Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1st 100 Pages)

Chapter 10

Chapter 102,455 wordsPublic domain

AÏcan¶thine (#), a. [L. acanthinus, Gr. ?, thorny, fr. ?. See Acanthus.] Of, pertaining to, or resembling, the plant acanthus. AÏcan·thoÏcar¶pous (#), a. [Gr. ? thorn + ? fruit.] (Bot.) Having the fruit covered with spines. Ø AÏcan·thoÏceph¶aÏla (#), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. ? a spine, thorn + ? head.] (Zo”l.) A group of intestinal worms, having the proboscis armed with recurved spines. AÏcan·thoÏceph¶aÏlous (#), a. (Zo”l.) Having a spiny head, as one of the Acanthocephala. Ac·anÏthoph¶oÏrous (#), a. [Gr. ?, fr. ? spine + ? to bear.] SpineÐbearing. Gray. AÏcan·thoÏpo¶diÏous (#), a. [Gr. ? thorn + ?, ?, foot.] (Bot.) Having spinous petioles. Ø Ac·anÏthop¶terÏi (#), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. ? thorn + ? wing, fin.] (Zo”l.) A group of teleostean fishes having spiny fins. See Acanthopterygh. Ac·anÏthop¶terÏous (#), a. [Gr. ? spine + ? wing.] 1. (Zo”l.) SpinyÐwinged. 2. (Zo”l.) Acanthopterygious. Ac·anÏthop·terÏyg¶iÏan (#), a. (Zo”l.) Belonging to the order of fishes having spinose fins, as the perch. Ð n. A spinyÐfinned fish. Ø Ac·anÏthop·terÏyg¶iÏi (#), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. ? thorn + ? fin, dim. fr. ? wing.] (Zo”l.) An order of fishes having some of the rays of the dorsal, ventral, and anal fins unarticulated and spinelike, as the perch. Ac·anÏthop·terÏyg¶iÏous (#), a. (Zo”l.) Having fins in which the rays are hard and spinelike; spinyÐfinned. AÏcan¶thus (#), n.; pl. E. Acanthuses (#), L. Acanthi (#). [L., from Gr. ?. Cf. Acantha.] 1. (Bot.) A genus of herbaceous prickly plants, found in the south of Europe, Asia Minor, and India; bear'sÐbreech. 2. (Arch.) An ornament resembling the foliage or leaves of the acanthus (Acanthus spinosus); Ð used in the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders. Ø A capÏpel¶la (#). [It. See Chapel.] (Mus.) (a) In church or chapel style; Ð said of compositions sung in the old church style, without instrumental accompaniment; as, a mass a capella, i. e., a mass purely vocal. (b) A time indication, equivalent to alla breve. AÏcap¶suÏlar (#), a. [Pref. aÐ not + capsular.] (Bot.) Having no capsule. AÏcar¶diÏac (#), a. [Gr. ?; ? priv. + ? heart.] Without a heart; as, an acardiac fetus. AÏcar¶iÏdan (#), n. [See Acarus.] (Zo”l.) One of a group of arachnids, including the mites and ticks. Ø Ac·aÏri¶na (#), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. ? a mite.] (Zo”l.) The group of Arachnida which includes the mites and ticks. Many species are parasitic, and cause diseases like the itch and mange. Ac¶aÏrine (#), a. (Med.) Of or caused by acari or mites; as, acarine diseases. Ac¶aÏroid (#), a. [NL., acarus a mite + Ðoid.] (Zo”l.) Shaped like or resembling a mite. Ac·arÏpel¶lous (#), a. [Pref. aÐ not + carpel.] (Bot.) Having no carpels. AÏcar¶pous (#), a. [Gr. ?; ? priv. + ? fruit.] (Bot.) Not producing fruit; unfruitful. Ø Ac¶aÏrus (#), n.; pl. Acari (#). [NL., from Gr. ? the cheese mite, tick.] (Zo”l.) A genus including many species of small mites. AÏcat·aÏlec¶tic (#), a. [L. acatalecticus, Gr. ?, not defective at the end; ? priv. + ? to cease.] (Pros.) Not defective; complete; as, an acatalectic verse. Ð n. A verse which has the complete number of feet and syllables. AÏcat¶aÏlep·sy (#), n. [Gr. ?; ? priv. + ? to seize, comprehend.] Incomprehensibility of things; the doctrine held by the ancient Skeptic philosophers, that human knowledge never amounts to certainty, but only to probability. AÏcat·aÏlep¶tic (#), a. [Gr. ?.] Incapable of being comprehended; incomprehensible. AÏca¶ter (#), n. See Caterer. [Obs.] AÏcates¶ (#), n. pl. See Cates. [Obs.] AÏcau¶date (#), a. [Pref. aÐ not + eaudate.] Tailless. Ac·auÏles¶cent (#), a. [Pref. aÐ not + caulescent.] (Bot.) Having no stem or caulis, or only a very short one concealed in the ground. Gray. AÏcau¶line (#), a. [Pref. aÐ not + cauline.] (Bot.) Same as Acaulescent. AÏcau¶lose (#), AÏcau¶lous (#),} a. [Gr. ?; ? priv. + ? stalk or L. caulis stalk. See Cole.] (Bot.) Same as Acaulescent. AcÏca¶diÏan (#), a. [From the city Accad. See Gen. x. 10.] Pertaining to a race supposed to have lived in Babylonia before the Assyrian conquest. Ð AcÏca¶diÏan, n., Ac¶cad (#), n. Sayce. AcÏcede¶ (#), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Acceded; p. pr. & vb. n. Acceding.] [L. accedere to approach, accede; ad + cedere to move, yield: cf. F. acc‚dere. See Cede.] 1. To approach; to come forward; Ð opposed to recede. [Obs. or R.] T. Gale. 2. To enter upon an office or dignity; to attain. Edward IV., who had acceded to the throne in the year 1461. T. Warton. If Frederick had acceded to the supreme power. Morley. 3. To become a party by associating one's self with others; to give one's adhesion. Hence, to agree or assent to a proposal or a view; as, he acceded to my request. The treaty of Hanover in 1725 . . . to which the Dutch afterwards acceded. Chesterfield. Syn. Ð To agree; assent; consent; comply; acquiesce; concur. AcÏced¶ence (#), n. The act of acceding. AcÏced¶er (#), n. One who accedes. Ø AcÏcel·erÏan¶do (#), a. [It.] (Mus.) Gradually accelerating the movement. AcÏcel¶erÏate (#), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Accelerated (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Accelerating.] [L. acceleratus, p. p. of accelerare; ad + celerare to hasten; celer quick. See Celerity.] 1. To cause to move faster; to quicken the motion of; to add to the speed of; Ð opposed to retard. 2. To quicken the natural or ordinary progression or process of; as, to accelerate the growth of a plant, the increase of wealth, etc. 3. To hasten, as the occurence of an event; as, to accelerate our departure. Accelerated motion (Mech.), motion with a continually increasing velocity. Ð Accelerating force, the force which causes accelerated motion. Nichol. Syn. Ð To hasten; expedite; quicken; dispatch; forward; advance; further. AcÏcel·erÏa¶tion (#), n. [L. acceleratio: cf. F. acc‚l‚ration.] The act of accelerating, or the state of being accelerated; increase of motion or action; as, a falling body moves toward the earth with an acceleration of velocity; Ð opposed to retardation. A period of social improvement, or of intellectual advancement, contains within itself a principle of acceleration. I. Taylor. (Astr. & Physics.) Acceleration of the moon, the increase of the moon's mean motion in its orbit, in consequence of which its period of revolution is now shorter than in ancient times. Ð Acceleration and retardation of the tides. See Priming of the tides, under Priming. Ð Diurnal acceleration of the fixed stars, the amount by which their apparent diurnal motion exceeds that of the sun, in consequence of which they daily come to the meridian of any place about three minutes fiftyÐsix seconds of solar time earlier than on the day preceding. Ð Acceleration of the planets, the increasing velocity of their motion, in proceeding from the apogee to the perigee of their orbits. AcÏcel¶erÏaÏtive (#), a. Relating to acceleration; adding to velocity; quickening. Reid. AcÏcel¶erÏa·tor (#), n. One who, or that which, accelerates. Also as an adj.; as, accelerator nerves. AcÏcel¶erÏaÏtoÏry (#), a. Accelerative. AcÏcel¶erÏoÏgraph (#), n. [Accelerate + Ðgraph.] (Mil.) An apparatus for studying the combustion of powder in guns, etc. AcÏcel·erÏom¶eÏter (#), n. [Accelerate + Ðmeter.] An apparatus for measuring the velocity imparted by gunpowder. AcÏcend¶ (#), v. t. [L. accendere, accensum, to kindle; ad + cand?re to kindle (only in compounds); rel. to cand‰re to be white, to gleam. See Candle.] To set on fire; to kindle. [Obs.] Fotherby. AcÏcend·iÏbil¶iÏty (#), n. Capacity of being kindled, or of becoming inflamed; inflammability. AcÏcend¶iÏble (#), a. Capable of being inflamed or kindled; combustible; inflammable. Ure. AcÏcen¶sion (#), n. The act of kindling or the state of being kindled; ignition. Locke. AcÏcen¶sor (#), n. [LL., from p. p. accensus. See Accend.] (R. C. Ch.) One of the functionaries who light and trim the tapers. Ac¶cent· (#), n. [F. accent, L. accentus; ad + cantus a singing, canere to sing. See Cant.] 1. A superior force of voice or of articulative effort upon some particular syllable of a word or a phrase, distinguishing it from the others. µ Many English words have two accents, the primary and the secondary; the primary being uttered with a greater stress of voice than the secondary; as in as·pira¶tion, where the chief stress is on the third syllable, and a slighter stress on the first. Some words, as an·tiap·oÏplec¶tic, inÏcom·preÏhen·siÏbil¶iÏty, have two secondary accents. See Guide to Pron., ?? 30Ð46. 2. A mark or character used in writing, and serving to regulate the pronunciation; esp.: (a) a mark to indicate the nature and place of the spoken accent; (b) a mark to indicate the quality of sound of the vowel marked; as, the French accents. µ In the ancient Greek the acute accent (·) meant a raised tone or pitch, the grave (?), the level tone or simply the negation of accent, the circumflex ( ? or ?) a tone raised and then depressed. In works on elocution, the first is often used to denote the rising inflection of the voice; the second, the falling inflection; and the third (^), the compound or waving inflection. In dictionaries, spelling books, and the like, the acute accent is used to designate the syllable which receives the chief stress of voice. 3. Modulation of the voice in speaking; manner of speaking or pronouncing; peculiar or characteristic modification of the voice; tone; as, a foreign accent; a French or a German accent. ½Beguiled you in a plain accent.¸ Shak. ½A perfect accent.¸ Thackeray. The tender accent of a woman's cry. Prior. 4. A word; a significant tone; (pl.) expressions in general; speech. Winds! on your wings to Heaven her accents bear, Such words as Heaven alone is fit to hear. Dryden. 5. (Pros.) Stress laid on certain syllables of a verse. 6. (Mus.) (a) A regularly recurring stress upon the tone to mark the beginning, and, more feebly, the third part of the measure. (b) A special emphasis of a tone, even in the weaker part of the measure. (c) The rythmical accent, which marks phrases and sections of a period. (d) The expressive emphasis and shading of a passage. J. S. Dwight. 7. (Math.) (a) A mark placed at the right hand of a letter, and a little above it, to distinguish magnitudes of a similar kind expressed by the same letter, but differing in value, as y·,y··. (b) (Trigon.) A mark at the right hand of a number, indicating minutes of a degree, seconds, etc.; as, 12·27··, i. e., twelve minutes twenty seven seconds. (c) (Engin.) A mark used to denote feet and inches; as, 6·10·· is six feet ten inches. AcÏcent¶ (#), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Accented; p. pr. & vb. n. Accenting.] [OF. accenter, F. accentuer.] 1. To express the accent of (either by the voice or by a mark); to utter or to mark with accent. 2. To mark emphatically; to emphasize. Ac¶cent·less (#), a. Without accent. AcÏcen¶tor (#), n. [L. ad. + cantor singer, canere to sing.] 1. (Mus.) One who sings the leading part; the director or leader. [Obs.] 2. (Zo”l.) A genus of European birds (so named from their sweet notes), including the hedge warbler. In America sometimes applied to the water thrushes. AcÏcen¶tuÏaÏble (#), a. Capable of being accented. AcÏcen¶tuÏal (#), a. Of or pertaining to accent; characterized or formed by accent. AcÏcen·tuÏal¶iÏty (#), n. The quality of being accentual. AcÏcen¶tuÏalÏly (#), adv. In an accentual manner; in accordance with accent. AcÏcen¶tuÏate (#), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Accentuated (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Accentuating.] [LL. accentuatus, p. p. of accentuare, fr. L. accentus: cf. F. accentuer.] 1. To pronounce with an accent or with accents. 2. To bring out distinctly; to make prominent; to emphasize. In Bosnia, the struggle between East and West was even more accentuated. London Times. 3. To mark with the written accent. AcÏcen·tuÏa¶tion (#), n. [LL. accentuatio: cf. F. accentuation.] Act of accentuating; applications of accent. Specifically (Eccles. Mus.), pitch or modulation of the voice in reciting portions of the liturgy. AcÏcept¶ (#), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Accepted; p. pr. & vb. n. Accepting.] [F. accepter, L. acceptare, freq. of accipere; ad + capere to take; akin to E. heave.] 1. To receive with a consenting mind (something offered); as, to accept a gift; Ð often followed by of. If you accept them, then their worth is great. Shak. To accept of ransom for my son. Milton. She accepted of a treat. Addison. 2. To receive with favor; to approve. The Lord accept thy burnt sacrifice. Ps. xx. 3. Peradventure he will accept of me. Gen. xxxii. 20. 3. To receive or admit and agree to; to assent to; as, I accept your proposal, amendment, or excuse. 4. To take by the mind; to understand; as, How are these words to be accepted? 5. (Com.) To receive as obligatory and promise to pay; as, to accept a bill of exchange. Bouvier. 6. In a deliberate body, to receive in acquittance of a duty imposed; as, to accept the report of a committee. [This makes it the property of the body, and the question is then on its adoption.] To accept a bill (Law), to agree (on the part of the drawee) to pay it when due. Ð To accept service (Law), to agree that a writ or process shall be considered as regularly served, when it has not been. Ð To accept the person (Eccl.), to show favoritism. ½God accepteth no man's person.¸ Gal.ii.6. Syn. Ð To receive; take; admit. See Receive. AcÏcept¶, a. Accepted. [Obs.] Shak. AcÏcept·aÏbil¶iÏty (#), n. [LL. acceptabilitas.] The quality of being acceptable; acceptableness. ½Acceptability of repentance.¸ Jer. Taylor. AcÏcept¶aÏble (#), a. [F. acceptable, L. acceptabilis, fr. acceptare.] Capable, worthy, or sure of being accepted or received with pleasure; pleasing to a receiver; gratifying; agreeable; welcome; as, an acceptable present, one acceptable to us. AcÏcept¶aÏbleÏness (#), n. The quality of being acceptable, or suitable to be favorably received; acceptability. AcÏcept¶aÏbly, adv. In an acceptable manner; in a manner to please or give satisfaction. AcÏcept¶ance (#), n. 1. The act of accepting; a receiving what is offered, with approbation, satisfaction, or acquiescence; esp., favorable reception; approval; as, the acceptance of a gift, office, doctrine, etc. They shall come up with acceptance on mine altar. Isa. lx. i. 2. State of being accepted; acceptableness. ½Makes it assured of acceptance.¸ Shak. 3. (Com.) (a) An assent and engagement by the person on whom a bill of exchange is drawn, to pay it when due according to the terms of the acceptance. (b) The bill itself when accepted. 4. An agreeing to terms or proposals by which a bargain is concluded and the parties are bound; the reception or taking of a thing bought as that for which it was bought, or as that agreed to be delivered, or the taking possession as owner. 5. (Law) An agreeing to the action of another, by some act which binds the person in law. µ What acts shall amount to such an acceptance is often a question of great nicety and difficulty. Mozley & W.

p. 11