au"di*ble, a. Etym: [LL. audibilis, fr. L. audire, auditum, to hear: cf. Gr. auris, and E. ear.]

Defn: Capable of being heard; loud enough to be heard; actually heard; as, an audible voice or whisper.

AUDIBLE Au"di*ble, n.

Defn: That which may be heard. [Obs.] Visibles are swiftlier carried to the sense than audibles. Bacon.

AUDIBLENESS Au"di*ble*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being audible.

AUDIBLY Au"di*bly, adv.

Defn: So as to be heard.

AUDIENCE Au"di*ence, n. Etym: [F. audience, L. audientia, fr. audire to hear. See Audible, a.]

1. The act of hearing; attention to sounds. Thou, therefore, give due audience, and attend. Milton.

2. Admittance to a hearing; a formal interview, esp. with a sovereign or the head of a government, for conference or the transaction of business. According to the fair play of the world, Let me have audience: I am sent to speak. Shak.

3. An auditory; an assembly of hearers. Also applied by authors to their readers. Fit audience find, though few. Milton. He drew his audience upward to the sky. Dryden. Court of audience, or Audience court (Eng.), a court long since disused, belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbury; also, one belonging to the Archbishop of York. Mozley & W. -- In general (or open) audience, publicly. -- To give audience, to listen; to admit to an interview.

AUDIENT Au"di*ent, a. Etym: [L. audiens, p. pr. of audire. See Audible, a.]

Defn: Listening; paying attention; as, audient souls. Mrs. Browning.

AUDIENT Au"di*ent, n.

Defn: A hearer; especially a catechumen in the early church. [Obs.] Shelton.

AUDILE Au"dile, n. [L. audire to hear.] (Psychol.)

Defn: One whose thoughts take the form of mental sounds or of internal discourse rather than of visual or motor images.

AUDIOMETER Au`di*om"e*ter, n. Etym: [L. audire to hear + -meter.] (Acous.)

Defn: An instrument by which the power of hearing can be gauged and recorded on a scale.

AUDIPHONE Au"di*phone, n. Etym: [L. audire to hear + Gr.

Defn: An instrument which, placed against the teeth, conveys sound to the auditory nerve and enables the deaf to hear more or less distinctly; a dentiphone.

AUDIT Au"dit, n. Etym: [L. auditus a hearing, fr. audire. See Audible, a.]

1. An audience; a hearing. [Obs.] He appeals to a high audit. Milton.

2. An examination in general; a judicial examination.

Note: Specifically: An examination of an account or of accounts, with the hearing of the parties concerned, by proper officers, or persons appointed for that purpose, who compare the charges with the vouchers, examine witnesses, and state the result.

3. The result of such an examination, or an account as adjusted by auditors; final account. Yet I can make my audit up. Shak.

4. A general receptacle or receiver. [Obs.] It [a little brook] paid to its common audit no more than the revenues of a little cloud. Jer. Taylor. Audit ale, a kind of ale, brewed at the English universities, orig. for the day of audit. -- Audit house, Audit room, an appendage to a cathedral, for the transaction of its business.

AUDIT Au"dit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Audited; p. pr. & vb. n. Auditing.]

Defn: To examine and adjust, as an account or accounts; as, to audit the accounts of a treasure, or of parties who have a suit depending in court.

AUDIT Au"dit, v. i.

Defn: To settle or adjust an account. Let Hocus audit; he knows how the money was disbursed. Arbuthnot.

AUDITA QUERELA Au*di"ta que*re"la. Etym: [L., the complaint having been heard.] (Law)

Defn: A writ which lies for a party against whom judgment is recovered, but to whom good matter of discharge has subsequently accrued which could not have been availed of to prevent such judgment. Wharton.

AUDITION Au*di"tion, n. Etym: [L. auditio.]

Defn: The act of hearing or listening; hearing. Audition may be active or passive; hence the difference between listening and simple hearing. Dunglison.

AUDITIVE Au"di*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. auditif.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to hearing; auditory. [R.] Cotgrave.

AUDITOR Au"di*tor, n. Etym: [L. auditor, fr. audire. See Audible, a.]

1. A hearer or listener. Macaulay.

2. A person appointed and authorized to audit or examine an account or accounts, compare the charges with the vouchers, examine the parties and witnesses, allow or reject charges, and state the balance.

3. One who hears judicially, as in an audience court.

Note: In the United States government, and in the State governments, there are auditors of the treasury and of the public accounts. The name is also applied to persons employed to check the accounts of courts, corporations, companies, societies, and partnerships.

AUDITORIAL Au`di*to"ri*al, a.

Defn: Auditory. [R.]

AUDITORIUM Au`di*to"ri*um, n. Etym: [L. See Auditory, n.]

Defn: The part of a church, theater, or other public building, assigned to the audience.

Note: In ancient churches the auditorium was the nave, where hearers stood to be instructed; in monasteries it was an apartment for the reception of strangers.

AUDITORSHIP Au"di*tor*ship, n.

Defn: The office or function of auditor.

AUDITORY Au"di*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. auditorius.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to hearing, or to the sense or organs of hearing; as, the auditory nerve. See Ear. Auditory canal (Anat.), the tube from the auditory meatus or opening of the ear to the tympanic membrane.

AUDITORY Au"di*to*ry, n. Etym: [L. auditorium.]

1. An assembly of hearers; an audience.

2. An auditorium. Udall.

AUDITRESS Au"di*tress, n.

Defn: A female hearer. Milton.

AUDITUAL Au*dit"u*al, a.

Defn: Auditory. [R.] Coleridge.

AUF Auf, n. Etym: [OE. auph, aulf, fr. Icel. alfr elf. See Elf.] [Also spelt oaf, ouphe.]

Defn: A changeling or elf child, -- that is, one left by fairies; a deformed or foolish child; a simpleton; an oaf. [Obs.] Drayton.

AU FAIT Au` fait". Etym: [F. Lit., to the deed, act, or point. Fait is fr. L. factum. See Fact.]

Defn: Expert; skillful; well instructed.

AUFKLARUNG Auf"klä*rung, n. [G., enlightenment.]

Defn: A philosophic movement of the 18th century characterized by a lively questioning of authority, keen interest in matters of politics and general culture, and an emphasis on empirical method in science. It received its impetus from the unsystematic but vigorous skepticism of Pierre Bayle, the physical doctrines of Newton, and the epistemological theories of Locke, in the preceding century. Its chief center was in France, where it gave rise to the skepticism of Voltaire , the naturalism of Rousseau, the sensationalism of Condillac, and the publication of the "Encyclopedia" by D'Alembert and Diderot. In Germany, Lessing, Mendelssohn, and Herder were representative thinkers, while the political doctrines of the leaders of the American Revolution and the speculations of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine represented the movement in America.

AU FOND Au` fond". [F., lit., at the bottom.]

Defn: At bottom; fundamentally; essentially.

AUGEAN Au*ge"an, a.

1. (Class. Myth.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to Augeus, king of Elis, whose stable contained 3000 oxen, and had not been cleaned for 30 years. Hercules cleansed it in a single day.

2. Hence: Exceedingly filthy or corrupt. Augean stable (Fig.), an accumulation of corruption or filth almost beyond the power of man to remedy.

AUGER Au"ger, n. Etym: [OE. augoure, nauger, AS. nafegar, fr. nafu, nafa, nave of a wheel + gar spear, and therefore meaning properly and originally a nave-bore. See Nave (of a wheel) and 2d Gore, n.]

1. A carpenter's tool for boring holes larger than those bored by a gimlet. It has a handle placed crosswise by which it is turned with both hands. A pod auger is one with a straight channel or groove, like the half of a bean pod. A screw auger has a twisted blade, by the spiral groove of which the chips are discharge.

2. An instrument for boring or perforating soils or rocks, for determining the quality of soils, or the nature of the rocks or strata upon which they lie, and for obtaining water. Auger bit, a bit with a cutting edge or blade like that of an anger.

AUGET Au*get", n. Etym: [F., dim. of auge trough, fr. L. alveus hollow, fr. alvus belly.] (Mining)

Defn: A priming tube connecting the charge chamber with the gallery, or place where the slow match is applied. Knight.

AUGHT; AUCHT Aught, Aucht, n. Etym: [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]

Defn: Property; possession. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

AUGHT Aught, n. Etym: [OE. aught, ought, awiht, AS. awiht, a ever + wiht. *136. See Aye ever, and Whit, Wight.]

Defn: Anything; any part. [Also written ought.] There failed not aught of any good thing which the Lord has spoken. Josh. xxi. 45 But go, my son, and see if aught be wanting. Addison.

AUGHT Aught, adv.

Defn: At all; in any degree. Chaucer.

AUGITE Au"gite, n. Etym: [L. augites, Gr. augite.]

Defn: A variety of pyroxene, usually of a black or dark green color, occurring in igneous rocks, such as basalt; -- also used instead of the general term pyroxene.

AUGITIC Au*git"ic, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or like, augite; containing augite as a principal constituent; as, augitic rocks.

AUGMENT Aug*ment", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Augmented; p. pr. & vb. n. Augmenting.] Etym: [L. augmentare, fr. augmentum an increase, fr. augere to increase; perh. akin to Gr. wax, v., and eke, v.: cf. F. augmenter.]

1. To enlarge or increase in size, amount, or degree; to swell; to make bigger; as, to augment an army by reëforcements; rain augments a stream; impatience augments an evil. But their spite still serves His glory to augment. Milton.

2. (Gram.)

Defn: To add an augment to.

AUGMENT Aug*ment", v. i.

Defn: To increase; to grow larger, stronger, or more intense; as, a stream augments by rain.

AUGMENT Aug"ment, n. Etym: [L. augmentum: cf. F. augment.]

1. Enlargement by addition; increase.

2. (Gram.)

Defn: A vowel prefixed, or a lengthening of the initial vowel, to mark past time, as in Greek and Sanskrit verbs.

Note: In Greek, the syllabic augment is a prefixed temporal augment is an increase of the quantity (time) of an initial vowel, as by changing

AUGMENTABLE Aug*ment"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of augmentation. Walsh.

AUGMENTATION Aug`men*ta"tion, n. Etym: [LL. augmentatio: cf. F. augmentation.]

1. The act or process of augmenting, or making larger, by addition, expansion, or dilation; increase.

2. The state of being augmented; enlargement.

3. The thing added by way of enlargement.

4. (Her.)

Defn: A additional charge to a coat of arms, given as a mark of honor. Cussans.

5. (Med.)

Defn: The stage of a disease in which the symptoms go on increasing. Dunglison.

6. (Mus.)

Defn: In counterpoint and fugue, a repetition of the subject in tones of twice the original length. Augmentation court (Eng. Hist.), a court erected by Stat. 27 Hen. VIII., to augment to revenues of the crown by the suppression of monasteries. It was long ago dissolved. Encyc. Brit.

Syn. -- Increase; enlargement; growth; extension; accession; addition.

AUGMENTATIVE Aug*ment"a*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. augmentatif.]

Defn: Having the quality or power of augmenting; expressing augmentation. -- Aug*ment"a*tive*ly, adv.

AUGMENTATIVE Aug*ment"a*tive, n. (Gram.)

Defn: A word which expresses with augmented force the idea or the properties of the term from which it is derived; as, dullard, one very dull. Opposed to diminutive. Gibbs.

AUGMENTER Aug*ment"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, augments or increases anything.

AU GRATIN Au` gra`tin". [F.] (Cookery)

Defn: With a crust made by browning in the oven; as, spaghetti may be served au gratin.

AUGRIM Au"grim, n.

Defn: See Algorism. [Obs.] Chaucer. Augrim stones, pebbles formerly used in numeration. -- Noumbres of Augrim, Arabic numerals. Chaucer.

AUGUR Au"gur, n. Etym: [L. Of uncertain origin: the first part of the word is perh. fr. L. avis bird, and the last syllable, gur, equiv. to the Skr. gar to call, akin to L. garrulus garrulous.]

1. (Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: An official diviner who foretold events by the singing, chattering, flight, and feeding of birds, or by signs or omens derived from celestial phenomena, certain appearances of quadrupeds, or unusual occurrences.

2. One who foretells events by omens; a soothsayer; a diviner; a prophet. Augur of ill, whose tongue was never found Without a priestly curse or boding sound. Dryden.

AUGUR Au"gur, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Augured (; p. pr. & vb. n. Auguring.]

1. To conjecture from signs or omens; to prognosticate; to foreshow. My auguring mind assures the same success. Dryden.

2. To anticipate, to foretell, or to indicate a favorable or an unfavorable issue; as, to augur well or ill.

AUGUR Au"gur, v. t.

Defn: To predict or foretell, as from signs or omens; to betoken; to presage; to infer. It seems to augur genius. Sir W. Scott. I augur everything from the approbation the proposal has met with. J. F. W. Herschel.

Syn. -- To predict; forebode; betoken; portend; presage; prognosticate; prophesy; forewarn.

AUGURAL Au"gu*ral, a. Etym: [L. auguralis.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to augurs or to augury; betokening; ominous; significant; as, an augural staff; augural books. "Portents augural." Cowper.

AUGURATE Au"gu*rate, v. t. & i. Etym: [L. auguratus, p. p. of augurari to augur.]

Defn: To make or take auguries; to augur; to predict. [Obs.] C. Middleton.

AUGURATE Au"gu*rate, n.

Defn: The office of an augur. Merivale.

AUGURATION Au`gu*ra"tion, n. Etym: [L. auguratio.]

Defn: The practice of augury.

AUGURER Au"gur*er, n.

Defn: An augur. [Obs.] Shak.

AUGURIAL Au*gu"ri*al, a. Etym: [L. augurialis.]

Defn: Relating to augurs or to augury. Sir T. Browne.

AUGURIST Au"gu*rist, n.

Defn: An augur. [R.]

AUGURIZE Au"gur*ize, v. t.

Defn: To augur. [Obs.] Blount.

AUGURIZE Au"gur*ize, v. t.

Defn: To augur. [Obs.] Blount.

AUGUROUS Au"gu*rous, a.

Defn: Full of augury; foreboding. [Obs.] "Augurous hearts." Chapman.

AUGURSHIP Au"gur*ship, n.

Defn: The office, or period of office, of an augur. Bacon.

AUGURY Au"gu*ry, n.; pl. Auguries (. Etym: [L. aucurium.]

1. The art or practice of foretelling events by observing the actions of birds, etc.; divination.

2. An omen; prediction; prognostication; indication of the future; presage. From their flight strange auguries she drew. Drayton. He resigned himself . . . with a docility that gave little augury of his future greatness. Prescott.

3. A rite, ceremony, or observation of an augur.

AUGUST Au*gust", a. Etym: [L. augustus; cf. augere to increase; in the language of religion, to honor by offerings: cf. F. auguste. See Augment.]

Defn: Of a quality inspiring mingled admiration and reverence; having an aspect of solemn dignity or grandeur; sublime; majestic; having exalted birth, character, state, or authority. "Forms august." Pope. "August in visage." Dryden. "To shed that august blood." Macaulay. So beautiful and so august a spectacle. Burke. To mingle with a body so august. Byron.

Syn. -- Grand; magnificent; majestic; solemn; awful; noble; stately; dignified; imposing.

AUGUST Au"gust, n. Etym: [L. Augustus. See note below, and August, a.]

Defn: The eighth month of the year, containing thirty-one days.

Note: The old Roman name was Sextilis, the sixth month from March, the month in which the primitive Romans, as well as Jews, began the year. The name was changed to August in honor of Augustus Cæsar, the first emperor of Rome, on account of his victories, and his entering on his first consulate in that month.

AUGUSTAN Au*gus"tan, a. Etym: [L. Augustanus, fr. Augustus. See August, n.]

1. Of or pertaining to Augustus Cæsar or to his times.

2. Of or pertaining to the town of Augsburg. Augustan age of any national literature, the period of its highest state of purity and refinement; -- so called because the reign of Augustus Cæsar was the golden age of Roman literature. Thus the reign of Louis XIV. (b. 1638) has been called the Augustan age of French literature, and that of Queen Anne (b. 1664) the Augustan age of English literature. -- Augustan confession (Eccl. Hist.), or confession of Augsburg, drawn up at Augusta Vindelicorum, or Augsburg, by Luther and Melanchthon, in 1530, contains the principles of the Protestants, and their reasons for separating from the Roman Catholic church.

AUGUSTINE; AUGUSTINIAN Au*gus"tine, Au`gus*tin"i*an, n. (Eccl.)

Defn: A member of one of the religious orders called after St. Augustine; an Austin friar.

AUGUSTINIAN Au`gus*tin"i*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo in Northern Africa (b. 354 -- d. 430), or to his doctrines. Augustinian canons, an order of monks once popular in England and Ireland; -- called also regular canons of St. Austin, and black canons. -- Augustinian hermits or Austin friars, an order of friars established in 1265 by Pope Alexander IV. It was introduced into the United States from Ireland in 1790. -- Augustinian nuns, an order of nuns following the rule of St. Augustine. -- Augustinian rule, a rule for religious communities based upon the 109th letter of St. Augustine, and adopted by the Augustinian orders.

AUGUSTINIAN Au`gus*tin"i*an, n.

Defn: One of a class of divines, who, following St. Augustine, maintain that grace by its nature is effectual absolutely and creatively, not relatively and conditionally.

AUGUSTINIANISM; AUGUSTINISM Au`gus*tin"i*an*ism, Au*gus"tin*ism, n.

Defn: The doctrines held by Augustine or by the Augustinians.

AUGUSTLY Au*gust"ly, adv.

Defn: In an august manner.

AUGUSTNESS Au*gust"ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being august; dignity of mien; grandeur; magnificence.

AUK Auk, n. Etym: [Prov. E. alk; akin to Dan. alke, Icel. & Sw. alka.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A name given to various species of arctic sea birds of the family Alcidæ. The great auk, now extinct, is Alca (or Plautus) impennis. The razor-billed auk is A. torda. See Puffin, Guillemot, and Murre.

AUKWARD Auk"ward, a.

Defn: See Awkward. [Obs.]

AULARIAN Au*la"ri*an, a. Etym: [L. aula hall. Cf. LL. aularis of a court.]

Defn: Relating to a hall.

AULARIAN Au*la"ri*an, n.

Defn: At Oxford, England, a member of a hall, distinguished from a collegian. Chalmers.

AULD Auld, a. Etym: [See Old.]

Defn: Old; as, Auld Reekie (old smoky), i. e., Edinburgh. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]

AULD LANG SYNE Auld` lang syne".

Defn: A Scottish phrase used in recalling recollections of times long since past. "The days of auld lang syne."

AULD LICHT; AULD LIGHT Auld licht, Auld light . (Eccl. Hist.) (a) A member of the conservative party in the Church of Scotland in the latter part of the 18th century. (b) Same as Burgher, n., 2.

AULETIC Au*let"ic, a. Etym: [L. auleticus, Gr.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a pipe (flute) or piper. [R.] Ash.

AULIC Au"lic, a. Etym: [L. aulicus, Gr.

Defn: Pertaining to a royal court. Ecclesiastical wealth and aulic dignities. Landor. Aulic council (Hist.), a supreme court of the old German empire; properly the supreme court of the emperor. It ceased at the death of each emperor, and was renewed by his successor. It became extinct when the German empire was dissolved, in 1806. The term is now applied to a council of the war department of the Austrian empire, and the members of different provincial chanceries of that empire are called aulic councilors. P. Cyc.

AULIC Au"lic, n.

Defn: The ceremony observed in conferring the degree of doctor of divinity in some European universities. It begins by a harangue of the chancellor addressed to the young doctor, who then receives the cap, and presides at the disputation (also called the aulic).

AULN Auln, n.

Defn: An ell. [Obs.] See Aune.

AULNAGE; AULNAGER Aul"nage, Aul"na*ger, n.

Defn: See Alnage and Alnager.

AUM Aum, n.

Defn: Same as Aam.

AUMAIL Au*mail", v. t. Etym: [OE. for amel, enamel.]

Defn: To figure or variegate. [Obs.] Spenser.

AUMBRY Aum"bry, n.

Defn: Same as Ambry.

AUMERY Au"me*ry, n.

Defn: A form of Ambry, a closet; but confused with Almonry, as if a place for alms.

AUNCEL Aun"cel, n.

Defn: A rude balance for weighing, and a kind of weight, formerly used in England. Halliwell.

AUNCETRY Aun"cet*ry, n.

Defn: Ancestry. [Obs.] Chaucer.

AUNE Aune, n. Etym: [F. See Alnage.]

Defn: A French cloth measure, of different parts of the country (at Paris, 0.95 of an English ell); -- now superseded by the meter.

AUNT Aunt, n. Etym: [OF. ante, F. tante, L. amita father's sister. Cf. Amma.]

1. The sister of one's father or mother; -- correlative to nephew or niece. Also applied to an uncle's wife.

Note: Aunt is sometimes applied as a title or term of endearment to a kind elderly woman not thus related.

2. An old woman; and old gossip. [Obs.] Shak.

3. A bawd, or a prostitute. [Obs.] Shak. Aunt Sally, a puppet head placed on a pole and having a pipe in its mouth; also a game, which consists in trying to hit the pipe by throwing short bludgeons at it.

AUNTER Aun"ter, n.

Defn: Adventure; hap. [Obs.] In aunters, perchance.

AUNTER; AUNTRE Aun"ter, Aun"tre, v. t. Etym: [See Adventure.]

Defn: To venture; to dare. [Obs.] Chaucer.

AUNTIE; AUNTY Aunt"ie, Aunt"y, n.

Defn: A familiar name for an aunt. In the southern United States a familiar term applied to aged negro women.

AUNTROUS Aun"trous, a.

Defn: Adventurous. [Obs.] Chaucer.

AURA Au"ra, n.; pl. Auræ (. Etym: [L. aura air, akin to Gr.

1. Any subtile, invisible emanation, effluvium, or exhalation from a substance, as the aroma of flowers, the odor of the blood, a supposed fertilizing emanation from the pollen of flowers, etc.

2. (Med.)

Defn: The peculiar sensation, as of a light vapor, or cold air, rising from the trunk or limbs towards the head, a premonitory symptom of epilepsy or hysterics. Electric ~, a supposed electric fluid, emanating from an electrified body, and forming a mass surrounding it, called the electric atmosphere. See Atmosphere, 2.

AURAL Au"ral, a. Etym: [L. aura air.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the air, or to an aura.

AURAL Au"ral, a. Etym: [L. auris ear.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the ear; as, aural medicine and surgery.

AURANTIACEOUS Au*ran`ti*a"ceous, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, the Aurantiaceæ, an order of plants (formerly considered natural), of which the orange is the type.

AURATE Au"rate, n. Etym: [L. auratus, p. p. of aurare to gild, fr. aurum gold: cf. F. aurate.] (Chem.)

Defn: A combination of auric acid with a base; as, aurate or potassium.

AURATED Au"ra*ted, a. Etym: [See Aurate.]

1. Resembling or containing gold; gold-colored; gilded.

2. (Chem.)

Defn: Combined with auric acid.

AURATED Au"ra*ted, a.

Defn: Having ears. See Aurited.

AUREATE Au"re*ate, a. Etym: [L. aureatus, fr. aureus golden, fr. aurum gold.]

Defn: Golden; gilded. Skelton.

AURELIA Au*re"li*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. aurum gold: cf. F. aurélie. Cf. Chrysalis.] (Zoöl.) (a) The chrysalis, or pupa of an insect, esp. when reflecting a brilliant golden color, as that of some of the butterflies. (b) A genus of jellyfishes. See Discophora.

AURELIAN Au*re"li*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the aurelia.

AURELIAN Au*re"li*an, n.

Defn: An amateur collector and breeder of insects, esp. of butterflies and moths; a lepidopterist.

AUREOLA; AUREOLE Au*re"o*la, Au"re*ole, n. Etym: [F. auréole, fr. L. aureola, (fem adj.) of gold (sc. corona crown), dim. of aureus. See Aureate, Oriole.]

1. (R. C. Theol.)

Defn: A celestial crown or accidental glory added to the bliss of heaven, as a reward to those (as virgins, martyrs, preachers, etc.) who have overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil.

2. The circle of rays, or halo of light, with which painters surround the figure and represent the glory of Christ, saints, and others held in special reverence.

Note: Limited to the head, it is strictly termed a nimbus; when it envelops the whole body, an aureola. Fairholt.

3. A halo, actual or figurative. The glorious aureole of light seen around the sun during total eclipses. Proctor. The aureole of young womanhood. O. W. Holmes.

4. (Anat.)

Defn: See Areola, 2.

AU REVOIR Au` re*voir". [F., lit., to the seeing again.]

Defn: Good-by until we meet again.

AURIC Au"ric, a. Etym: [L. aurum gold.]

1. Of or pertaining to gold.

2. (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, gold; -- said of those compounds of gold in which this element has its higher valence; as, auric oxide; auric chloride.

AURICHALCEOUS Au`ri*chal"ce*ous, a. Etym: [L. aurichalcum, for orichalcum brass.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Brass-colored.

AURICHALCITE Au`ri*chal"cite, n. Etym: [See Aurichalceous.] (Min.)

Defn: A hydrous carbonate of copper and zinc, found in pale green or blue crystalline aggregations. It yields a kind of brass on reduction.

AURICLE Au"ri*cle, n. Etym: [L. auricula, dim. of auris ear. See Ear.]

1. (Anat.) (a) The external ear, or that part of the ear which is prominent from the head. (b) The chamber, or one of the two chambers, of the heart, by which the blood is received and transmitted to the ventricle or ventricles; -- so called from its resemblance to the auricle or external ear of some quadrupeds. See Heart.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An angular or ear-shaped lobe.

3. An instrument applied to the ears to give aid in hearing; a kind of ear trumpet. Mansfield.

AURICLED Au"ri*cled, a.

Defn: Having ear-shaped appendages or lobes; auriculate; as, auricled leaves.

AURICULA Au*ric"u*la, n.; pl. L. Auriculæ (, E. Auriculas (. Etym: [L. auricula. See Auricle.]

1. (Bot.) (a) A species of Primula, or primrose, called also, from the shape of its leaves, bear's-ear. (b) (b) A species of Hirneola (H. auricula), a membranaceous fungus, called also auricula Judæ, or Jew's-ear. P. Cyc.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) A genus of air-breathing mollusks mostly found near the sea, where the water is brackish (b) One of the five arched processes of the shell around the jaws of a sea urchin.

AURICULAR Au*ric"u*lar, a. Etym: [LL. auricularis: cf. F. auriculaire. See Auricle.]

1. Of or pertaining to the ear, or to the sense of hearing; as, auricular nerves.

2. Told in the ear, i. e., told privately; as, auricular confession to the priest. This next chapter is a penitent confession of the king, and the strangest . . . that ever was auricular. Milton.

3. Recognized by the ear; known by the sense of hearing; as, auricular evidence. "Auricular assurance." Shak.

4. Received by the ear; known by report. "Auricular traditions." Bacon.

5. (Anat.)

Defn: Pertaining to the auricles of the heart. Auricular finger, the little finger; so called because it can be readily introduced into the ear passage.

AURICULARIA Au*ric`u*la"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [Neut. pl., fr. LL. auricularis.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A kind of holothurian larva, with soft, blunt appendages. See Illustration in Appendix.

AURICULARLY Au*ric"u*lar*ly, adv.

Defn: In an auricular manner.

AURICULARS Au*ric"u*lars, n. pl. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A circle of feathers surrounding the opening of the ear of birds.

AURICULATE; AURICULATED Au*ric"u*late, Au*ric"u*la`ted, a. Etym: [See Auricle.] (Biol.)

Defn: Having ears or appendages like ears; eared. Esp.: (a) (Bot.) Having lobes or appendages like the ear; shaped like the ear; auricled. (b) (Zoöl.) Having an angular projection on one or both sides, as in certain bivalve shells, the foot of some gastropods, etc. Auriculate leaf, one having small appended leaves or lobes on each side of its petiole or base.

AURIFEROUS Au*rif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. aurifer; aurum gold + ferre to bear: cf. F. aurifère.]

Defn: Gold-bearing; containing or producing gold. Whence many a bursting stream auriferous plays. Thomson. ~= pyrites, iron pyrites (iron disulphide), containing some gold disseminated through it.

AURIFLAMME Au"ri*flamme, n.

Defn: See Oriflamme.

AURIFORM Au"ri*form, a. Etym: [L. auris ear + -form.]

Defn: Having the form of the human ear; ear-shaped.

AURIGA Au*ri"ga, n. Etym: [L., charioteer.] (Anat.)

Defn: The Charioteer, or Wagoner, a constellation in the northern hemisphere, situated between Perseus and Gemini. It contains the bright star Capella.

AURIGAL Au*ri"gal, a. Etym: [L. aurigalis.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a chariot. [R.]

AURIGATION Au`ri*ga"tion, n. Etym: [L. aurigatio, fr. aurigare to be a charioteer, fr. auriga.]

Defn: The act of driving a chariot or a carriage. [R.] De Quincey.

AURIGRAPHY Au*rig"ra*phy, n. Etym: [L. aurum gold + -graphy.]

Defn: The art of writing with or in gold.

AURILAVE Au`ri*lave, n. [L. auris ear + lavare to wash.]

Defn: An instrument for cleansing the ear, consisting of a small piece of sponge on an ivory or bone handle.

AURIN Au"rin, n. Etym: [L. aurum gold.] (Chem.)

Defn: A red coloring matter derived from phenol; -- called also, in commerce, yellow coralin.

AURIPHRYGIATE Au`ri*phryg"i*ate, a. Etym: [LL. auriphrigiatus; L. aurum gold + LL. phrygiare to adorn with Phrygian needlework, or with embroidery; perhaps corrupted from some other word. Cf. Orfrays.]

Defn: Embroidered or decorated with gold. [R.] Southey.

AURIPIGMENT Au`ri*pig"ment, n.

Defn: See Orpiment. [Obs.]

AURISCALP Au"ri*scalp, n. Etym: [L. auris ear + scalpere to scrape.]

Defn: An earpick.

AURISCOPE Au"ri*scope, n. Etym: [L. auris + -scope.] (Med.)

Defn: An instrument for examining the condition of the ear.

AURISCOPY Au*ris"co*py, n.

Defn: Examination of the ear by the aid of the auriscope.

AURIST Au"rist, n. Etym: [L. auris ear.]

Defn: One skilled in treating and curing disorders of the ear.

AURITED Au"ri*ted, a. Etym: [L. auritus, fr. auris ear.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having lobes like the ear; auriculate.

AURIVOROUS Au*riv"o*rous, a. Etym: [L. aurum gold + vorare to devour.]

Defn: Gold-devouring. [R.] H. Walpole.

AUROCEPHALOUS Au`ro*ceph"a*lous, a. Etym: [Aurum + cephalous.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having a gold-colored head.

AUROCHLORIDE Au`ro*chlo"ride, n. Etym: [Aurum + chloride.] (Chem.)

Defn: The trichloride of gold combination with the chloride of another metal, forming a double chloride; -- called also chloraurate.

AUROCHS Au"rochs, n. Etym: [G. auerochs, OHG. ; (cf. AS. ) + ohso ox, G. ochs. Cf. Owre, Ox.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The European bison (Bison bonasus, or Europæus), once widely distributed, but now nearly extinct, except where protected in the Lithuanian forests, and perhaps in the Caucasus. It is distinct from the Urus of Cæsar, with which it has often been confused.

AUROCYANIDE Au`ro*cy"a*nide, n. Etym: [Aurum + cyanide.] (Chem.)

Defn: A double cyanide of gold and some other metal or radical; -- called also cyanaurate.

AURORA Au*ro"ra, n.; pl. E. Auroras (, L. (rarely used) Auroræ (. Etym: [L. aurora, for ausosa, akin to Gr. ushas, and E. east.]

1. The rising light of the morning; the dawn of day; the redness of the sky just before the sun rises.

2. The rise, dawn, or beginning. Hawthorne.

3. (Class. Myth.)

Defn: The Roman personification of the dawn of day; the goddess of the morning. The poets represented her a rising out of the ocean, in a chariot, with rosy fingers dropping gentle dew.

4. (Bot.)

Defn: A species of crowfoot. Johnson.

5. The aurora borealis or aurora australis (northern or southern lights). Aurora borealis (, i. e., northern daybreak; popularly called northern lights. A luminous meteoric phenomenon, visible only at night, and supposed to be of electrical origin. This species of light usually appears in streams, ascending toward the zenith from a dusky line or bank, a few degrees above the northern horizon; when reaching south beyond the zenith, it forms what is called the corona, about a spot in the heavens toward which the dipping needle points. Occasionally the aurora appears as an arch of light across the heavens from east to west. Sometimes it assumes a wavy appearance, and the streams of light are then called merry dancers. They assume a variety of colors, from a pale red or yellow to a deep red or blood color. The Aurora australis (is a corresponding phenomenon in the southern hemisphere, the streams of light ascending in the same manner from near the southern horizon.

AURORAL Au*ro"ral, a.

Defn: Belonging to, or resembling, the aurora (the dawn or the northern lights); rosy. Her cheeks suffused with an auroral blush. Longfellow.

AUROUS Au"rous, a.

1. Containing gold.

2. (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, gold; -- said of those compounds of gold in which this element has its lower valence; as, aurous oxide.

AURUM Au"rum, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: Gold. Aurum fulminans (See Fulminate. -- Aurum mosaicum (See Mosaic.

AUSCULT Aus*cult", v. i. & t.

Defn: To auscultate.

AUSCULTATE Aus"cul*tate, v. i. & t.

Defn: To practice auscultation; to examine by auscultation.

AUSCULTATION Aus`cul*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. ausculcatio, fr. auscultare to listen, fr. a dim. of auris, orig. ausis, ear. See Auricle, and cf. Scout, n.]

1. The act of listening or hearkening to. Hickes.

2. (Med.)

Defn: An examination by listening either directly with the ear (immediate auscultation) applied to parts of the body, as the abdomen; or with the stethoscope (mediate ~), in order to distinguish sounds recognized as a sign of health or of disease.

AUSCULTATOR Aus"cul*ta`tor, n.

Defn: One who practices auscultation.

AUSCULTATORY Aus*cul"ta*to*ry, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to auscultation. Dunglison.

AUSONIAN Au*so"ni*an, a. Etym: [L. Ausonia, poetic name for Italy.]

Defn: Italian. Milton.

AUSPICATE Aus"pi*cate, a. Etym: [L. auspicatus, p. p. of auspicari to take auspices, fr. auspex a bird seer, an augur, a contr. of avispex; avis bird + specere, spicere, to view. See Aviary, Spy.]

Defn: Auspicious. [Obs.] Holland.

AUSPICATE Aus"pi*cate, v. t.

1. To foreshow; to foretoken. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

2. To give a favorable turn to in commencing; to inaugurate; -- a sense derived from the Roman practice of taking the auspicium, or inspection of birds, before undertaking any important business. They auspicate all their proceedings. Burke.

AUSPICE Aus"pice, n.; pl. Auspices (. Etym: [L. auspicium, fr. auspex: cf. F. auspice. See Auspicate, a.]

1. A divining or taking of omens by observing birds; an omen as to an undertaking, drawn from birds; an augury; an omen or sign in general; an indication as to the future.

2. Protection; patronage and care; guidance. Which by his auspice they will nobler make. Dryden.

Note: In this sense the word is generally plural, auspices; as, under the auspices of the king.

AUSPICIAL Aus*pi"cial, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to auspices; auspicious. [R.]

AUSPICIOUS Aus*pi"cious, a. Etym: [See Auspice.]

1. Having omens or tokens of a favorable issue; giving promise of success, prosperity, or happiness; predicting good; as, an auspicious beginning. Auspicious union of order and freedom. Macaulay.

2. Prosperous; fortunate; as, auspicious years. "Auspicious chief." Dryden.

3. Favoring; favorable; propitious; -- applied to persons or things. "Thy auspicious mistress." Shak. "Auspicious gales." Pope.

Syn. -- See Propitious. -- Aus*pi"cious*ly, adv. -- Aus*pi"cious*ness, n.

AUSTER Aus"ter, n. Etym: [L. auster a dry, hot, south wind; the south.]

Defn: The south wind. Pope.

AUSTERE Aus*tere", Etym: [F. austère, L. austerus, fr. Gr. Sear.]

1. Sour and astringent; rough to the state; having acerbity; as, an austere crab apple; austere wine.

2. Severe in modes of judging, or living, or acting; rigid; rigorous; stern; as, an austere man, look, life. From whom the austere Etrurian virtue rose. Dryden.

3. Unadorned; unembellished; severely simple.

Syn. -- Harsh; sour; rough; rigid; stern; severe; rigorous; strict.

AUSTERELY Aus*tere"ly, adv.

Defn: Severely; rigidly; sternly. A doctrine austerely logical. Macaulay.

AUSTERENESS Aus*tere"ness, n.

1. Harshness or astringent sourness to the taste; acerbity. Johnson.

2. Severity; strictness; austerity. Shak.

AUSTERITY Aus*ter"i*ty, n.; pl. Austplwies (. Etym: [F. austérité, L. austerias, fr. austerus. See Austere.]

1. Sourness and harshness to the taste. [Obs.] Horsley.

2. Severity of manners or life; extreme rigor or strictness; harsh discipline. The austerity of John the Baptist. Milton.

3. Plainness; freedom from adornment; severe simplicity. Partly owing to the studied austerity of her dress, and partly to the lack of demonstration in her manners. Hawthorne.

AUSTIN Aus"tin, a.

Defn: Augustinian; as, Austin friars.

AUSTRAL Aus"tral, a. Etym: [L. australis, fr. auster: cf. F. austral.]

Defn: Southern; lying or being in the south; as, austral land; austral ocean. Austral signs (Astron.), the last six signs of the zodiac, or those south of the equator.

AUSTRALASIAN Aus`tral*a"sian, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Australasia; as, Australasian regions. -- n.

Defn: A native or an inhabitant of Australasia.

AUSTRALIAN Aus*tra"li*an, a. Etym: [From L. Terra Australis southern land.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to Australia. -- n.

Defn: A native or an inhabitant of Australia.

AUSTRALIAN BALLOT Aus*tra"li*an bal"lot. (Law)