Webster's Unabridged Dictionary

Part 17 out of 18



deliberate, judgment as to the common good. We also use
assent in cases where a proposal is made which involves but
little interest or feeling. A lady may assent to a
gentleman's opening the window; but if he offers himself in
marriage, he must wait for her consent.
As7senOta6tion (?), n. [L. assentatio. See Assent, v.]
Insincere, flattering, or obsequious assent; hypocritical or
pretended concurrence.
Abject flattery and indiscriminate assentation degrade as
much as indiscriminate contradiction and noisy debate
disgust.
Ld. Chesterfield.
As7senOta6tor , n. [L., fr. assentari to assent constantly.]
An obsequious; a flatterer. [R.]
AsOsent6aOtoOry (?), a. Flattering; obsequious. [Obs.] P
AsOsent6aOtoOriOly, adv. [Obs.]
AsOsent6er (?), n. One who assents.
AsOsen6tient , a. Assenting.
AsOsent6ing (?), a. Giving or implying assent. P
AsOsent6ingOly, adv.
AsOsent6ive (?), a. Giving assent; of the nature of assent;
complying. P AsOsent6iveOness, n.
AsOsent6ment , n. Assent; agreement. [Obs.]
AsOsert6 (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Asserted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Asserting.] [L. assertus, p. p. of asserere to join or
fasten to one's self, claim, maintain; ad + serere to join
or bind together. See Series.] 1. To affirm; to declare with
assurance, or plainly and strongly; to state positively; to
aver; to asseverate.
Nothing is more shameful... than to assert anything to be
done without a cause.
Ray.
2. To maintain; to defend. [Obs. or Archaic]
That... I may assert Eternal Providence,
And justify the ways of God to men.
Milton.
I will assert it from the scandal.
Jer. Taylor.
3. To maintain or defend, as a cause or a claim, by words or
measures; to vindicate a claim or title to; as, to assert
our rights and liberties.
To ~ one's self, to claim or vindicate one's rights or
position; to demand recognition.
Syn. - To affirm; aver; asseverate; maintain; protest;
pronounce; declare; vindicate. P To Assert, Affirm,
Maintain, Vindicate. To assert is to fasten to one's self,
and hence to claim. It is, therefore, adversative in its
nature. We assert our rights and privileges, or the cause of
tree institutions, as against opposition or denial. To
affirm is to declare as true. We assert boldly; we affirm
positively. To maintain is to uphold, and insist upon with
earnestness, whatever we have once asserted; as, to maintain
one's cause, to maintain an argument, to maintain the
ground we have taken. To vindicate is to use language and
measures of the strongest kind, in defense of ourselves and
those for whom we act. We maintain our assertions by
adducing proofs, facts, or arguments; we are ready to
vindicate our rights or interests by the utmost exertion of
our powers.
AsOsert6er (?), n. One who asserts; one who avers pr
maintains; an assertor.
The inflexible asserter of the rights of the church.
Milman.
AsOser6tion (?), n. [L. assertio, fr. asserere.] 1. The act
of asserting, or that which is asserted; positive
declaration or averment; affirmation; statement asserted;
position advanced.
There is a difference between assertion and demonstration.
Macaulay.
2. Maintenance; vindication; as, the assertion of one's
rights or prerogatives.
AsOsert6ive (?), a. Positive; affirming confidently;
affirmative; peremptory.
In a confident and assertive form.
Glanvill.
P AsOsert6iveOly, adv. P AsOsert6iveOness, n.
AsOsert6or (?), n. [L., fr. asserere.] One who asserts or
avers; one who maintains or vindicates a claim or a right;
an affirmer, supporter, or vindicator; a defender; an
asserter.
The assertors of liberty said not a word.
Macaulay.
Faithful assertor of thy country's cause.
Prior.
As7serOto6riOal (?), a. Asserting that a thing is; P opposed
to problematical and apodeictical.
AsOsert6oOry (?), a. [L. assertorius, fr. asserere.]
Affirming; maintaining.
Arguments... assertory, not probatory.
Jer. Taylor.
An assertory, not a promissory, declaration.
Bentham.
A proposition is assertory, when it enounces what is known
as actual.
Sir W. Hamilton.
AsOsess6 (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assessed (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Assessing.] [OF. assesser to regulate, settle, LL.
assessare to value for taxation, fr. L. assidere, supine as
if assessum, to sit by, esp. of judges in a court, in LL. to
assess, tax. Cf. Assize, v., Cess.] 1. To value; to make a
valuation or official estimate of for the purpose of
taxation.
2. To apportion a sum to be paid by (a person, a community,
or an estate), in the nature of a tax, fine, etc.; to impose
a tax upon (a person, an estate, or an income) according to
a rate or apportionment.
3. To determine and impose a tax or fine upon (a person,
community, estate, or income); to tax; as, the club assessed
each member twentyPfive cents.
4. To fix or determine the rate or amount of.
This sum is assessed and raised upon individuals by
commissioners in the act.
Blackstone.
AsOsess6aOble (?), a. Liable to be assessed or taxed; as,
assessable property.
As7sessOee6 (?), n. One who is assessed.
AsOses6sion (?), n. [L. assessio, fr. assid?re to sit by or
near; ad + sed?re to sit. See Sit.] A sitting beside or
near.
AsOsess6ment (?), n. [LL. assessamentum.] 1. The act of
assessing; the act of determining an amount to be paid; as,
an assessment of damages, or of taxes; an assessment of the
members of a club.
2. A valuation of property or profits of business, for the
purpose of taxation; such valuation and an adjudging of the
proper sum to be levied on the property; as, an assessment
of property or an assessment on property.
5 An assessment is a valuation made by authorized persons
according to their discretion, as opposed to a sum certain
or determined by law. It is a valuation of the property of
those who are to pay the tax, for the purpose of fixing the
proportion which each man shall pay.
Blackstone. Burrill.
3. The specific sum levied or assessed.
4. An apportionment of a subscription for stock into
successive installments; also, one of these installments (in
England termed a =call8). [U. S.]
AsOsess6or , n. [L., one who sits beside, the assistant of a
judge, fr. assid?re. See Assession. LL., one who arranges of
determines the taxes, fr. assid?re. See Assess, v., and cf.
Cessor.] 1. One appointed or elected to assist a judge or
magistrate with his special knowledge of the subject to be
decided; as legal assessors, nautical assessors.
Mozley & W.
2. One who sits by another, as next in dignity, or as an
assistant and adviser; an associate in office.
Whence to his Son,
The assessor of his throne, he thus began.
Milton.
With his ignorance, his inclinations, and his fancy, as his
assessors in judgment.
I. Taylor.
3. One appointed to assess persons or property for the
purpose of taxation.
Bouvier.
As7sesOso6riOal (?), a. [Cf. F. assessorial, fr. L.
assessor.] Of or pertaining to an assessor, or to a court of
assessors.
Coxe.
AsOsess6orOship (?), n. The office or function of an
assessor.
As6set (?), n. Any article or separable part of one's
assets.
As6sets (?), n. pl. [OF. asez enough, F. assez, fr. L. ad +
satis, akin to Gr. ? enough, Goth. saps full. Cf. Assai,
Satisfy.] 1. (Law) (a) Property of a deceased person,
subject by law to the payment of his debts and legacies; P
called assets because sufficient to render the executor or
administrator liable to the creditors and legatees, so far
as such goods or estate may extend. Story. Blackstone. (b)
Effects of an insolvent debtor or bankrupt, applicable to
the payment of debts.
2. The entire property of all sorts, belonging to a person,
a corporation, or an estate; as, the assets of a merchant or
a trading association; P opposed to liabilities.
5 In balancing accounts the assets are put on the Cr. side
and the debts on the Dr. side.
AsOsev6er (?), v. t. [Cf. OF. asseverer, fr. L. asseverare.]
See Asseverate. [Archaic]
AsOsev6erOate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Asseverated (?); p.
pr. & vb. n. Asseverating (?).] [L. asseveratus, p. p. of
asseverare to assert seriously or earnestly; ad + severus.
See Severe.] To affirm or aver positively, or with
solemnity.
Syn. - To affirm; aver; protest; declare. See Affirm.
AsOsev7erOa6tion (?), n. [L. asseveratio.] The act of
asseverating, or that which is asseverated; positive
affirmation or assertion; solemn declaration.
Another abuse of the tongue I might add, P vehement
asseverations upon slight and trivial occasions.
Ray.
AsOsev6erOaOtive , a. Characterized by asseveration;
asserting positively.
AsOsev6erOaOtoOry , a. Asseverative.
AsOsib6iOlate , v. t. [L. assibilatus, p. p. of assibilare
to hiss out; ad + sibilare to hiss.] To make sibilant; to
change to a sibilant.
J. Peile.
AsOsib7iOla6tion , n. Change of a nonPsibilant letter to a
sibilant, as of Otion to Oshun, duke to ditch.
As7siOde6an , n. [Heb. kh>sad to be pious.] One of a body of
devoted Jews who opposed the Hellenistic Jews, and supported
the Asmoneans.
As6siOdent (?), a. [L. assidens, p. pr. of assid?re to sit
by: cf. F. assident. See Assession.] (Med.) Usually
attending a disease, but not always; as, assident signs, or
symptoms.
AsOsid6uOate (?), a. [L. assiduatus, p. p. of assiduare to
use assiduously.] Unremitting; assiduous. [Obs.] =Assiduate
labor.8
Fabyan.
As7siOdu6iOty (?), n.; pl. Assiduities (?). [L. assiduitas:
cf. F. assiduite. See Assiduous.] 1. Constant or close
application or attention, particularly to some business or
enterprise; diligence.
I have, with much pains and assiduity, qualified myself for
a nomenclator.
Addison.
2. Studied and persevering attention to a person; P usually
in the plural.
AsOsid6uOous (?), a. [L. assiduus, fr. assid?re to sit near
or close; ad + sed?re to sit. See Sit.] 1. Constant in
application or attention; devoted; attentive; unremitting.
She grows more assiduous in her attendance.
Addison.
2. Performed with constant diligence or attention;
unremitting; persistent; as, assiduous labor.
To weary him with my assiduous cries.
Milton.
Syn. - Diligent; attentive; sedulous; unwearied;
unintermitted; persevering; laborious; indefatigable.
P AsOsid6uOousOly, adv. P AsOsid6uOousOness, n.
AsOsiege6 (?), v. t. [OE. asegen, OF. asegier, F. assiger,
fr. LL. assediare, assidiare, to besiege. See Siege.] [Obs.]
=Assieged castles.8
Spenser.
AsOsiege6, n. A siege. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
As7siOen6tist , n. [Cf. F. assientiste, Sp. asentista.] A
shareholder of the Assiento company; one of the parties to
the Assiento contract.
Bancroft.
X As7siOen6to (?), n. [Sp. asiento seat, contract or
agreement, fr. asentar to place on a chair, to adjust, to
make an agreement; a (L. ad) + sentar, a participial verb;
as if there were a L. sedentare to cause to sit, fr. sedens,
sedentis, p. pr. of sed?re to sit.] A contract or convention
between Spain and other powers for furnishing negro slaves
for the Spanish dominions in America, esp. the contract made
with Great Britain in 1713.
AsOsign6 (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assigned (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Assigning.] [OE. assignen, asignen, F. assigner, fr. L.
assignare; ad + signare to mark, mark out, designate, signum
mark, sign. See Sign.] 1. To appoint; to allot; to
apportion; to make over.
In the order I assign to them.
Loudon.
The man who could feel thus was worthy of a better station
than that in which his lot had been assigned.
Southey.
He assigned to his men their several posts.
Prescott.
2. To fix, specify, select, or designate; to point out
authoritatively or exactly; as, to assign a limit; to assign
counsel for a prisoner; to assign a day for trial.
All as the dwarf the way to her assigned.
Spenser.
It is not easy to assign a period more eventful.
De Quincey.
3. (Law) To transfer, or make over to another, esp. to
transfer to, and vest in, certain persons, called assignees,
for the benefit of creditors.
To ~ dower, to set out by metes and bounds the widow's share
or portion in an estate.
Kent.
AsOsign6, n. [From Assign, v.] A thing pertaining or
belonging to something else; an appurtenance. [Obs.]
Six French rapiers and poniards, with their assigns, as
girdles, hangers, and so.
Shak.
AsOsign6, n. [See Assignee.] (Law) A person to whom property
or an interest is transferred; as, a deed to a man and his
heirs and assigns.
AsOsign7aObil6iOty (?), n. The quality of being assignable.
AsOsign6aOble (?), a. Capable of being assigned, allotted,
specified, or designated; as, an assignable note or bill; an
assignable reason; an assignable quantity.
X As7si7gnat6 (?; 277), n. [F. assignat, fr. L. assignatus,
p. p. of assignare.] One of the notes, bills, or bonds,
issued as currency by the revolutionary government of France
(1790P1796), and based on the security of the lands of the
church and of nobles which had been appropriated by the
state.
As7sigOna6tion (?), n. [L. assignatio, fr. assignare: cf. F.
assignation.] 1. The act of assigning or allotting;
apportionment.
This order being taken in the senate, as touching the
appointment and assignation of those provinces.
Holland.
2. An appointment of time and place for meeting or
interview; P used chiefly of love interviews, and now
commonly in a bad sense.
While nymphs take treats, or assignations give.
Pope.
3. A making over by transfer of title; assignment.
House of ~, a house in which appointments for sexual
intercourse are fulfilled.
As7signOee6 , n. [F. assign, p. p. of assigner. See Assign,
v., and cf. Assign an ~.] (Law) (a) A person to whom an
assignment is made; a person appointed or deputed by another
to do some act, perform some business, or enjoy some right,
privilege, or property; as, an assignee of a bankrupt. See
Assignment (c). An ~ may be by special appointment or deed,
or be created by jaw; as an executor. Cowell. Blount. (b)
pl. In England, the persons appointed, under a commission
of bankruptcy, to manage the estate of a bankrupt for the
benefit of his creditors.

<-- p. 92 -->

AsOsign6er (?), n. One who assigns, appoints, allots, or
apportions.
AsOsign6ment (?), n. [LL. assignamentum: cf. OF.
assenement.] 1. An allotting or an appointment to a
particular person or use; or for a particular time, as of a
cause or causes in court.
2. (Law) (a) A transfer of title or interest by writing, as
of lease, bond, note, or bill of exchange; a transfer of the
whole of some particular estate or interest in lands. (b)
The writing by which an interest is transferred. (c) The
transfer of the property of a bankrupt to certain persons
called assignees, in whom it is vested for the benefit of
creditors.
w of dower, the setting out by metes and bounds of the
widow's thirds or portion in the deceased husband's estate,
and allotting it to her.
5 Assignment is also used in law as convertible with
specification; assignment of error in proceedings for review
being specification of error; and assignment of perjury or
fraud in indictment being specifications of perjury or
fraud.
As7signOor6 (?), n. [L. assignator. Cf. Assigner.] (Law) An
assigner; a person who assigns or transfers an interest; as,
the assignor of a debt or other chose in action.
AsOsim7iOlaObil6iOty (?), n. The quality of being
assimilable. [R.]
Coleridge.
AsOsim6iOlaOble (?), a. That may be assimilated; that may be
likened, or appropriated and incorporated.
AsOsim6iOlate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assimilated (?); p.
pr. & vb. n. Assimilating (?).] [L. assimilatus, p. p. of
assimilare; ad + similare to make like, similis like. See
Similar, Assemble, Assimilate.] 1. To bring to a likeness or
to conformity; to cause a resemblance between.
Sir M. Hale.
To assimilate our law to the law of Scotland.
John Bright.
Fast falls a fleecy; the downy flakes
Assimilate all objects.
Cowper.
2. To liken; to compa?e. [R.]
3. To appropriate and transform or incorporate into the
substance of the assimilating body; to absorb or
appropriate, as nourishment; as, food is assimilated and
converted into organic tissue.
Hence also animals and vegetables may assimilate their
nourishment.
Sir I. Newton.
His mind had no power to assimilate the lessons.
Merivale.
AsOsim6iOlate, v. i. 1. To become similar or like something
else. [R.]
2. To change and appropriate nourishment so as to make it a
part of the substance of the assimilating body.
Aliment easily assimilated or turned into blood.
Arbuthnot.
3. To be converted into the substance of the assimilating
body; to become incorporated; as, some kinds of food
assimilate more readily than others.
I am a foreign material, and cannot assimilate with the
church of England.
J. H. Newman.
AsOsim7iOla6tion (?), n. [L. assimilatio: cf. F.
assimilation.] 1. The act or process of assimilating or
bringing to a resemblance, likeness, or identity; also, the
state of being so assimilated; as, the assimilation of one
sound to another.
To aspire to an assimilation with God.
Dr. H. More.
The assimilation of gases and vapors.
Sir J. Herschel.
2. (Physiol.) The conversion of nutriment into the fluid or
solid substance of the body, by the processes of digestion
and absorption, whether in plants or animals.
Not conversing the body, not repairing it by assimilation,
but preserving it by ventilation.
Sir T. Browne.
5 The term assimilation has been limited by some to the
final process by which the nutritive matter of the blood is
converted into the substance of the tissues and organs.
AsOsim6iOlaOtive (?), a. [Cf. LL. assimilativus, F.
assimilatif.] Tending to, or characterized by, assimilation;
that assimilates or causes assimilation; as, an assimilative
process or substance.
AsOsim6iOlaOtoOry (?), a. Tending to assimilate, or produce
assimilation; as, assimilatory organs.
AsOsim6uOlate (?), v. t. [L. assimulatus, p. p. of
assimulare, equiv. to assimilare. See Assimilate, v. t.] 1.
To feign; to counterfeit; to simulate; to resemble. [Obs.]
Blount.
2. To assimilate. [Obs.]
Sir M. Hale.
AsOsim7uOla6tion (?), n. [L. assimulatio, equiv. to
assimilatio.] Assimilation. [Obs.]
Bacon.
As7siOne6go (?), n. See Asinego.
Ass6ish (?), a. Resembling an ass; asinine; stupid or
obstinate.
Such... appear to be of the assich kind...
Udall.
AsOsist6 (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assisted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Assisting.] [L. assistere; ad + sistere to cause to stand,
to stand, from stare to stand: cf. F. assister. See Stand.]
To give support to in some undertaking or effort, or in time
of distress; to help; to aid; to succor.
Assist me, knight. I am undone!
Shak.
Syn. - To help; aid; second; back; support; relieve; succor;
befriend; sustain; favor. See Help.
AsOsist6, v. i. 1. To lend aid; to help.
With God not parted from him, as was feared,
But favoring and assisting to the end.
Milton.
2. To be present as a spectator; as, to assist at a public
meeting. [A Gallicism]
Gibbon. Prescott.
AsOsist6ance (?), n. [Cf. F. assistance.] 1. The act of
assisting; help; aid; furtherance; succor; support.
Without the assistance of a mortal hand.
Shak.
2. An assistant or helper; a body of helpers. [Obs.]
Wat Tyler [was] killed by valiant Walworth, the lord mayor
of London, and his assistance,... John Cavendish.
Fuller.
3. Persons present. [ Obs. or a Gallicism]
AsOsist6ant (?), a. [Cf. F. assistant, p. pr. of assister.]
1. Helping; lending aid or support; auxiliary.
Genius and learning... are mutually and greatly assistant to
each other.
Beattie.
2. (Mil.) Of the second grade in the staff of the army; as,
an assistant surgeon. [U.S.]
5 In the English army it designates the third grade in any
particular branch of the staff.
Farrow.
AsOsist6ant (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, assists; a
helper; an auxiliary; a means of help.
Four assistants who his labor share.
Pope.
Rhymes merely as assistants to memory.
Mrs. Chapone.
2. An attendant; one who is present.
Dryden.
AsOsist6antOly, adv. In a manner to give aid. [R.]
AsOsist6er , n. An assistant; a helper.
AsOsist6ful (?), a. Helpful.
AsOsist6ive (?), a. Lending aid, helping.
AsOsist6less, a. Without aid or help. [R.]
Pope.
AsOsist6or (?), n. (Law) A assister.
AsOsith6ment (?), n. See Assythment. [Obs.]
AsOsize6 (?), n. [OE. assise, asise, OF. assise, F. assises,
assembly of judges, the decree pronounced by them, tax,
impost, fr. assis, assise, p. p. of asseoir, fr. L. assid?re
to sit by; ad + sed?re to sit. See Sit, Size, and cf.
Excise, Assess.] 1. An assembly of knights and other
substantial men, with a bailiff or justice, in a certain
place and at a certain time, for public business. [Obs.]
2. (Law) (a) A special kind of jury or inquest. (b) A kind
of writ or real action. (c) A verdict or finding of a jury
upon such writ. (d) A statute or ordinance in general.
Specifically: (1) A statute regulating the weight, measure,
and proportions of ingredients and the price of articles
sold in the market; as, the assize of bread and other
provisions; (2) A statute fixing the standard of weights and
measures. (e) Anything fixed or reduced to a certainty in
point of time, number, quantity, quality, weight, measure,
etc.; as, rent of assize. Glanvill. Spelman. Cowell.
Blackstone. Tomlins. Burrill. [This term is not now used in
England in the sense of a writ or real action, and seldom of
a jury of any kind, but in Scotch practice it is still
technically applied to the jury in criminal cases. Stephen.
Burrill. Erskine.] (f) A court, the sitting or session of a
court, for the trial of processes, whether civil or
criminal, by a judge and jury. Blackstone. Wharton. Encyc.
Brit. (g) The periodical sessions of the judges of the
superior courts in every county of England for the purpose
of administering justice in the trial and determination of
civil and criminal cases; P usually in the plural. Brande.
Wharton. Craig. Burrill. (h) The time or place of holding
the court of ~; P generally in the plural, assizes.
3. Measure; dimension; size. [In this sense now corrupted
into size.]
An hundred cubits high by just assize.
Spenser.
[Formerly written, as in French, assise.]
AsOsize6, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Assizing.] [From Assize, n.: cf. LL. assisare to decree in
~. Cf. Asses, v.] 1. To assess; to value; to rate. [Obs.]
Gower.
2. To fix the weight, measure, or price of, by an ordinance
or regulation of authority. [Obs.]
AsOsiz6er (?), n. An officer who has the care or inspection
of weights and measures, etc.
AsOsiz6or (?), n. (Scots Law) A juror.
AsOso6ber (?), v. t. [Pref. adO + sober. Cf. Ensober.] To
make or keep sober. [Obs.]
Gower.
AsOso7ciaObil6iOty (?), n. The quality of being associable,
or capable of association; associableness. =The
associability of feelings.8
H. Spencer.
AsOso6ciaOble (?), a. [See Associate.] 1.Capable of being
associated or joined.
We know feelings to be associable only by the proved ability
of one to revive another.
H. Spencer.
2. Sociable; companionable. [Obs.]
3. (Med.) Liable to be affected by sympathy with other
parts; P said of organs, nerves, muscles, etc.
The stomach, the most associable of all the organs of the
animal body.
Med. Rep.
AsOso6ciaObleOness, n. Associability.
AsOso6ciOate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Associated (?); p. pr.
& vb. n. Associating (?).] [L. associatus, p. p. of
associare; ad + sociare to join or unite, socius companion.
See Social.] 1. To join with one, as a friend, companion,
partner, or confederate; as, to associate others with ?s in
business, or in an enterprise.
2. To join or connect; to combine in acting; as, particles
of gold associated with other substances.
3. To connect or place together in thought.
He succeeded in associating his name inseparably with some
names which will last an long as our language.
Macaulay.
4. To accompany; to keep company with. [Obs.]
Friends should associate friends in grief and woe.
Shak.
AsOso6ciOate, v. i. 1. To unite in company; to keep company,
implying intimacy; as, congenial minds are disposed to
associate.
2. To unite in action, or to be affected by the action of a
different part of the body.
E. Darwin.
AsOso6ciOate (?), a. [L. associatus, p. p.] 1. Closely
connected or joined with some other, as in interest,
purpose, employment, or office; sharing responsibility or
authority; as, an associate judge.
While I descend... to my associate powers.
Milton.
2. Admitted to some, but not to all, rights and privileges;
as, an associate member.
3. (Physiol.) Connected by habit or sympathy; as, associate
motions, such as occur sympathetically, in consequence of
preceding motions.
E. Darwin.
AsOso6ciOate, n. 1. A companion; one frequently in company
with another, implying intimacy or equality; a mate; a
fellow.
2. A partner in interest, as in business; or a confederate
in a league.
3. One connected with an association or institution without
the full rights or privileges of a regular member; as, an
associate of the Royal Academy.
4. Anything closely or usually connected with another; an
concomitant.
The one [idea] no sooner comes into the understanding, than
its associate appears with it.
Locke.
Syn. - Companion; mate; fellow; friend; ally; partner;
coadjutor; comrade; accomplice.
AsOso6ciOa7ted (?), a. Joined as a companion; brought into
association; accompanying; combined.
w movements (Physiol.), consensual movements which accompany
voluntary efforts without our consciousness.
Dunglison.
AsOso6ciOateOship (?), n. The state of an associate, as in
Academy or an office.
AsOso7ciOa6tion (?; 277), n. [Cf. F. association, LL.
associatio, fr. L. associare.] 1. The act of associating, or
state of being associated; union; connection, whether of
persons of things. =Some... bond of association.8
Hooker.
SelfPdenial is a kind of holy association with God.
Boyle.
2. Mental connection, or that which is mentally linked or
associated with a thing.
Words... must owe their powers association.
Johnson.
Why should... the holiest words, with all their venerable
associations, be profaned?
Coleridge.
3. Union of persons in a company or society for some
particular purpose; as, the American Association for the
Advancement of Science; a benevolent association.
Specifically, as among the Congregationalists, a society,
consisting of a number of ministers, generally the pastors
of neighboring churches, united for promoting the interests
of religion and the harmony of the churches.
w of ideas (Physiol.), the combination or connection of
states of mind or their objects with one another, as the
result of which one is said to be revived or represented by
means of the other. The relations according to which they
are thus connected or revived are called the law of
association. Prominent among them are reckoned the relations
of time and place, and of cause and effect.
Porter.
AsOso7ciOa6tionOal (?), a. 1. Of or pertaining to
association, or to an association.
2. Pertaining to the theory held by the associationists.
AsOso7ciOa6tionOism (?), n. (Philos.) The doctrine or theory
held by associationists.
AsOso7ciOa6tionOist, n. (Philos.) One who explains the
higher functions and relations of the soul by the
association of ideas; e. g., Hartley, J. C. Mill.
AsOso6ciOaOtive (?), a.Having the quality of associating;
tending or leading to association; as, the associative
faculty.
Hugh Miller.
AsOso6ciOa7tor (?), n. An associate; a confederate or
partner in any scheme.
How Pennsylvania's air agrees with Quakers,
And Carolina's with associators.
Dryden.
AsOsoil6 (?), v. t. [OF. assoiler, absoiler, assoldre, F.
absoudre, L. absolvere. See Absolve.] 1. To set free; to
release. [Archaic]
Till from her hands the spright assoiled is.
Spenser.
2. To solve; to clear up. [Obs.]
Any child might soon be able to assoil this riddle.
Bp. Jewel.
3. To set free from guilt; to absolve. [Archaic]
Acquitted and assoiled from the guilt.
Dr. H. More.
Many persons think themselves fairly assoiled, because they
are... not of scandalous lives.
Jer. Taylor.
4. To expiate; to atone for. [Archaic]
Spenser.
Let each act assoil a fault.
E. Arnold.
5. To remove; to put off. [Obs.]
She soundly slept, and careful thoughts did quite assoil.
Spenser.
AsOsoil6, v. t. [Pref. adO + soil.] To soil; to stain. [Obs.
or Poet.]
Beau. & Fl.
Ne'er assoil my cobwebbed shield.
Wordsworth.
AsOsoil6ment (?), n. Act of assoiling, or state of being
assoiled; absolution; acquittal.
AsOsoil6ment, n. A soiling; defilement.
AsOsoil6zie (?), AsOsoil6yie, v. t. [Old form assoi?e. See
Assoil.] (scots Law) To absolve; to acquit by sentence of
court.
God assoilzie him for the sin of bloodshed.
Sir W. Scott.
As6soOnance (?), n. [Cf. F. assonance. See Assonant.] 1.
Resemblance of sound. =The disagreeable assonance of
?sheath' and ?sheated.'8
Steevens.
2. (Pros.) A peculiar species of rhyme, in which the last
accented vowel and those which follow it in one word
correspond in sound with the vowels of another word, while
the consonants of the two words are unlike in sound; as,
calamo and platano, baby and chary.
The assonance is peculiar to the Spaniard.
Hallam.
3. Incomplete correspondence.
Assonance between facts seemingly remote.
Lowell.
As6soOnant (?), a. [L. assonans, p. pr. of assonare to sound
to, to correspond to in sound; ad + sonare to sound, sonus
sound: cf. F. assonant. See Sound.] 1.Having a resemblance
of sounds.
2. (Pros.) Pertaining to the peculiar species of rhyme
called assonance; not consonant.
As7soOnan6tal (?), a. Assonant.
As6soOnate (?), v. i. [L. assonare, assonatum, to respond
to.] To correspond in sound.
AsOsort6 (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assorted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Assorting.] [F. assortir; ? (L. ad) + sortir to cast or draw
lots, to obtain by lot, L. sortiri, fr. sors, sortis, lot.
See Sort.] 1. To separate and distribute into classes, as
things of a like kind, nature, or quality, or which are
suited to a like purpose; to classify; as, to assort goods.
[Rarely applied to persons.]
They appear... no ways assorted to those with whom they must
associate.
Burke.
2. To furnish with, or make up of, various sorts or a
variety of goods; as, to assort a cargo.
AsOsort6, v. i. To agree; to be in accordance; to be
adapted; to suit; to fall into a class or place.
Mitford.

<-- p. 93 -->

AsOsort6ed (?), a. Selected; culled.
AsOsort6ment (?), n. [Cf. F. assortiment.] 1. Act of
assorting, or distributing into sorts, kinds, or classes.
2. A collection or quantity of things distributed into kinds
or sorts; a number of things assorted.
3. A collection containing a variety of sorts or kinds
adapted to various wants, demands, or purposes; as, an
assortment of goods.
AsOsot6 (?), v. t. [OF. asoter, F. assoter; ? (L. ad) + sot
stupid. See Sot.] To besot; to befool; to beguile; to
infatuate. [Obs.]
Some ecstasy assotted had his sense.
Spenser.
AsOsot6, a. Dazed; foolish; infatuated. [Obs.]
Willie, I ween thou be assot.
Spenser.
AsOsuage6 (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assuaged ; p. pr. & vb.
n. Assuaging (?).] [OE. asuagen, aswagen, OF. asoagier,
asuagier, fr. assouagier, fr. L. ad + suavis sweet. See
Sweet.] To soften, in a figurative sense; to allay,
mitigate, ease, or lessen, as heat, pain, or grief; to
appease or pacify, as passion or tumult; to satisfy, as
appetite or desire.
Refreshing winds the summer's heat assuage.
Addison.
To assuage the sorrows of a desolate old man
Burke.
The fount at which the panting mind assuages
Her thirst of knowledge.
Byron.
Syn. - To alleviate; mitigate; appease; soothe; calm;
tranquilize; relieve. See Alleviate.
AsOsuage6, v. i. To abate or subside. [Archaic] =The waters
assuaged.8
Gen. vii. 1.
The plague being come to a crisis, its fury began to
assuage.
De Foe.
AsOsuage6ment (?), n. [OF. assouagement, asuagement.]
Mitigation; abatement.
AsOsua6ger (?), n. One who, or that which, assuages.
AsOsua6sive (?), a. [From assuage, as if this were fr. a
supposed L. assuadere to persuade to; or from E. pref. ad +
Osuasive as in persuasive.] Mitigating; tranquilizing;
soothing. [R.]
Music her soft assuasive voice applies.
Pope.
AsOsub6juOgate (?), v. t. [Pref. adO + subjugate.] To bring
into subjection. [Obs.]
Shak.
As7sueOfac6tion (?), n. [L. assuefacere to accustom to;
assuetus (p. p. of assuescere to accustom to) + facere to
make; cf. OF. assuefaction.] The act of accustoming, or the
state of being accustomed; habituation. [Obs.]
Custom and studies efform the soul like wax, and by
assuefaction introduce a nature.
Jer. Taylor.
As6sueOtude (?), n. [L. assuetudo, fr. assuetus accustomed.]
Accustomedness; habit; habitual use.
Assuetude of things hurtful doth make them lose their force
to hurt.
Bacon.
AsOsum6aOble (?), a. That may be assumed.
AsOsum6aObly, adv. By way of assumption.
AsOsume6 (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assumed (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Assuming.] [L. assumere; ad + sumere to take; sub + emere
to take, buy: cf. F. assumer. See Redeem.] 1. To take to or
upon one's self; to take formally and demonstratively;
sometimes, to appropriate or take unjustly.
Trembling they stand while Jove assumes the throne.
Pope.
The god assumed his native form again.
Pope.
2. To take for granted, or without proof; to suppose as a
fact; to suppose or take arbitrarily or tentatively.
The consequences of assumed principles.
Whewell.
3. To pretend to possess; to take in appearance.
Ambition assuming the mask of religion.
Porteus.
Assume a virtue, if you have it not.
Shak.
4. To receive or adopt.
The sixth was a young knight of lesser renown and lower
rank, assumed into that honorable company.
Sir W. Scott.
Syn. - To arrogate; usurp; appropriate.
AsOsume6, v. i. 1. To be arrogant or pretentious; to claim
more than is due.
Bp. Burnet.
2. (Law) To undertake, as by a promise.
Burrill.
AsOsumed6 (?), a. 1. Supposed.
2. Pretended; hypocritical; makePbelieve; as, an assumed
character.
AsOsum6edOly (?), adv. By assumption.
AsOsum6ent (?), n. [L. assumentum, fr. ad + suere to sew.] A
patch; an addition; a piece put on. [Obs.]
John Lewis (1731).
AsOsum6er (?), n. One who assumes, arrogates, pretends, or
supposes.
W. D. Whitney.
AsOsum6ing, a. Pretentious; taking much upon one's self;
presumptuous.
Burke.
X AsOsump6sit (?; 215), n. [L., he undertook, pret. of L.
assumere. See Assume.] (Law) (a) A promise or undertaking,
founded on a consideration. This promise may be oral or in
writing not under seal. It may be express or implied. (b) An
action to recover damages for a breach or nonperformance of
a contract or promise, express or implied, oral or in
writing not under seal. Common or indebitatus assumpsit is
brought for the most part on an implied promise. Special
assumpsit is founded on an express promise or undertaking.
Wharton.
AsOsumpt6 (?; 215), v. t. [L. assumptus, p. p. of assumere.
See Assume.] To take up; to elevate; to assume. [Obs.]
Sheldon.
AsOsumpt6, n. [L. assumptum, p. p. neut. of assumere.] That
which is assumed; an assumption. [Obs.]
The sun of all your assumpts is this.
Chillingworth.
AsOsump6tion (?; 215), n. [OE. assumpcioun a taking up into
heaven, L. assumptio a taking, fr. assumere: cf. F.
assomption. See Assume.] 1. The act of assuming, or taking
to or upon one's self; the act of taking up or adopting.
The assumption of authority.
Whewell.
2. The act of taking for granted, or supposing a thing
without proof; supposition; unwarrantable claim.
This gives no sanction to the unwarrantable assumption that
the soul sleeps from the period of death to the resurrection
of the body.
Thodey.
That calm assumption of the virtues.
W. Black.
3. The thing supposed; a postulate, or proposition assumed;
a supposition.
Hold! says the Stoic; your assumption's wrong.
Dryden.
4. (Logic) The minor or second proposition in a categorical
syllogism.
5. The taking of a person up into heaven. Hence: (Rom. Cath.
& Greek Churches) A festival in honor of the ascent of the
Virgin Mary into heaven.
AsOsump6tive (?), a. [L. assumptivus, fr. assumptus, fr.
assumere.] Assumed, or capable of being assumed;
characterized by assumption; making unwarranted claims. P
AsOsump6tiveOly, adv.
w arms (Her.), originally, arms which a person had a right
to assume, in consequence of an exploit; now, those assumed
without sanction of the Heralds' College.
Percy Smith.
AsOsur6ance (?), n. [OE. assuraunce, F. assurance, fr.
assurer. See Assure.] 1. The act of assuring; a declaration
tending to inspire full confidence; that which is designed
to give confidence.
Whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he
hath raised him from the dead.
Acts xvii. 31.
Assurances of support came pouring in daily.
Macaulay.
2. The state of being assured; firm persuasion; full
confidence or trust; freedom from doubt; certainty.
Let us draw with a true heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.
Heb. x. 22.
3. Firmness of mind; undoubting, steadiness; intrepidity;
courage; confidence; selfPreliance.
Brave men meet danger with assurance.
Knolles.
Conversation with the world will give them knowledge and
assurance.
Locke.
4. Excess of boldness; impudence; audacity; as, his
assurance is intolerable.
5. Betrothal; affiance. [Obs.]
Sir P. Sidney.
6. Insurance; a contract for the payment of a sum on
occasion of a certain event, as loss or death.
5 Recently, assurance has been used, in England, in relation
to life contingencies, and insurance in relation to other
contingencies. It is called temporary assurance, in the time
within which the contingent event must happen is limited.
See Insurance.
7. (Law) Any written or other legal evidence of the
conveyance of property; a conveyance; a deed.
5 In England, the legal evidences of the conveyance of
property are called the common assurances of the kingdom.
Blackstone.
AsOsure (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assured (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Assuring.] [OF. aserer, F. assurer, LL. assecurare; L.
ad + securus secure, sure, certain. See Secure, Sure, and
cf. Insure.] 1. To make sure or certain; to render confident
by a promise, declaration, or other evidence.
His promise that thy seed shall bruise our foe...
Assures me that the bitterness of death
Is past, and we shall live.
Milton.
2. To declare to, solemnly; to assert to (any one) with the
design of inspiring belief or confidence.
I dare assure thee that no enemy
Shall ever take alive the noble Brutus.
Shak.
3. To confirm; to make certain or secure.
And it shall be assured to him.
Lev. xxvii. 19.
And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall
assure our hearts before him.
1 John iii. 19.
4. To affiance; to betroth. [Obs.]
Shak.
5. (Law) To insure; to covenant to indemnify for loss, or to
pay a specified sum at death. See Insure.
Syn. - To declare; aver; avouch; vouch; assert; asseverate;
protest; persuade; convince.
AsOsured6 (?), a. Made sure; safe; insured; certain;
indubitable; not doubting; bold to excess.
AsOsured6, n. One whose life or property is insured.
AsOsur6edOly (?), adv. Certainly; indubitably. =The siege
assuredly I'll raise.8
Shak.
AsOsur6edOness, n. The state of being assured; certainty;
full confidence.
AsOsur6er (?), n. 1. One who assures. Specifically: One who
insures against loss; an insurer or underwriter.
2. One who takes out a life assurance policy.
AsOsur6genOcy (?), n. Act of rising.
The... assurgency of the spirit through the body.
Coleridge.
AsOsur6gent (?), a. [L. assurgens, p. pr. of assurgere; ad +
surgere to rise.] Ascending; (Bot.) rising obliquely;
curving upward.
Gray.
AsOsur6ing (?), a. That assures; tending to assure; giving
confidence. P AsOsur6ingOly, adv.
AsOswage6 , v. See Assuage.
AsOsyr6iOan (?), a. [L. Assyrius.] Of or pertaining to
Assyria, or to its inhabitants. P n. A native or an
inhabitant of Assyria; the language of Assyria.
AsOsyr7iOoOlog6icOal (?), a. Of or pertaining to
Assyriology; as, Assyriological studies.
AsOsyr7iOol6oOgist (?), n. One versed in Assyriology; a
student of Assyrian archology.
AsOsyr7iOol6oOgy (?), n. [Assyria + Ology.] The science or
study of the antiquities, language, etc., of ancient
Assyria.
AsOsyth6ment (?), n. [From OF. aset, asez, orig. meaning
enough. See Assets.] Indemnification for injury;
satisfaction. [Chiefly in Scots law]
X As6taOcus (?), n. [L. astacus a crab, Gr. ?.] (Zol.) A
genus of crustaceans, containing the crawfish of freshPwater
lobster of Europe, and allied species of western North
America. See Crawfish.
AOstar6board (?), adv. (Naut.) Over to the starboard side; P
said of the tiller.
AOstart6 (?), v. t. & i. Same as Astert. [Obs.]
X AsOtar6te (?), n. [Gr. ? a Ph?nician goddess.] (Zol.) A
genus of bivalve mollusks, common on the coasts of America
and Europe.
AOstate6 (?), n. Estate; state. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
AOstat6ic (?), a. [Pref. aO not + static.] (Magnetism)
Having little or no tendency to take a fixed or definite
position or direction: thus, a suspended magnetic needle,
when rendered astatic, loses its polarity, or tendency to
point in a given direction.
w pair (Magnetism), a pair of magnetic needles so mounted as
to be nearly or quite ~, as in some galvanometers.
AOstat6icOalOly (?), adv. In an astatic manner.
AOstat6iOcism (?), n. The state of being astatic.
AOstay6 (?), adv. (Naut.) An anchor is said to be astay, in
heaving it, an acute angle is formed between the cable and
the surface of the water.
As6teOism (?), n. [Gr. ? refined and witty talk, fr. ? of
the town, polite, witty, fr. ? city: cf. F. astisme.]
(Rhet.) Genteel irony; a polite and ingenious manner of
deriding another.
As6tel (?), n. [OE. astelle piece of wood, OF. astele
splinter, shaving, F. attelle, astelle: cf. L. astula, dim.
of assis board.] (Mining) An arch, or ceiling, of boards,
placed over the men's heads in a mine.
As6ter (?), n. [L. aster aster, star, Gr. ? star. See Star.]
1. (Bot.) A genus of herbs with compound white or bluish
flowers; starwort; Michaelmas daisy.
2. (Floriculture) A plant of the genus Callistephus. Many
varieties (called China asters, German asters, etc.) are
cultivated for their handsome compound flowers.
X AsOte6riOas (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? starred, fr. ? star.]
(Zol.) A genus of echinoderms.
5 Formerly the group of this name included nearly all
starfishes and ophiurans. Now it is restricted to a genus
including the commonest shore starfishes.
AsOte6riOa7ted (?), a. [See Asterias.] Radiated, with
diverging rays; as, asteriated sapphire.
As7terOid6iOan (?), a. (Zol.) Of or pertaining to the
Asterioidea. P n. A starfish; one of the Asterioidea.
X AsOte7riOoid6eOa (?), X As7terOid6eOa (?), } n. pl. [NL.,
fr. Gr. ? + Ooid. See Asterias.] (Zol.) A class of
Echinodermata including the true starfishes. The rays vary
in number and always have ambulacral grooves below. The body
is starshaped or pentagonal.
X AsOte6riOon (?), n. [Gr. ? starry.] (Anat.) The point on
the side of the skull where the lambdoid, parietoPmastoid
and occipitoPmastoid sutures.
X As7terOis6cus (?), n. [L., an asterisk. See Asterisk.]
(Anat.) The smaller of the two otoliths found in the inner
ear of many fishes.
As6terOisk (?), n. [L. asteriscus, Gr. ?, dim. of ? star.
See Aster.] The figure of a star, thus, ?, used in printing
and writing as a reference to a passage or note in the
margin, to supply the omission of letters or words, or to
mark a word or phrase as having a special character.
As7terOism (?), n. [Gr. ?, fr. ? star; cf. F. astrisme.] 1.
(Astron.) (a) A constellation. [Obs.] (b) A small cluster of
stars.
2. (Printing) (a) An asterisk, or mark of reference. [R.]
(b) Three asterisks placed in this manner, ???, to direct
attention to a particular passage.
3. (Crystallog.) An optical property of some crystals which
exhibit a starPshaped by reflected light, as star sapphire,
or by transmitted light, as some mica.
AOstern6 (?), adv. [Pref. aO + stern.] (Naut.) 1. In or at
the hinder part of a ship; toward the hinder part, or stern;
backward; as, to go astern.
2. Behind a ship; in the rear. =A gale of wind right
astern.8 De Foe. =Left this strait astern.8 Drake.
To bake ~, to go stern foremost. P To be ~ of the reckoning,
to be behind the position given by the reckoning. P To drop
~, to fall or be left behind. P To go ~, to go backward, as
from the action of currents or winds.
AOster6nal (?), a. [Pref. aO not + sternal.] (Anat.) Not
sternal; P said of ribs which do not join the sternum.
As6terOoid (?), n. [Gr. ? starlike, starry; ? star + ? form:
cf. F. astro de. See Aster.] A starlike body; esp. one of
the numerous small planets whose orbits lie between those of
Mars and Jupiter; P called also planetoids and minor
planets.
As7terOoid6al (?), a. Of or pertaining to an asteroid, or to
the asteroids.
X As7teOrol6eOpis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? star + ? scale.]
(Paleon.) A genus of fishes, some of which were eighteen or
twenty feet long, found in a fossil state in the Old Red
Sandstone.
Hugh Miller.

<-- p. 94 -->

As7terOoph6ylOlite (?), n. [Gr. ? star + ? leaf.] (Paleon.)
A fossil plant from the coal formations of Europe and
America, now regarded as the branchlets and foliage of
calamites.
AOstert (?), v. t. [Pref. aO + start; OE. asterten,
asturten.] To start up; to befall; to escape; to shun.
[Obs.]
Spenser.
AOstert6, v. i. To escape. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
X As7theOni6a (?), As6theOny (?), } n. [NL. asthenia, Gr. ?;
? priv. + ? strength.] (Med.) Want or loss of strength;
debility; diminution of the vital forces.
AsOthen6ic (?), a. [Gr. ?; ? priv. + ? strength.] (Med.)
Characterized by, or pertaining to, debility; weak;
debilitating.
X As7theOno6piOa (?), n. [Gr. ? priv. + ? strength + ? eye.]
Weakness of sight. Quain. P As7theOnop6ic (?), a.
Asth6ma (?; 277), n. [Gr. ? shortPdrawn breath, fr. ? to
blow, for ?: cf. Skr. v>, Goth. waian, to blow, E. wind.]
(Med.) A disease, characterized by difficulty of breathing
(due to a spasmodic contraction of the bronchi), recurring
at intervals, accompanied with a wheezing sound, a sense of
constriction in the chest, a cough, and expectoration.
AsthOmat6ic (?), AsthOmat6icOal (?), } a. [L. asthmaticus,
Gr. ?.] Of or pertaining to asthma; as, an asthmatic cough;
liable to, or suffering from, asthma; as, an asthmatic
patient. P AsthOmat6icOalOly, adv.
AsthOmat6ic, n. A person affected with asthma.
As7tigOmat6ic (?), a. (Med. & Opt.) Affected with, or
pertaining to, astigmatism; as, astigmatic eyes; also,
remedying astigmatism; as, astigmatic lenses.
AOstig6maOtism (?), n. [Gr. ? priv. + ?, ?, a prick of a
pointed instrument, a spot, fr. ? to prick: cf. F.
astigmatisme.] (Med. & Opt.) A defect of the eye or of a
lens, in consequence of which the rays derived from one
point are not brought to a single focal point, thus causing
imperfect images or indistictness of vision.
5 The term is applied especially to the defect causing
images of lines having a certain direction to be indistinct,
or imperfectly seen, while those of lines transverse to the
former are distinct, or clearly seen.
AsOtip6uOlate (?), v. i. [L. astipulari; ad + stipulari to
stipulate.] To assent. [Obs.]
Bp. Hall.
AsOtip7uOla6tion (?), n. [L. astipulatio.] Stipulation;
agreement. [Obs.]
Bp. Hall.
AOstir6 (?), adv. & a. [Pref. aO + stir.] Stirring; in a
state of activity or motion; out of bed.
AOstom6aOtous (?), As6toOmous (?), } a. [Gr. ? priv. + ?, ?,
mouth.] Not possessing a mouth.
AsOton6 (?), AsOtone6 (?), } v. t. [imp. & p. p. Astoned,
Astond, or Astound.] [See Astonish.] To stun; to astonish;
to stupefy. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
AsOton6ied (?), p. p. Stunned; astonished. See Astony.
[Archaic]
And I astonied fell and could not pray.
Mrs. Browning.
AsOton6ish (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Astonished (?); p. pr. &
vb. n. Astonishing.] [OE. astonien, astunian, astonen, OF.
estoner, F. tonner, fr. L. ex out + tonare to thunder, but
perhaps influenced by E. stun. See Thunder, Astound,
Astony.] 1. To stun; to render senseless, as by a blow.
[Obs.]
Enough, captain; you have astonished him. [Fluellen had
struck Pistol.]
Shak.
The very crampPfish [i. e., torpedo]... being herself not
benumbed, is able to astonish others.
Holland.
2. To strike with sudden fear, terror, or wonder; to amaze;
to surprise greatly, as with something unaccountable; to
confound with some sudden emotion or passion.
Musidorus... had his wits astonished with sorrow.
Sidney.
I, Daniel... was astonished at the vision.
Dan. viii. 27.
Syn. - To amaze; astound; overwhelm; surprise. P Astonished,
Surprised. We are surprised at what is unexpected. We are
astonished at what is above or beyond our comprehension. We
are taken by surprise. We are struck with astonishment. C.
J. Smith. See Amaze.
AsOton6ishOedOly (?), adv. In an astonished manner. [R.]
Bp. Hall.
AsOton6ishOing, a. Very wonderful; of a nature to excite
astonishment; as, an astonishing event.
Syn. - Amazing; surprising; wonderful; marvelous.
P AsOton6ishOingOly, adv. P AsOton6ishOingOness, n.
AsOton6ishOment (?), n. [Cf. OF. est?nnement, F.
tonnement.] 1. The condition of one who is stunned. Hence:
Numbness; loss of sensation; stupor; loss of sense. [Obs.]
A coldness and astonishment in his loins, as folk say.
Holland.
2. Dismay; consternation. [Archaic]
Spenser.
3. The overpowering emotion excited when something
unaccountable, wonderful, or dreadful is presented to the
mind; an intense degree of surprise; amazement.
Lest the place
And my quaint habits breed astonishment.
Milton.
4. The object causing such an emotion.
Thou shalt become an astonishment.
Deut. xxviii. 37.
Syn. - Amazement; wonder; surprise.
AsOto6y (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Astonied (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Astonying. See Astone.] To stun; to bewilder; to
astonish; to dismay. [Archaic]
The captain of the Helots... strake Palladius upon the side
of his head, that he reeled astonied.
Sir P. Sidney.
This sodeyn cas this man astonied so,
That reed he wex, abayst, and al quaking.
Chaucer.
AOstoop6 (?), adv. [Pref. aO + stoop.] In a stooping or
inclined position.
Gay.
AsOtound6 (?), a. [OE. astouned, astound, astoned, p. p. of
astone. See Astone.] Stunned; astounded; astonished.
[Archaic]
Spenser.
Thus Ellen, dizzy and astound.
As sudden ruin yawned around.
Sir W. Scott.
AsOtound6, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Astounded, Obs. Astound; p.
pr. & vb. n. Astounding.] [See Astound, a.] 1. To stun; to
stupefy.
No puissant stroke his senses once astound.
Fairfax.
2. To astonish; to strike with amazement; to confound with
wonder, surprise, or fear.
These thoughts may startle well, but not astound
The virtuous mind.
Milton.
AsOtound6ing, a. Of a nature to astound; astonishing;
amazing; as, an astounding force, statement, or fact. P
AsOfound6ingOly, adv.
AsOfound6ment (?), n. Amazement.
Coleridge.
As7traOchan6 (?), a. & n. See Astrakhan.
AOstrad6dle (?), adv. [Pref. aO + straddle.] In a straddling
position; astride; bestriding; as, to sit astraddle a horse.
AsOtr6an (?), a. [Gr. ? starry.] (Zol.) Pertaining to the
genus Astra or the family Astrid. P n. A coral of the
family Astrid; a star coral.
As6traOgal (?), n. [L. astragalus, Gr. ? the ankle bone, a
molding in the capital of the Ionic column.] 1. (Arch.) A
convex molding of rounded surface, generally from half to
three quarters of a circle.
2. (Gun.) A round molding encircling a cannon near the
mouth.
AsOtrag6aOlar (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the
astragalus.
AsOtrag6aOloid (?), a. [Astragalus + Ooid.] (Anat.)
Resembling the astragalus in form.
AsOtrag6aOloOman7cy (?), n. [Gr. ? ankle bone, die +
Omancy.] Divination by means of small bones or dice.
X AsOtrag6aOlus (?), n. [L. See Astragal.] 1. (Anat.) The
ankle bone, or hock bone; the bone of the tarsus which
articulates with the tibia at the ankle.
2. (Bot.) A genus of papilionaceous plants, of the tribe
Galege, containing numerous species, two of which are
called, in English, milk vetch and licorice vetch. Gum
tragacanth is obtained from different oriental species,
particularly the A. gummifer and A. verus.
3. (Arch.) See Astragal, 1.
As7traOkhan6 (?), a. Of or pertaining to w in Russia or its
products; made of an w skin. P n. The skin of stillborn or
young lambs of that region, the curled wool of which
resembles fur.
As6tral (?), a. [L. astralis, fr. astrum star, Gr. ?: cf. F.
astral. See Star.] Pertaining to, coming from, or
resembling, the stars; starry; starlike.
Shines only with an astral luster.
I. Taylor.
Some astral forms I must invoke by prayer.
Dryden.
w lamp, an Argand lamp so constructed that no shadow is cast
upon the table by the flattened ringPshaped reservoir in
which the oil is contained. P w spirits, spirits formerly
supposed to live in the heavenly bodies or the a rial
regions, and represented in the Middle Ages as fallen
angels, spirits of the dead, or spirits originating in fire.
AOstrand6 (?), adv. & a. [Pref. aO + strand.] Stranded.
Sir W. Scott.
AOstray6 (?), adv. & a. [See Estray, Stray.] Out of the
right, either in a literal or in a figurative sense;
wandering; as, to lead one astray.
Ye were as sheep going astray.
1 Pet. ii. 25.
AsOtrict6 (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Astricted;p. pr. & vb.
n. Astricting.] [L. astrictus, p. p. of astringere. See
Astringe.] 1. To bind up; to confine; to constrict; to
contract.
The solid parts were to be relaxed or astricted.
Arbuthnot.
2. To bind; to constrain; to restrict; to limit. [R.]
The mind is astricted to certain necessary modes or forms of
thought.
Sir W. Hamilton.
3. (Scots Law) To restrict the tenure of; as, to astrict
lands. See Astriction, 4.
Burrill.
AsOtrict6, a. Concise; contracted. [Obs.]
Weever.
AsOtric6tion (?), n. [L. astrictio.] 1. The act of binding;
restriction; also, obligation.
Milton.
2. (Med.) (a) A contraction of parts by applications; the
action of an astringent substance on the animal economy.
Dunglison. (b) Constipation.
Arbuthnot.
3. Astringency. [Obs.]
Bacon.
4. (Scots Law) An obligation to have the grain growing on
certain lands ground at a certain mill, the owner paying a
toll.
Bell.
5 The lands were said to be astricted to the mill.
AsOtric6tive (?), a. Binding; astringent. P n. An
astringent. P AsOtric6tiveOly, adv.
AsOtric6toOry (?), a. Astrictive. [R.]
AOstride6 (?), adv. [Pref. aO + stride.] With one leg on
each side, as a man when on horseback; with the legs
stretched wide apart; astraddle.
Placed astride upon the bars of the palisade.
Sir W. Scott.
Glasses with horn bows sat astride on his nose.
Longfellow.
AsOtrif6erOous (?), a. [L. astrifer; astrum star + ferre to
bear.] Bearing stars. [R.]
Blount.
AsOtringe6 (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Astringed (?); p. pr. &
vb. n. Astringing (?).] [L. astringere; ad + stringere to
draw tight. Cf. Astrict, and see Strain, v. t.] 1. To bind
fast; to constrict; to contract; to cause parts to draw
together; to compress.
Which contraction... astringeth the moistu?? ? br?? and
thereby sendeth tears into the eyes.
Bacon.
2. To bind by moral or legal obligation.
Wolsey.
AsOtrin6genOcy (?), n. The quality of being astringent; the
power of contracting the parts of the body; that quality in
medicines or other substances which causes contraction of
the organic textures; as, the astringency of tannin.
AsOtrin6gent (?), a. [L. astringens, p. pr. of astringere:
cf. F. astringent. See Astringe.] 1. Drawing together the
tissues; binding; contracting; P opposed to laxative; as,
astringent medicines; a butter and astringent taste;
astringent fruit.
2. Stern; austere; as, an astringent type of virtue.
AsOtrin6gent, n. A medicine or other substance that produces
contraction in the soft organic textures, and checks
discharges of blood, mucus, etc.
External astringents are called styptics.
Dunglison.
AsOtrin6gentOly, adv. In an astringent manner.
AsOtrin6ger (?),n. [OE. ostreger, OF. ostrucier, F.
autoursier, fr. OF. austour, ostor, hawk, F. autour; cf. L.
acceptor, for accipiter, hawk.] A falconer who keeps a
goschawk. [Obs.] Shak. Cowell. [Written also austringer.]
As6troO (?). The combining form of the Greek word ?, meaning
star.
As6troOfel, As6troOfell } (?), n. A bitter herb, probably
the same as aster, or starwort.
Spenser.
AsOtrog6eOny (?), n. [AstroO + Gr. ? birth.] The creation or
evolution of the stars or the heavens.
H. Spencer.
AsOtrog6noOsy (?), n. [AstroO + Gr. ? knowledge.] The
science or knowledge of the stars, esp. the fixed stars.
Bouvier.
AsOtrog6oOny (?), n. Same as Astrogeny. P As7OtroOgon6ic
(?), a.
AsOtrog6raOphy (?), n. [AstroO + Ography.] The art of
describing or delineating the stars; a description or
mapping of the heavens.
As6troOite (?), n. [L. astroites: cf. F. astroite.] A
radiated stone or fossil; starPstone. [Obs.] [Written also
astrite and astrion.]
As6troOlabe (?), n. [OE. astrolabie, astrilabe, OF.
astrelabe, F. astrolabe, LL. astrolabium, fr. Gr. ?; ? star
+ ?, ?, to take.] 1. (Astron.) An instrument for observing
or showing the positions of the stars. It is now disused.
5 Among the ancients, it was essentially the armillary
sphere. A graduated circle with sights, for taking altitudes
at sea, was called an astrolabe in the 18th century. It is
now superseded by the quadrant and sextant.
2. A stereographic projection of the sphere on the plane of
a great circle, as the equator, or a meridian; a
planisphere.
Whewell.
AsOtrol6aOter (?), n. A worshiper of the stars.
Morley.
AsOtrol6aOtry (?), n. [AstroO + Gr. ? service, worship: cf.
F. astroltrie.] The worship of the stars.
As7troOliOthol6oOgy (?), n. [AstroO + lithology.] The
science of a rolites.
AsOtrol6oOger (?), n. [See Astrology.] 1. One who studies
the stars; an astronomer. [Obs.]
2. One who practices astrology; one who professes to
foretell events by the aspects and situation of the stars.
As7troOlo6giOan (?), n. [OF. astrologien.] An astrologer.
[Obs.]
As7troOlog6ic (?), As7troOlog6icOal (?), } a. [Gr. ?.] Of or
pertaining to astrology; professing or practicing astrology.
=Astrologi? learning.8 Hudibras. =Astrological
prognostication.8 Cudworth. P As7troOlog6icOalOly, adv.
AsOtrol6oOgize (?), v. t. & i. To apply astrology to; to
study or practice astrology.
AsOtrol6oOgy (?), n. [F. astrologie, L. astrologia, fr. Gr.
?, fr. ? astronomer, astrologer; ? star + ? discourse, ? to
speak. See Star.] In its etymological signification, the
science of the stars; among the ancients, synonymous with
astronomy; subsequently, the art of judging of the
influences of the stars upon human affairs, and of
foretelling events by their position and aspects.
5 Astrology was much in vogue during the Middle Ages, and
became the parent of modern astronomy, as alchemy did of
chemistry. It was divided into two kinds: judicial
astrology, which assumed to foretell the fate and acts of
nations and individuals, and natural astrology, which
undertook to predict events of inanimate nature, such as
changes of the weather, etc.
As7troOman6tic (?), a. [Gr. ? astrology.] Of or pertaining
to divination by means of the stars; astrologic. [R.]
Dr. H. More.
As7troOme7teOorOol6oOgy (?), n. [AstroO + meteorology.] The
investigation of the relation between the sun, moon, and
stars, and the weather. P As7OtroOme7teOor7oOlog6icOal (?),
a. P As7troOme7teOorOol6oOgist (?), n.
AsOtrom6eOter (?), n. [AstroO + Ometer.] An instrument for
comparing the relative amount of the light of stars.
AsOtrom6eOtry (?), n. [AstroO + Ometry.] The art of making
measurements among the stars, or of determining their
relative magnitudes.
AsOtron6oOmer (?), n. [See Astronomy.] 1. An astrologer.
[Obs.]
Shak.
2. One who is versed in astronomy; one who has a knowledge
of the laws of the heavenly orbs, or the principles by which
their motions are regulated, with their various phenomena.
An undevout astronomer is mad.
Young.
As7troOno6miOan (?), n. [OE. & OF. astronomien. See
Astronomy.] An astrologer. [Obs.]
As7troOnom6ic (?), a. Astronomical.

<-- p. 95 -->

As7troOnom6icOal (?), a. [L. astronomicus, Gr. ?: cf. F.
astronomique.] Of or pertaining to astronomy; in accordance
with the methods or principles of astronomy. P
As7troOnom6icOalOly, adv.
w clock. See under Clock. P w day. See under Clock. P w day.
See under Day. P w fractions, w numbers. See under
Sexagesimal.
AsOtron6oOmize , v. i. [Gr. ?.] To study or to talk
astronomy. [R.]
They astronomized in caves.
Sir T. Browne.
AsOtron6oOmy (?), n. [OE. astronomie, F. astronomie, L.
astronomia, fr. Gr. ?, fr. ? astronomer; ? star + ? to
distribute, regulate. See Star, and Nomad.] 1. Astrology.
[Obs.]
Not from the stars do I my judgment pluck;
And yet methinks I have astronomy.
Shak.
2. The science which treats of the celestial bodies, of
their magnitudes, motions, distances, periods of revolution,
eclipses, constitution, physical condition, and of the
causes of their various phenomena.
3. A treatise on, or textPbook of, the science.
Physical ~. See under Physical.
As6troOphel (?), n. See Astrofel.[Obs.]
As7troOphoOtog6raOphy (?), n. [AstroO + photography.] The
application of photography to the delineation of the sun,
moon, and stars.
As7troOphys6icOal (?), a. Pertaining to the physics of
astronomical science.
X AsOtroph6yOton (?), n. [AstroO + Gr. ? a plant.] (Zol.) A
genus of ophiurans having the arms much branched.
As6troOscope (?), n. [AstroO + scope.] An old astronomical
instrument, formed of two cones, on whose surface the
constellations were delineated.
AsOtros6coOpy (?), n. Observation of the stars. [Obs.]
As7troOtheOol6OoOgy (?), n. [AstroO + theology.] Theology
founded on observation or knowledge of the celestial bodies.
Derham.
AOstruc6tive (?), a. [L. astructus, p. p. of astruere to
build up; ad + struere to build.] Building up; constructive;
P opposed to destructive.[Obs.]
AOstrut6 (?), a. & adv. 1. Sticking out, or puffed out;
swelling; in a swelling manner. [Archaic]
Inflated and astrut with selfPconceit.
Cowper.
2. In a strutting manner; with a strutting gait.
AsOtu6cious (?), a. [F. astucieux. See Astute.] Subtle;
cunning; astute. [R.] Sir W. Scott. P AsOtu6ciousOly, adv.
[R.]
AsOtu6ciOty (?), n. [See Astucious.] Craftiness; astuteness.
[R.]
Carlyle.
AOstun6 (?), v. t. [See Astony, Stun.] To stun. [Obs.]
=Breathless and astunned.8
Somerville.
AsOtu6riOan (?), a. Of or pertaining to Asturias in Spain. P
n. A native of Asturias.
AsOtute6 (?), a. [L. astutus, fr. astus craft, cunning;
perh. cognate with E. acute.] Critically discerning;
sagacious; shrewd; subtle; crafty.
Syn. - Keen; eaglePeyed; penetrating; skilled;
discriminating; cunning; sagacious; subtle; wily; crafty.
P AsOtute6ly, adv. P AsOtute6ness, n.
AOsty6lar (?), a. [Gr. ? priv. + ? pillar.] (arch.) Without
columns pr pilasters.
Weale.
AOstyl6len (?), n. (Mining) A small dam to prevent free
passage of water in an adit or level.
AOsun6der (?), adv. [Pref. aO + sunder.] Apart; separate
from each other; into parts; in two; separately; into or in
different pieces or places.
I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder.
Zech. xi. 10.
As wide asunder as pole and pole.
Froude.
X AOsu6ra (?), n. (Hind. Myth.) An enemy of the gods, esp.
one of a race of demons and giants.
X As6wail (?), n. [Native name.] (Zol.) The sloth bear
(Melursus labiatus) of India.
AOswewe6 (?), v. t. [AS. aswebban; a + swebban. See Sweven.]
To stupefy. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
AOswing6 (?), adv. In a state of swinging.
AOswoon6 (?), adv. In a swoon.
Chaucer.
AOswooned6 (?), adv. In a swoon.
AOsy6lum (?), n.; pl. E. Asylums (?), L. Asyla (?). [L.
asylum, Gr. ?, fr. ? exempt from spoliation, inviolable; ?
priv. + ? right of seizure.] 1. A sanctuary or place of
refuge and protection, where criminals and debtors found
shelter, and from which they could not be forcibly taken
without sacrilege.
So sacred was the church to some, that it had the right of
an asylum or sanctuary.
Ayliffe.
5 The name was anciently given to temples, altars, statues
of the gods, and the like. In later times Christian churches
were regarded as asylums in the same sense.
2. Any place of retreat and security.
Earth has no other asylum for them than its own cold bosom.
Southey.
3. An institution for the protection or relief of some class
of destitute, unfortunate, or afflicted persons; as, an
asylum for the aged, for the blind, or for the insane; a
lunatic asylum; an orphan asylum.
AOsym6meOtral (?), a. Incommensurable; also, unsymmetrical.
[Obs.]
D. H. More.
As7ymOmet6ric (?), As7ymOmet6riOcal (?), } a. [See
Asymmetrous.] 1. Incommensurable. [Obs.]
2. Not symmetrical; wanting proportion; esp., not
bilaterally symmetrical.
Huxley.
AOsym6meOtrous (?), a. [Gr. ?.] Asymmetrical. [Obs.]
Barrow.
AOsym6meOtry (?), n. [Gr. ?; ? priv. + ? symmetry.] 1. Want
of symmetry, or proportion between the parts of a thing,
esp. want of bilateral symmetry.
2. (Math.) Incommensurability. [Obs.]
Barrow.
As6ympOtote (?; 215), n. [Gr. ? not falling together; ?
priv. + ? to fall together; ? with + ? to fall. Cf.
Symptom.] (Math.) A line which approaches nearer to some
curve than assignable distance, but, though infinitely
extended, would never meet it. Asymptotes may be straight
lines or curves. A rectilinear asymptote may be conceived as
a tangent to the curve at an infinite distance.
As7ympOtot6ic (?), As7ympOtot6icOal (?), } a. Pertaining to,
or partaking of the nature of, an asymptote; as,
asymptotical lines, surfaces, or planes. P As7ympOtot6icOly,
adv.
AOsyn6arOtete7 (?), a. [Gr. ? not united, disconnected; ?
priv. + ? with + ? to fasten to.] Disconnected; not fitted
or adjusted. P AOsyn6arOtet6ic (?), a.
w verse (Pros.), a verse of two members, having different
rhythms; as when the first consists of iambuses and the
second of trochees.
As7ynOdet6ic (?), a. [See Asyndeton.] Characterized by the
use of asyndeton; not connected by conjunctions. P
As7ynOdet6icOalOly, adv.
AOsyn6deOton (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. ?, fr. ? unconnected; ?
priv. + ? bound together, fr. ?; ? with + ? to bind.]
(Rhet.) A figure which omits the connective; as, I came, I
saw, I conquered. It stands opposed to polysyndeton.
AOsys6toOle (?)(?), n. [Pref. aO not + systole.] (Physiol.)
A weakening or cessation of the contractile power of the
heart.
AOsys6toOlism (?), n. The state or symptoms characteristic
of asystole.
At (?), prep. [AS. t; akin to OHG. az, Goth., OS., & Icel.
at, Sw. t, Dan. & L. ad.] Primarily, this word expresses
the relations of presence, nearness in place or time, or
direction toward; as, at the ninth hour; at the house; to
aim at a mark. It is less definite than in or on; at the
house may be in or near the house. From this original import
are derived all the various uses of at. It expresses: P
1. A relation of proximity to, or of presence in or on,
something; as, at the door; at your shop; at home; at
school; at hand; at sea and on land.
2. The relation of some state or condition; as, at war; at
peace; at ease; at your service; at fault; at liberty; at
risk; at disadvantage.
3. The relation of some employment or action; occupied with;
as, at engraving; at husbandry; at play; at work; at meat
(eating); except at puns.
4. The relation of a point or position in a series, or of
degree, rate, or value; as, with the thermometer at 800;
goods sold at a cheap price; a country estimated at 10,000
square miles; life is short at the longest.
5. The relations of time, age, or order; as, at ten o'clock;
at twentyPone; at once; at first.
6. The relations of source, occasion, reason, consequence,
or effect; as, at the sight; at this news; merry at
anything; at this declaration; at his command; to demand,
require, receive, deserve, endure at your hands.
7. Relation of direction toward an object or end; as, look
at it; to point at one; to aim at a mark; to throw, strike,
shoot, wink, mock, laugh at any one.
At all, At home, At large, At last, At length, At once, etc.
See under All, Home, Large, Last (phrase and syn.), Length,
Once, etc. P At it, busily or actively engaged. P At least.
See Least and However. P At one. See At one, in the
Vocabulary.
Syn. - In, At. When reference to the interior of any place
is made prominent in is used. It is used before the names of
countries and cities (esp. large cities); as, we live in
America, in New York, in the South. At is commonly employed
before names of houses, institutions, villages, and small
places; as, Milton was educated at Christ's College; money
taken in at the Customhouse; I saw him at the jeweler's; we
live at Beachville. At may be used before the name of a city
when it is regarded as a mere point of locality. =An English
king was crowned at Paris.8 Macaulay. =Jean Jacques
Rousseau was born at Geneva, June, 28, 1712.8 J. Morley. In
regard to time, we say at the hour, on the day, in the year;
as, at 9 o'clock, on the morning of July 5th, in the year
1775.
At6aObal (?), n. [Sp. atabal, fr. Ar. atPtabl the drum,
tabala to beat the drum. Cf. Tymbal.] A kettledrum; a kind
of tabor, used by the Moors. Croly.
AOtac6aOmite (?), n. [From the desert of Atacama, where
found.] (Min.) An oxychloride of copper, usually in
emeraldPgreen prismatic crystals.
At7aft6er (?), prep. After. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
At6aOghan (?), n. See Yataghan.
AOtake6 (?), v. t. To overtake. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
At6aOman (?), n. [Russ. ataman': cf. Pol. hetman, G.
hauptmann headman, chieftain. Cf. Hetman.] A hetman, or
chief of the Cossacks.
X At7aOrax6iOa (?), At6aOrax7y (?), } n. [NL. ataraxia, Gr.
?; ? priv. + ? disturbed, ? to disturb.] Perfect peace of
mind, or calmness.
AOtaunt6 (?), AOtaunt6o (?), } adv. [F. autant as much (as
possible).] (Naut.) Fully rigged, as a vessel; with all
sails set; set on end or set right.
AOtav6ic (?), a. [Cf. F. atavique.] Pertaining to a remote
ancestor, or to atavism.
At6aOvism (?), n. [L. atavus an ancestor, fr. avus a
grandfather.] (a) The recurrence, or a tendency to a
recurrence, of the original type of a species in the progeny
of its varieties; resemblance to remote rather than to near
ancestors; reversion to the original form. (b) (Biol.) The
recurrence of any peculiarity or disease of an ancestor in a
subsequent generation, after an intermission for a
generation or two.
Now and then there occur cases of what physiologists call
atavism, or reversion to an ancestral type of character.
J. Fiske.
X AOtax6iOa (?), At6axOy (?), } n. [NL. ataxia, Gr. ?, fr. ?
out of order; ? priv. + ? ordered, arranged, ? to put in
order: cf. F. ataxie.] 1. Disorder; irregularity. [Obs.]
Bp. Hall.
2. (Med.) (a) Irregularity in disease, or in the functions.
(b) The state of disorder that characterizes nervous fevers
and the nervous condition.
Locomotor ataxia. See Locomotor.
AOtax6ic (?), a. [Cf. F. ataxique. See Ataxia.] (Med.)
Characterized by ataxy, that is, (a) by great irregularity
of functions or symptoms, or (b) by a want of coordinating
power in movements.
w fever, malignant typhus fever.
Pinel.
At7aOzir6 (?), n. [OF., fr. Ar. alPtasFr influence.]
(Astron.) The influence of a star upon other stars or upon
men. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Ate (?; 277), the preterit of Eat.
A6te (?), n. [Gr. ?.] (Greek. Myth.) The goddess of
mischievous folly; also, in later poets, the goddess of
vengeance.
Oate (?). [From the L. suffix Oatus, the past participle
ending of verbs of the 1st conj.] 1. As an ending of
participles or participial adjectives it is equivalent to
Oed; as, situate or situated; animate or animated.
2. As the ending of a verb, it means to make, to cause, to
act, etc.; as, to propitiate (to make propitious); to
animate (to give life to).
3. As a noun suffix, it marks the agent; as, curate,
delegate. It also sometimes marks the office or dignity; as,
tribunate.
4. In chemistry it is used to denote the salts formed from
those acids whose names end Oic (excepting binary or halogen
acids); as, sulphate from sulphuric acid, nitrate from
nitric acid, etc. It is also used in the case of certain
basic salts.
AOtech6nic (?), a. [Pref. aO not + technic.] Without
technical or artistic knowledge.
Difficult to convey to the atechnic reader.
Etching & Engr.
X At6eOles (?), n. [Gr. ? incomplete; ? priv. + ?
completion.] (Zol.) A genus of American monkeys with
prehensile tails, and having the thumb wanting or
rudimentary. See Spider monkey, and Coaita.
X A7teOlier6 (?)(?) n. [F.] A workshop; a studio.
AOtel6lan (?), a. [L. Atellanus, fr. Atella, an ancient town
of the Osci, in Campania.] Of or pertaining to Atella, in
ancient Italy; as, Atellan plays; farcical; ribald. P n. A
farcical drama performed at Atella.
AOthal6aOmous (?), a. [Gr. ? priv. + ? nuptial bed.] (Bot.)
Not furnished with shields or beds for the spores, as the
thallus of certain lichens.
Ath6aOmaunt (?), n. Adamant. [Obs.]
Written in the table of athamaunt.
Chaucer.
Ath7aOna6sian (?; 277), a. Of or pertaining to Athanasius,
bishop of Alexandria in the 4th century.
w creed, a formulary, confession, or exposition of faith,
formerly supposed to have been drawn up by Athanasius; but
this opinion is now rejected, and the composition is
ascribed by some to Hilary, bishop of Arles (5th century).
It is a summary of what was called the orthodox faith.
Ath6aOnor (?), n. [F., fr. Ar. atOtann?r, fr. Heb. tann?r an
oven or furnace.] A digesting furnace, formerly used by
alchemists. It was so constructed as to maintain uniform and
durable heat.
Chambers.
X Ath7eOca6ta (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? priv. + ? chest,
box.] (Zol.) A division of Hydroidea in which the zooids
are naked, or not inclosed in a capsule. See Tubularian.
At6theOism (?), n. [Cf. F. athisme. See Atheist.] 1. The
disbelief or denial of the existence of a God, or supreme
intelligent Being.
Atheism is a ferocious system, that leaves nothing above us
to excite awe, nor around us to awaken tenderness.
R. Hall.
Atheism and pantheism are often wrongly confounded.
Shipley.
2. Godlessness.
A6theOist, n. [Gr. ? without god; ? priv. + ? god: cf. F.
athiste.] 1. One who disbelieves or denies the existence of
a God, or supreme intelligent Being.
2. A godless person. [Obs.]
Syn. - Infidel; unbeliever.
See Infidel.
A7theOis6tic (?), A7theOis6ticOal (?), } a. 1. Pertaining
to, implying, or containing, atheism; P applied to things;
as, atheistic doctrines, opinions, or books.
Atheistical explications of natural effects.
Barrow.
2. Disbelieving the existence of a God; impious; godless; P
applied to persons; as, an atheistic writer. P
A7theOis6ticOalOly, adv. P A7theOis6ticOalOness, n.
A6theOize (?), v. t. To render atheistic or godless. [R.]
They endeavored to atheize one another.
Berkeley.
A6theOize, v. i. To discourse, argue, or act as an atheist.
[R.] P A6theOi7zer (?), n.
Cudworth.

<-- p. 96 -->

Ath6elOing (?), n. [AS. ?eling noble, fr. ?ele noble, akin
to G. adel nobility, edel noble. The word ?el, E. ethel, is
in many AS. proper names, as Ethelwolf, noble wolf;
Ethelbald, noble bold; Ethelbert, noble bright.] An
AngloPSaxon prince or nobleman; esp., the heir apparent or a
prince of the royal family. [Written also Adeling and
theling.]
Ath7eOne6um, Ath7eOn6um } (?), n. pl. E. Atheneums (?), L.
Athena (?). [L. Athenaemum, Gr. ? a temple of Minerva at
Athens, fr. ?, contr. fr. ?, ?, in Homer ?, ?, Athene
(called Minerva by the Romans), the tutelary goddess of
Athens.] 1. (Gr. Antiq.) A temple of Athene, at Athens, in
which scholars and poets were accustomed to read their works
and instruct students.
2. A school founded at Rome by Hadrian.
3. A literary or scientific association or club.
4. A building or an apartment where a library, periodicals,
and newspaper? are kept for use.
AOthe6niOan (?), a. [Cf. F. Athnien.] Of or pertaining to
Athens, the metropolis of Greece. P n. A native or citizen
of Athens.
A7theOoOlog6icOal (?), a. Opposed to theology; atheistic.
Bp. Montagu.
A7theOol6oOgy (?), n. [Pref. aO not + theology.] Antagonism
to theology.
Swift.
A6theOous (?), a. [Gr. ? without God. See Atheist.] 1.
Atheistic; impious. [Obs.]
Milton.
2. Without God, neither accepting nor denying him.
I should say science was atheous, and therefore could not be
atheistic.
Bp. of Carlisle.
Ath6erOine (?), n. [NL. atherina, fr. Gr. ? a kind of
smelt.] (Zol.) A small marine fish of the family
Atherinid,having a silvery stripe along the sides. The
European species (Atherina presbyter) is used as food. The
American species (Menidia notata) is called silversides and
sand smelt. See Silversides.
AOther6manOcy (?), n. [See Athermanous.] Inability to
transmit radiant; impermeability to heat.
Tyndall.
AOther6maOnous (?), a. [Gr. ? priv. + ? to heat, ? heat: cf.
F. athermane.] (Chem.) Not transmitting heat; P opposed to
diathermanous.
AOther6mous (?), a. (Chem.) Athermanous.
Ath6erOoid (?), a. [Gr. ?, ?, a beard, or an ear, of grain +
Ooid.] Shaped like an ear of grain.
X Ath7eOro6ma (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. ?, ?, fr. ? gr?ats,
meal.] (Med.) (a) An encysted tumor containing curdy matter.
(b) A disease characterized by thickening and fatty
degeneration of the inner coat of the arteries.
Ath7eOrom6aOtous (?), a. (Med.) Of, pertaining to, or having
the nature of, atheroma.
Wiseman.
X Ath7eOto6sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? not fixed; ? priv. +
? to set.] (Med.) A variety of chorea, marked by peculiar
tremors of the fingers and toes.
AOthink6 (?), v. t. To repent; to displease; to disgust.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
AOthirst6 (?), a. [OE. ofthurst, AS. ofpyrsted, p. p. of
ofpyrstan; pref. ofO, intensive + pyrstan to thirst. See
Thirst.] 1. Wanting drink; thirsty.
2.Having a keen appetite or desire; eager; longing.
=Athirst for battle.8
Cowper.
Ath6lete (?), n. [L. athleta, Gr. ? prizefighter, fr. ? to
contend for a prize, ?, Hom. ?, contest, ? prize; fr. the
same root as E. wed: cf. F. athl
te.] 1. (Antiq.) One who
contended for a prize in the public games of ancient Greece
or Rome.
2. Any one trained to contend in exercises requiring great
physical agility and strength; one who has great activity
and strength; a champion.
3. One fitted for, or skilled in, intellectual contests; as,
athletes of debate.
Ath7let6ic (?), a. [L. athleticus, Gr. ?. See Athlete.] 1.
Of or pertaining to athletes or to the exercises practiced
by them; as, athletic games or sports.
2. Befitting an athlete; strong; muscular; robust; vigorous;
as, athletic Celts. =Athletic soundness.8 South. P
AthOlet6icOalOly (?), adv.
AthOlet6iOcism (?), n. The practice of engaging in athletic
games; athletism.
AthOlet6ics (?), n. The art of training by athletic
exercises; the games and sports of athletes.
Ath6leOtism (?), n. The state or practice of an athlete; the
characteristics of an athlete.
AOthwart6 (?), prep. [Pref. aO + thwart.] 1. Across; from
side to side of.
Athwart the thicket lone.
Tennyson.
2. (Naut.) Across the direction or course of; as, a fleet
standing athwart our course.
w hawse, across the stem of another vessel, whether in
contact or at a small distance. P w ships, across the ship
from side to side, or in that direction; P opposed to fore
and aft.
AOthwart6, adv. 1. Across, especially in an oblique
direction; sidewise; obliquely.
Sometimes athwart, sometimes he strook him straight.
Spenser.
2. Across the course; so as to thwart; perversely.
All athwart there came
A post from Wales loaden with heavy news.
Shak.
AOtilt6 (?), adv. [Pref. aO + tilt.] 1. In the manner of a
tilter; in the position, or with the action, of one making a
thrust. =To run atilt at men.8 Hudibras.
2. In the position of a cask tilted, or with one end raised.
[In this sense sometimes used as an adjective.]
Abroach, atilt, and run
Even to the lees of honor.
Beau. & Fl.
At6iOmy (?), n. [Gr. ?; ? priv. + ? honor.] (Gr. Antiq.)
Public disgrace or stigma; infamy; loss of civil rights.
Mitford.
Oa6tion (?). [L. Oationem. See Otion.] A suffix forming
nouns of action, and often equivalent to the verbal
substantive in Oing. It sometimes has the further meanings
of state, and that which results from the action. Many of
these nouns have verbs in Oate; as, alliterate Oation,
narrate Oation; many are derived through the French; as,
alteration, visitation; and many are formed on verbs ending
in the Greek formative Oize (Fr. Oise); as, civilization,
demoralization.
APtip6toe (?), adv. One tiptoe; eagerly expecting.
We all feel aOtiptoe with hope and confidence.
F. Harrison.
X AtOlan6ta (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ?.] (Zol.) A genus of
small glassy heteropod mollusks found swimming at the
surface in mid ocean. See Heteropod.
AtOlan6tal (?), a. (Anat.) (a) Relating to the atlas. (b)
Anterior; cephalic.
Barclay.
At7lanOte6an (?), a. [L. Atlant?us.] 1. Of or pertaining to
the isle Atlantis, which the ancients allege was sunk, and
overwhelmed by the ocean.
2. Pertaining to, or resembling, Atlas; strong.
With Atlantean shoulders, fit to bear
The weight of mightiest monarchies.
Milton.
X AtOlan6tes (?), n. pl. [L., fr. Gr. ?, pl. of ?. See
Atlas.] (Arch.) Figures or half figures of men, used as
columns to support an entablature; P called also telamones.
See Caryatides.
Oxf. Gloss.
AtOlan6tic (?), a. [L. Atlanticus, fr. Atlas. See Atlas and
Atlantes.] 1. Of or pertaining to Mt. Atlas in Libya, and
hence applied to the ocean which lies between Europe and
Africa on the east and America on the west; as, the Atlantic
Ocean (called also the Atlantic); the Atlantic basin; the
Atlantic telegraph.
2. Of or pertaining to the isle of Atlantis.
3. Descended from Atlas.
The seven Atlantic sisters.
Milton.
X AtOlan6tiOdes (?), n. pl. [L. See Atlantes.] The Pleiades
or seven stars, fabled to have been the daughters of Atlas.
At6las (?), n.; pl. Atlases (?). [L. Atlas, Oantis, Gr. ?,
?, one of the older family of gods, who bears up the pillars
of heaven; also Mt. Atlas, in W. Africa, regarded as the
pillar of heaven. It is from the root of ? to bear. See
Tolerate.] 1. One who sustains a great burden.
2.(Anat.) The first vertebra of the neck, articulating
immediately with the skull, thus sustaining the globe of the
head, whence the name.
3. A collection of maps in a volume; P supposed to be so
called from a picture of w supporting the world, prefixed to
some collections. This name is said to have been first used
by Mercator, the celebrated geographer, in the 16th century.
4. A volume of plates illustrating any subject.
5. A work in which subjects are exhibited in a tabular from
or arrangement; as, an historical atlas.
6. A large, square folio, resembling a volume of maps; P
called also atlas folio.
7. A drawing paper of large size. See under Paper, n.
w powder, a nitroglycerin blasting compound of pasty
consistency and great explosive power.
At6las, n. [Ar., smooth.] A rich kind of satin manufactured
in India.
Brande & C.
At7miOdom6eOter (?), n. [Gr. ?, ?, smoke, vapor + Ometer;
cf. F. atmidom
tre.] An instrument for measuring the
evaporation from water, ice, or snow.
Brande & C.
At6mo (?), n. [Contr. fr. atmosphere.] (Physics) The
standard atmospheric pressure used in certain physical
measurements calculations; conventionally, that pressure
under which the barometer stands at 760 millimeters, at a
temperature of 00 Centigrade, at the level of the sea, and
in the latitude of Paris.
Sir W. Thomson.
At7moOlog6ic (?), At7moOlog6icOal (?), } a. Of or pertaining
to atmology. =Atmological laws of heat.8
Whewell.
AtOmol6oOgist (?), n. One who is versed in atmology.
AtOmol6oOgy (?), n. [Gr. ? vapor + Ology.] (Physics) That
branch of science which treats of the laws and phenomena of
aqueous vapor.
Whewell.
AtOmol6yOsis (?), n. [Gr. ? vapor + ? a loosing, ? to
loose.] (Chem.) The act or process of separating mingled
gases of unequal diffusibility by transmission through
porous substances.
At7molOyOza6tion , n. (Chem.) Separation by atmolysis.
At6moOlyze (?), v. t. (Chem.) To subject to atmolysis; to
separate by atmolysis.
At6moOly7zer (?), n. (Chem.) An apparatus for effecting
atmolysis.
AtOmom6eOter (?), n. [Gr. ? smoke, vapor + Ometer: cf. F.
atmom
tre.] An instrument for measuring the rate of
evaporation from a moist surface; an evaporometer.
Huxley.
At6mosOphere (?), n. [Gr. ? vapor (akin to Skr. >tman
breath, soul, G. athem breath) + ? sphere: cf. F.
atmosph
re. See Sphere.] 1. (Physics) (a) The whole mass of
a riform fluid surrounding the earth; P applied also to the
gaseous envelope of any celestial orb, or other body; as,
the atmosphere of Mars. (b) Any gaseous envelope or medium.
An atmosphere of cold oxygen.
Miller.
2. A supposed medium around various bodies; as, electrical
atmosphere, a medium formerly supposed to surround
electrical bodies.
Franklin.
3. The pressure or weight of the air at the sea level, on a
unit of surface, or about 14.7 Ibs. to the sq. inch.
Hydrogen was liquefied under a pressure of 650 atmospheres.
Lubbock.
4. Any surrounding or pervading influence or condition.
The chillest of social atmospheres.
Hawthorne.
5. The portion of air in any locality, or affected by a
special physical or sanitary condition; as, the atmosphere
of the room; a moist or noxious atmosphere.
At7mosOpher6ic (?), At7mosOpher6icOal (?), } a. [Cf. F.
atmosphrique.] 1. Of or pertaining to the atmosphere; of
the nature of, or resembling, the atmosphere; as,
atmospheric air; the atmospheric envelope of the earth.
2. Existing in the atmosphere.
The lower atmospheric current.
Darwin.
3. Caused, or operated on, by the atmosphere; as, an
atmospheric effect; an atmospheric engine.
4. Dependent on the atmosphere. [R.]
In am so atmospherical a creature.
Pope.
Atmospheric engine, a steam engine whose piston descends by
the pressure of the atmosphere, when the steam which raised


 


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