Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1st 100 Pages)

Chapter 6

Chapter 62,546 wordsPublic domain

2. The immature product of an untimely birth. 3. (Biol.) Arrest of development of any organ, so that it remains an imperfect formation or is absorbed. 4. Any fruit or produce that does not come to maturity, or anything which in its progress, before it is matured or perfect; a complete failure; as, his attempt. proved an abortiori. AÏbor¶tionÏal (#), a. Pertaining to abortion; miscarrying; abortive. Carlyle. AÏbor¶tionÏist, n. One who procures abortion or miscarriage. AÏbor¶tive (#), a. [L. abortivus, fr. aboriri. See Abort, v.] 1. Produced by abortion; born prematurely; as, an abortive child. [R.] 2. Made from the skin of a stillÏborn animal; as, abortive vellum. [Obs.] 3. Rendering fruitless or ineffectual. [Obs.] ½Plunged in that abortive gulf.¸ Milton. 4. Coming to naught; failing in its effect; miscarrying; fruitless; unsuccessful; as, an abortive attempt. ½An abortive enterprise.¸ Prescott. 5. (Biol.) Imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile; as, an abortive organ, stamen, ovule, etc. 6. (Med.) (a) Causing abortion; as, abortive medicines. Parr. (b) Cutting short; as, abortive treatment of typhoid fever. AÏbor¶tive, n. 1. That which is born or brought forth prematurely; an abortion. [Obs.] Shak. 2. A fruitless effort or issue. [Obs.] 3. A medicine to which is attributed the property of causing abortion. Dunglison. AÏbor¶tiveÏly, adv. In an abortive or untimely manner; immaturely; fruitlessly. AÏbor¶tiveÏness, n. The quality of being abortive. AÏbort¶ment (#), n. Abortion. [Obs.] AÏbought¶ (#), imp. & p. p. of Aby. [Obs.] AÏbound¶ (#), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Abounded; p. pr. & vb. n. Abounding.] [OE. abounden, F. abonder, fr. L. abundare to overflow, abound; ab + unda wave. Cf. Undulate.] 1. To be in great plenty; to be very prevalent; to be plentiful. The wild boar which abounds in some parts of the continent of Europe. Chambers. Where sin abounded grace did much more abound. Rom. v. 20. 2. To be copiously supplied; Ð followed by in or with. To abound in, to posses in such abundance as to be characterized by. Ð To abound with, to be filled with; to possess in great numbers. Men abounding in natural courage. Macaulay. A faithful man shall abound with blessings. Prov. xxviii. 20. It abounds with cabinets of curiosities. Addison. AÏbout¶ (#), prep. [OE. aboute, abouten, abuten; AS. ¾butan, onbutan; on + butan, which is from be by + utan outward, from ut out. See But, Out.] 1. Around; all round; on every side of. ½Look about you.¸ Shak. ½Bind them about thy neck.¸ Prov. iii. 3. 2. In the immediate neighborhood of; in contiguity or proximity to; near, as to place; by or on (one's person). ½Have you much money about you?¸ Bulwer. 3. Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout. Lampoons... were handed about the coffeehouses. Macaulay. Roving still about the world. Milton. 4. Near; not far from; Ð determining approximately time, size, quantity. ½ToÐmorrow, about this time.¸ Exod. ix. 18. ½About my stature.¸ Shak. He went out about the third hour. Matt. xx. 3. µ This use passes into the adverbial sense. 5. In concern with; engaged in; intent on. I must be about my Father's business. Luke ii. 49. 6. Before a verbal noun or an infinitive: On the point or verge of; going; in act of. Paul was now aboutto open his mouth. Acts xviii. 14. 7. Concerning; with regard to; on account of; touching. ½To treat about thy ransom.¸ Milton. She must have her way about Sarah. Trollope. AÏbout¶, adv. 1. On all sides; around. 'Tis time to look about. Shak. 2. In circuit; circularly; by a circuitous way; around the outside; as, a mile about, and a third of a mile across. 3. Here and there; around; in one place and another. Wandering about from house to house. 1 Tim. v. 13. 4. Nearly; approximately; with close correspondence, in quality, manner, degree, etc.; as, about as cold; about as high; Ð also of quantity, number, time. ½There fell... about three thousand men.¸ Exod. xxii. 28. 5. To a reserved position; half round; in the opposite direction; on the opposite tack; as, to face about; to turn one's self about. To bring about, to cause to take place; to accomplish. Ð To come about, to occur; to take place. See under Come. Ð To go about, To set about, to undertake; to arrange; to prepare. ½Shall we set about some revels? Shak. Ð Round about, in every direction around. AÏbout¶Ðsledge¶ (#), n. The largest hammer used by smiths. Weale. AÏbove¶ (#), prep. [OE. above, aboven, abuffe, AS. abufon; an (or on) on + be by + ufan upward; cf. Goth. uf under. ?199. See Over.] 1. In or to a higher place; higher than; on or over the upper surface; over; Ð opposed to below or beneath. Fowl that may fly above the earth. Gen. i. 20. 2. Figuratively, higher than; superior to in any respect; surpassing; beyond; higher in measure or degree than; as, things above comprehension; above mean actions; conduct above reproach. ½Thy worth... is actions above my gifts.¸ Marlowe. I saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun. Acts xxxvi. 13. 3. Surpassing in number or quantity; more than; as, above a hundred. (Passing into the adverbial sense. See Above, adv., 4.) above all, before every other consideration; chiefly; in preference to other things. Over and above, prep. or adv., besides; in addition to. AÏbove¶ (#), adv. 1. In a higher place; overhead; into or from heaven; as, the clouds above. 2. Earlier in order; higher in the same page; hence, in a foregoing page. ¸That was said above.¸ Dryden. 3. Higher in rank or power; as, he appealed to the court above. 4. More than; as, above five hundred were present. Above is often used elliptically as an adjective by omitting the word mentioned, quoted, or the like; as, the above observations, the above reference, the above articles. Ð Above is also used substantively. ½The waters that come down from above.¸ Josh. iii. 13. It is also used as the first part of a compound in the sense of before, previously; as, aboveÐcited, aboveÐdescribed, aboveÐmentioned, aboveÐnamed, abovesaid, abovespecified, aboveÐwritten, aboveÐgiven. AÏbove¶board· (#), adv. Above the board or table. Hence: in open sight; without trick, concealment, or deception. ½Fair and aboveboard.¸ Burke. µ This expression is said by Johnson to have been borrowed from gamesters, who, when they change their cards, put their hands under the table. AÏbove¶Ðcit·ed (#), a. Cited before, in the preceding part of a book or writing. AÏbove¶deck· (#), a. On deck; and hence, like aboveboard, without artifice. Smart. AÏbove¶Ðmen·tioned (#), AÏbove¶Ðnamed· (#), a. AÏbove¶Ðnamed· (#), a. Mentioned or named before; aforesaid. AÏbove¶said· (#), a. Mentioned or recited before. AÏbox¶ (#), adv. & a. (Naut.) Braced aback. Ab·raÏcaÏdab¶ra (#), n. [L. Of unknown origin.] A mystical word or collocation of letters written as in the figure. Worn on an amulet it was supposed to ward off fever. At present the word is used chiefly in jest to denote something without meaning; jargon. AbÏra¶dant (#), n. A material used for grinding, as emery, sand, powdered glass, etc. AbÏrade¶ (#), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Abraded; p. pr. & vb. n. Abrading.] [L. abradere, abrasum, to scrape off; ab + radere to scrape. See Rase, Raze.] To rub or wear off; to waste or wear away by friction; as, to abrade rocks. Lyell. AÏbrade¶ (#), v. t. Same as Abraid. [Obs.] A·braÏham¶ic (#), a. Pertaining to Abraham, the patriarch; as, the Abrachamic covenant. A·braÏhamÏit¶ic, ÏicÏal (#), a. Relating to the patriarch Abraham. A¶braÏhamÐman· (#) or A¶bramÐman· (#), n. [Possibly in allusion to the parable of the beggar Lazarus in Luke xvi. Murray (New Eng. Dict.).] One of a set of vagabonds who formerly roamed through England, feigning lunacy for the sake of obtaining alms. Nares. To sham Abraham, to feign sickness. Goldsmith. AÏbraid¶ (#), v. t. & i. [OE. abraiden, to awake, draw (a sword), AS. ¾bredgan to shake, draw; pref. ¾Ï (cf. Goth. usÏ, Ger. erÏ, orig. meaning out) + bregdan to shake, throw. See Braid.] To awake; to arouse; to stir or start up; also, to shout out. [Obs.] Chaucer. AÏbran¶chiÏal (#), a. (Zo”l.) Abranchiate. Ø AÏbran·chiÏa¶ta (#), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. ? priv. + ?, pl., the gills of fishes.] (Zo”l.) A group of annelids, so called because the species composing it have no special organs of respiration. AÏbran¶chiÏate (#), a. (Zo”l.) Without gills. AbÏrase¶ (#), a. [L. abrasus, p. p. of abradere. See Abrade.] Rubbed smooth. [Obs.] ½An abrase table.¸ B. Jonson. AbÏra¶sion (#), n. [L. abrasio, fr. abradere. See Abrade.] 1. The act of abrading, wearing, or rubbing off; the wearing away by friction; as, the abrasion of coins. 2. The substance rubbed off. Berkeley. 3. (Med.) A superficial excoriation, with loss of substance under the form of small shreds. Dunglison. AbÏra¶sive (#), a. Producing abrasion. Ure. AÏbraum¶ or AÏbraum¶ salts (#), n. [Ger., fr. abr„umen to remove.] A red ocher used to darken mahogany and for making chloride of potassium. Ø AÏbrax¶as (#), n. [A name adopted by the Egyptian Gnostic Basilides, containing the Greek letters , , , , , , , which, as numerals, amounted to 365. It was used to signify the supreme deity as ruler of the 365 heavens of his system.] A mystical word used as a charm and engraved on gems among the ancients; also, a gem stone thus engraved. AÏbray¶ (#), v. [A false form from the preterit abraid, abrayde.] See Abraid. [Obs.] Spenser. AÏbreast¶ (#), adv. [Pref. aÏ + breast.] 1. Side by side, with breasts in a line; as, ½Two men could hardly walk abreast.¸ Macaulay. 2. (Naut.) Side by side; also, opposite; over against; on a line with the vessel's beam; Ð with of. 3. Up to a certain level or line; equally advanced; as, to keep abreast of [or with] the present state of science. 4. At the same time; simultaneously. [Obs.] Abreast therewith began a convocation. Fuller. AÏbreg¶ge (#), v. t. See Abridge. [Obs.] Ab·reÏnounce¶ (#), v. t. [L. abrenuntiare; ab + renuntiare. See Renounce.] To renounce. [Obs.] ½They abrenounce and cast them off.¸ Latimer. Ab·reÏnun·ciÏa¶tion (#), n. [LL. abrenuntiatio. See Abrenounce.] Absolute renunciation or repudiation. [Obs.] An abrenunciation of that truth which he so long had professed, and still believed. Fuller. AbÏrep¶tion (#), n. [L. abreptus, p. p. of abripere to snatch away; ab + rapere to snatch.] A snatching away. [Obs.] Ø A·breu·voir¶ (#), n. [F., a watering place.] (Masonry) The joint or interstice between stones, to be filled with mortar. Gwilt. A¶briÏcock (#), n. See Apricot. [Obs.] AÏbridge¶ (#), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Abridged (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Abridging.] [OE. abregen, OF. abregier, F. abr‚ger, fr. L. abbreviare; ad + brevis short. See Brief and cf. Abbreviate.] 1. To make shorter; to shorten in duration; to lessen; to diminish; to curtail; as, to abridge labor; to abridge power or rights. ½The bridegroom... abridged his visit.¸ Smollett. She retired herself to Sebaste, and abridged her train from state to necessity. Fuller. 2. To shorten or contract by using fewer words, yet retaining the sense; to epitomize; to condense; as, to abridge a history or dictionary. 3. To deprive; to cut off; Ð followed by of, and formerly by from; as, to abridge one of his rights. AÏbridg¶er (#), n. One who abridges. AÏbridg¶ment (#), n. [OE. abregement. See Abridge.] 1. The act abridging, or the state of being abridged; diminution; lessening; reduction or deprivation; as, an abridgment of pleasures or of expenses. 2. An epitome or compend, as of a book; a shortened or abridged form; an abbreviation. Ancient coins as abridgments of history. Addison. 3. That which abridges or cuts short; hence, an entertainment that makes the time pass quickly. [Obs.] What abridgment have you for this evening? What mask? What music? Shak. Syn. Ð Abridgment, Compendium, Epitome, Abstract, Synopsis. An abridgment is made by omitting the less important parts of some larger work; as, an abridgment of a dictionary. A compendium is a brief exhibition of a subject, or science, for common use; as, a compendium of American literature. An epitome corresponds to a compendium, and gives briefly the most material points of a subject; as, an epitome of history. An abstract is a brief statement of a thing in its main points. A synopsis is a bird'sÐeye view of a subject, or work, in its several parts. AÏbroach¶ (#), v. t. [OE. abrochen, OF. abrochier. See Broach.] To set abroach; to let out, as liquor; to broach; to tap. [Obs.] Chaucer. AÏbroach¶, adv. [Pref. aÏ + broach.] 1. Broached; in a condition for letting out or yielding liquor, as a cask which is tapped. Hogsheads of ale were set abroach. Sir W. Scott. 2. Hence: In a state to be diffused or propagated; afoot; astir. ½Mischiefs that I set abroach.¸ Shak. AÏbroad¶ (#), adv. [Pref. aÏ + broad.] 1. At large; widely; broadly; over a wide space; as, a tree spreads its branches abroad. The fox roams far abroad. Prior. 2. Without a certain confine; outside the house; away from one's abode; as, to walk abroad. I went to St. James', where another was preaching in the court abroad. Evelyn. 3. Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries; as, we have broils at home and enemies abroad. ½Another prince... was living abroad.¸ Macaulay. 4. Before the public at large; throughout society or the world; here and there; widely. He went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter. Mark i. 45. To be abroad. (a) To be wide of the mark; to be at fault; as, you are all abroad in your guess. (b) To be at a loss or nonplused. Ab¶roÏgaÏble (#), a. Capable of being abrogated. Ab¶roÏgate (#), a. [L. abrogatus, p. p.] Abrogated; abolished. [Obs. or R.] Latimer. Ab¶roÏgate (#), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Abrogated; p. pr. & vb. n. Abrogating.] [L. abrogatus, p. p. of abrogare; ab + rogare to ask, require, propose. See Rogation.] 1. To annul by an authoritative act; to abolish by the authority of the maker or his successor; to repeal; Ð applied to the repeal of laws, decrees, ordinances, the abolition of customs, etc. Let us see whether the New Testament abrogates what we so frequently see in the Old. South. Whose laws, like those of the Medes and Persian, they can not alter or abrogate. Burke. 2. To put an end to; to do away with. Shak. Syn. Ð To abolish; annul; do away; set aside; revoke; repeal; cancel; annihilate. See Abolish. Ab·roÏga¶tion (#), n. [L. abrogatio, fr. abrogare: cf. F. abrogation.] The act of abrogating; repeal by authority. Hume. Ab¶roÏgaÏtive (#), a. Tending or designed to abrogate; as, an abrogative law. Ab¶roÏga·tor (#), n. One who repeals by authority. AÏbrood¶ (#), adv. [Pref. aÏ + brood.] In the act of brooding. [Obs.] Abp. Sancroft. AÏbrook¶ (#), v. t. [Pref. aÏ + brook, v.] To brook; to endure. [Obs.] Shak. AbÏrupt¶ (#), a. [L. abruptus, p. p. of abrumpere to break off; ab + rumpere to break. See Rupture.] 1. Broken off; very steep, or craggy, as rocks, precipices, banks; precipitous; steep; as, abrupt places. ½Tumbling through ricks abrupt,¸ Thomson. 2. Without notice to prepare the mind for the event; sudden; hasty; unceremonious. ½The cause of your abrupt departure.¸ Shak. 3. Having sudden transitions from one subject to another; unconnected. The abrupt style, which hath many breaches. B. Jonson.

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