Chapter 9

Al*pes"trine (?), a. (Bot.) Growing on the elevated parts of mountains, but not above the timbe&?; line; subalpine.

Al"pha pa"per. (Photog.) A sensitized paper for obtaining positives by artificial light. It is coated with gelatin containing silver bromide and chloride. [Eng.]

Alpha rays. (Physics & Chem.) Rays of relatively low penetrating power emitted by radium and other radioactive substances, and shown to consist of positively charged particles (perhaps particles of helium) having enormous velocities but small masses. They are slightly deflected by a strong magnetic or electric field.

Al"phol (?), n. [Alpha- + - ol as in alcohol.] (Pharm.) A crystalline derivative of salicylic acid, used as an antiseptic and antirheumatic.

||Al`ter`nat" (?), n. [F.] A usage, among diplomats, of rotation in precedence among representatives of equal rank, sometimes determined by lot and at other times in regular order. The practice obtains in the signing of treaties and conventions between nations.

Al"ter*nat`ing cur"rent. (Elec.) A current which periodically changes or reverses its direction of flow.

Al"ter*na`tor (?), n. (Elec.) An electric generator or dynamo for producing alternating currents.

||Al"thing (?), n. [Icel. (modern) alping, earlier alpingi; allr all + ping assembly. See All, and Thing.] The national assembly or parliament of Iceland. See Thing, n., 8.

Al`to-cu"mu*lus (?), n. [L. altus high + L. & E. cumulus.] (Meteor.) A fleecy cloud formation consisting of large whitish or grayish globular cloudlets with shaded portions, often grouped in flocks or rows.

Al`to-stra"tus (?), n. [L. altus high + L. & E. stratus.] (Meteor.) A cloud formation similar to cirro-stratus, but heavier and at a lower level.

A*lu`mi*nog"ra*phy (?), n. [Alumin-ium + -graphy.] Art or process of producing, and printing from, aluminium plates, after the manner of ordinary lithography. -- A*lu`mi*no*graph"ic (#), a.

Al"ve*o*lar (?), a. (Phon.) Articulated with the tip of the tongue pressing against the alveolar processes of the upper front teeth.

||Am`a*ni"ta (?), n. [NL. See Amanitine.] (Bot.) A genus of poisonous fungi of the family Agaricaceæ, characterized by having a volva, an annulus, and white spores. The species resemble edible mushrooms, and are frequently mistaken for them. Amanita muscaria, syn. Agaricus muscarius, is the fly amanita, or fly agaric; and A. phalloides is the death cup.

{ Am*ba"ry (?), n., or Ambary hemp }. [Hind. ambr, ambr.] A valuable East Indian fiber plant (Hibiscus cannabinus), or its fiber, which is used throughout India for making ropes, cordage, and a coarse canvas and sackcloth; -- called also brown Indian hemp.

Am*boy"na but"ton. (Med.) A chronic contagious affection of the skin, prevalent in the tropics.

Amboyna pine. (Bot.) The resiniferous tree Agathis Dammara, of the Moluccas.

Am*bro"sia (?), n. (Zoöl.) The food of certain small bark beetles, family Scolytidæ believed to be fungi cultivated by the beetles in their burrows.

Ambrosia beetle. (Zoöl.) A bark beetle that feeds on ambrosia.

A*mer"i*can plan. In hotels, aplan upon which guests pay for both room and board by the day, week, or other convenient period; -- contrasted with European plan.

A*mer"i*can Pro*tect"ive As*so`ci*a"tion. A secret organization in the United States, formed in Iowa in 1887, ostensibly for the protection of American institutions by keeping Roman Catholics out of public office. Abbrev. commonly to A. P .A.

Am"i*dol (?), n. [Amide + - ol as in alcohol.] (Photog. & Chem.) A salt of a diamino phenol, C6H3(OH)(NH2)2, used as a developer.

||A*mi"go (?), n.; pl. Amigos (#). [Sp., fr. L. amicus.] A friend; -- a Spanish term applied in the Philippine Islands to friendly natives.

Am"i*nol (?), n. [From amine.] (Pharm.) A colorless liquid prepared from herring brine and containing amines, used as a local antiseptic.

Am"ish (?), n. pl. [Written also Omish.] (Eccl. Hist.) The Amish Mennonites.

Am"ish, a. [Written also Omish.] (Eccl. Hist.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, the followers of Jacob Amman, a strict Mennonite of the 17th century, who even proscribed the use of buttons and shaving as "worldly conformity". There are several branches of Amish Mennonites in the United States.

||Am`i*to"sis (?), n. [NL. See A- not, and Mitosis.] (Biol.) Cell division in which there is first a simple cleavage of the nucleus without change in its structure (such as the formation of chromosomes), followed by the division of the cytoplasm; direct cell division; -- opposed to mitosis. It is not the usual mode of division, and is believed by many to occur chiefly in highly specialized cells which are incapable of long-continued multiplication, in transitory structures, and in those in early stages of degeneration.

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Am`i*tot"ic (?), a. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to amitosis; karyostenotic; -- opposed to mitotic.

Am"mo*nal` (?), n. [Ammonium + aluminium.] An explosive consisting of a mixture of powdered aluminium and nitrate of ammonium.

Am`mo*ni"a*cal fer`men*ta"tion. Any fermentation process by which ammonia is formed, as that by which urea is converted into ammonium carbonate when urine is exposed to the air.

||A*mo"le (?), n. [Mex.] (Bot.) Any detergent plant, or the part of it used as a detergent, as the roots of Agave Americana, Chlorogalum pomeridianum, etc. [Sp. Amer. & Mex.]

||Am`pe*lop"sis (m`p*lp"ss), n. [NL., fr. Gr. 'a`mpelos vine + 'o`psis appearance.] (Bot.) A genus formerly including the Virginia creeper.

Am*per"age (?), n. (Elec.) The strength of a current of electricity carried by a conductor or generated by a machine, measured in ampères.

Am`père" foot. (Elec.) A unit, employed in calculating fall of pressure in distributing mains, equivalent to a current of one ampère flowing through one foot of conductor.

Ampère hour. (Elec.) The quantity of electricity delivered in one hour by a current whose average strength is one ampère. It is used as a unit of quantity, and is equal to 3600 coulombs. The terms Ampère minute and Ampère second are sometimes similarly used.

Ampère turn. (Elec.) A unit equal to the product of one complete convolution (of a coiled conductor) into one ampère of current; thus, a conductor having five convolutions and carrying a current of half an ampère is said to have 2½ ampère turns. The magnetizing effect of a coil is proportional to the number of its ampère turns.

||Amt (?), n.; pl. Amter (#), E. Amts (#). [Dan. & Norw., fr. G.] An administrative territorial division in Denmark and Norway.

Each of the provinces [of Denmark] is divided into several amts, answering . . . to the English hundreds.

Encyc. Brit.

Am"vis (?), n. [Ammonium (nitrate) + L. vis strength, force.] An explosive consisting of ammonium nitrate, a derivative of nitrobenzene, chlorated napthalene, and wood meal.

||A*myg"da*la (*mg"d*l), n.; pl. -læ (-l). [L., an almond, fr. Gr. 'amygda`lh. See Almond.] 1. An almond.

2. (Anat.) (a) One of the tonsils of the pharynx. (b) One of the rounded prominences of the lower surface of the lateral hemispheres of the cerebellum, each side of the vallecula.

Am"yl al"co*hol. (Org. Chem.) Any of eight isomeric liquid compounds, C5H11OH; ordinarily, a mixture of two of these forming a colorless liquid with a peculiar cough-exciting odor and burning taste, the chief constituent of fusel oil. It is used as a source of amyl compounds, such as amyl acetate, amyl nitrite, etc.

Amyl nitrite. A yellowish oily volatile liquid, C5H11NO2, used in medicine as a heart stimulant and a vasodilator. The inhalation of its vapor instantly produces flushing of the face.

A*myl"o*gen (?), n. [Amylum + -gen.] (Chem.) That part of the starch granule or granulose which is soluble in water.

Am`y*lo*gen"e*sis (?), n. [Amylum + genesis.] The formation of starch.

Am`y*lo*gen"ic (?), a. 1. Of or pert. to amylogen.

2. Forming starch; -- applied specif. to leucoplasts.

Am`y*lol"y*sis (?), n. [Amylum + Gr. &?; a loosing.] (Chem.) The conversion of starch into soluble products, as dextrins and sugar, esp. by the action of enzymes. -- Am`y*lo*lyt"ic (#), a.

Am`y*lom"e*ter (?), n. [Amylum + -meter.] Instrument for determining the amount of starch in a substance.

Am`y*lo*plas"tic (?), a. [Amylum + -plastic.] Starch-forming; amylogenic.

Am`y*lop"sin (?), n. [Amylum + Gr. &?; appearance.] (Physiol. Chem.) The diastase of the pancreatic juice.

An"a*branch (?), n. [Anastomosing + branch.] A branch of a river that reënters, or anastomoses with, the main stream; also, less properly, a branch which loses itself in sandy soil. [Australia]

Such branches of a river as after separation reunite, I would term anastomosing branches; or, if a word might be coined, anabranches, and the islands they form branch islands.

Col. Jackson.

{ ||An*a`ër*o"bi*a (?), An*a"ër*obes (?) }, n. pl. [NL. anaerobia; an-not + aëro- + Gr.&?; life.] (Bacteriol.) Anaërobic bacteria. They are called facultative anaërobia when able to live either in the presence or absence of free oxygen; obligate, or obligatory, anaërobia when they thrive only in its absence.

An*a`ë*rob"ic (?), a. [Pref. an- not + aërobic.] (Biol.) Not requiring air or oxygen for life; -- applied especially to those microbes to which free oxygen is unnecessary; anaërobiotic; -- opposed to aërobic.

{ An*al"gen (?), An*al"gene (?) }, n.} [Gr. &?; painless.] A crystalline compound used as an antipyretic and analgesic, employed chiefly in rheumatism and neuralgia. It is a complex derivative of quinoline.

An`a*mor"pho*scope (?), n. [Anamorphosis + -scope.] An instrument for restoring a picture or image distorted by anamorphosis to its normal proportions. It usually consists of a cylindrical mirror.

An`a*seis"mic (?), a. [Cf. Gr. &?; a shaking up and down.] Moving up and down; -- said of earthquake shocks.

An*as`tig*mat"ic (?), a. [Pref. an- not + astigmatic.] (Optics) Not astigmatic; -- said esp. of a lens system which consists of a converging lens and a diverging lens of equal and opposite astigmatism but different focal lengths, and sensibly free from astigmatism.

A*nas"to*mose (?), v. i. Of any channels or lines, to meet and unite or run into each other, as rivers; to coalesce; to interjoin.

An"chor es*cape"ment. (Horol.) (a) The common recoil escapement. (b) A variety of the lever escapement with a wide impulse pin.

Anchor light. (Naut.) The lantern shown at night by a vessel at anchor. International rules of the road require vessels at anchor to carry from sunset to sunrise a single white light forward if under 150 feet in length, and if longer, two such lights, one near the stern and one forward.

Anchor shot. (Billiards) A shot made with the object balls in an anchor space.

Anchor space. (Billiards) In the balk-line game, any of eight spaces, 7 inches by 3½, lying along a cushion and bisected transversely by a balk line. Object balls in an anchor space are treated as in balk.

Anchor watch. (Naut.) A detail of one or more men who keep watch on deck at night when a vessel is at anchor.

An"cil*la*ry ad*min`is*tra"tion. (Law) An administration subordinate to, and in aid of, the primary or principal administration of an estate.

An`dro*ceph"a*lous (?), a. [Gr. &?;, &?;, man + &?; head.] Having a human head (upon an animal's body), as the Egyptian sphinx.

{ An`dro*di*œ"cious, -di*e"cious (?) }, a. [Gr. &?;, &?;, man + E. diœcious.] (Bot.) Having perfect and staminate flowers on different plants. -- An`dro*di*œ"cism, -di*e"cism (#), n.

{ An"dro*mede (?), An"dro*med (?) }, n.} (Astron.) A meteor appearing to radiate from a point in the constellation Andromeda, -- whence the name.

A shower of these meteors takes place every year on November 27th or 28th. The Andromedes are also called Bielids, as they are connected with Biela's comet and move in its orbit.

||An`dro*po"gon (?), n. [NL.; Gr. 'anh`r, 'andro`s, man + pw`gwn the beard.] (Bot.) A very large and important genus of grasses, found in nearly all parts of the world. It includes the lemon grass of Ceylon and the beard grass, or broom sedge, of the United States. The principal subgenus is Sorghum, including A. sorghum and A. halepensis, from which have been derived the Chinese sugar cane, the Johnson grass, the Aleppo grass, the broom corn, and the durra, or Indian millet. Several East Indian species, as A. nardus and A. schœnanthus, yield fragrant oils, used in perfumery.

||An`e*mo"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr.&?; wind.] A condition in the wood of some trees in which the rings are separated, as some suppose, by the action of high winds upon the trunk; wind shake.

{ ||An*er"gi*a , An"er*gy (?), } n. [NL. anergia, fr. Gr. &?;- not + &?; work.] Lack of energy; inactivity. -- An*er"gic (#), a.

||An`gi*o"ma (?), n.; L. pl. -omata (#). [NL.; angio- + -oma.] (Med.) A tumor composed chiefly of dilated blood or lymph vessels. -- An`gi*om"a*tous (#), a.

||An`gi*o*neu*ro"sis (?), n. [NL.; angio- + neurosis.] (Med.) Any disorder of the vasomotor system; neurosis of a blood vessel. -- An`gi*o*neu*rot"ic (#), a.

An`gi*op"a*thy (?), n. [Angio- + Gr. &?; disease.] (Med.) Disease of the vessels, esp. the blood vessels.

An"gle of en"try. (Aëronautics) The angle between the tangent to the advancing edge (of an aërocurve) and the line of motion; -- contrasted with angle of trail, which is the angle between the tangent to the following edge and the line of motion.

Angle of incidence. (Aëronautics) The angle between the chord of an aërocurve and the relative direction of the undisturbed air current.

An"glo-Ca*thol"i*cism (?), n. The belief of those in the Church of England who accept many doctrines and practices which they maintain were those of the primitive, or true, Catholic Church, of which they consider the Church of England to be the lineal descendant.

An*gus"ti*clave (n*gs"t*klv), n. [L. angustus narrow + clavus a nail, a stripe.] (Rom. Antiq.) A narrow stripe of purple worn by the equites on each side of the tunic as a sign of rank.

An"i*lin*ism (?), n. [Aniline + -ism.] (Med.) A disease due to inhaling the poisonous fumes present in the manufacture of aniline.

An`i*mal"cu*lism (?), n. (Biol.) The theory that the spermatozoön and not the ovum contains the whole of the embryo; spermatism; -- opposed to ovism.

||An`i*so*co"ri*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; + &?; pupil.] (Med.) Inequality of the pupils of the eye.

An"i*sol (?), n. [Anisic + - ol.] (Chem.) Methyl phenyl ether, C6H5OCH3, got by distilling anisic acid or by the action of methide on potassium phenolate.

||An`i*so*me*tro"pi*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; + &?; measure + &?;, &?;, eye.] Unequal refractive power in the two eyes.

An"i*so*spore` (?), n. [Gr. &?; priv. + isospore.] (Biol.) A sexual spore in which the sexes differ in size; -- opposed to isospore.

An"i*syl (?), n. (Org. Chem.) (a) The univalent radical, CH3OC6H4, of which anisol is the hydride. (b) The univalent radical CH3OC6H4CH2; as, anisyl alcohol. (c) The univalent radical CH3OC6H4CO, of anisic acid.

||A*ni"to (?), n.; pl. - tos (#). [Sp.] In Guam and the Philippines, an idol, fetich, or spirit.

Ankh (?), n. [Egypt.] (Egypt. Archæol.) A tau cross with a loop at the top, used as an attribute or sacred emblem, symbolizing generation or enduring life. Called also crux ansata.

||An"kus (?), n. [Hind., fr. Skr. akuça.] An elephant goad with a sharp spike and hook, resembling a short-handled boat hook. [India] Kipling.

||An`ky*los*to*mi"a*sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Ankylostoma, var. of Agchylostoma, generic name of one genus of the parasitic nematodes.] (Med.) A disease due to the presence of the parasites Agchylostoma duodenale, Uncinaria (subgenus Necator) americana, or allied nematodes, in the small intestine. When present in large numbers they produce a severe anæmia by sucking the blood from the intestinal walls. Called also miner's anæmia, tunnel disease, brickmaker's anæmia, Egyptian chlorosis.

||An"laut` (?), n. [G.; an on + laut sound.] (Phon.) An initial sound, as of a word or syllable.

-- Im anlaut, initially; when initial; -- used of sounds.

An*nun`ci*a"tion lil"y (?). (Bot.) The common white lily (Lilium candidum). So called because it is usually introduced by painters in pictures of the Annunciation.

An`o*et"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?; unthinkable; &?; priv. + &?; perceptible, thinkable.] 1. Unthinkable. [Rare]

2. (Psychol.) Not subject to conscious attention; having an indefinite, relatively passive, conscious being; characteristic of the "fringe" or "margin" of consciousness.

Presentation considered as having an existence relatively independent of thought, may be called sentience, or anoetic consciousness. Thought and sentience are fundamentally distinct mental functions.

G. F. Stout.

||A*noph"e*les (*nf"*lz), n. [NL., fr. Gr. 'anwfelh`s useless, hurtful.] (Zoöl.) A genus of mosquitoes which are secondary hosts of the malaria parasites, and whose bite is the usual, if not the only, means of infecting human beings with malaria. Several species are found in the United States. They may be distinguished from the ordinary mosquitoes of the genus Culex by the long slender palpi, nearly equaling the beak in length, while those of the female Culex are very short. They also assume different positions when resting, Culex usually holding the body parallel to the surface on which it rests and keeping the head and beak bent at an angle, while Anopheles holds the body at an angle with the surface and the head and beak in line with it. Unless they become themselves infected by previously biting a subject affected with malaria, the insects cannot transmit the disease.

A*nor"tho*clase (?), n. [Gr. &?; priv. + orthoclase.] (Min.) A feldspar closely related to orthoclase, but triclinic. It is chiefly a silicate of sodium, potassium, and aluminium. Sp. gr., 2.57 -- 2.60.

||An`or*tho"pi*a (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; priv. + ortho- + Gr. &?;, &?;, the eye.] (Med.) Distorted vision, in which straight lines appear bent.

A*nor"tho*site (?), n. [F. anorthose triclinic feldspar (fr. Gr. &?; priv. + &?; straight) + -ite.] (Petrol.) A granular igneous rock composed almost exclusively of a soda-lime feldspar, usually labradorite.

||An`ox*æ"mi*a, -e"mi*a (&?;), n. [NL.; Gr. &?; priv. + oxygen + Gr. &?; blood.] (Med.) An abnormal condition due to deficient aëration of the blood, as in balloon sickness, mountain sickness. -- An`ox*æ"mic, *e"mic (#), a.

Ant cow. (Zoöl.) Any aphid from which ants obtain honeydew.

An"te*choir` (?), n. (Arch.) (a) A space inclosed or reserved at the entrance to the choir, for the clergy and choristers. (b) Where a choir is divided, as in some Spanish churches, that division of it which is the farther from the sanctuary.

||An`te mor"tem (?). [L.] Before death; -- generally used adjectivelly; as, an ante-mortem statement; ante- mortem examination.

The ante-mortem statement, or dying declaration made in view of death, by one injured, as to the cause and manner of the injury, is often receivable in evidence against one charged with causing the death.

An*thoph"i*lous (?), a. [Gr. 'a`nqos flower + fi`los loving.] (Zoöl.) Lit., fond of flowers; hence, feeding upon, or living among, flowers.

An"thra*cene oil (?). A heavy green oil (partially solidifying on cooling), which distills over from coal tar at a temperature above 270°. It is the principal source of anthracene.

An*thrac"nose` (?), n. [Gr. &?;, &?;, carbuncle + &?; disease.] (Bot.) Any one of several fungus diseases, caused by parasitic species of the series Melanconiales, attacking the bean, grape, melon, cotton, and other plants. In the case of the grape, brown concave spots are formed on the stem and fruit, and the disease is called bird's-eye rot.

||An`thra*co"sis (?), n. [NL. See Anthrax.] (Med.) A chronic lung disease, common among coal miners, due to the inhalation of coal dust; -- called also collier's lung and miner's phthisis.

An"thrax vac"cine. (Veter.) A fluid vaccine obtained by growing a bacterium (Bacterium anthracis) in beef broth. It is used to immunize animals, esp. cattle.

An`thro*po*ge*og"ra*phy (?), n. [Gr. &?; man + geography.] The science of the human species as to geographical distribution and environment. Broadly, it includes industrial, commercial, and political geography, and that part of ethnology which deals with distribution and physical environment. -- An`thro*po*ge*og"ra*pher (#), n. -- An`thro*po*ge`o*graph"ic*al (#), a.

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{ An`thro*po*nom"ics (?), An`thro*pon"o*my (?) }, n.} [Gr. &?; man + &?; usage, law, rule.] The science of the laws of the development of the human organism in relation to other organisms and to environment. -- An`thro*po*nom"ic*al (#), a.

An`thro*pop"a*thite (?), n. One who ascribes human feelings to deity.

An`ti*bac*te"ri*al (?), a. (Med.) (a) Inimical to bacteria; -- applied esp. to serum for protection against bacterial diseases. (b) Opposed to the bacterial theory of disease.

An"ti*bod`y (?), n. (Physiol. Chem.) Any of various bodies or substances in the blood which act in antagonism to harmful foreign bodies, as toxins or the bacteria producing the toxins. Normal blood serum apparently contains variousantibodies, and the introduction of toxins or of foreign cells also results in the development of their specific antibodies.

An`ti*bu*bon"ic (?), a. Good or used against bubonic plague; as, antibubonic serum, obtained from immunized horses; antibubonic vaccine, a sterilized bouillon culture of the plague bacillus; antibubonic measures.

An"ti*cline (?), n. [See Anticlinal.] (Geol.) A structure of bedded rocks in which the beds on both sides of an axis or axial plane dip away from the axis; an anticlinal.

An`ti*co*her"er (?), n. (Wireless Teleg.) A device, one form of which consists of a scratched deposit of silver on glass, used in connection with the receiving apparatus for reading wireless signals. The electric waves falling on this contrivance increase its resistance several times. The anticoherer can be used in conjunction with a telephone.

An`ti*diph`the*rit"ic (?), a. (Med.) Destructive to, or hindering the growth of, diphtheria bacilli. -- n. An antidiphtheritic agent.

An`ti-im*pe"ri*al*ism (?), n. Opposition to imperialism; -- applied specif., in the United States, after the Spanish-American war (1898), to the attitude or principles of those opposing territorial expansion; in England, of those, often called Little Englanders, opposing the extension of the empire and the closer relation of its parts, esp. in matters of commerce and imperial defense. -- An`ti- im*pe"ri*al*ist, n. -- An`ti- im*pe`ri*al*is"tic (#), a.

An"ti*mon*soon" (?), n. (Meteor.) The upper, contrary-moving current of the atmosphere over a monsoon.

An"ti*pasch (?), n. [Pref. anti- + pasch.] (Eccl.) The Sunday after Easter; Low Sunday.

An`ti-Sem"i*tism (?), n. Opposition to, or hatred of, Semites, esp. Jews. -- An`ti-Sem"ite (#), n. -- An`ti-Sem*it"ic (#), a.

||An`ti*sep"sis (&?;), n. [NL. See Anti-; Sepsis.] Prevention of sepsis by excluding or destroying microorganisms.

An`ti*si*al"a*gogue (?), a. (Med.) Checking the flow of saliva.

An`ti*si*al"a*gogue, n. A remedy against excessive salivation.

An"ti-trade`, n. A westerly wind which blows nearly continuously between 30° and 50° of latitude in both the northern and the southern hemisphere.

An`ti*ve"nin (?), n. [Written also antivenen, antivenine.] [Pref. anti- + L. venenum poison.] (Physiol. Chem.) The serum of blood rendered antitoxic to a venom by repeated injections of small doses of the venom.

A*part"ment house. A building comprising a number of suites designed for separate housekeeping tenements, but having conveniences, such as heat, light, elevator service, etc., furnished in common; -- often distinguished in the United States from a flat house.