Chapter V: Front Matter (5)

2. (Anat.) (a) The bony cup which receives the head of the thigh bone. (b) The cavity in which the leg of an insect is inserted at its articulation with the body. (c) A sucker of the sepia or cuttlefish and related animals. (d) The large posterior sucker of the leeches. (e) One of the lobes of the placenta in ruminating animals.

ACETAL Ac"e*tal, n. Etym: [Acetic + alcohol.] (Chem.)

Defn: A limpid, colorless, inflammable liquid from the slow oxidation of alcohol under the influence of platinum black.

ACETALDEHYDE Ac`et*al"de*hyde, n.

Defn: Acetic aldehyde. See Aldehyde.

ACETAMIDE Ac`et*am"ide, n. Etym: [Acetyl + amide.] (Chem.)

Defn: A white crystalline solid, from ammonia by replacement of an equivalent of hydrogen by acetyl.

ACETANILIDE Ac`et*an"i*lide, n. Etym: [Acetyl + anilide.] (Med.)

Defn: A compound of aniline with acetyl, used to allay fever or pain; -- called also antifebrine.

ACETARIOUS Ac`e*ta"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. acetaria, n. pl., salad, fr. acetum vinegar, fr. acere to be sour.]

Defn: Used in salads; as, acetarious plants.

ACETARY Ac"e*ta*ry, n. Etym: [L. acetaria salad plants.]

Defn: An acid pulp in certain fruits, as the pear. Grew.

ACETATE Ac"e*tate, n. Etym: [L. acetum vinegar, fr. acere to be sour.] (Chem.)

Defn: A salt formed by the union of acetic acid with a base or positive radical; as, acetate of lead, acetate of potash.

ACETATED Ac"e*ta`ted, a.

Defn: Combined with acetic acid.

ACETIC A*ce"tic (#; 277), a. Etym: [L. acetum vinegar, fr. acere to be sour.] (Chem.) (a) Of a pertaining to vinegar; producing vinegar; producing vinegar; as, acetic fermentation. (b) Pertaining to, containing, or derived from, acetyl, as acetic ether, acetic acid. The latter is the acid to which the sour taste of vinegar is due.

ACETIFICATION A*cet`i*fi*ca"tion, n.

Defn: The act of making acetous or sour; the process of converting, or of becoming converted, into vinegar.

ACETIFIER A*cet"i*fi`er, n.

Defn: An apparatus for hastening acetification. Knight.

ACETIFY A*cet"i*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Acetified; p. pr. & vb. n. Acetifying.] Etym: [L. acetum vinegar + -fly.]

Defn: To convert into acid or vinegar.

ACETIFY A*cet"i*fy, v. i.

Defn: To turn acid. Encyc. Dom. Econ.

ACETIMETER Ac`e*tim"e*ter, n. Etym: [L. acetum vinegar + -meter: cf. F. acétimètre.]

Defn: An instrument for estimating the amount of acetic acid in vinegar or in any liquid containing acetic acid.

ACETIMETRY Ac`e*tim"e*try, n.

Defn: The act or method of ascertaining the strength of vinegar, or the proportion of acetic acid contained in it. Ure.

ACETIN Ac"e*tin, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A combination of acetic acid with glycerin. Brande & C.

ACETIZE Ac"e*tize, v. i.

Defn: To acetify. [R.]

ACETOL Ac"e*tol, n. [Acetic + -ol as in alcohol.] (Chem.)

Defn: Methyl ketol; also, any of various homologues of the same.

ACETOMETER Ac`e*tom"e*ter, n.

Defn: Same as Acetimeter. Brande & C.

ACETONAEMIA; ACETONEMIA Ac`e*to*næ"mi*a, Ac`e*to*ne"mi*a, n. [NL. See Acetone; Hæma-.] (Med.)

Defn: A morbid condition characterized by the presence of acetone in the blood, as in diabetes.

ACETONE Ac"e*tone, n. Etym: [See Acetic.] (Chem.)

Defn: A volatile liquid consisting of three parts of carbon, six of hydrogen, and one of oxygen; pyroacetic spirit, -- obtained by the distillation of certain acetates, or by the destructive distillation of citric acid, starch, sugar, or gum, with quicklime.

Note: The term in also applied to a number of bodies of similar constitution, more frequently called ketones. See Ketone.

ACETONIC Ac`e*ton"ic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to acetone; as, acetonic bodies.

ACETONURIA Ac`e*to*nu"ri*a, n. [NL. See Acetone; Urine.] (Med.)

Defn: Excess of acetone in the urine, as in starvation or diabetes.

ACETOPHENONE Ac`e*to*phe"none, n. [Acetic + phenyl + one.] (Chem.)

Defn: A crystalline ketone, CH3COC6H5, which may be obtained by the dry distillation of a mixture of the calcium salts of acetic and benzoic acids. It is used as a hypnotic under the name of hypnone.

ACETOSE Ac"e*tose, a.

Defn: Sour like vinegar; acetous.

ACETOSITY Ac`e*tos"i*ty, n. Etym: [LL. acetositas. See Acetous.]

Defn: The quality of being acetous; sourness.

ACETOUS A*ce"tous (#; 277), a. Etym: [L. acetum vinegar, fr. acere to be sour.]

1. Having a sour taste; sour; acid. "An acetous spirit." Boyle. "A liquid of an acetous kind." Bp. Lowth.

2. Causing, or connected with, acetification; as, acetous fermentation. Acetous acid, a name formerly given to vinegar.

ACETYL Ac"e*tyl, n. Etym: [L. acetum vinegar + Gr. -yl.] (Chem.)

Defn: A complex, hypothetical radical, composed of two parts of carbon to three of hydrogen and one of oxygen. Its hydroxide is acetic acid.

ACETYLENE A*cet"y*lene, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A gaseous compound of carbon and hydrogen, in the proportion of two atoms of the former to two of the latter. It is a colorless gas, with a peculiar, unpleasant odor, and is produced for use as an illuminating gas in a number of ways, but chiefly by the action of water on calcium carbide. Its light is very brilliant. Watts.

ACH; ACHE Ach, Ache, n. Etym: [F. ache, L. apium parsley.]

Defn: A name given to several species of plants; as, smallage, wild celery, parsley. [Obs.] Holland.

ACHAEAN; ACHAIAN A*chæ"an, A*cha"ian a. Etym: [L. Achaeus, Achaius; Gr.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Achaia in Greece; also, Grecian. -- n.

Defn: A native of Achaia; a Greek.

ACHARNEMENT A*char"ne*ment, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Savage fierceness; ferocity.

ACHATE Ach"ate, n.

Defn: An agate. [Obs.] Evelyn.

ACHATE A*chate", n. Etym: [F. achat purchase. See Cates.]

1. Purchase; bargaining. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. pl.

Defn: Provisions. Same as Cates. [Obs.] Spenser.

ACHATINA Ach`a*ti"na, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of land snails, often large, common in the warm parts of America and Africa.

ACHATOUR A*cha*tour", n. Etym: [See Cater.]

Defn: Purveyor; acater. [Obs.] Chaucer.

ACHE Ache, n. Etym: [OE. ache, AS. æce, ece, fr. acan to ache. See Ache, v. i.]

Defn: Continued pain, as distinguished from sudden twinges, or spasmodic pain. "Such an ache in my bones." Shak.

Note: Often used in composition, as, a headache, an earache, a toothache.

ACHE Ache, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Ached; p. pr. & vb. n. Aching.] Etym: [OE. aken, AS. acan, both strong verbs, AS. acan, imp. oc, p. p. acen, to ache; perh. orig. to drive, and akin to agent.]

Defn: To suffer pain; to have, or be in, pain, or in continued pain; to be distressed. "My old bones ache." Shak. The sins that in your conscience ache. Keble.

ACHEAN A*che"an, a & n.

Defn: See Achæan, Achaian.

ACHENE; ACHENIUM A*chene", A*che"ni*um n. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A small, dry, indehiscent fruit, containing a single seed, as in the buttercup; -- called a naked seed by the earlier botanists. [Written also akene and achænium.]

ACHENIAL A*che"ni*al, a.

Defn: Pertaining to an achene.

ACHERON Ach"e*ron, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Myth.)

Defn: A river in the Nether World or infernal regions; also, the infernal regions themselves. By some of the English poets it was supposed to be a flaming lake or gulf. Shak.

ACHERONTIC Ach`e*ron"tic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Acheron; infernal; hence, dismal, gloomy; moribund.

A CHEVAL A` che*val". [F., lit., on horseback.]

Defn: Astride; with a part on each side; -- used specif. in designating the position of an army with the wings separated by some line of demarcation, as a river or road.

A position à cheval on a river is not one which a general willingly assumes. Swinton.

ACHIEVABLE A*chiev"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being achieved. Barrow.

ACHIEVANCE A*chiev"ance, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. achevance.]

Defn: Achievement. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.

ACHIEVE A*chieve", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Achieved; p. pr. & vb. n. Achieving.] Etym: [OE. acheven, OF. achever, achiever, F. achever, to finish; à (L. ad) + OF. chief, F. chef, end, head, fr. L. caput head. See Chief.]

1. To carry on to a final close; to bring out into a perfected state; to accomplish; to perform; -- as, to achieve a feat, an exploit, an enterprise. Supposing faculties and powers to be the same, far more may be achieved in any line by the aid of a capital, invigorating motive than without it. I. Taylor.

2. To obtain, or gain, as the result of exertion; to succeed in gaining; to win. Some are born great, some achieve greatness. Shak. Thou hast achieved our liberty. Milton.

Note: [[Obs]., with a material thing as the aim.] Show all the spoils by valiant kings achieved. Prior. He hath achieved a maid That paragons description. Shak.

3. To finish; to kill. [Obs.] Shak.

Syn. -- To accomplish; effect; fulfill; complete; execute; perform; realize; obtain. See Accomplish.

ACHIEVEMENT A*chieve"ment, n. Etym: [Cf. F. achèvement, E. Hatchment.]

1. The act of achieving or performing; an obtaining by exertion; successful performance; accomplishment; as, the achievement of his object.

2. A great or heroic deed; something accomplished by valor, boldness, or praiseworthy exertion; a feat. [The exploits] of the ancient saints . . . do far surpass the most famous achievements of pagan heroes. Barrow. The highest achievements of the human intellect. Macaulay.

3. (Her.)

Defn: An escutcheon or ensign armorial; now generally applied to the funeral shield commonly called hatchment. Cussans.

ACHIEVER A*chiev"er, n.

Defn: One who achieves; a winner.

ACHILLEAN Ach`il*le"an, a.

Defn: Resembling Achilles, the hero of the Iliad; invincible.

ACHILLES' TENDON A*chil"les' ten"don, n. Etym: [L. Achillis tendo.] (Anat.)

Defn: The strong tendon formed of the united tendons of the large muscles in the calf of the leg, an inserted into the bone of the heel; -- so called from the mythological account of Achilles being held by the heel when dipped in the River Styx.

ACHILOUS A*chi"lous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: Without a lip.

ACHING Ach"ing, a.

Defn: That aches; continuously painful. See Ache. -- Ach"ing*ly, adv. The aching heart, the aching head. Longfellow.

ACHIOTE A`chi*o"te, n. Etym: [Sp. achiote, fr. Indian achiotl.]

Defn: Seeds of the annotto tree; also, the coloring matter, annotto.

ACHLAMYDATE A*chlam"y*date, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Not possessing a mantle; -- said of certain gastropods.

ACHLAMYDEOUS Ach`la*myd"e*ous, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Naked; having no floral envelope, neither calyx nor corolla.

ACHOLIA A*cho"li*a, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Med.)

Defn: Deficiency or want of bile.

ACHOLOUS Ach"o*lous, a. (Med.)

Defn: Lacking bile.

ACHROMATIC Ach`ro*mat"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. achromatique.]

1. (Opt.)

Defn: Free from color; transmitting light without decomposing it into its primary colors.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: Uncolored; not absorbing color from a fluid; -- said of tissue. Achromatic lens (Opt.), a lens composed usually of two separate lenses, a convex and concave, of substances having different refractive and dispersive powers, as crown and flint glass, with the curvatures so adjusted that the chromatic aberration produced by the one is corrected by other, and light emerges from the compound lens undecomposed. -- Achromatic prism. See Prism. -- Achromatic telescope, or microscope, one in which the chromatic aberration is corrected, usually by means of a compound or achromatic object glass, and which gives images free from extraneous color.

ACHROMATICALLY Ach`ro*mat"ic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In an achromatic manner.

ACHROMATICITY Ach`ro*ma*tic"i*ty, n.

Defn: Achromatism.

ACHROMATIN A*chro"ma*tin, n. (Biol.)

Defn: Tissue which is not stained by fluid dyes. W. Flemming.

ACHROMATISM A*chro"ma*tism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. achromatisme.]

Defn: The state or quality of being achromatic; as, the achromatism of a lens; achromaticity. Nichol.

ACHROMATIZATION A*chro`ma*ti*za"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. achromatisation.]

Defn: The act or process of achromatizing.

ACHROMATIZE A*chro"ma*tize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Achromatized; p. pr. & vb. n. Achromatizing.] Etym: [Gr.

Defn: To deprive of color; to make achromatic.

ACHROMATOPSY A*chro"ma*top"sy, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Color blindness; inability to distinguish colors; Daltonism.

ACHROMATOUS A*chro"ma*tous, a. [See Ahromatic.]

Defn: Lacking, or deficient in, color; as, achromatous blood.

ACHROMIC A*chro"mic, a. [Gr. colorless; priv. + color.]

Defn: Free from color; colorless; as, in Physiol. Chem., the achromic point of a starch solution acted upon by an amylolytic enzyme is the point at which it fails to give any color with iodine.

ACHRONIC A*chron"ic, a.

Defn: See Acronyc.

ACHROODEXTRIN; ACHROOEDEXTRIN Ach`ro*ö*dex"trin, n. Etym: [Gr. dextrin.] (Physiol. Chem.)

Defn: Dextrin not colorable by iodine. See Dextrin.

ACHROOUS Ach"ro*ous, a. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Colorless; achromatic.

ACHYLOUS A*chy"lous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol.)

Defn: Without chyle.

ACHYMOUS A*chy"mous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol.)

Defn: Without chyme.

ACICULA A*cic"u*la, n.; pl. Aciculæ. Etym: [L., a small needle, dimin. of acus needle.] (Nat. Hist.)

Defn: One of the needlelike or bristlelike spines or prickles of some animals and plants; also, a needlelike crystal.

ACICULAR A*cic"u*lar, a.

Defn: Needle-shaped; slender like a needle or bristle, as some leaves or crystals; also, having sharp points like needless. A*cic"u*lar*ly, adv.

ACICULATE; ACICULATED A*cic"u*late, A*cic"u*la"ted a. (Nat. Hist.) (a) Furnished with aciculæ. (b) Acicular. (c) Marked with fine irregular streaks as if scratched by a needle. Lindley.

ACICULIFORM A*cic"u*li*form, a. Etym: [L. acicula needle + -form.]

Defn: Needle-shaped; acicular.

ACICULITE A*cic"u*lite, n. (Min.)

Defn: Needle ore. Brande & C.

ACID Ac"id, a. Etym: [L. acidus sour, fr. the root ak to be sharp: cf. F. acide. Cf. Acute.]

1. Sour, sharp, or biting to the taste; tart; having the taste of vinegar: as, acid fruits or liquors. Also fig.: Sour-tempered. He was stern and his face as acid as ever. A. Trollope.

2. Of or pertaining to an acid; as, acid reaction.

ACID Ac"id, n.

1. A sour substance.

2. (Chem.)

Defn: One of a class of compounds, generally but not always distinguished by their sour taste, solubility in water, and reddening of vegetable blue or violet colors. They are also characterized by the power of destroying the distinctive properties of alkalies or bases, combining with them to form salts, at the same time losing their own peculiar properties. They all contain hydrogen, united with a more negative element or radical, either alone, or more generally with oxygen, and take their names from this negative element or radical. Those which contain no oxygen are sometimes called hydracids in distinction from the others which are called oxygen acids or oxacids.

Note: In certain cases, sulphur, selenium, or tellurium may take the place of oxygen, and the corresponding compounds are called respectively sulphur acids or sulphacids, selenium acids, or tellurium acids. When the hydrogen of an acid is replaced by a positive element or radical, a salt is formed, and hence acids are sometimes named as salts of hydrogen; as hydrogen nitrate for nitric acid, hydrogen sulphate for sulphuric acid, etc. In the old chemistry the name acid was applied to the oxides of the negative or nonmetallic elements, now sometimes called anhydrides.

ACIDIC A*cid"ic, a. (Min.)

Defn: Containing a high percentage of silica; -- opposed to basic. an acidic solution.

ACIDIFEROUS Ac`id*if"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. acidus sour + -ferous.]

Defn: Containing or yielding an acid.

ACIDIFIABLE A*cid"i*fi`a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being acidified, or converted into an acid.

ACIDIFIC Ac`id*if"ic, a.

Defn: Producing acidity; converting into an acid. Dana.

ACIDIFICATION A*cid`i*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. acidification.]

Defn: The act or process of acidifying, or changing into an acid.

ACIDIFIER A*cid"i*fi`er, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A simple or compound principle, whose presence is necessary to produce acidity, as oxygen, chlorine, bromine, iodine, etc.

ACIDIFY A*cid"i*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Acidified; p. pr. & vb. n. Acidifying.] Etym: [L. acidus sour, acid + -fy: cf. F. acidifier.]

1. To make acid; to convert into an acid; as, to acidify sugar.

2. To sour; to imbitter. His thin existence all acidified into rage. Carlyle.

ACIDIMETER Ac`id*im"e*ter, n. Etym: [L. acidus acid + -meter.] (Chem.)

Defn: An instrument for ascertaining the strength of acids. Ure.

ACIDIMETRY Ac`id*im"e*try, n. Etym: [L. acidus acid + -metry.] (Chem.)

Defn: The measurement of the strength of acids, especially by a chemical process based on the law of chemical combinations, or the fact that, to produce a complete reaction, a certain definite weight of reagent is required. -- Ac`id*i*met"ric*al, a.

ACIDITY A*cid"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. acidites, fr. acidus: cf. F. acidité. See Acid.]

Defn: The quality of being sour; sourness; tartness; sharpness to the taste; as, the acidity of lemon juice.

ACIDLY Ac"id*ly, adv.

Defn: Sourly; tartly.

ACIDNESS Ac"id*ness, n.

Defn: Acidity; sourness.

ACID PROCESS Ac"id proc"ess. (Iron Metal.)

Defn: That variety of either the Bessemer or the open-hearth process in which the converter or hearth is lined with acid, that is, highly siliceous, material. Opposed to basic process.

ACIDULATE A*cid"u*late, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Acidulated; p. pr. & vb. n. Acidulating.] Etym: [Cf. F. aciduler. See Acidulous.]

Defn: To make sour or acid in a moderate degree; to sour somewhat. Arbuthnot.

ACIDULENT A*cid"u*lent, a.

Defn: Having an acid quality; sour; acidulous. "With anxious, acidulent face." Carlyle.

ACIDULOUS A*cid"u*lous, a. Etym: [L. acidulus, dim. of acidus. See Acid.]

Defn: Slightly sour; sub-acid; sourish; as, an acidulous tincture. E. Burke. Acidulous mineral waters, such as contain carbonic anhydride.

ACIERAGE Ac`i*er*age, n. Etym: [F. aciérage, fr. acier steel.]

Defn: The process of coating the surface of a metal plate (as a stereotype plate) with steellike iron by means of voltaic electricity; steeling.

ACIFORM Ac"i*form, a. Etym: [L. acus needle + -form.]

Defn: Shaped like a needle.

ACINACEOUS Ac"i*na"ceous, a. Etym: [L. acinus a grape, grapestone.] (Bot.)

Defn: Containing seeds or stones of grapes, or grains like them.

ACINACES A*cin"a*ces, n. Etym: [L., from Gr. (Anc. Hist.)

Defn: A short sword or saber.

ACINACIFORM Ac`i*nac"i*form, a. Etym: [L. acinaces a short sword + -form: cf. F. acinaciforme.] (Bot.)

Defn: Scimeter-shaped; as, an acinaciform leaf.

ACINESIA Ac`i*ne"si*a, n. (Med.)

Defn: Same as Akinesia.

ACINETAE Ac`i*ne"tæ, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of suctorial Infusoria, which in the adult stage are stationary. See Suctoria.

ACINETIFORM Ac`i*net"i*form, a. Etym: [Acinetæ + -form.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Resembling the Acinetæ.

ACINIFORM A*cin"i*form, a. Etym: [L. acinus a grape, grapestone + -form: cf. F. acinoforme.]

1. Having the form of a cluster of grapes; clustered like grapes.

2. Full of small kernels like a grape.

ACINOSE; ACINOUS Ac"i*nose`, Ac"i*nous a. Etym: [L. acinosus, fr. acinus grapestone.]

Defn: Consisting of acini, or minute granular concretions; as, acinose or acinous glands. Kirwan.

ACINUS Ac"i*nus, n.; pl. Acini. Etym: [L., grape, grapestone.]

1. (Bot.) (a) One of the small grains or drupelets which make up some kinds of fruit, as the blackberry, raspberry, etc. (b) A grapestone.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: One of the granular masses which constitute a racemose or compound gland, as the pancreas; also, one of the saccular recesses in the lobules of a racemose gland. Quain.

ACIPENSER Ac`i*pen"ser, n. Etym: [L., the name of a fish.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of ganoid fishes, including the sturgeons, having the body armed with bony scales, and the mouth on the under side of the head. See Sturgeon.

ACIURGY Ac"i*ur`gy, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Operative surgery.

ACKNOW Ac*know", v. t. Etym: [Pref. a- + know; AS. oncnawan.]

1. To recognize. [Obs.] "You will not be acknown, sir." B. Jonson.

2. To acknowledge; to confess. [Obs.] Chaucer. To be acknown (often with of or on), to acknowledge; to confess. [Obs.] We say of a stubborn body that standeth still in the denying of his fault, This man will not acknowledge his fault, or, He will not be acknown of his fault. Sir T. More.

ACKNOWLEDGE Ac*knowl"edge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Acknowledged; p. pr. & vb. n. Acknowledging.] Etym: [Prob. fr. pref. a- + the verb knowledge. See Knowledge, and ci. Acknow.]

1. To of or admit the knowledge of; to recognize as a fact or truth; to declare one's belief in; as, to acknowledge the being of a God. I acknowledge my transgressions. Ps. li. 3. For ends generally acknowledged to be good. Macaulay.

2. To own or recognize in a particular character or relationship; to admit the claims or authority of; to give recognition to. In all thy ways acknowledge Him. Prov. iii. 6. By my soul, I'll ne'er acknowledge thee. Shak.

3. To own with gratitude or as a benefit or an obligation; as, to acknowledge a favor, the receipt of a letter. They his gifts acknowledged none. Milton.

4. To own as genuine; to assent to, as a legal instrument, to give it validity; to avow or admit in legal form; as, to acknowledgea deed.

Syn. -- To avow; proclaim; recognize; own; admit; allow; concede; confess. -- Acknowledge, Recognize. Acknowledge is opposed to keep back, or conceal, and supposes that something had been previously known to us (though perhaps not to others) which we now feel bound to lay open or make public. Thus, a man acknowledges a secret marriage; one who has done wrong acknowledges his fault; and author acknowledges his obligation to those who have aided him; we acknowledge our ignorance. Recognize supposes that we have either forgotten or not had the evidence of a thing distinctly before our minds, but that now we know it (as it were) anew, or receive and admit in on the ground of the evidence it brings. Thus, we recognize a friend after a long absence. We recognize facts, principles, truths, etc., when their evidence is brought up fresh to the mind; as, bad men usually recognize the providence of God in seasons of danger. A foreign minister, consul, or agent, of any kind, is recognized on the ground of his producing satisfactory credentials. See also Confess.

ACKNOWLEDGEDLY Ac*knowl"edged*ly, adv.

Defn: Confessedly.

ACKNOWLEDGER Ac*knowl"edg*er, n.

Defn: One who acknowledges.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT Ac*knowl"edg*ment, n.

1. The act of acknowledging; admission; avowal; owning; confession. "An acknowledgment of fault." Froude.

2. The act of owning or recognized in a particular character or relationship; recognition as regards the existence, authority, truth, or genuineness. Immediately upon the acknowledgment of the Christian faith, the eunuch was baptized by Philip. Hooker.

3. The owning of a benefit received; courteous recognition; expression of thanks. Shak.

4. Something given or done in return for a favor, message, etc. Smollett.

5. A declaration or avowal of one's own act, to give it legal validity; as, the acknowledgment of a deed before a proper officer. Also, the certificate of the officer attesting such declaration. Acknowledgment money, in some parts of England, a sum paid by copyhold tenants, on the death of their landlords, as an acknowledgment of their new lords. Cowell.

Syn. -- Confession; concession; recognition; admission; avowal; recognizance.

ACLINIC A*clin"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Physics.)

Defn: Without inclination or dipping; -- said the magnetic needle balances itself horizontally, having no dip. The aclinic line is also termed the magnetic equator. Prof. August.

ACME Ac"me, n. Etym: [Gr.

1. The top or highest point; the culmination. The very acme and pitch of life for epic poetry. Pope. The moment when a certain power reaches the acme of its supremacy. I. Taylor.

2. (Med.)

Defn: The crisis or height of a disease.

3. Mature age; full bloom of life. B. Jonson.

ACNE Ac"ne, n. Etym: [NL., prob. a corruption of Gr. (Med.)

Defn: A pustular affection of the skin, due to changes in the sebaceous glands.

ACNODAL Ac*no"dal, a.

Defn: Pertaining to acnodes.

ACNODE Ac"node, n. Etym: [L. acus needle + E. node.] (Geom.)

Defn: An isolated point not upon a curve, but whose coördinates satisfy the equation of the curve so that it is considered as belonging to the curve.

ACOCK A*cock", adv. Etym: [Pref. a- + cock.]

Defn: In a cocked or turned up fashion.

ACOCKBILL A*cock"bill`, adv. Etym: [Prefix a- + cock + bill: with bills cocked up.] (Naut.) (a) Hanging at the cathead, ready to let go, as an anchor. (b) Topped up; having one yardarm higher than the other.

ACOLD A*cold", a. Etym: [Prob. p. p. of OE. acolen to grow cold or cool, AS. acolian to grow cold; pref. a- (cf. Goth. er-, orig. meaning out) + colian to cool. See Cool.]

Defn: Cold. [Obs.] "Poor Tom's acold." Shak.

ACOLOGIC Ac`o*log"ic, a.

Defn: Pertaining to acology.

ACOLOGY A*col"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy.]

Defn: Materia medica; the science of remedies.

ACOLOTHIST A*col"o*thist, n.

Defn: See Acolythist.

ACOLYCTINE Ac`o*lyc"tine, n. Etym: [From the name of the plant.] (Chem.)

Defn: An organic base, in the form of a white powder, obtained from Aconitum lycoctonum. Eng. Cyc.

ACOLYTE Ac`o*lyte, n. Etym: [LL. acolythus, acoluthus, Gr. acolyte.]

1. (Eccl.)

Defn: One who has received the highest of the four minor orders in the Catholic church, being ordained to carry the wine and water and the lights at the Mass.

2. One who attends; an assistant. "With such chiefs, and with James and John as acolytes." Motley.

ACOLYTH Ac"o*lyth, n.

Defn: Same as Acolyte.

ACOLYTHIST A*col"y*thist, n.

Defn: An acolyte. [Obs.]

ACONDDYLOSE; ACONDYLOUS A*cond"dy*lose`, A*con"dy*lous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Nat. Hist.)

Defn: Being without joints; jointless.

ACONITAL Ac`o*ni"tal, a.

Defn: Of the nature of aconite.

ACONITE Ac"o*nite, n. Etym: [L. aconitum, Gr. aconit.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: The herb wolfsbane, or monkshood; -- applied to any plant of the genus Aconitum (tribe Hellebore), all the species of which are poisonous.

2. An extract or tincture obtained from Aconitum napellus, used as a poison and medicinally. Winter aconite, a plant (Eranthis hyemalis) allied to the aconites.

ACONITIA Ac`o*ni"ti*a, n. (Chem.)

Defn: Same as Aconitine.

ACONITIC Ac`o*nit"ic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to aconite.

ACONITINE A*con"i*tine, n. (Chem.)

Defn: An intensely poisonous alkaloid, extracted from aconite.

ACONITUM Ac`o*ni"tum, n. Etym: [L. See Aconite.]

Defn: The poisonous herb aconite; also, an extract from it. Strong As aconitum or rash gunpowder. Shak.

ACONTIA A*con"ti*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Threadlike defensive organs, composed largely of nettling cells (cnidæ), thrown out of the mouth or special pores of certain Actiniæ when irritated.

ACONTIAS A*con"ti*as, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Anciently, a snake, called dart snake; now, one of a genus of reptiles closely allied to the lizards.

ACOPIC A*cop"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. priv. + (Med.)

Defn: Relieving weariness; restorative.

ACORN A"corn, n. Etym: [AS. æcern, fr. æcer field, acre; akin to D. aker acorn, Ger. ecker, Icel. akarn, Dan. agern, Goth. akran fruit, akrs field; -- orig. fruit of the field. See Acre.]

1. The fruit of the oak, being an oval nut growing in a woody cup or cupule.

2. (Naut.)

Defn: A cone-shaped piece of wood on the point of the spindle above the vane, on the mast-head.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Acorn-shell.

ACORN CUP A"corn cup.

Defn: The involucre or cup in which the acorn is fixed.

ACORNED A"corned, a.

1. Furnished or loaded with acorns.

2. Fed or filled with acorns. [R.] Shak.

ACORN-SHELL A"corn-shell`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the sessile cirripeds; a barnacle of the genus Balanus. See Barnacle.

ACOSMISM A*cos"mism, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: A denial of the existence of the universe as distinct from God.

ACOSMIST A*cos"mist, n. Etym: [See Acosmism.]

Defn: One who denies the existence of the universe, or of a universe as distinct from God. G. H. Lewes.

ACOTYLEDON A*cot`y*le"don (#; 277), n. Etym: [Gr. Cotyledon.] (Bot.)

Defn: A plant which has no cotyledons, as the dodder and all flowerless plants.

ACOTYLEDONOUS A*cot`y*led"on*ous (#; 277), a.

Defn: Having no seed lobes, as the dodder; also applied to plants which have no true seeds, as ferns, mosses, etc.

ACOUCHY A*cou"chy, n. Etym: [F. acouchi, from the native name Guiana.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small species of agouti (Dasyprocta acouchy).

ACOUMETER A*cou"me*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.] (Physics.)

Defn: An instrument for measuring the acuteness of the sense of hearing. Itard.

ACOUMETRY A*cou"me*try, n. Etym: [Gr. -metry.]

Defn: The measuring of the power or extent of hearing.

ACOUSTIC A*cous"tic (#; 277), a. Etym: [F. acoustique, Gr.

Defn: Pertaining to the sense of hearing, the organs of hearing, or the science of sounds; auditory. Acoustic duct, the auditory duct, or external passage of the ear. -- Acoustic telegraph, a telegraph making audible signals; a telephone. -- Acoustic vessels, brazen tubes or vessels, shaped like a bell, used in ancient theaters to propel the voices of the actors, so as to render them audible to a great distance.

ACOUSTIC A*cous"tic, n.

Defn: A medicine or agent to assist hearing.

ACOUSTICAL A*cous"tic*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to acoustics.

ACOUSTICALLY A*cous"tic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In relation to sound or to hearing. Tyndall.

ACOUSTICIAN Ac`ous*ti"cian, n.

Defn: One versed in acoustics. Tyndall.

ACOUSTICS A*cous"tics (#; 277), n. Etym: [Names of sciences in -ics, as, acoustics, mathematics, etc., are usually treated as singular. See - ics.] (Physics.)

Defn: The science of sounds, teaching their nature, phenomena, and laws. Acoustics, then, or the science of sound, is a very considerable branch of physics. Sir J. Herschel.

Note: The science is, by some writers, divided, into diacoustics, which explains the properties of sounds coming directly from the ear; and catacoustica, which treats of reflected sounds or echoes.

ACQUAINT Ac*quaint", a. Etym: [OF. acoint. See Acquaint, v. t.]

Defn: Acquainted. [Obs.]

ACQUAINT Ac*quaint", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Acquainted; p. pr. & vb. n. Acquainting.] Etym: [OE. aqueinten, acointen, OF. acointier, LL. adcognitare, fr. L. ad + cognitus, p. p. of cognoscere to know; con- + noscere to know. See Quaint, Know.]

1. To furnish or give experimental knowledge of; to make (one) to know; to make familiar; -- followed by with. Before a man can speak on any subject, it is necessary to be acquainted with it. Locke. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Isa. liii. 3.

2. To communicate notice to; to inform; to make cognizant; -- followed by with (formerly, also, by of), or by that, introducing the intelligence; as, to acquaint a friend with the particulars of an act. Acquaint her here of my son Paris' love. Shak. I must acquaint you that I have received New dated letters from Northumberland. Shak.

3. To familiarize; to accustom. [Obs.] Evelyn. To be acquainted with, to be possessed of personal knowledge of; to be cognizant of; to be more or less familiar with; to be on terms of social intercourse with.

Syn. -- To inform; apprise; communicate; advise.

ACQUAINTABLE Ac*quaint"a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. OF. acointable].

Defn: Easy to be acquainted with; affable. [Obs.] Rom. of R.

ACQUAINTANCE Ac*quaint"ance, n. Etym: [OE. aqueintance, OF. acointance, fr. acointier. See Acquaint.]

1. A state of being acquainted, or of having intimate, or more than slight or superficial, knowledge; personal knowledge gained by intercourse short of that of friendship or intimacy; as, I know the man; but have no acquaintance with him. Contract no friendship, or even acquaintance, with a guileful man. Sir W. Jones.

2. A person or persons with whom one is acquainted. Montgomery was an old acquaintance of Ferguson. Macaulay.

Note: In this sense the collective term acquaintance was formerly both singular and plural, but it is now commonly singular, and has the regular plural acquaintances. To be of acquaintance, to be intimate. -- To take acquaintance of or with, to make the acquaintance of. [Obs.]

Syn. -- Familiarity; intimacy; fellowship; knowledge. -- Acquaintance, Familiarity, Intimacy. These words mark different degrees of closeness in social intercourse. Acquaintance arises from occasional intercourse; as, our acquaintance has been a brief one. We can speak of a slight or an intimate acquaintance. Familiarity is the result of continued acquaintance. It springs from persons being frequently together, so as to wear off all restraint and reserve; as, the familiarity of old companions. Intimacy is the result of close connection, and the freest interchange of thought; as, the intimacy of established friendship. Our admiration of a famous man lessens upon our nearer acquaintance with him. Addison. We contract at last such a familiarity with them as makes it difficult and irksome for us to call off our minds. Atterbury. It is in our power to confine our friendships and intimacies to men of virtue. Rogers.

ACQUAINTANCESHIP Ac*quaint"ance*ship, n.

Defn: A state of being acquainted; acquaintance. Southey.

ACQUAINTANT Ac*quaint"ant, n. Etym: [Cf. F. acointant, p. pr.]

Defn: An acquaintance. [R.] Swift.

ACQUAINTED Ac*quaint"ed, a.

Defn: Personally known; familiar. See To be acquainted with, under Acquaint, v. t.

ACQUAINTEDNESS Ac*quaint"ed*ness, n.

Defn: State of being acquainted; degree of acquaintance. [R.] Boyle.

ACQUEST Ac*quest", n. Etym: [OF. aquest, F. acquêt, fr. LL. acquestum, acquisitum, for L. acquisitum, p. p. (used substantively) of acquirere to acquire. See Acquire.]

1. Acquisition; the thing gained. [R.] Bacon.

2. (Law)

Defn: Property acquired by purchase, gift, or otherwise than by inheritance. Bouvier.

ACQUIESCE Ac`qui*esce", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Acquiesced; p. pr. & vb. n. Acquiescing] Etym: [L. acquiescere; ad + quiescere to be quiet, fr. quies rest: cf. F. acquiescer. See Quiet.]

1. To rest satisfied, or apparently satisfied, or to rest without opposition and discontent (usually implying previous opposition or discontent); to accept or consent by silence or by omitting to object; -- followed by in, formerly also by with and to. They were compelled to acquiesce in a government which they did not regard as just. De Quincey.

2. To concur upon conviction; as, to acquiesce in an opinion; to assent to; usually, to concur, not heartily but so far as to forbear opposition.

Syn. -- To submit; comply; yield; assent; agree; consent; accede; concur; conform; accept tacitly.

ACQUIESCENCE Ac`qui*es"cence, n. Etym: [Cf. F. acquiescence.]

1. A silent or passive assent or submission, or a submission with apparent content; -- distinguished from avowed consent on the one hand, and on the other, from opposition or open discontent; quiet satisfaction.

2. (Crim. Law) (a) Submission to an injury by the party injured. (b) Tacit concurrence in the action of another. Wharton. p. 17

ACQUIESCENCY Ac`qui*es"cen*cy, n.

Defn: The quality of being acquiescent; acquiescence.

ACQUIESCENT Ac`qui*es"cent, a. Etym: [L. acquiescens, -; p. pr.]

Defn: Resting satisfied or submissive; disposed tacitly to submit; assentive; as, an acquiescent policy.

ACQUIESCENTLY Ac`qui*es"cent*ly, adv.

Defn: In an acquiescent manner.

ACQUIET Ac*qui"et, v. t. Etym: [LL. acquietare; L. ad + quies rest. See Quiet and cf. Acquit.]

Defn: To quiet. [Obs.] Acquiet his mind from stirring you against your own peace. Sir A. Sherley.

ACQUIRABILITY Ac*quir"a*bil"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality of being acquirable; attainableness. [R.] Paley.

ACQUIRABLE Ac*quir"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being acquired.

ACQUIRE Ac*quire", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Acquired; p. pr. & vb. n. Acquiring.] Etym: [L. acquirere, acquisitum; ad + quarere to seek for. In OE. was a verb aqueren, fr. the same, through OF. aquerre. See Quest..]

Defn: To gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own; as, to acquire a title, riches, knowledge, skill, good or bad habits. No virtue is acquired in an instant, but step by step. Barrow. Descent is the title whereby a man, on the death of his ancestor, acquires his estate, by right of representation, as his heir at law. Blackstone.

Syn. -- To obtain; gain; attain; procure; win; earn; secure. See Obtain.

ACQUIREMENT Ac*quire"ment, n.

Defn: The act of acquiring, or that which is acquired; attainment. "Rules for the acquirement of a taste." Addison. His acquirements by industry were . . . enriched and enlarged by many excellent endowments of nature. Hayward.

Syn. -- Acquisition, Acquirement. Acquirement is used in opposition to a natural gift or talent; as, eloquence, and skill in music and painting, are acquirements; genius is the gift or endowment of nature. It denotes especially personal attainments, in opposition to material or external things gained, which are more usually called acquisitions; but this distinction is not always observed.

ACQUIRER Ac*quir"er, n.

Defn: A person who acquires.

ACQUIRY Ac*quir"y, n.

Defn: Acquirement. [Obs.] Barrow.

ACQUISITE Ac"qui*site, a. Etym: [L. acquisitus, p. p. of acquirere. See Acquire.]

Defn: Acquired. [Obs.] Burton.

ACQUISITION Ac`qui*si"tion, n. Etym: [L. acquisitio, fr. acquirere: cf. F. acquisition. See Acquire.]

1. The act or process of acquiring. The acquisition or loss of a province. Macaulay.

2. The thing acquired or gained; an acquirement; a gain; as, learning is an acquisition.

Syn. -- See Acquirement.

ACQUISITIVE Ac*quis"i*tive, a.

1. Acquired. [Obs.] He died not in his acquisitive, but in his native soil. Wotton.

2. Able or disposed to make acquisitions; acquiring; as, an acquisitive person or disposition.

ACQUISITIVELY Ac*quis"i*tive*ly, adv.

Defn: In the way of acquisition.

ACQUISITIVENESS Ac*quis"i*tive*ness, n.

1. The quality of being acquisitive; propensity to acquire property; desire of possession.

2. (Phren.)

Defn: The faculty to which the phrenologists attribute the desire of acquiring and possessing. Combe.

ACQUISITOR Ac*quis"i*tor, n.

Defn: One who acquires.

ACQUIST Ac*quist", n. Etym: [Cf. Acquest.]

Defn: Acquisition; gain. Milton.

ACQUIT Ac*quit", p. p.

Defn: Acquitted; set free; rid of. [Archaic] Shak.

ACQUIT Ac*quit", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Acquitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Acquitting.] Etym: [OE. aquiten, OF. aquiter, F. acquitter; (L. ad) + OF. quiter, F. quitter, to quit. See Quit, and cf. Acquiet.]

1. To discharge, as a claim or debt; to clear off; to pay off; to requite. A responsibility that can never be absolutely acquitted. I. Taylor.

2. To pay for; to atone for. [Obs.] Shak.

3. To set free, release or discharge from an obligation, duty, liability, burden, or from an accusation or charge; -- now followed by of before the charge, formerly by from; as, the jury acquitted the prisoner; we acquit a man of evil intentions.

4. Reflexively: (a) To clear one's self.k. (b) To bear or conduct one's self; to perform one's part; as, the soldier acquitted himself well in battle; the orator acquitted himself very poorly.

Syn. -- To absolve; clear; exonerate; exonerate; exculpate; release; discharge. See Absolve.

ACQUITMENT Ac*quit"ment, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. aquitement.]

Defn: Acquittal. [Obs.] Milton.

ACQUITTAL Ac*quit"tal, n.

1. The act of acquitting; discharge from debt or obligation; acquittance.

2. (Law)

Defn: A setting free, or deliverance from the charge of an offense, by verdict of a jury or sentence of a court. Bouvier.

ACQUITTANCE Ac*quit"tance, n. Etym: [OF. aquitance, fr. aquiter. See Acquit.]

1. The clearing off of debt or obligation; a release or discharge from debt or other liability.

2. A writing which is evidence of a discharge; a receipt in full, which bars a further demand. You can produce acquittances For such a sum, from special officers. Shak.

ACQUITTANCE Ac*quit"tance, v. t.

Defn: To acquit. [Obs.] Shak.

ACQUITTER Ac*quit"ter, n.

Defn: One who acquits or releases.

ACRANIA A*cra"ni*a, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr.

1. (Physiol.)

Defn: Partial or total absence of the skull.

2. pl. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The lowest group of Vertebrata, including the amphioxus, in which no skull exists.

ACRANIAL A*cra"ni*al, a.

Defn: Wanting a skull.

ACRASE; ACRAZE A*crase", A*craze", v. t. Etym: [Pref. a- + crase; or cf. F. écraser to crush. See Crase, Craze.]

1. To craze. [Obs.] Grafton.

2. To impair; to destroy. [Obs.] Hacket.

ACRASIA; ACRASY A*cra"si*a, Ac"ra*sy n. Etym: [Gr. akrasia.]

Defn: Excess; intemperance. [Obs. except in Med.] Farindon.

ACRASPEDA A*cras"pe*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of acalephs, including most of the larger jellyfishes; the Discophora.

ACRE A"cre, n. Etym: [OE. aker, AS. æcer; akin to OS. accar, OHG. achar, Ger. acker, Icel. akr, Sw. åker, Dan. ager, Goth. akrs, L. ager, Gr. ajra. *2, 206.]

1. Any field of arable or pasture land. [Obs.]

2. A piece of land, containing 160 square rods, or 4,840 square yards, or 43,560 square feet. This is the English statute acre. That of the United States is the same. The Scotch acre was about 1.26 of the English, and the Irish 1.62 of the English.

Note: The acre was limited to its present definite quantity by statutes of Edward I., Edward III., and Henry VIII. Broad acres, many acres, much landed estate. [Rhetorical] -- God's acre, God's field; the churchyard. I like that ancient Saxon phrase, which calls The burial ground, God's acre. Longfellow.

ACREABLE A"cre*a*ble, a.

Defn: Of an acre; per acre; as, the acreable produce.

ACREAGE A"cre*age, n.

Defn: Acres collectively; as, the acreage of a farm or a country.

ACRED A"cred, a.

Defn: Possessing acres or landed property; -- used in composition; as, large-acred men.

ACRID Ac"rid, a. Etym: [L. acer sharp; prob. assimilated in form to acid. See Eager.]

1. Sharp and harsh, or bitter and not, to the taste; pungent; as, acrid salts.

2. Causing heat and irritation; corrosive; as, acrid secretions.

3. Caustic; bitter; bitterly irritating; as, acrid temper, mind, writing. Acrid poison, a poison which irritates, corrodes, or burns the parts to which it is applied.

ACRIDITY; ACRIDNESS A*crid"i*ty, Ac"rid*ness n.

Defn: The quality of being acrid or pungent; irritant bitterness; acrimony; as, the acridity of a plant, of a speech.

ACRIDLY Ac"rid*ly, adv.

Defn: In an acid manner.

ACRIMONIOUS Ac"ri*mo"ni*ous, a. Etym: [Cf. LL. acrimonious, F. acrimonieux.]

1. Acrid; corrosive; as, acrimonious gall. [Archaic] Harvey.

2. Caustic; bitter-tempered' sarcastic; as, acrimonious dispute, language, temper.

ACRIMONIOUSLY Ac`ri*mo"ni*ous*ly, adv.

Defn: In an acrimonious manner.

ACRIMONIOUSNESS Ac`ri*mo"ni*ous*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being acrimonious; asperity; acrimony.

ACRIMONY Ac"ri*mo*ny, n.; pl. Acrimonies. Etym: [L. acrimonia, fr. acer, sharp: cf. F. acrimonie.]

1. A quality of bodies which corrodes or destroys others; also, a harsh or biting sharpness; as, the acrimony of the juices of certain plants. [Archaic] Bacon.

2. Sharpness or severity, as of language or temper; irritating bitterness of disposition or manners. John the Baptist set himself with much acrimony and indignation to baffle this senseless arrogant conceit of theirs. South.

Syn. -- Acrimony, Asperity, Harshness, Tartness. These words express different degrees of angry feeling or language. Asperity and harshness arise from angry feelings, connected with a disregard for the feelings of others. Harshness usually denotes needless severity or an undue measure of severity. Acrimony is a biting sharpness produced by an imbittered spirit. Tartness denotes slight asperity and implies some degree of intellectual readiness. Tartness of reply; harshness of accusation; acrimony of invective. In his official letters he expressed, with great acrimony, his contempt for the king's character. Macaulay. It is no very cynical asperity not to confess obligations where no benefit has been received. Johnson. A just reverence of mankind prevents the growth of harshness and brutality. Shaftesbury.

ACRISIA; ACRISY A*cris"i*a, Ac"ri*sy, n. Etym: [LL. acrisia, Gr.

1. Inability to judge.

2. (Med.)

Defn: Undecided character of a disease. [Obs.]

ACRITA Ac"ri*ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The lowest groups of animals, in which no nervous system has been observed.

ACRITAN Ac"ri*tan, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Acrita. -- n. An individual of the Acrita.

ACRITE Ac"rite, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Acritan. Owen.

ACRITICAL A*crit"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr. (Med.)

Defn: Having no crisis; giving no indications of a crisis; as, acritical symptoms, an acritical abscess.

ACRITOCHROMACY Ac`ri*to*chro"ma*cy, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Color blindness; achromatopsy.

ACRITUDE Ac"ri*tude, n. Etym: [L. acritudo, from acer sharp.]

Defn: Acridity; pungency joined with heat. [Obs.]

ACRITY Ac"ri*ty, n. Etym: [L. acritas, fr. acer sharp: cf. F. âcreté.]

Defn: Sharpness; keenness. [Obs.]

ACROAMATIC; ACROAMATICAL Ac`ro*a*mat"ic, Ac`ro*a*mat"ic*al, a. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Communicated orally; oral; -- applied to the esoteric teachings of Aristotle, those intended for his genuine disciples, in distinction from his exoteric doctrines, which were adapted to outsiders or the public generally. Hence: Abstruse; profound.

ACROATIC Ac`ro*at"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Same as Acroamatic.

ACROBAT Ac"ro*bat, n. Etym: [F. acrobate, fr. Gr.

Defn: One who practices rope dancing, high vaulting, or other daring gymnastic feats.

ACROBATIC Ac`ro*bat"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. acrobatique.]

Defn: Pertaining to an acrobat. -- Ac`ro*bat"ic*al*ly, adv.

ACROBATISM Ac"ro*bat*ism, n.

Defn: Feats of the acrobat; daring gymnastic feats; high vaulting.

ACROCARPOUS Ac`ro*car"pous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.) (a) Having a terminal fructification; having the fruit at the end of the stalk. (b) Having the fruit stalks at the end of a leafy stem, as in certain mosses.

ACROCEPHALIC Ac`ro*ce*phal"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. Cephalic.]

Defn: Characterized by a high skull.

ACROCEPHALY Ac`ro*ceph"a*ly, n.

Defn: Loftiness of skull.

ACROCERAUNIAN Ac`ro*ce*rau"ni*an, a. Etym: [L. acroceraunius, fr. Gr.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the high mountain range of "thunder- smitten" peaks (now Kimara), between Epirus and Macedonia. Shelley.

ACRODACTYLUM Ac`ro*dac"tyl*um, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The upper surface of the toes, individually.

ACRODONT Ac"ro*dont, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of a group of lizards having the teeth immovably united to the top of the alveolar ridge. -- a. Of or pertaining to the acrodonts.

ACROGEN Ac"ro*gen, n. Etym: [Gr. -gen.] (Bot.)

Defn: A plant of the highest class of cryptograms, including the ferns, etc. See Cryptogamia. The Age of Acrogens (Geol.), the age of coal plants, or the carboniferous era.

ACROGENOUS Ac*rog"e*nous, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Increasing by growth from the extremity; as, an acrogenous plant.

ACROLEIN A*cro"le*in, n. Etym: [L. acer sharp + olere to smell.] (Chem.)

Defn: A limpid, colorless, highly volatile liquid, obtained by the dehydration of glycerin, or the destructive distillation of neutral fats containing glycerin. Its vapors are intensely irritating. Watts.

ACROLITH Ac"ro*lith, n. Etym: [L. acrolthus, Gr. with the ends made of stone; (Arch. & Sculp.)

Defn: A statue whose extremities are of stone, the trunk being generally of wood. Elmes.

ACROLITHAN; ACROLITHIC A*crol"i*than, Ac`ro*lith"ic, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or like, an acrolith.

ACROMEGALY Ac`ro*meg"a*ly, n. Etym: [NL. acromegalia, fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: Chronic enlargement of the extremities and face.

ACROMIAL A*cro"mi*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. acromial.] (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the acromion. Dunglison.

ACROMION A*cro"mi*on, n. Etym: [Gr. acromion.] (Anat.)

Defn: The outer extremity of the shoulder blade.

ACROMONOGRAMMATIC Ac`ro*mon`o*gram*mat"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Having each verse begin with the same letter as that with which the preceding verse ends.

ACRONYC; ACRONYCHAL A*cron"yc, A*cron"ych*al, a. Etym: [Gr. (Astron.)

Defn: Rising at sunset and setting at sunrise, as a star; -- opposed to cosmical.

Note: The word is sometimes incorrectly written acronical, achronychal, acronichal, and acronical.

ACRONYCALLY A*cron"yc*al*ly, adv.

Defn: In an acronycal manner as rising at the setting of the sun, and vise versâ.

ACRONYCTOUS Ac"ro*nyc"tous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Astron.)

Defn: Acronycal.

ACROOK A*crook", adv.

Defn: Crookedly. [R.] Udall.

ACROPETAL A*crop"e*tal, a. Etym: [Gr. petere to seek.] (Bot.)

Defn: Developing from below towards the apex, or from the circumference towards the center; centripetal; -- said of certain inflorescence.

ACROPHONY; ACHROPHONY A*croph"o*ny, A*chroph"o*ny, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: The use of a picture symbol of an object to represent phonetically the initial sound of the name of the object.

ACROPHONY A*croph"o*ny, n. [Gr. 'a`kros extreme + sound.]

Defn: The use of a picture symbol of an object to represent phonetically the initial sound of the name of the object.

ACROPODIUM Ac`ro*po"di*um, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The entire upper surface of the foot.

ACROPOLIS A*crop"o*lis, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: The upper part, or the citadel, of a Grecian city; especially, the citadel of Athens.

ACROPOLITAN Ac"ro*pol"i*tan, a.

Defn: Pertaining to an acropolis.

ACROSPIRE Ac"ro*spire, n. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: The sprout at the end of a seed when it begins to germinate; the plumule in germination; -- so called from its spiral form.

ACROSPIRE Ac"ro*spire, v. i.

Defn: To put forth the first sprout.

ACROSPORE Ac"ro*spore, n. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A spore borne at the extremity of the cells of fructification in fungi.

ACROSPOROUS Ac"ro*spor"ous, a.

Defn: Having acrospores.

ACROSS A*cross" (#; 115), prep. Etym: [Pref. a- + cross: cf. F. en croix. See Cross, n.]

Defn: From side to side; athwart; crosswise, or in a direction opposed to the length; quite over; as, a bridge laid across a river. Dryden. To come across, to come upon or meet incidentally. Freeman. -- To go across the country, to go by a direct course across a region without following the roads.

ACROSS A*cross", adv.

1. From side to side; crosswise; as, with arms folded across. Shak.

2. Obliquely; athwart; amiss; awry. [Obs.] The squint-eyed Pharisees look across at all the actions of Christ. Bp. Hall.

ACROSTIC A*cros"tic, n. Etym: [Gr.

1. A composition, usually in verse, in which the first or the last letters of the lines, or certain other letters, taken in order, form a name, word, phrase, or motto.

2. A Hebrew poem in which the lines or stanzas begin with the letters of the alphabet in regular order (as Psalm cxix.). See Abecedarian. Double acrostic, a species of enigma, in which words are to be guessed whose initial and final letters form other words.

ACROSTIC; ACROSTICAL A*cros"tic, A*cros"ti*cal, n.

Defn: Pertaining to, or characterized by, acrostics.

ACROSTICALLY A*cros"tic*al*ly, adv.

Defn: After the manner of an acrostic.

ACROTARSIUM Ac`ro*tar"si*um, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The instep or front of the tarsus.

ACROTELEUTIC Ac`ro*te*leu"tic, n. Etym: [Gr. (Eccles.)

Defn: The end of a verse or psalm, or something added thereto, to be sung by the people, by way of a response.

ACROTER Ac"ro*ter, n. Etym: [F. acrotère. See Acroterium.] (Arch.)

Defn: Same as Acroterium.

ACROTERIAL Ac`ro*te"ri*al, a.

Defn: Pertaining to an acroterium; as, ornaments. P. Cyc.

ACROTERIUM Ac`ro*te`ri*um, n.; pl. Acrotplwia. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Arch.) (a) One of the small pedestals, for statues or other ornaments, placed on the apex and at the basal angles of a pediment. Acroteria are also sometimes placed upon the gables in Gothic architecture. J. H. Parker. (b) One of the pedestals, for vases or statues, forming a part roof balustrade.

ACROTIC A*crot"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Med.)

Defn: Pertaining to or affecting the surface.

ACROTISM Ac"ro*tism, n. Etym: [Gr. (Med.)

Defn: Lack or defect of pulsation.

ACROTOMOUS A*crot"o*mous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)

Defn: Having a cleavage parallel with the base.

ACRYLIC A*cryl"ic, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Of or containing acryl, the hypothetical radical of which acrolein is the hydride; as, acrylic acid.

ACT Act, n. Etym: [L. actus, fr. agere to drive, do: cf. F. acte. See Agent.]

1. That which is done or doing; the exercise of power, or the effect, of which power exerted is the cause; a performance; a deed. That best portion of a good man's life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts Of kindness and of love. Wordsworth. Hence, in specific uses: (a) The result of public deliberation; the decision or determination of a legislative body, council, court of justice, etc.; a decree, edit, law, judgment, resolve, award; as, an act of Parliament, or of Congress. (b) A formal solemn writing, expressing that something has been done. Abbott. (c) A performance of part of a play; one of the principal divisions of a play or dramatic work in which a certain definite part of the action is completed. (d) A thesis maintained in public, in some English universities, by a candidate for a degree, or to show the proficiency of a student.

2. A state of reality or real existence as opposed to a possibility or possible existence. [Obs.] The seeds of plants are not at first in act, but in possibility, what they afterward grow to be. Hooker.

3. Process of doing; action. In act, in the very doing; on the point of (doing). "In act to shoot." Dryden. This woman was taken . . . in the very act. John viii. 4. Act of attainder. (Law) See Attainder. -- Act of bankruptcy (Law), an act of a debtor which renders him liable to be adjudged a bankrupt. -- Act of faith. (Ch. Hist.) See Auto-da-Fé. -- Act of God (Law), an inevitable accident; such extraordinary interruption of the usual course of events as is not to be looked for in advance, and against which ordinary prudence could not guard. -- Act of grace, an expression often used to designate an act declaring pardon or amnesty to numerous offenders, as at the beginning of a new reign. -- Act of indemnity, a statute passed for the protection of those who have committed some illegal act subjecting them to penalties. Abbott. -- Act in pais, a thing done out of court (anciently, in the country), and not a matter of record.

Syn. -- See Action.

ACT Act, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Acted; p. pr. & vb. n. Acting.] Etym: [L. actus, p. p. of agere to drive, lead, do; but influenced by E. act, n.]

1. To move to action; to actuate; to animate. [Obs.] Self-love, the spring of motion, acts the soul. Pope.

2. To perform; to execute; to do. [Archaic] That we act our temporal affairs with a desire no greater than our necessity. Jer. Taylor. Industry doth beget by producing good habits, and facility of acting things expedient for us to do. Barrow. Uplifted hands that at convenient times Could act extortion and the worst of crimes. Cowper.

3. To perform, as an actor; to represent dramatically on the stage.

4. To assume the office or character of; to play; to personate; as, to act the hero.

5. To feign or counterfeit; to simulate. With acted fear the villain thus pursued. Dryden. To act a part, to sustain the part of one of the characters in a play; hence, to simulate; to dissemble. -- To act the part of, to take the character of; to fulfill the duties of.

ACT Act, v. i.

1. To exert power; to produce an effect; as, the stomach acts upon food.

2. To perform actions; to fulfill functions; to put forth energy; to move, as opposed to remaining at rest; to carry into effect a determination of the will. He hangs between, in doubt to act or rest. Pope.

3. To behave or conduct, as in morals, private duties, or public offices; to bear or deport one's self; as, we know not why he has acted so.

4. To perform on the stage; to represent a character. To show the world how Garrick did not act. Cowper. To act as or for, to do the work of; to serve as. -- To act on, to regulate one's conduct according to. -- To act up to, to equal in action; to fulfill in practice; as, he has acted up to his engagement or his advantages.

ACTABLE Act"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being acted. Tennyson.

ACTINAL Ac"ti*nal, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Pertaining to the part of a radiate animal which contains the mouth. L. Agassiz.

ACTINARIA Ac`ti*na"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., from Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large division of Anthozoa, including those which have simple tentacles and do not form stony corals. Sometimes, in a wider sense, applied to all the Anthozoa, expert the Alcyonaria, whether forming corals or not.

ACTING Act"ing, a.

1. Operating in any way.

2. Doing duty for another; officiating; as, an superintendent.