Chapter 5

That very homesickness which, in regular armies, drives so many recruits to abscond. Macaulay.

Ab*scond", v. t. To hide; to conceal. [Obs.] Bentley.

Ab*scond"ence (&?;), n. Fugitive concealment; secret retirement; hiding. [R.] Phillips.

Ab*scond"er (&?;), n. One who absconds.

Ab"sence (&?;), n. [F., fr. L. absentia. See Absent.] 1. A state of being absent or withdrawn from a place or from companionship; -- opposed to presence.

Not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. Phil. ii. 12.

2. Want; destitution; withdrawal. "In the absence of conventional law." Kent.

3. Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind); as, absence of mind. "Reflecting on the little absences and distractions of mankind." Addison.

To conquer that abstraction which is called absence. Landor.

Ab"sent (&?;), a. [F., fr. absens, absentis, p. pr. of abesse to be away from; ab + esse to be. Cf. Sooth.] 1. Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; not present. "Expecting absent friends." Shak.

2. Not existing; lacking; as, the part was rudimental or absent.

3. Inattentive to what is passing; absent-minded; preoccupied; as, an absent air.

What is commonly called an absent man is commonly either a very weak or a very affected man. Chesterfield.

Syn. -- Absent, Abstracted. These words both imply a want of attention to surrounding objects. We speak of a man as absent when his thoughts wander unconsciously from present scenes or topics of discourse; we speak of him as abstracted when his mind (usually for a brief period) is drawn off from present things by some weighty matter for reflection. Absence of mind is usually the result of loose habits of thought; abstraction commonly arises either from engrossing interests and cares, or from unfortunate habits of association.

Ab*sent" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Absented; p. pr. & vb. n. Absenting.] [Cf. F. absenter.] 1. To take or withdraw (one's self) to such a distance as to prevent intercourse; -- used with the reflexive pronoun.

If after due summons any member absents himself, he is to be fined. Addison.

2. To withhold from being present. [Obs.] "Go; for thy stay, not free, absents thee more." Milton.

Ab`sen*ta"ne*ous (&?;), a. [LL. absentaneus. See absent] Pertaining to absence. [Obs.]

Ab`sen*ta"tion (&?;), n. The act of absenting one's self. Sir W. Hamilton.

Ab`sen*tee" (&?;), n. One who absents himself from his country, office, post, or duty; especially, a landholder who lives in another country or district than that where his estate is situated; as, an Irish absentee. Macaulay.

Ab`sen*tee"ism (&?;), n. The state or practice of an absentee; esp. the practice of absenting one's self from the country or district where one's estate is situated.

Ab*sent"er (&?;), n. One who absents one's self.

Ab"sent*ly (&?;), adv. In an absent or abstracted manner.

Ab*sent"ment (b*snt"ment), n. The state of being absent; withdrawal. [R.] Barrow.

Ab`sent-mind"ed(&?;), a. Absent in mind; abstracted; preoccupied. -- Ab`sent-mind"ed*ness, n. -- Ab`sent-mind"ed*ly, adv.

Ab"sent*ness (&?;), n. The quality of being absent-minded. H. Miller.

Ab"sey-book`(&?;), n. An A-B-C book; a primer. [Obs.] Shak.

{ Ab"sinth`, Ab"sinthe` } (&?;), n. [F. absinthe. See Absinthium.] 1. The plant absinthium or common wormwood.

2. A strong spirituous liqueur made from wormwood and brandy or alcohol.

Ab"sin"thate (&?;), n. (Chem.) A combination of absinthic acid with a base or positive radical.

Ab*sin"thi*al (&?;), a. Of or pertaining to wormwood; absinthian.

Ab*sin"thi*an (&?;), n. Of the nature of wormwood. "Absinthian bitterness." T. Randolph.

Ab"sin"thi*ate (&?;), v. t. [From L. absinthium: cf. L. absinthiatus, a.] To impregnate with wormwood.

Ab*sin"thi*a`ted (&?;), a. Impregnated with wormwood; as, absinthiated wine.

Ab*sin"thic (&?;), a. (Chem.) Relating to the common wormwood or to an acid obtained from it.

Ab*sin"thin (&?;), n. (Chem.) The bitter principle of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). Watts.

Ab"sin*thism (&?;), n. The condition of being poisoned by the excessive use of absinth.

Ab*sin"thi*um (&?;), n. [L., from Gr. &?;.] (Bot.) The common wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), an intensely bitter plant, used as a tonic and for making the oil of wormwood.

Ab"sis (&?;), n. See Apsis.

Ab*sist" (&?;), v. i. [L. absistere, p. pr. absistens; ab + sistere to stand, causal of stare.] To stand apart from; top leave off; to desist. [Obs.] Raleigh.

Ab*sist"ence (&?;), n. A standing aloof. [Obs.]

Ab"so*lute (&?;), a. [L. absolutus, p. p. of absolvere: cf. F. absolu. See Absolve.] 1. Loosed from any limitation or condition; uncontrolled; unrestricted; unconditional; as, absolute authority, monarchy, sovereignty, an absolute promise or command; absolute power; an absolute monarch.

2. Complete in itself; perfect; consummate; faultless; as, absolute perfection; absolute beauty.

So absolute she seems, And in herself complete. Milton.

3. Viewed apart from modifying influences or without comparison with other objects; actual; real; -- opposed to relative and comparative; as, absolute motion; absolute time or space.

Absolute rights and duties are such as pertain to man in a state of nature as contradistinguished from relative rights and duties, or such as pertain to him in his social relations.

4. Loosed from, or unconnected by, dependence on any other being; self-existent; self-sufficing.

In this sense God is called the Absolute by the Theist. The term is also applied by the Pantheist to the universe, or the total of all existence, as only capable of relations in its parts to each other and to the whole, and as dependent for its existence and its phenomena on its mutually depending forces and their laws.

5. Capable of being thought or conceived by itself alone; unconditioned; non-relative.

It is in dispute among philosopher whether the term, in this sense, is not applied to a mere logical fiction or abstraction, or whether the absolute, as thus defined, can be known, as a reality, by the human intellect.

To Cusa we can indeed articulately trace, word and thing, the recent philosophy of the absolute. Sir W. Hamilton.

6. Positive; clear; certain; not doubtful. [R.]

I am absolute 't was very Cloten. Shak.

7. Authoritative; peremptory. [R.]

The peddler stopped, and tapped her on the head, With absolute forefinger, brown and ringed. Mrs. Browning.

8. (Chem.) Pure; unmixed; as, absolute alcohol.

9. (Gram.) Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence in government; as, the case absolute. See Ablative absolute, under Ablative.

Absolute curvature (Geom.), that curvature of a curve of double curvature, which is measured in the osculating plane of the curve. -- Absolute equation (Astron.), the sum of the optic and eccentric equations. -- Absolute space (Physics), space considered without relation to material limits or objects. -- Absolute terms. (Alg.), such as are known, or which do not contain the unknown quantity. Davies & Peck. -- Absolute temperature (Physics), the temperature as measured on a scale determined by certain general thermo-dynamic principles, and reckoned from the absolute zero. -- Absolute zero (Physics), the be ginning, or zero point, in the scale of absolute temperature. It is equivalent to -273° centigrade or - 459.4° Fahrenheit.

Syn. -- Positive; peremptory; certain; unconditional; unlimited; unrestricted; unqualified; arbitrary; despotic; autocratic.

Ab"so*lute (&?;), n. (Geom.) In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity.

Ab"so*lute*ly, adv. In an absolute, independent, or unconditional manner; wholly; positively.

Ab"so*lute*ness, n. The quality of being absolute; independence of everything extraneous; unlimitedness; absolute power; independent reality; positiveness.

Ab`so*lu"tion (&?;), n. [F. absolution, L. absolutio, fr. absolvere to absolve. See Absolve.] 1. An absolving, or setting free from guilt, sin, or penalty; forgiveness of an offense. "Government . . . granting absolution to the nation." Froude.

2. (Civil Law) An acquittal, or sentence of a judge declaring and accused person innocent. [Obs.]

3. (R. C. Ch.) The exercise of priestly jurisdiction in the sacrament of penance, by which Catholics believe the sins of the truly penitent are forgiven.

In the English and other Protestant churches, this act regarded as simply declaratory, not as imparting forgiveness.

4. (Eccl.) An absolving from ecclesiastical penalties, -- for example, excommunication. P. Cyc.

5. The form of words by which a penitent is absolved. Shipley.

6. Delivery, in speech. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

Absolution day (R. C. Ch.), Tuesday before Easter.

Ab"so*lu`tism (&?;), n. 1. The state of being absolute; the system or doctrine of the absolute; the principles or practice of absolute or arbitrary government; despotism.

The element of absolutism and prelacy was controlling. Palfrey.

2. (Theol.) Doctrine of absolute decrees. Ash.

Ab"so*lu`tist (&?;), n. 1. One who is in favor of an absolute or autocratic government.

2. (Metaph.) One who believes that it is possible to realize a cognition or concept of the absolute. Sir. W. Hamilton.

Ab"so*lu`tist, a. Of or pertaining to absolutism; arbitrary; despotic; as, absolutist principles.

Ab`so*lu*tis"tic (&?;), a. Pertaining to absolutism; absolutist.

Ab*sol"u*to*ry (&?;), a. [L. absolutorius, fr. absolvere to absolve.] Serving to absolve; absolving. "An absolutory sentence." Ayliffe.

Ab*solv"a*ble (&?;), a. That may be absolved.

Ab*solv"a*to*ry (&?;), a. Conferring absolution; absolutory.

Ab*solve" (#; 277), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Absolved (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Absolving.] [L. absolvere to set free, to absolve; ab + solvere to loose. See Assoil, Solve.] 1. To set free, or release, as from some obligation, debt, or responsibility, or from the consequences of guilt or such ties as it would be sin or guilt to violate; to pronounce free; as, to absolve a subject from his allegiance; to absolve an offender, which amounts to an acquittal and remission of his punishment.

Halifax was absolved by a majority of fourteen. Macaulay.

2. To free from a penalty; to pardon; to remit (a sin); -- said of the sin or guilt.

In his name I absolve your perjury. Gibbon.

3. To finish; to accomplish. [Obs.]

The work begun, how soon absolved. Milton.

4. To resolve or explain. [Obs.] "We shall not absolve the doubt." Sir T. Browne.

Syn. -- To Absolve, Exonerate, Acquit. We speak of a man as absolved from something that binds his conscience, or involves the charge of wrongdoing; as, to absolve from allegiance or from the obligation of an oath, or a promise. We speak of a person as exonerated, when he is released from some burden which had rested upon him; as, to exonerate from suspicion, to exonerate from blame or odium. It implies a purely moral acquittal. We speak of a person as acquitted, when a decision has been made in his favor with reference to a specific charge, either by a jury or by disinterested persons; as, he was acquitted of all participation in the crime.

Ab*solv"ent (&?;), a. [L. absolvens, p. pr. of absolvere.] Absolving. [R.] Carlyle.

Ab*solv"ent, n. An absolver. [R.] Hobbes.

Ab*solv"er (&?;), n. One who absolves. Macaulay.

Ab"so*nant (&?;), a. [L. ab + sonans, p. pr. of sonare to sound.] Discordant; contrary; -- opposed to consonant. "Absonant to nature." Quarles.

Ab"so*nous (&?;), a. [L. absonus; ab + sonus sound.] Discordant; inharmonious; incongruous. [Obs.] "Absonous to our reason." Glanvill.

Ab*sorb" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Absorbed (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Absorbing.] [L. absorbere; ab + sorbere to suck in, akin to Gr. &?;: cf. F. absorber.] 1. To swallow up; to engulf; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to use up; to include. "Dark oblivion soon absorbs them all." Cowper.

The large cities absorb the wealth and fashion. W. Irving.

2. To suck up; to drink in; to imbibe; as a sponge or as the lacteals of the body. Bacon.

3. To engross or engage wholly; to occupy fully; as, absorbed in study or the pursuit of wealth.

4. To take up by cohesive, chemical, or any molecular action, as when charcoal absorbs gases. So heat, light, and electricity are absorbed or taken up in the substances into which they pass. Nichol. p. 8

Syn. -- To Absorb, Engross, Swallow up, Engulf. These words agree in one general idea, that of completely taking up. They are chiefly used in a figurative sense and may be distinguished by a reference to their etymology. We speak of a person as absorbed (lit., drawn in, swallowed up) in study or some other employment of the highest interest. We speak of a person as ebgrossed (lit., seized upon in the gross, or wholly) by something which occupies his whole time and thoughts, as the acquisition of wealth, or the attainment of honor. We speak of a person (under a stronger image) as swallowed up and lost in that which completely occupies his thoughts and feelings, as in grief at the death of a friend, or in the multiplied cares of life. We speak of a person as engulfed in that which (like a gulf) takes in all his hopes and interests; as, engulfed in misery, ruin, etc.

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That grave question which had begun to absorb the Christian mind -- the marriage of the clergy. Milman.

Too long hath love engrossed Britannia's stage, And sunk to softness all our tragic rage. Tickell.

Should not the sad occasion swallow up My other cares? Addison.

And in destruction's river Engulf and swallow those. Sir P. Sidney.

Ab*sorb`a*bil"i*ty (&?;), n. The state or quality of being absorbable. Graham (Chemistry).

Ab*sorb"a*ble, a. [Cf. F. absorbable.] Capable of being absorbed or swallowed up. Kerr.

Ab*sorb"ed*ly, adv. In a manner as if wholly engrossed or engaged.

Ab*sorb"en*cy (&?;), n. Absorptiveness.

Ab*sorb"ent (&?;), a. [L. absorbens, p. pr. of absorbere.] Absorbing; swallowing; absorptive.

Absorbent ground (Paint.), a ground prepared for a picture, chiefly with distemper, or water colors, by which the oil is absorbed, and a brilliancy is imparted to the colors.

Ab*sorb"ent, n. 1. Anything which absorbs.

The ocean, itself a bad absorbent of heat. Darwin.

2. (Med.) Any substance which absorbs and neutralizes acid fluid in the stomach and bowels, as magnesia, chalk, etc.; also a substance e. g., iodine) which acts on the absorbent vessels so as to reduce enlarged and indurated parts.

3. pl. (Physiol.) The vessels by which the processes of absorption are carried on, as the lymphatics in animals, the extremities of the roots in plants.

Ab*sorb"er (&?;), n. One who, or that which, absorbs.

Ab*sorb"ing, a. Swallowing, engrossing; as, an absorbing pursuit. -- Ab*sorb"ing, adv.

Ab`sor*bi"tion (&?;), n. Absorption. [Obs.]

Ab*sorpt` (&?;), a. [L. absorptus, p. p.] Absorbed. [Arcahic.] "Absorpt in care." Pope.

Ab*sorp"tion (&?;), n. [L. absorptio, fr. absorbere. See Absorb.] 1. The act or process of absorbing or sucking in anything, or of being absorbed and made to disappear; as, the absorption of bodies in a whirlpool, the absorption of a smaller tribe into a larger.

2. (Chem. & Physics) An imbibing or reception by molecular or chemical action; as, the absorption of light, heat, electricity, etc.

3. (Physiol.) In living organisms, the process by which the materials of growth and nutrition are absorbed and conveyed to the tissues and organs.

4. Entire engrossment or occupation of the mind; as, absorption in some employment.

Ab*sorp"tive (&?;), a. Having power, capacity, or tendency to absorb or imbibe. E. Darwin.

Ab*sorp"tive*ness, n. The quality of being absorptive; absorptive power.

Ab`sorp*tiv"i*ty (&?;), n. Absorptiveness.

Ab*squat"u*late (&?;), v. i. To take one's self off; to decamp. [A jocular word. U. S.]

||Abs"que hoc (&?;). [L., without this.] (Law) The technical words of denial used in traversing what has been alleged, and is repeated.

Ab*stain" (&?;), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Abstained (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Abstaining.] [OE. absteynen, abstenen, OF. astenir, abstenir, F. abstenir, fr. L. abstinere, abstentum, v. t. & v. i., to keep from; ab, abs + tenere to hold. See Tenable.] To hold one's self aloof; to forbear or refrain voluntarily, and especially from an indulgence of the passions or appetites; -- with from.

Not a few abstained from voting. Macaulay.

Who abstains from meat that is not gaunt? Shak.

Syn. -- To refrain; forbear; withhold; deny one's self; give up; relinquish.

Ab*stain", v. t. To hinder; to withhold.

Whether he abstain men from marrying. Milton.

Ab*stain"er (&?;), n. One who abstains; esp., one who abstains from the use of intoxicating liquors.

Ab*ste"mi*ous (&?;), a. [L. abstemius; ab, abs + root of temetum intoxicating drink.] 1. Abstaining from wine. [Orig. Latin sense.]

Under his special eye Abstemious I grew up and thrived amain. Milton.

2. Sparing in diet; refraining from a free use of food and strong drinks; temperate; abstinent; sparing in the indulgence of the appetite or passions.

Instances of longevity are chiefly among the abstemious. Arbuthnot.

3. Sparingly used; used with temperance or moderation; as, an abstemious diet. Gibbon.

4. Marked by, or spent in, abstinence; as, an abstemious life. "One abstemious day." Pope.

5. Promotive of abstemiousness. [R.]

Such is the virtue of the abstemious well. Dryden.

Ab*ste"mi*ous*ness, n. The quality of being abstemious, temperate, or sparing in the use of food and strong drinks. It expresses a greater degree of abstinence than temperance.

Ab*sten"tion (&?;), a. [F. See Abstain.] The act of abstaining; a holding aloof. Jer. Taylor.

Ab*sten"tious (&?;), a. Characterized by abstinence; self-restraining. Farrar.

Ab*sterge (&?;), v. t. [L. abstergere, abstersum; ab, abs + tergere to wipe. Cf. F absterger.] To make clean by wiping; to wipe away; to cleanse; hence, to purge. [R.] Quincy.

Ab*ster"gent (&?;), a. [L. abstergens, p. pr. of abstergere.] Serving to cleanse, detergent.

Ab*ster"gent, n. A substance used in cleansing; a detergent; as, soap is an abstergent.

Ab*sterse" (&?;), v. t. To absterge; to cleanse; to purge away. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Ab*ster"sion (&?;), n. [F. abstersion. See Absterge.] Act of wiping clean; a cleansing; a purging.

The task of ablution and abstersion being performed. Sir W. Scott.

Ab*ster"sive (&?;), a. [Cf. F. abstersif. See Absterge.] Cleansing; purging. Bacon.

Ab*ster"sive, n. Something cleansing.

The strong abstersive of some heroic magistrate. Milton.

Ab*ster"sive*ness, n. The quality of being abstersive. Fuller.

Ab"sti*nence (&?;), n. [F. abstinence, L. abstinentia, fr. abstinere. See Abstain.] 1. The act or practice of abstaining; voluntary forbearance of any action, especially the refraining from an indulgence of appetite, or from customary gratifications of animal or sensual propensities. Specifically, the practice of abstaining from intoxicating beverages, -- called also total abstinence.

The abstinence from a present pleasure that offers itself is a pain, nay, oftentimes, a very great one. Locke.

2. The practice of self-denial by depriving one's self of certain kinds of food or drink, especially of meat.

Penance, fasts, and abstinence, To punish bodies for the soul's offense. Dryden.

Ab"sti*nen*cy (&?;), n. Abstinence. [R.]

Ab"sti*nent (&?;), a. [F. abstinent, L. abstinens, p. pr. of abstinere. See Abstain.] Refraining from indulgence, especially from the indulgence of appetite; abstemious; continent; temperate. Beau. & Fl.

Ab"sti*nent, n. 1. One who abstains.

2. (Eccl. Hist.) One of a sect who appeared in France and Spain in the 3d century.

Ab"sti*nent*ly, adv. With abstinence.

Ab*stort"ed (&?;), a. [As if fr. abstort, fr. L. ab, abs + tortus, p. p. of torquere to twist.] Wrested away. [Obs.] Bailey.

Ab"stract` (#; 277), a. [L. abstractus, p. p. of abstrahere to draw from, separate; ab, abs + trahere to draw. See Trace.] 1. Withdraw; separate. [Obs.]

The more abstract . . . we are from the body. Norris.

2. Considered apart from any application to a particular object; separated from matter; existing in the mind only; as, abstract truth, abstract numbers. Hence: ideal; abstruse; difficult.

3. (Logic) (a) Expressing a particular property of an object viewed apart from the other properties which constitute it; -- opposed to concrete; as, honesty is an abstract word. J. S. Mill. (b) Resulting from the mental faculty of abstraction; general as opposed to particular; as, "reptile" is an abstract or general name. Locke.

A concrete name is a name which stands for a thing; an abstract name which stands for an attribute of a thing. A practice has grown up in more modern times, which, if not introduced by Locke, has gained currency from his example, of applying the expression "abstract name" to all names which are the result of abstraction and generalization, and consequently to all general names, instead of confining it to the names of attributes. J. S. Mill.

4. Abstracted; absent in mind. "Abstract, as in a trance." Milton.

An abstract idea (Metaph.), an idea separated from a complex object, or from other ideas which naturally accompany it; as the solidity of marble when contemplated apart from its color or figure. -- Abstract terms, those which express abstract ideas, as beauty, whiteness, roundness, without regarding any object in which they exist; or abstract terms are the names of orders, genera or species of things, in which there is a combination of similar qualities. -- Abstract numbers (Math.), numbers used without application to things, as 6, 8, 10; but when applied to any thing, as 6 feet, 10 men, they become concrete. -- Abstract or Pure mathematics. See Mathematics.

Ab*stract" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Abstracted; p. pr. & vb. n. Abstracting.] [See Abstract, a.]

1. To withdraw; to separate; to take away.

He was incapable of forming any opinion or resolution abstracted from his own prejudices. Sir W. Scott.

2. To draw off in respect to interest or attention; as, his was wholly abstracted by other objects.

The young stranger had been abstracted and silent. Blackw. Mag.

3. To separate, as ideas, by the operation of the mind; to consider by itself; to contemplate separately, as a quality or attribute. Whately.

4. To epitomize; to abridge. Franklin.

5. To take secretly or dishonestly; to purloin; as, to abstract goods from a parcel, or money from a till.

Von Rosen had quietly abstracted the bearing-reins from the harness. W. Black.

6. (Chem.) To separate, as the more volatile or soluble parts of a substance, by distillation or other chemical processes. In this sense extract is now more generally used.

Ab*stract", v. t. To perform the process of abstraction. [R.]

I own myself able to abstract in one sense. Berkeley.

Ab"stract` (&?;), n. [See Abstract, a.] 1. That which comprises or concentrates in itself the essential qualities of a larger thing or of several things. Specifically: A summary or an epitome, as of a treatise or book, or of a statement; a brief.

An abstract of every treatise he had read. Watts.

Man, the abstract Of all perfection, which the workmanship Of Heaven hath modeled. Ford.

2. A state of separation from other things; as, to consider a subject in the abstract, or apart from other associated things.

3. An abstract term.

The concretes "father" and "son" have, or might have, the abstracts "paternity" and "filiety." J. S. Mill.

4. (Med.) A powdered solid extract of a vegetable substance mixed with sugar of milk in such proportion that one part of the abstract represents two parts of the original substance.

Abstract of title (Law), an epitome of the evidences of ownership.

Syn. -- Abridgment; compendium; epitome; synopsis. See Abridgment.

Ab*stract"ed (&?;), a. 1. Separated or disconnected; withdrawn; removed; apart.