Chapter 22

Ag*nos"tic (&?;), a. [Gr. 'a priv. + &?; knowing, &?; to know.] Professing ignorance; involving no dogmatic; pertaining to or involving agnosticism. -- Ag*nos"tic*al*ly (&?;), adv.

Ag*nos"tic, n. One who professes ignorance, or denies that we have any knowledge, save of phenomena; one who supports agnosticism, neither affirming nor denying the existence of a personal Deity, a future life, etc.

Ag*nos"ti*cism (&?;), n. That doctrine which, professing ignorance, neither asserts nor denies. Specifically: (Theol.) The doctrine that the existence of a personal Deity, an unseen world, etc., can be neither proved nor disproved, because of the necessary limits of the human mind (as sometimes charged upon Hamilton and Mansel), or because of the insufficiency of the evidence furnished by physical and physical data, to warrant a positive conclusion (as taught by the school of Herbert Spencer); -- opposed alike dogmatic skepticism and to dogmatic theism.

||Ag"nus (&?;), n.; pl. E. Agnuses (&?;); L. Agni (&?;). [L., a lamb.] Agnus Dei.

||Ag"nus cas"tus (&?;). [Gr. &?; a willowlike tree, used at a religious festival; confused with &?; holy, chaste.] (Bot.) A species of Vitex (V. agnus castus); the chaste tree. Loudon.

And wreaths of agnus castus others bore. Dryden.

||Ag"nus De"i (&?;). [L., lamb of God.] (R. C. Ch.) (a) A figure of a lamb bearing a cross or flag. (b) A cake of wax stamped with such a figure. It is made from the remains of the paschal candles and blessed by the Pope. (c) A triple prayer in the sacrifice of the Mass, beginning with the words "Agnus Dei."

A*go" (&?;), a. & adv. [OE. ago, agon, p. p. of agon to go away, pass by, AS. gn to pass away; - (cf. Goth. us- , Ger. er-, orig. meaning out) + gn to go. See Go.] Past; gone by; since; as, ten years ago; gone long ago.

A*gog" (&?;), a. & adv. [Cf. F. gogue fun, perhaps of Celtic origin.] In eager desire; eager; astir.

All agog to dash through thick and thin. Cowper.

A*go"ing (&?;), adv. [Pref. a- + p. pr. of go.] In motion; in the act of going; as, to set a mill agoing.

||Ag"on (&?;), n.; pl. Agones (&?;). [Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to lead.] (Gr. Antiq.) A contest for a prize at the public games.

A*gone" (&?;), a. & adv. Ago. [Archaic> & Poet.]

Three days agone I fell sick. 1 Sam. xxx. 13.

A"gone (&?;), n. [See Agonic.] Agonic line.

A*gon"ic (&?;), a. [Gr. &?; without angles; 'a priv. + &?; an angle.] Not forming an angle.

Agonic line (Physics), an imaginary line on the earth's surface passing through those places where the magnetic needle points to the true north; the line of no magnetic variation. There is one such line in the Western hemisphere, and another in the Eastern hemisphere.

Ag"o*nism (&?;), n. [Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to contend for a prize, fr. &?;. See Agon.] Contention for a prize; a contest. [Obs.] Blount.

Ag"o*nist (&?;), n. [Gr. &?;.] One who contends for the prize in public games. [R.]

{ Ag`o*nis"tic (&?;), Ag`o*nis"tic*al (&?;), } a. [Gr. &?;. See Agonism.] Pertaining to violent contests, bodily or mental; pertaining to athletic or polemic feats; athletic; combative; hence, strained; unnatural.

As a scholar, he [Dr. Parr] was brilliant, but he consumed his power in agonistic displays. De Quincey.

Ag`o*nis"tic*al*ly, adv. In an agonistic manner.

Ag`o*nis"tics (&?;), n. The science of athletic combats, or contests in public games.

Ag"o*nize (&?;), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Agonized (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Agonizing (&?;).] [F. agoniser, LL. agonizare, fr. Gr. &?;. See Agony.] 1. To writhe with agony; to suffer violent anguish.

To smart and agonize at every pore. Pope.

2. To struggle; to wrestle; to strive desperately.

Ag"o*nize, v. t. To cause to suffer agony; to subject to extreme pain; to torture.

He agonized his mother by his behavior. Thackeray.

Ag"o*ni`zing*ly (&?;), adv. With extreme anguish or desperate struggles.

Ag"o*no*thete` (&?;), n. [Gr. &?;; &?; + &?; to set. appoint.] [Antiq.] An officer who presided over the great public games in Greece.

Ag`o*no*thet"ic (&?;), a. [Gr. &?;.] Pertaining to the office of an agonothete.

Ag"o*ny (&?;), n.; pl. Agonies (&?;). [L. agonia, Gr. &?;, orig. a contest, fr. &?;: cf. F. agonie. See Agon.] 1. Violent contest or striving.

The world is convulsed by the agonies of great nations. Macaulay.

2. Pain so extreme as to cause writhing or contortions of the body, similar to those made in the athletic contests in Greece; and hence, extreme pain of mind or body; anguish; paroxysm of grief; specifically, the sufferings of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane.

Being in an agony he prayed more earnestly. Luke xxii. 44.

3. Paroxysm of joy; keen emotion.

With cries and agonies of wild delight. Pope.

4. The last struggle of life; death struggle.

Syn. -- Anguish; torment; throe; distress; pangs; suffering. -- Agony, Anguish, Pang. These words agree in expressing extreme pain of body or mind. Agony denotes acute and permanent pain, usually of the whole system., and often producing contortions. Anguish denotes severe pressure, and, considered as bodily suffering, is more commonly local (as anguish of a wound), thus differing from agony. A pang is a paroxysm of excruciating pain. It is severe and transient. The agonies or pangs of remorse; the anguish of a wounded conscience. "Oh, sharp convulsive pangs of agonizing pride!" Dryden.

A*good(*gd"), adv. [Pref. a- + good.] In earnest; heartily. [Obs.] "I made her weep agood." Shak.

||Ag"o*ra (g"*r), n. [Gr. 'agora`.] An assembly; hence, the place of assembly, especially the market place, in an ancient Greek city.

||A*gou"a*ra (&?;), n. [Native name.] (Zoöl.) The crab-eating raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus), found in the tropical parts of America.

||A*gou"ta (&?;), n. [Native name.] (Zoöl.) A small insectivorous mammal (Solenodon paradoxus), allied to the moles, found only in Hayti.

{ A*gou"ti, A*gou"ty } (*g"t), n. [F. agouti, acouti, Sp. aguti, fr. native name.] (Zoöl.) A rodent of the genus Dasyprocta, about the size of a rabbit, peculiar to South America and the West Indies. The most common species is the Dasyprocta agouti.

A*grace" (&?;), n. & v. See Aggrace. [Obs.]

A*graffe" (&?;), n. [F. agrafe, formerly agraffe, OF. agrappe. See Agrappes.] 1. A hook or clasp.

The feather of an ostrich, fastened in her turban by an agraffe set with brilliants. Sir W. Scott.

2. A hook, eyelet, or other device by which a piano wire is so held as to limit the vibration.

A*gram"ma*tist (&?;), n. [Gr. &?; illiterate; 'a priv. + &?; letters, fr. &?; to write.] A illiterate person. [Obs.] Bailey.

||A*graph"i*a (&?;), n. [Gr. 'a priv. + &?; to write.] The absence or loss of the power of expressing ideas by written signs. It is one form of aphasia.

A*graph"ic (&?;), a. Characterized by agraphia.

A*grappes" (&?;), n. pl. [OF. agrappe, F. agrafe; a + grappe (see Grape) fr. OHG. krpfo hook.] Hooks and eyes for armor, etc. Fairholt.

A*gra"ri*an (&?;), a. [L. agrarius, fr. ager field.] 1. Pertaining to fields, or lands, or their tenure; esp., relating to an equal or equitable division of lands; as, the agrarian laws of Rome, which distributed the conquered and other public lands among citizens.

His Grace's landed possessions are irresistibly inviting to an agrarian experiment. Burke.

2. (Bot.) Wild; -- said of plants growing in the fields.

A*gra"ri*an, n. 1. One in favor of an equal division of landed property.

2. An agrarian law. [R.]

An equal agrarian is perpetual law. Harrington.

A*gra"ri*an*ism (&?;), n. An equal or equitable division of landed property; the principles or acts of those who favor a redistribution of land.

A*gra"ri*an*ize (&?;), v. t. To distribute according to, or to imbue with, the principles of agrarianism.

{ A*gre", A*gree" } (&?;), adv. [F. à gré. See Agree.] In good part; kindly. [Obs.] Rom. of R.

A*gree" (&?;), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Agreed (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Agreeing.] [F. agréer to accept or receive kindly, fr. à gré; à (L. ad) + gré good will, consent, liking, fr. L. gratus pleasing, agreeable. See Grateful.] 1. To harmonize in opinion, statement, or action; to be in unison or concord; to be or become united or consistent; to concur; as, all parties agree in the expediency of the law.

If music and sweet poetry agree. Shak.

Their witness agreed not together. Mark xiv. 56.

The more you agree together, the less hurt can your enemies do you. Sir T. Browne.

2. To yield assent; to accede; -- followed by to; as, to agree to an offer, or to opinion.

3. To make a stipulation by way of settling differences or determining a price; to exchange promises; to come to terms or to a common resolve; to promise.

Agree with thine adversary quickly. Matt. v. 25.

Didst not thou agree with me for a penny ? Matt. xx. 13.

4. To be conformable; to resemble; to coincide; to correspond; as, the picture does not agree with the original; the two scales agree exactly.

5. To suit or be adapted in its effects; to do well; as, the same food does not agree with every constitution.

6. (Gram.) To correspond in gender, number, case, or person.

The auxiliary forms of to be are often employed with the participle agreed. "The jury were agreed." Macaulay. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed ?" Amos iii. 3. The principal intransitive uses were probably derived from the transitive verb used reflexively. "I agree me well to your desire." Ld. Berners.

Syn. -- To assent; concur; consent; acquiesce; accede; engage; promise; stipulate; contract; bargain; correspond; harmonize; fit; tally; coincide; comport.

A*gree" (&?;), v. t. 1. To make harmonious; to reconcile or make friends. [Obs.] Spenser.

2. To admit, or come to one mind concerning; to settle; to arrange; as, to agree the fact; to agree differences. [Obs.]

A*gree`a*bil"i*ty (&?;), n. [OF. agreablete.] 1. Easiness of disposition. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. The quality of being, or making one's self, agreeable; agreeableness. Thackeray.

A*gree"a*ble (&?;), a. [F. agréable.] 1. Pleasing, either to the mind or senses; pleasant; grateful; as, agreeable manners or remarks; an agreeable person; fruit agreeable to the taste.

A train of agreeable reveries. Goldsmith.

2. Willing; ready to agree or consent. [Colloq.]

These Frenchmen give unto the said captain of Calais a great sum of money, so that he will be but content and agreeable that they may enter into the said town. Latimer.

3. Agreeing or suitable; conformable; correspondent; concordant; adapted; -- followed by to, rarely by with.

That which is agreeable to the nature of one thing, is many times contrary to the nature of another. L'Estrange.

4. In pursuance, conformity, or accordance; -- in this sense used adverbially for agreeably; as, agreeable to the order of the day, the House took up the report.

Syn. -- Pleasing; pleasant; welcome; charming; acceptable; amiable. See Pleasant.

A*gree"a*ble*ness, n. 1. The quality of being agreeable or pleasing; that quality which gives satisfaction or moderate pleasure to the mind or senses.

That author . . . has an agreeableness that charms us. Pope.

2. The quality of being agreeable or suitable; suitableness or conformity; consistency.

The agreeableness of virtuous actions to human nature. Pearce.

3. Resemblance; concordance; harmony; -- with to or between. [Obs.]

The agreeableness between man and the other parts of the universe. Grew.

A*gree"a*bly, adv. 1. In an agreeably manner; in a manner to give pleasure; pleasingly. "Agreeably entertained." Goldsmith.

2. In accordance; suitably; consistently; conformably; -- followed by to and rarely by with. See Agreeable, 4.

The effect of which is, that marriages grow less frequent, agreeably to the maxim above laid down. Paley.

3. Alike; similarly. [Obs.]

Both clad in shepherds' weeds agreeably. Spenser.

A*gree"ing*ly, adv. In an agreeing manner (to); correspondingly; agreeably. [Obs.]

A*gree"ment (&?;), n. [Cf. F. agrément.] 1. State of agreeing; harmony of opinion, statement, action, or character; concurrence; concord; conformity; as, a good agreement subsists among the members of the council.

What agreement hath the temple of God with idols ? 2 Cor. vi. 16.

Expansion and duration have this further agreement. Locke.

2. (Gram.) Concord or correspondence of one word with another in gender, number, case, or person.

3. (Law) (a) A concurrence in an engagement that something shall be done or omitted; an exchange of promises; mutual understanding, arrangement, or stipulation; a contract. (b) The language, oral or written, embodying reciprocal promises. Abbott. Brande & C.

Syn. -- Bargain; contract; compact; stipulation.

A*gre"er (&?;), n. One who agrees.

A*gres"tic (&?;), a. [L. agrestis, fr. ager field.] Pertaining to fields or the country, in opposition to the city; rural; rustic; unpolished; uncouth. "Agrestic behavior." Gregory.

A*gres"tic*al (&?;), a. Agrestic. [Obs.]

A*gric`o*la"tion (&?;), n. [L., agricolatio.] Agriculture. [Obs.] Bailey.

A*gric"o*list (&?;), n. A cultivator of the soil; an agriculturist. Dodsley.

Ag"ri*cul`tor (&?;), n. [L., fr. ager field + cultor cultivator.] An agriculturist; a farmer. [R.]

Ag`ri*cul"tur*al (&?;), a. Of or pertaining to agriculture; connected with, or engaged in, tillage; as, the agricultural class; agricultural implements, wages, etc. -- Ag`ri*cul"tur*al*ly, adv.

Agricultural ant (Zoöl.), a species of ant which gathers and stores seeds of grasses, for food. The remarkable species (Myrmica barbata) found in Texas clears circular areas and carefully cultivates its favorite grain, known as ant rice.

Ag`ri*cul"tur*al*ist, n. An agriculturist (which is the preferred form.)

Ag"ri*cul`ture (?; 135), n. [L. agricultura; ager field + cultura cultivation: cf. F. agriculture. See Acre and Culture.] The art or science of cultivating the ground, including the harvesting of crops, and the rearing and management of live stock; tillage; husbandry; farming.

Ag`ri*cul"tur*ism (&?;), n. Agriculture. [R.]

Ag`ri*cul"tur*ist, n. One engaged or skilled in agriculture; a husbandman.

The farmer is always a practitioner, the agriculturist may be a mere theorist. Crabb.

A*grief" (&?;), adv. [Pref. a- + grief.] In grief; amiss. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Ag"ri*mo*ny (&?;), n. [OE. agremoyne, OF. aigremoine, L. agrimonia for argemonia, fr. Gr. &?;.] (Bot.) (a) A genus of plants of the Rose family. (b) The name is also given to various other plants; as, hemp agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum); water agrimony (Bidens).

The Agrimonia eupatoria, or common agrimony, a perennial herb with a spike of yellow flowers, was once esteemed as a medical remedy, but is now seldom used.

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A*grin" (*grn"), adv. & a. [Pref. a- + grin.] In the act of grinning. "His visage all agrin." Tennyson.

Ag`ri*ol"o*gist (g`r*l"*jst), n. One versed or engaged in agriology.

Ag`ri*ol"o*gy (g`r*l"*j), n. [Gr. 'a`grios wild, savage + -logy.] Description or comparative study of the customs of savage or uncivilized tribes.

A*grise" (&?;), v. i. [AS. grsan to dread; - (cf. Goth. us-, Ger. er-, orig. meaning out) + grsan, for gr&?;san (only in comp.), akin to OHG. gr&?;is&?;n, G. grausen, to shudder. See Grisly.] To shudder with terror; to tremble with fear. [Obs.] Chaucer.

A*grise", v. t. 1. To shudder at; to abhor; to dread; to loathe. [Obs.] Wyclif.

2. To terrify; to affright. [Obs.]

His manly face that did his foes agrise. Spenser.

||A"grom (&?;), n. [Native name.] (Med.) A disease occurring in Bengal and other parts of the East Indies, in which the tongue chaps and cleaves.

{ Ag`ro*nom"ic (&?;), Ag`ro*nom"ic*al (&?;), } [Cf. F. agronomique.] Pertaining to agronomy, of the management of farms.

Ag`ro*nom"ics (&?;), n. The science of the distribution and management of land.

A*gron"o*mist (&?;), n. One versed in agronomy; a student of agronomy.

A*gron"o*my (&?;), n. [Gr. &?; rural; as a noun, an overseer of the public lands; &?; field + &?; usage, &?; to deal out, manage: cf. F. agronomie.] The management of land; rural economy; agriculture.

A*grope" (&?;), adv. & a. [Pref. a- + grope.] In the act of groping. Mrs. Browning.

||A*gros"tis (&?;), n. [L., fr. Gr. &?;.] A genus of grasses, including species called in common language bent grass. Some of them, as redtop (Agrostis vulgaris), are valuable pasture grasses.

{ A*gros`to*graph"ic (&?;), A*gros`to*graph"ic*al (&?;), } a. [Cf. F. agrostographique.] Pertaining to agrostography.

Ag`ros*tog"ra*phy (&?;), n. [Gr. &?; + - graphy.] A description of the grasses.

{ A*gros`to*log"ic (&?;), A*gros`to*log"ic*al (&?;), } a. Pertaining to agrostology.

Ag`ros*tol"o*gist (&?;), n. One skilled in agrostology.

Ag`ros*tol"ogy (&?;), n. [Gr. &?; + - logy.] That part of botany which treats of the grasses.

A*ground" (&?;), adv. & a. [Pref. a- + ground.] On the ground; stranded; -- a nautical term applied to a ship when its bottom lodges on the ground. Totten.

A*group"ment (&?;), n. See Aggroupment.

Ag`ryp*not"ic (&?;), n. [Gr. &?; sleepless; &?; to chase, search for + &?; sleep: cf. F. agrypnotique.] Anything which prevents sleep, or produces wakefulness, as strong tea or coffee.

||A`guar*di*en"te (&?;), n. [Sp., contr. of agua ardiente burning water (L. aqua water + ardens burning).] 1. A inferior brandy of Spain and Portugal.

2. A strong alcoholic drink, especially pulque. [Mexico and Spanish America.]

A"gue (&?;), n. [OE. agu, ague, OF. agu, F. aigu, sharp, OF. fem. ague, LL. (febris) acuta, a sharp, acute fever, fr. L. acutus sharp. See Acute.] 1. An acute fever. [Obs.] "Brenning agues." P. Plowman.

2. (Med.) An intermittent fever, attended by alternate cold and hot fits.

3. The cold fit or rigor of the intermittent fever; as, fever and ague.

4. A chill, or state of shaking, as with cold. Dryden.

Ague cake, an enlargement of the spleen produced by ague. -- Ague drop, a solution of the arsenite of potassa used for ague. -- Ague fit, a fit of the ague. Shak. -- Ague spell, a spell or charm against ague. Gay. -- Ague tree, the sassafras, -- sometimes so called from the use of its root formerly, in cases of ague. [Obs.]

A"gue, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Agued (&?;).] To strike with an ague, or with a cold fit. Heywood.

A*guilt" (&?;), v. t. To be guilty of; to offend; to sin against; to wrong. [Obs.] Chaucer.

A*guise" (&?;), n. Dress. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.

A*guise", v. t. [Pref a- + guise.] To dress; to attire; to adorn. [Obs.]

Above all knights ye goodly seem aguised. Spenser.

A"gu*ish (&?;), a. 1. Having the qualities of an ague; somewhat cold or shivering; chilly; shaky.

Her aguish love now glows and burns. Granville.

2. Productive of, or affected by, ague; as, the aguish districts of England. T. Arnold.

-- A"gu*ish*ness, n.

A*gush" (&?;), adv. & a. [Pref. a- + gush.] In a gushing state. Hawthorne.

Ag"y*nous (&?;), a. [Gr. 'a priv. + gynh` woman.] (Bot.) Without female organs; male.

Ah (&?;), interj. [OE. a: cf. OF. a, F. ah, L. ah, Gr. &?;, Sk, Icel. æ, OHG. , Lith. á, áá.] An exclamation, expressive of surprise, pity, complaint, entreaty, contempt, threatening, delight, triumph, etc., according to the manner of utterance.

A*ha" (&?;), interj. [Ah, interj. + ha.] An exclamation expressing, by different intonations, triumph, mixed with derision or irony, or simple surprise.

A*ha", n. A sunk fence. See Ha- ha. Mason.

A*head" (&?;), adv. [Pref. a- + head.] 1. In or to the front; in advance; onward.

The island bore but a little ahead of us. Fielding.

2. Headlong; without restraint. [Obs.] L'Estrange.

To go ahead. (a) To go in advance. (b) To go on onward. (c) To push on in an enterprise. [Colloq] -- To get ahead of. (a) To get in advance of. (b) To surpass; to get the better of. [Colloq.]

A*heap" (&?;), adv. [Pref. a- + heap.] In a heap; huddled together. Hood.

A*height" (&?;), adv. [Pref. a- + height.] Aloft; on high. [Obs.] "Look up aheight." Shak.

A*hem" (&?;), interj. An exclamation to call one's attention; hem.

A*hey" (&?;), interj. Hey; ho.

A*high" (&?;), adv. On high. [Obs.] Shak.

A*hold" (&?;), adv. [Pref. a- + hold.] Near the wind; as, to lay a ship ahold. [Obs.] Shak.

A*horse"back (&?;), adv. On horseback.

Two suspicious fellows ahorseback. Smollet.

A*hoy" (&?;), interj. [OE. a, interj. + hoy.] (Naut.) A term used in hailing; as, "Ship ahoy."

||Ah"ri*man (&?;), n. [Per.] The Evil Principle or Being of the ancient Persians; the Prince of Darkness as opposer to Ormuzd, the King of Light.

||A"hu (&?;), n. [Native name.] (Zoöl.) The Asiatic gazelle.

A*hull" (&?;), adv. [Pref. a- + hull.] (Naut.) With the sails furled, and the helm lashed alee; -- applied to ships in a storm. See Hull, n.

A*hun"gered (&?;), a. [Pref. a- + hungered.] Pinched with hunger; very hungry. C. Bronté.

A"i (&?;), n.; pl. Ais (&?;). [Braz. aï, haï, from the animal's cry: cf. F. aï.] (Zoöl.) The three-toed sloth (Bradypus tridactylus) of South America. See Sloth.

||Ai"blins, A"blins (&?;), adv. [See Able.] Perhaps; possibly. [Scotch] Burns.

Aich's met"al (&?;). A kind of gun metal, containing copper, zinc, and iron, but no tin.

Aid (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Aided (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Aiding.] [F. aider, OF. aidier, fr. L. adjutare to help, freq. of adjuvare to help; ad + juvare to help. Cf. Adjutant.] To support, either by furnishing strength or means in coöperation to effect a purpose, or to prevent or to remove evil; to help; to assist.

You speedy helpers . . . Appear and aid me in this enterprise. Shak.

Syn. -- To help; assist; support; sustain; succor; relieve; befriend; coöperate; promote. See Help.

Aid, n. [F. aide, OF. aïde, aïe, fr. the verb. See Aid, v. t.] 1. Help; succor; assistance; relief.

An unconstitutional mode of obtaining aid. Hallam.

2. The person or thing that promotes or helps in something done; a helper; an assistant.

It is not good that man should be alone; let us make unto him an aid like unto himself. Tobit viii. 6.

3. (Eng. Hist.) A subsidy granted to the king by Parliament; also, an exchequer loan.

4. (Feudal Law) A pecuniary tribute paid by a vassal to his lord on special occasions. Blackstone.

5. An aid-de-camp, so called by abbreviation; as, a general's aid.

Aid prayer (Law), a proceeding by which a defendant beseeches and claims assistance from some one who has a further or more permanent interest in the matter in suit. -- To pray in aid, to beseech and claim such assistance.

Aid"ance (&?;), n. [Cf. OF. aidance.] Aid. [R.]

Aidance 'gainst the enemy. Shak.

Aid"ant (&?;), a. [Cf. F. aidant, p. pr. of aider to help.] Helping; helpful; supplying aid. Shak.

Aid"-de-camp` (&?;), n.; pl. Aids-de-camp. (&?;). [F. aide de camp (literally) camp assistant.] (Mil.) An officer selected by a general to carry orders, also to assist or represent him in correspondence and in directing movements.

Aid"er (&?;), n. One who, or that which, aids.

Aid"ful (&?;), a. Helpful. [Archaic.] Bp. Hall.

Aid"less, a. Helpless; without aid. Milton.

Aid"-ma`jor (&?;), n. The adjutant of a regiment.

Ai"el (&?;), n. See Ayle. [Obs.]

Aig"let (&?;), n. Same as Aglet.

Ai"gre (&?;), a. [F. See Eager.] Sour. [Obs.] Shak.

||Ai"gre*more (&?;), n. [F. origin unknown.] Charcoal prepared for making powder.

{ Ai"gret (&?;), Ai*grette (&?;), } n. [F., a sort of white heron, with a tuft of feathers on its head; a tuft of feathers; dim. of the same word as heron. See Heron, and cf. Egret, Egrette.] 1. (Zoöl.) The small white European heron. See Egret.

2. A plume or tuft for the head composed of feathers, or of gems, etc. Prescott.

3. A tuft like that of the egret. (Bot.) A feathery crown of seed; egret; as, the aigrette or down of the dandelion or the thistle.

||Ai`guille" (&?;), n. [F., a needle. See Aglet.] 1. A needle-shaped peak.

2. An instrument for boring holes, used in blasting.

Ai`guil*lette" (&?;), n. [F. See Aglet.] 1. A point or tag at the end of a fringe or lace; an aglet.