Chapter 8

Syn. Ð 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. That grave question which had begun to absorb the Christian mind Ð 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. AbÏsorb·aÏbil¶iÏty (#), n. The state or quality of being absorbable. Graham (Chemistry). AbÏsorb¶aÏble, a. [Cf. F. absorbable.] Capable of being absorbed or swallowed up. Kerr. AbÏsorb¶edÏly, adv. In a manner as if wholly engrossed or engaged. AbÏsorb¶enÏcy (#), n. Absorptiveness. AbÏsorb¶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. AbÏsorb¶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. AbÏsorb¶er (#), n. One who, or that which, absorbs. AbÏsorb¶ing, a. Swallowing, engrossing; as, an absorbing pursuit. Ð AbÏsorb¶ing, adv. Ab·sorÏbi¶tion (#), n. Absorption. [Obs.] AbÏsorpt· (#), a. [L. absorptus, p. p.] Absorbed. [Archaic] ½Absorpt in care.¸ Pope. AbÏsorp¶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. AbÏsorp¶tive (#), a. Having power, capacity, or tendency to absorb or imbibe. E. Darwin. AbÏsorp¶tiveÏness, n. The quality of being absorptive; absorptive power. Ab·sorpÏtiv¶iÏty (#), n. Absorptiveness. AbÏsquat¶uÏlate (#), v. i. To take one's self off; to decamp. [A jocular word. U. S.] Ø Abs¶que hoc (#). [L., without this.] (Law) The technical words of denial used in traversing what has been alleged, and is repeated. AbÏstain¶ (#), 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; Ð with from. Not a few abstained from voting. Macaulay. Who abstains from meat that is not gaunt? Shak. Syn. Ð To refrain; forbear; withhold; deny one's self; give up; relinquish. AbÏstain¶, v. t. To hinder; to withhold. Whether he abstain men from marrying. Milton. AbÏstain¶er (#), n. One who abstains; esp., one who abstains from the use of intoxicating liquors. AbÏste¶miÏous (#), 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. ½One abstemious day.¸ Pope. 5. Promotive of abstemiousness. [R.] Such is the virtue of the abstemious well. Dryden. AbÏste¶miÏousÏly, adv. In a abstemious manner; temperately; sparingly. AbÏste¶miÏousÏness, 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. AbÏsten¶tion (#), a. [F. See Abstain.] The act of abstaining; a holding aloof. Jer. Taylor. AbÏsten¶tious (#), a. Characterized by abstinence; selfÐrestraining. Farrar. AbÏsterge (#), 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. AbÏster¶gent (#), a. [L. abstergens, p. pr. of abstergere.] Serving to cleanse, detergent. AbÏster¶gent, n. A substance used in cleansing; a detergent; as, soap is an abstergent. AbÏsterse¶ (#), v. t. To absterge; to cleanse; to purge away. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne. AbÏster¶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. AbÏster¶sive (#), a. [Cf. F. abstersif. See Absterge.] Cleansing; purging. Bacon. AbÏster¶sive, n. Something cleansing. The strong abstersive of some heroic magistrate. Milton. AbÏster¶siveÏness, n. The quality of being abstersive. Fuller. Ab¶stiÏnence (#), 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, Ð 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 selfÏdenial 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¶stiÏnenÏcy (#), n. Abstinence. [R.] Ab¶stiÏnent (#), 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¶stiÏnent, n. 1. One who abstains. 2. (Eccl. Hist.) One of a sect who appeared in France and Spain in the 3d century. Ab¶stiÏnentÏly, adv. With abstinence. AbÏstort¶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; exiting 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; Ð 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, ½reptile¸ 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 ½abstract 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. ½Abstract, 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. Ð 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. Ð 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. Ð Abstract or Pure mathematics. See Mathematics. AbÏstract¶ (#), 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 bearingÐreins 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. AbÏstract¶, 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 ½father¸ and ½son¸ have, or might have, the abstracts ½paternity¸ and ½filiety.¸ 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. Ð Abridgment; compendium; epitome; synopsis. See Abridgment. AbÏstract¶ed (#), a. 1. Separated or disconnected; withdrawn; removed; apart. The evil abstracted stood from his own evil. Milton. 2. Separated from matter; abstract; ideal. [Obs.] 3. Abstract; abstruse; difficult. [Obs.] Johnson. 4. Inattentive to surrounding objects; absent in mind. ½An abstracted scholar.¸ Johnson. AbÏstract¶edÏly, adv. In an abstracted manner; separately; with absence of mind. AbÏstract¶edÏness, n. The state of being abstracted; abstract character. AbÏstract¶er (#), n. One who abstracts, or makes an abstract. AbÏstrac¶tion (#), n. [Cf. F. abstraction. See Abstract, a.] 1. The act of abstracting, separating, or withdrawing, or the state of being withdrawn; withdrawal. A wrongful abstraction of wealth from certain members of the community. J. S. Mill. 2. (Metaph.) The act process of leaving out of consideration one or more properties of a complex object so as to attend to others; analysis. Thus, when the mind considers the form of a tree by itself, or the color of the leaves as separate from their size or figure, the act is called abstraction. So, also, when it considers whiteness, softness, virtue, existence, as separate from any particular objects. µ Abstraction is necessary to classification, by which things are arranged in genera and species. We separate in idea the qualities of certain objects, which are of the same kind, from others which are different, in each, and arrange the objects having the same properties in a class, or collected body. Abstraction is no positive act: it is simply the negative of attention. Sir W. Hamilton. 3. An idea or notion of an abstract, or theoretical nature; as, to fight for mere abstractions. 4. A separation from worldly objects; a recluse life; as, a hermit's abstraction. 5. Absence or absorption of mind; inattention to present objects. 6. The taking surreptitiously for one's own use part of the property of another; purloining. [Modern] 7. (Chem.) A separation of volatile parts by the act of distillation. Nicholson. AbÏstrac¶tionÏal (#), a. Pertaining to abstraction. AbÏstrac¶tionÏist, n. An idealist. Emerson. Ab·stracÏti¶tious (#), a. Obtained from plants by distillation. [Obs.] Crabb. AbÏstrac¶tive (#), a. [Cf. F. abstractif.] Having the power of abstracting; of an abstracting nature. ½The abstractive faculty.¸ I. Taylor. AbÏstrac¶tiveÏly, adv. In a abstract manner; separately; in or by itself. Feltham. AbÏstrac¶tiveÏness, n. The quality of being abstractive; abstractive property. Ab¶stract·ly (#; 277), adv. In an abstract state or manner; separately; absolutely; by itself; as, matter abstractly considered. Ab¶stract·ness, n. The quality of being abstract. ½The abstractness of the ideas.¸ Locke. AbÏstringe¶ (#), v. t. [L ab + stringere, strictum, to press together.] To unbind. [Obs.] Bailey. AbÏstrude¶ (#), v. t. [L. abstrudere. See Abstruse.] To thrust away. [Obs.] Johnson. AbÏstruse¶ (#), a. [L. abstrusus, p. p. of abstrudere to thrust away, conceal; ab, abs + trudere to thrust; cf. F. abstrus. See Threat.] 1. Concealed or hidden out of the way. [Obs.] The eternal eye whose sight discerns Abstrusest thoughts. Milton. 2. Remote from apprehension; difficult to be comprehended or understood; recondite; as, abstruse learning. Profound and abstruse topics. Milman. AbÏstruse¶ly, adv. In an abstruse manner. AbÏstruse¶ness, n. The quality of being abstruse; difficulty of apprehension. Boyle. AbÏstru¶sion (#), n. [L. abstrusio. See Abstruse.] The act of thrusting away. [R.] Ogilvie. AbÏstru¶siÏty (#), n. Abstruseness; that which is abstruse. [R.] Sir T. Browne. AbÏsume¶ (#), v. t. [L. absumere, absumptum; ab + sumere to take.] To consume gradually; to waste away. [Obs.] Boyle. AbÏsump¶tion (#; 215), n. [L. absumptio. See Absume.] Act of wasting away; a consuming; extinction. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne. AbÏsurd¶ (#), a. [L. absurdus harshÐsounding; ab + (prob) a derivative fr. a root svar to sound; not connected with surd: cf. F. absurde. See Syringe.] Contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and fiatly opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with the plain dictates of common sense; logically contradictory; nonsensical; ridiculous; as, an absurd person, an absurd opinion; an absurd dream. This proffer is absurd and reasonless. Shak. 'This phrase absurd to call a villain great. Pope.

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