Chapter 20

Ac"tive*ly , adv. 1. In an active manner; nimbly; briskly; energetically; also, by one's own action; voluntarily, not passively.

2. (Gram.) In an active signification; as, a word used actively .

Activeness <Xpage=18>

Ac"tive*ness , n. The quality of being active; nimbleness; quickness of motion; activity.

Activity <Xpage=18>

Ac*tiv"i*ty (#) , n. ; pl. Activities (#) . [Cf. F. activit\'82 , LL. activitas .] The state or quality of being active; nimbleness; agility; vigorous action or operation; energy; active force; as, an increasing variety of human activities . "The activity of toil."

Palfrey.

Syn. -- Liveliness; briskness; quickness.

Actless <Xpage=18>

Act"less (#) , a. Without action or spirit. [R.]

Acton <Xpage=18>

Ac"ton (#) , n. [OF. aketon , auqueton , F. hoqueton , a quilted jacket, fr. Sp. alcoton , algodon , cotton. Cf. Cotton .] A stuffed jacket worn under the mail, or (later) a jacket plated with mail. [Spelled also hacqueton .] [Obs.]

Halliwell. Sir W. Scott.

Actor <Xpage=18>

Ac"tor (#) , n. [L. actor , fr. agere to act.] 1. One who acts, or takes part in any affair; a doer.

2. A theatrical performer; a stageplayer.

After a well graced actor leaves the stage. Shak.

3. (Law) (a) An advocate or proctor in civil courts or causes. Jacobs . (b) One who institutes a suit; plaintiff or complainant.

Actress <Xpage=18>

Ac`tress (#) , n. [Cf. F. actrice .] 1. A female actor or doer. [Obs.]

Cockeram.

2. A female stageplayer; a woman who acts a part.

Actual <Xpage=18>

Ac"tu*al (#; 135) , a. [OE. actuel , F. actuel , L. actualis , fr. agere to do, act.] 1. Involving or comprising action; active. [Obs.]

Her walking and other actual performances. Shak.

Let your holy and pious intention be actual ; that is . . . by a special prayer or action, . . . given to God. Jer. Taylor.

2. Existing in act or reality; really acted or acting; in fact; real; -- opposed to potential , possible , virtual , speculative , coceivable , theoretical , or nominal ; as, the actual cost of goods; the actual case under discussion.

3. In action at the time being; now exiting; present; as the actual situation of the country.

Actual cautery . See under Cautery . -- Actual sin (Theol.) , that kind of sin which is done by ourselves in contradistinction to " original sin ."

Syn. -- Real; genuine; positive; certain. See Real .

<-- p. 19 -->

Actual <Xpage=19>

Ac"tu*al (#) , n. (Finance) Something actually received; real, as distinct from estimated, receipts. [Cant]

The accounts of revenues supplied . . . were not real receipts: not, in financial language, " actuals ," but only Egyptian budget estimates. Fortnightly Review.

Actualist <Xpage=19>

Ac"tu*al*ist , n. One who deals with or considers actually existing facts and conditions, rather than fancies or theories; -- opposed to idealist .

J. Grote.

Actuality <Xpage=19>

Ac`tu*al"i*ty (#) , n. ; pl. Actualities (#) . The state of being actual; reality; as, the actuality of God's nature .

South.

Actualization <Xpage=19>

Ac`tu*al*i*za"tion (#) , n. A making actual or really existent. [R.]

Emerson.

Actualize <Xpage=19>

Ac"tu*al*ize (#) , v. t. To make actual; to realize in action. [R.]

Coleridge.

Actually <Xpage=19>

Ac"tu*al*ly , adv. 1. Actively. [Obs.] "Neither actually . . . nor passively."

Fuller.

2. In act or in fact; really; in truth; positively.

Actualness <Xpage=19>

Ac"tu*al*ness , n. Quality of being actual; actuality.

Actuarial <Xpage=19>

Ac`tu*a"ri*al (#) , a. Of or pertaining to actuaries; as, the actuarial value of an annuity .

Actuary <Xpage=19>

Ac"tu*a*ry (#) , n. ; pl. Actuaries (#) . [L. actuarius copyist, clerk, fr. actus , p. p. of agere to do, act.] 1. (Law) A registar or clerk; -- used originally in courts of civil law jurisdiction, but in Europe used for a clerk or registar generally.

2. The computing official of an insurance company; one whose profession it is to calculate for insurance companies the risks and premiums for life, fire, and other insurances.

Actuate <Xpage=19>

Ac"tu*ate (#) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Actuated (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Actuating (#) .] [LL. actuatus , p. p. of actuare , fr. L. actus act.] 1. To put into action or motion; to move or incite to action; to influence actively; to move as motives do; -- more commonly used of persons.

Wings, which others were contriving to actuate by the perpetual motion. Johnson.

Men of the greatest abilities are most fired with ambition; and, on the contrary, mean and narrow minds are the least actuated by it. Addison.

2. To carry out in practice; to perform. [Obs.] "To actuate what you command."

Jer. Taylor.

Syn. -- To move; impel; incite; rouse; instigate; animate.

Actuate <Xpage=19>

Ac"tu*ate (#) , a. [LL. actuatus , p. p. of actuare .] Put in action; actuated. [Obs.]

South.

Actuation <Xpage=19>

Ac`tu*a"tion (#) , n. [Cf. LL. actuatio .] A bringing into action; movement.

Bp. Pearson.

Actuator <Xpage=19>

Ac"tu*a`tor (#) , n. One who actuates, or puts into action. [R.]

Melville.

Actuose <Xpage=19>

Ac"tu*ose` (#) , a. [L. actuosus .] Very active. [Obs.]

Actuosity <Xpage=19>

Ac`tu*os"i*ty (#) , n. Abundant activity. [Obs.]

Dr. H. More.

Acture <Xpage=19>

Ac"ture (#) , n. Action. [Obs.]

Shak.

Acturience <Xpage=19>

Ac*tu"ri*ence (#) , n. [A desid. of L. agere , actum , to act.] Tendency or impulse to act. [R.]

Acturience , or desire of action, in one form or another, whether as restlessness, ennui, dissatisfaction, or the imagination of something desirable. J. Grote.

Acuate <Xpage=19>

Ac"u*ate (#) , v. t. [L. acus needle.] To sharpen; to make pungent; to quicken. [Obs.] "[To] acuate the blood."

Harvey.

Acuate <Xpage=19>

Ac"u*ate (#) , a. Sharpened; sharp-pointed.

Acuation <Xpage=19>

Ac`u*a"tion (#) , n. Act of sharpening. [R.]

Acuition <Xpage=19>

Ac`u*i"tion (#) , n. [L. acutus , as if acuitus , p. p. of acuere to sharpen.] The act of sharpening. [Obs.]

Acuity <Xpage=19>

A*cu"i*ty (#) , n. [LL. acuitas : cf. F. acuit\'82 .] Sharpness or acuteness, as of a needle, wit, etc.

Aculeate <Xpage=19>

A*cu"le*ate (#) , a. [L. aculeatus , fr. aculeus , dim. of acus needle.] 1. (Zo\'94l.) Having a sting; covered with prickles; sharp like a prickle.

2. (Bot.) Having prickles, or sharp points; beset with prickles.

3. Severe or stinging; incisive. [R.]

Bacon.

Aculeated <Xpage=19>

A*cu"le*a`ted (#) , a. Having a sharp point; armed with prickles; prickly; aculeate.

Aculeiform <Xpage=19>

A*cu"le*i*form (#) , a. Like a prickle.

Aculeolate <Xpage=19>

A*cu"le*o*late (#) , a. [L. aculeolus little needle.] (Bot.) Having small prickles or sharp points.

Gray.

Aculeous <Xpage=19>

A*cu"le*ous (#) , a. Aculeate. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne .

Aculeus <Xpage=19>

A*cu"le*us (#) , n. ; pl. Aculei (#) . [L., dim. of acus needle.] 1. (Bot.) A prickle growing on the bark, as in some brambles and roses.

Lindley.

2. (Zo\'94l.) A sting.

Acumen <Xpage=19>

A*cu"men (#) , n. [L. acumen , fr. acuere to sharpen. Cf. Acute .] Quickness of perception or discernment; penetration of mind; the faculty of nice discrimination.

Selden.

Syn. -- Sharpness; sagacity; keenness; shrewdness; acuteness.

Acuminate <Xpage=19>

A*cu"mi*nate (#) , a. [L. acuminatus , p. p. of acuminare to sharpen, fr. acumen . See Acumen .] Tapering to a point; pointed; as, acuminate leaves, teeth, etc.

Acuminate <Xpage=19>

A*cu"mi*nate (#) , v. t. To render sharp or keen. [R.] "To acuminate even despair."

Cowper.

Acuminate <Xpage=19>

A*cu"mi*nate , v. i. To end in, or come to, a sharp point. " Acuminating in a cone of prelacy."

Milton.

Acumination <Xpage=19>

A*cu`mi*na"tion (#) , n. A sharpening; termination in a sharp point; a tapering point.

Bp. Pearson.

Acuminose <Xpage=19>

A*cu"mi*nose` (#) , a. Terminating in a flat, narrow end.

Lindley.

Acuminous <Xpage=19>

A*cu"mi*nous (#) , a. Characterized by acumen; keen.

Highmore.

Acupressure <Xpage=19>

Ac`u*pres"sure (#) , n. [L. acus needle + premere , pressum , to press.] (Surg.) A mode of arresting hemorrhage resulting from wounds or surgical operations, by passing under the divided vessel a needle, the ends of which are left exposed externally on the cutaneous surface.

Simpson.

Acupuncturation <Xpage=19>

Ac`u*punc`tu*ra"tion (#) , n. See Acupuncture .

Acupuncture <Xpage=19>

Ac`u*punc"ture (#) , n. [L. acus needle + punctura a pricking, fr. pungere to prick: cf. F. acuponcture .] Pricking with a needle; a needle prick . Specifically (Med.) : The insertion of needles into the living tissues for remedial purposes.

Acupuncture <Xpage=19>

Ac`u*punc"ture (#) , v. t. To treat with acupuncture.

Acustumaunce <Xpage=19>

A*cus"tum*aunce (#) , n. See Accustomance . [Obs.]

Acutangular <Xpage=19>

A*cut"an`gu*lar (#) , a. Acute-angled.

Acute <Xpage=19>

A*cute" (#) , a. [L. acutus , p. p. of acuere to sharpen, fr. a root ak to be sharp. Cf. Ague , Cute , Edge .] 1. Sharp at the end; ending in a sharp point; pointed; -- opposed to blunt or obtuse ; as, an acute angle; an acute leaf.

2. Having nice discernment; perceiving or using minute distinctions; penetrating; clever; shrewd; -- opposed to dull or stupid ; as, an acute observer; acute remarks, or reasoning.

3. Having nice or quick sensibility; susceptible to slight impressions; acting keenly on the senses; sharp; keen; intense; as, a man of acute eyesight, hearing, or feeling; acute pain or pleasure.

4. High, or shrill, in respect to some other sound; -- opposed to grave or low ; as, an acute tone or accent .

5. (Med.) Attended with symptoms of some degree of severity, and coming speedily to a crisis; -- opposed to chronic ; as, an acute disease .

Acute angle (Geom.) , an angle less than a right angle.

Syn. -- Subtile; ingenious; sharp; keen; penetrating; sagacious; sharp-witted; shrewd; discerning; discriminating. See Subtile .

Acute <Xpage=19>

A*cute" , v. t. To give an acute sound to; as, he acutes his rising inflection too much . [R.]

Walker.

Acuteangled <Xpage=19>

A*cute"*an`gled (#) , a. Having acute angles; as, an acute - angled triangle, a triangle with every one of its angles less than a right angle .

Acutely <Xpage=19>

A*cute"ly , adv. In an acute manner; sharply; keenly; with nice discrimination.

Acuteness <Xpage=19>

A*cute"ness , n. 1. The quality of being acute or pointed; sharpness; as, the acuteness of an angle .

2. The faculty of nice discernment or perception; acumen; keenness; sharpness; sensitiveness; -- applied to the senses, or the understanding. By acuteness of feeling, we perceive small objects or slight impressions: by acuteness of intellect, we discern nice distinctions.

Perhaps, also, he felt his professional acuteness interested in bringing it to a successful close. Sir W. Scott.

3. Shrillness; high pitch; -- said of sounds.

4. (Med.) Violence of a disease, which brings it speedily to a crisis.

Syn. -- Penetration; sagacity; keenness; ingenuity; shrewdness; subtlety; sharp-wittedness.

Acutifoliate <Xpage=19>

A*cu`ti*fo"li*ate (#) , a. [L. acutus sharp + folium leaf.] (Bot.) Having sharp-pointed leaves.

Acutilobate <Xpage=19>

A*cu`ti*lo"bate (#) , a. [L. acutus sharp + E. lobe .] (Bot.) Having acute lobes, as some leaves.

Ad- <Xpage=19>

Ad- (#) . [A Latin preposition, signifying to . See At .] As a prefix ad- assumes the forms ac- , af- , ag- , al- , an- , ap- , ar- , as- , at- , assimilating the d with the first letter of the word to which ad- is prefixed. It remains unchanged before vowels, and before d , h , j , m , v . Examples: ad duce, ad here, ad jacent, ad mit, ad vent, ac cord, af fect, ag gregate, al lude, an nex, ap pear, etc. It becomes ac- before qu , as in ac quiesce.

Adact <Xpage=19>

Ad*act" (#) , v. t. [L. adactus , p. p. of adigere .] To compel; to drive. [Obs.]

Fotherby.

Adactyl, Adactylous <Xpage=19>

A*dac"tyl (#) , A*dac"tyl*ous (#) , a. [Gr. <?/ priv. + <?/ finger.] (Zo\'94l.) (a) Without fingers or without toes. (b) Without claws on the feet (of crustaceous animals).

Adage <Xpage=19>

Ad"age (#) , n. [F. adage , fr. L. adagium ; ad + the root of L. aio I say.] An old saying, which has obtained credit by long use; a proverb.

Letting "I dare not" wait upon "I would," Like the poor cat i' the adage . Shak.

Syn. -- Axiom; maxim; aphorism; proverb; saying; saw; apothegm. See Axiom .

Adagial <Xpage=19>

A*da"gi*al (#) , a. Pertaining to an adage; proverbial. " Adagial verse."

Barrow.

Adagio <Xpage=19>

A*da"gio (#) , a. & adv. [It. adagio ; ad (L. ad ) at + agio convenience, leisure, ease. See Agio .] (Mus.) Slow; slowly, leisurely, and gracefully. When repeated, adagio , adagio , it directs the movement to be very slow.

Adagio <Xpage=19>

A*da"gio , n. A piece of music in adagio time; a slow movement; as, an adagio of Haydn .

Adam <Xpage=19>

Ad"am (#) , n. 1. The name given in the Bible to the first man, the progenitor of the human race.

2. (As a symbol) "Original sin;" human frailty.

And whipped the offending Adam out of him. Shak.

Adam's ale , water. [Coll.] -- Adam's apple . 1. (Bot.) (a) A species of banana (Musa paradisiaca) . It attains a height of twenty feet or more. Paxton] . (b) A species of lime (Citris limetta) . 2. The projection formed by the thyroid cartilage in the neck. It is particularly prominent in males, and is so called from a notion that it was caused by the forbidden fruit (an apple) sticking in the throat of our first parent. -- Adam's flannel (Bot.) , the mullein (Verbascum thapsus) . -- Adam's needle (Bot.) , the popular name of a genus (Yucca) of liliaceous plants.

Adamant <Xpage=19>

Ad"a*mant (#) , n. [OE. adamaunt , adamant , diamond, magnet, OF. adamant , L. adamas , adamantis , the hardest metal, fr. Gr. <?/, <?/; <?/ priv. + <?/ to tame, subdue. In OE., from confusion with L. adamare to love, be attached to, the word meant also magnet , as in OF. and LL. See Diamond , Tame .] 1. A stone imagined by some to be of impenetrable hardness; a name given to the diamond and other substance of extreme hardness; but in modern minerology it has no technical signification. It is now a rhetorical or poetical name for the embodiment of impenetrable hardness.

Opposed the rocky orb Of tenfold adamant , his ample shield. Milton.

2. Lodestone; magnet. [Obs.] "A great adamant of acquaintance."

Bacon.

As true to thee as steel to adamant . Greene.

Adamantean <Xpage=19>

Ad`a*man*te"an (#) , a. [L. adamant\'c7us .] Of adamant; hard as adamant.

Milton.

Adamantine <Xpage=19>

Ad`a*man"tine (#) , a. [L. adamantinus , Gr. <?/.] 1. Made of adamant, or having the qualities of adamant; incapable of being broken, dissolved, or penetrated; as, adamantine bonds or chains .

2. (Min.) Like the diamond in hardness or luster.

Adambulacral <Xpage=19>

Ad`am*bu*la"cral (#) , a. [L. ad + E. ambulacral .] (Zo\'94l.) Next to the ambulacra; as, the adambulacral ossicles of the starfish .

Adamic, Adamical <Xpage=19>

A*dam"ic (#) , A*dam"ic*al (#) , a. Of or pertaining to Adam, or resembling him.

Adamic earth , a name given to common red clay, from a notion that Adam means red earth .

Adamite <Xpage=19>

Ad"am*ite (#) , n. [From Adam .] 1. A descendant of Adam; a human being.

2. (Eccl. Hist.) One of a sect of visionaries, who, professing to imitate the state of Adam, discarded the use of dress in their assemblies.

Adam's apple <Xpage=19>

Ad"am's ap"ple (#) . See under Adam .

Adance <Xpage=19>

A*dance" (#) , adv. Dancing.

Lowell.

Adangle <Xpage=19>

A*dan"gle (#) , adv. Dangling.

Browning.

Adansonia <Xpage=19>