ABANDON ISH] 1. To detach or withdraw one's self from: (a) to desert; to forsake utterly; as, to abandon his home; to abandon duty. (b) To give up and forsake, as desperate or lost; as, to abandon a hopeless enterprise or a sinking ship. (c) To resign; forego; renounce; to relinquish all concern in; as, to abandon the cares of empire. (d) To surrender; to give up to alien control; to yield up without restraint; as, he abandoned the city to the conqueror.-2† To outlaw; to banish; to drive out or away. Being all this time abandoned from your bed. Shak, 3. To reject or renounce. Blessed shall ye be when men shall hate you and abandon your name as evil. Luke vi. 22 (Rheims N. T.). 4. In com. to relinquish to the underwriters all claim to, as ship or goods insured, as a preliminary towards recovering for a total loss-To abandon one's self, to yield one's self up without attempt at control or selfrestraint; as, to abandon one's self to grief. -Forsake, Desert, Abandon. See under FORSAKE SYN. To desert, forsake, resign, forego,surrender, quit, relinquish, renounce, leave. Abandon (a-ban'dun), n. [In first meaning borrowed directly from the French in modern times.] 1. Heartiness, the result of enthusiasm, unchecked by calculation of risks or consequences; dash; the frank, unrestrained demeanour of an impulsive temperament; as, the Inniskillings charged with characteristic abandon; I was charmed with the abandon of her manners. [In this sense the French pronunciation (ab-an-don) is frequently retained.]-2. One who or that which is abandoned. A friar, an abandon of the world. Sir E. Sandys. 3. The act of giving up or relinquishing; abandonment. These heavy exactions have occasioned an abanden of all mines but what are of the richer sort. Lord Kames. Abandoned (a-ban'dund), p. and a. 1. Deserted; utterly forsaken; left to destruction; as, an abandoned ship.-2. Given up, as to vice, especially to the indulgence of vicious appetites or passions; shamelessly and recklessly wicked; profligate. Pro Where our abandoned youth she sees, Saipwrecked in luxury and lost in ease. Prior. -Profligate, Reprobate, Abandoned. Aiate is applied to one who throws away means and character in pursuit of vice, and conveys the idea of depravity manifested outwardly in conduct; reprobate is used with regard to one who has become insensible to reproof, who steels himself against what is good, and even glories in his wickedness; abandoned is applied to one who has recklessly cast himself loose from all moral restraint, and given himself up to the gratification of his vicious appetites. Next age will see A race more profligate than we. Roscommon. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind. Rom. i. 28. To be negligent of what any one thinks of you, does not only show you arrogant but abandoned. F. Hughes. SYN. Forsaken, deserted, destitute, forlorn, profligate, corrupt, vicions, depraved, reprobate, wicked, heinous, criminal, vile, odious, detestable. In law, one One who Abandonee (a-ban'dun-e"), n. to whom anything is abandoned. Abandoner (a-ban'dun-êr), n. abandons. Abandonment (a-ban'dun-ment), n. 1. The act of abandoning or state of being abandoned; absolute relinquishment; total desertion.-2. In marine insurance, the relinquishing to underwriters of all the property saved from loss by shipwreck, capture, or other peril stated in the policy, in order that the insured may be entitled to indemnification for a total loss.-3. In the customs, the giving up of an article by the importer to avoid payment of the duty.-4. In Lar, (a) the relinquishment to a claim or privilege. (b) The voluntary leaving of a person to whom one is bound by any particular relationship, as a wife, husband, or child; desertion. - Abandonment of railways, the giving up any scheme for making a railway and the dissolution of the company, by consent of three-fifths of the stock, and warrant of the Board of Trade. -Abandonment of an action, in Scots law, the act by which the pursuer abandons the cause If this is done before the record is closed the costs are discretionary; if after, 3 he must pay costs, but may bring a new action. It is equivalent to the English discontinuance, nolle prosequi, or nonsuit, according to the stage the action has reached. Abandum (a-band'um), n. [See ABANDON.] In old law, anything forfeited or confiscated. Abanet (ab'a-net), n. Same as Abnet. Abanga (ab-ang'ga), n. The fruit of a species of palm in the island of St. Thomas, West Indies, said to have medicinal properties. Abannation, Abannition (ab-an-na'shon, ab-an-ni'shon), n. [L.L. abannitio, abannitionis L. ab, from, annus, a year, and itio, a going away.] Á banishment for one or two years for manslaughter. Abaptiston (a-bap-tis'tun), n. [L.L. abaptiston-Gr. a, priv., and baptizo, to dip.1 In surg, a name given to the old trepan, the crown of which was made conical to prevent it from penetrating the cranium too suddenly. Abaret (a-bar'), v.t. [A. Sax. abarian. See BARE.] To make bare; to uncover. Abarticulation (ab-ar-tik'ü-la'shon), n. [L. ab, from, and articulus, a joint.] In anat. a term used sometimes as an equivalent to diarthrosis, or a movable articulation; sometimes to synarthrosis, or an immovable articulation. Abas (a-bas), n. [Per. and Ar. Abbas, the ancestor of the Abâsi Caliphs.] 1. A Persian coin, worth about 10d., occasionally called Abbajeer.-2. An eastern weight for pearls equal to 2 grains troy, being one-eighth less than a carat. Written also Abassi, Abassis. Abase (a-bas), v.t. pret. & pp. abased; ppr. abasing. [Fr. abaisser, to make low-a, to, and baisser, to lower, from L. L. bassus, low. See BASE] 1. To lower or depress; to throw or cast down: said of material objects. [Rare.] Spenser. His spear he 'gan abase. And will she yet abase her eyes on me. Shak 2. To cast down or reduce lower, as in rank, estimation, office, and the like; to depress; to humble; to degrade.-Abase, Debase, Degrade. Abase, to humble, to make of less esteem, to bring lower in state, or cause one to feel lower; debase, to lower morally or in quality, to make unworthy or less worthy of esteem, to mingle more or less of baseness with; degrade, lit. to bring down a step, to lower one's rank: often used as an official term, but also used of lowering a man morally; as, intemperance degrades its victims; a degrading employment. Dan. iv. 37. Those that walk in pride he is able to abase. It is a kind of taking of God's name in vain to debase religion with such frivolous disputes. Hooker. O miserable man! to what fall degraded. Milton. SYN.. To depress, humble, humiliate, degrade, bring low, debase. Abased, Abaissed (a-bast), p. and a. In her, turned downwards, as the points of the wings of eagles. Also, same as Abaissé. Abasement (a-bas'ment), n. The act of abasing, humbling, or bringing low; a state of depression, degradation, or humiliation. Abash (a-bash'), v.t. [Formerly written abaish, abaysch, &c., from O. Fr. esbahir, to astound, abash, ppr. esbahissant, from bair, baer, to gape; Mod. Fr. s'ébahir, to be astonished; probably from bah! exclamation of astonishment. French verbs in ir, which form the ppr. in issant, take ish in becoming English, as abolish, from abolir; ravish, from ravir; polish, from polir; &c. The verb abase would no doubt have some effect on the form of this word. The D. bazen, verbazen, to astonish, if connected with abash, would point to a different origin. Comp. abeyance, bash, bashful, bay.] To confuse or confound, as by exciting suddenly a consciousness of guilt, error, inferiority, &c.; to destroy the self-possession of; to make ashamed or dispirited; to put to confusion. Abash, Confuse, Confound. Abash is a stronger word than confuse, but not so strong as confound. We are abashed in the presence of superiors or when detected in vice or misconduct. When we are confused the faculties get more or less beyond our control, the speech falters, and the thoughts lose their coherence. When we are confounded the reason is overpowered, a condition produced by the force of argument, testimony, or detection. ABATIS SYN. To confuse, confound, disconcert, shame, daunt, overawe. Abashment (a-bash'ment), n. The act of abashing, or state of being abashed; confusion from shame; consternation; fear. Which manner of abashment became her not ill. Skellon. That challenge did too peremptory seeme And fild his senses with abashment great. Spenser. Abassi, Abassis (a-bas'si, a-bas'sis), n. See ABAS, 2. Daniel. Abastardizet (a-bas'térd-iz), v.t. To bastardize; to render illegitimate or base. Being ourselves Corrupted and abastardized thus. Abatable (a-bat'a-bl), a. Capable of being abated; as, an abatable writ or nuisance. Abate (a-bat'), v. t. pret. & pp. abated; ppr. abating. [Fr. abattre, to beat down, from batere, a form of L. batuo, batuere, to beat. See BEAT, BATE.] 1. To beat down; to pull or batter down. The king of Scots... sore abated the walls (of the castle of Norham). Hall. 2. To deduct. Nine thousand parishes, abating the odd hundreds. Fuller. 3. To lessen; to diminish; to remit; to moderate; as, to abate zeal; to abate a demand; to abate a tax; to abate pride; to abate courage.-4. To deject; to depress. For misery doth bravest minds abate. Spenser. 5. In law, (a) to cause to fail; to annul; to frustrate by judicial sentence; as, to abate a writ: by the English law, a legacy to a charity is abated by a deficiency of assets. (b) To bring entirely down or put an end to; as, to abate a nuisance.-6. To deprive; to curtail. She hath abated me of half my train. Shak 7. In metal. to reduce, as a metal, to a lower temper. Abate (a-bat'), v. i. 1. To decrease or become less in strength or violence; as, pain abates; a storm abates.-2. To be defeated or come to naught; to fail; as, a writ abates; by the civil law a legacy to a charity does not abate by deficiency of assets. It was still open to dispute whether it might not Hallam. abate by dissolution. 3. In law, to enter into a freehold after the death of the last occupant, and before the heir or devisee takes possession.-4. In the manege, to perform well a downward motion. A horse is said to abate, or take down his curvets, when, working upon curvets, he puts both his hind legs to the ground at once, and observes the same exactness in all the times. SYN. To subside, decrease, intermit, decline, diminish, lessen. Abate † (a-bat'), n. Abatement or decrease. Sir T. Browne, Abate (a-ba'tá), n. [It] An abbot or abbé. An old abate meek and mild, My friend and teacher when a child. Longfellow. Abatement (a-bat'ment), n. 1. The act of abating, or the state of being abated; diminution, decrease, reduction, or mitigation; as, abatement of grief or pain. 2. The amount, quantity, or sum by which anything is abated; that by which anything is reduced; deduction; decrease.-3. In her. a mark annexed to coat armour in order to denote some dishonourable act of the party bearing the coat of arms. Nine such marks are mentioned by heralds, but no instance of their actual use is on record. The baston or baton, a mark of illegitimacy, is of the nature of an abatement. Throwing down the stars (the nobles and senators) to the ground; putting dishonourable abatements into the fairest coats of arms. Dr. Spencer. 4. In law, (a) removal, as of a nuisance. (b) Defeat or overthrow, as of a writ. (c) The act of intruding upon a freehold vacant by the death of its former owner, and not yet taken up by the lawful heirs. Plea of abatement, a defence by which a defendant shows cause to the court why he should not be impleaded or sued, or, if impleaded or sued, not in the manner and form adopted by the plaintiff, and prays that the action or suit may abate or cease. -SYN. Decrease, decline, mitigation, reduction, subsidence, diminution, discount, deduction. Abater (a-bat'èr), n. One who or that which abates. Abatial (ab-a'shi-al), a. Same as Abbatical. Abatist (ab'a-tis), n. [L.L.-a, from, and batus, a measure.] In the middle ages, an officer of the stables who had the care of measuring out the provender; an avenor. ABATIS Abatis. See ABATTIS. Abat-jour (a-ba-jor), n. [Fr., from abattre (see ABATE), and jour, day, light.] A skylight or sloping aperture made in the wall of an apartment for the admission of light. Abator (a-bat'ér), n. One who or that which abates; specifically, in law, (a) a person who without right enters into a freehold on the death of the last possessor, before the heir or devisee. (b) An agent or cause by which an abatement is procured. Abattis, Abatis (ab-a-te or ab'a-tis), n. [Fr. abatis, abattis, from abattre, to beat down. See ABATE] In fort. a collection of felled trees, from which the smaller branches have been cut off, and which are laid side by side, with the branched ends turned towards assailants, and the branches often sharpened and interlaced, the buttends being secured by pickets, or imbedded in the earth, the whole thus forming an obstruction to the progress of the enemy, and keeping them longer under the defenders' fire. An abattis is usually placed in front of the ditch in field fortifications. See FORTIFICATION. Abattised (ab'a-tist), a. abattis. Abattoir (a-bat-war), n. [Fr., from abattre, to beat or knock down. See ABATE.] A public slaughter-house. Provided with an Abatude (ab'a-túd), n. [From abate.] Anything diminished. Bailey. Abature (ab'a-tür), n. [From abate.] The mark or track of a beast of the chase on the grass; foiling. Abat-vent (ab-ä-van), n. [Fr., from abattre, to lower, and vent, the wind.] The sloping roof of a tower; a pent-house: so named because the slope neutralizes the force of the wind. Abat-voix (ab-a-vwa), n. [Fr., from abbatre, to lower, and voix, the voice.] The sounding-board over a pulpit or rostrum: so named because it prevents the speaker's voice from rising and being lost or indistinct. Abawe,t v.t. [0. Fr. esbahir, to abash. See ABASH.] To abash; to dazzle; to astonish. I was abawed for marveile. Chaucer. Abb (ab), n. [A. Sax. ab or ob, the woof.] 1. Yarn for the warp in weaving.-2. The name given in sorting wool according to its fineness to two qualities of wool, called respectively coarse abb and fine abb. Abba (ab'ba), n. [Syr. and Chal. abba, father. The root is in the Heb. ab, a father, which appears in Abraham.] A title (equivalent to 'Father') now or formerly applied, especially in the Eastern church, to monks, superiors of monks, and other ecclesiastics. In the Syriac, Coptic, and Ethiopic Churches it is given to the bishops, who in turn bestow it, by way of distinction, on the bishop or patriarch of Alexandria. Abbacinate (ab-ba'sin-ät), v.t. [It. abbacinare, to abbacinate-ad, to, and bacino, a basin.] To deprive of sight by applying a red-hot copper basin close to the eyes: a mode of punishment employed in the middle ages. Abbacination (ab-ba'sin-a"shon), n. The act or process of blinding a person by placing a red-hot copper basin close to the eyes. Abbacy (ab'ba-si), n. [L. L. abbatia, an abbey, from L. abbas, abbatis, an abbot. See ABBOT.] The dignity, rights, and privileges of an abbot. According to Felinus, an abbacy is the dignity itself, since an abbot is a term or word of dignity, and not of office. Ayliffe. Abbajeer (ab'ba-jēr), n. See ABBAS, 1. Abbandonamente (ab-ban'don-a-ment"a), adv. [It.] In music, with self-abandonment; so as to make the time subservient to the expression. Abbat (ab'bat), n. Same as Abbot. Abbatical, Abbatial (ab-bat'ik-al, ab-bā'shi-al), a. Belonging to an abbey. Abbé (ab-bā), n. [Fr., an abbot, from Syr. and Chal. abba, father. See ABBA.] In France, an abbot; but more generally, and especially before the French revolution, a title given to all those Frenchmen who devoted themselves to divinity, or who had at least pursued a course of study in a theological seminary, in the hope that the king would confer on them a real abbey, that is, a certain part of the revenues of a monastery. The abbés were numerous. Some acted as private tutors in families, others were professors of the university, and a great many employed 4 themselves as men of letters. The name is also applied to persons holding a similar semi-clerical position in other Roman Catholic countries. - Abbés commendataires were such abbés as held abbeys in commendam that is, with the right of administering their revenues or a part of them. See ABBOT. Abbess (ab'bes), n. [Fr. abbesse, L.L. abbatissa, fem. of abbot (which see).] A female superior or governess of a nunnery or convent of nuns. An abbess in the Roman Catholic Church possesses, in general, the same dignity and authority as an abbot, except that she cannot exercise the spiritual functions appertaining to the priesthood. See ABBOT. Abbey (ab'bē), n. [Fr. abbaye, from L.L. abbatia, an abbey. See ABBÉ.] 1. A monastery or convent; a society of persons of either sex, secluded from the world, and devoted to religion and celibacy. The males are called monks, and governed by an abbot; the females are called nuns, and governed by an abbess. Abbeys differ in nothing from priories, except that the latter are governed by priors instead of abbots.-2. In Scotland, the sanctuary afforded by the abbey of Holyrood Palace, as having been a royal residence.-3. A house adjoining a monastery or convent for the residence of the superior. 4. A church attached to a monastery or convent; as, Melrose Abbey. -5. In the early times of the French monarchy, a name given to a duchy or county, the duke or count of which was, though really a secular person, made an abbot in commendam, in consequence of an abbey having been conferred on him by the crown. See ABBOT. 6. A mansion, formerly used as an abbey, now converted to private use; as, Newstead Abbey, the residence of Lord Byron. Abbey-land (ab'bé-land), n. An estate in land annexed to an abbey. Abbey-lubber (ab'bé-lub'êr), n. [Abbey and lubber.] An old term of contempt for an idle, well-fed, lazy loiterer, who might work, but would not, preferring to depend on the charity of religious houses: frequently applied to the monks themselves in contempt. This is no huge, over-grown, abbeylubber.' Dryden. Abbot (ab'but), n. [Formerly abbat, L. L. abbas, abbatis. See ABBA.] 1. Lit. father; a title originally given to any aged monk, but afterwards limited to the head or superior of a monastery, which from him was called an abbey. As the influence of the religious orders became greater from their being the depositaries of learning, and as their wealth and territorial possessions increased, the power and dignity of the abbots were aggrandized proportionally. Many of them asserted independence of the bishops, assumed the mitre and crozier, exercised the episcopal functions in their own domains, became peers of the realm, and rivalled the prelates in rank and pomp. In the reign of Henry VIII. twenty-six mitred abbots sat in the House of Lords. Abbots are of two kinds, regular, or those who actually discharge the duties of the office, and commendatory. The latter title was formerly given to persons to whom abbeys were intrusted as tutors or trustees, or in commendam, and who applied the whole or part of the revenues to their own uses. Great secular lords frequently received this appointment. Thus Hugo Capet, the founder of the Capetian dynasty, was Abbot of St. Denis. Such abbots were by canon law bound to have received the tonsure, and to enter orders on attaining canonical age, but the obligation was easily evaded. 2. A title formerly given to the chief magistrate of some communities or states, as in Genoa. Abbot of Misrule, in England, Abbot of Unreason, in Scotland, the personage who took the principal part in the Christmas revels of the populace before the Reformation. Abbotship (ab'but-ship), n. The state or office of an abbot. Abbreviate (ab-brē'vi-āt), v.t. pret. & pp. abbreviated; ppr. abbreviating. [L. abbre vio, abbreviatum, to shorten-ab, from, and brevis, short. See BRIEF, and ABRIDGE (which is really the same word).] 1. To make briefer: to shorten; to abridge; to make shorter by contraction or omission of a part; to reduce to a smaller compass; as, to abbreviate a writing or word. -- 2. In math. to reduce to the lowest terms, as fractions. ABDALAVI Abbreviate (ab-bre'vi-át), v.i. To practise or use abbreviation. It is one thing to abbreviate by contracting, another by cutting off. Bacon. Abbreviate (ab-brē'vi-āt), n. An abridgment.-Abbreviate of adjudication, in Scots law, an abstract of adjudication. See ADJUDICATION. Abbreviate (ab-brē'vi-ät), a. In bot. abbreviated: applied to an organ or part of an organ shorter than a contiguous one. Abbreviation (ab-bre'vi-a"shon), n. 1. The act of abbreviating, shortening, or contracting, or the state of being abbreviated. 2. That which is abbreviated, as a short term or title used for a longer one; a syllable, generally the initial syllable, used for the whole word; a letter, or a series of letters, standing for a word or words; as, esq. for esquire; F.R.S. for Fellow of the Royal Society; A.D. for Anno Domini. This book, as graver authors say, was called Liber Domus Dei, and, by abbreviation, Domesday Book. Sir W. Temple. 3. In math. a reduction of fractions to the lowest terms.-4. In music, a sloping line or Written. Played. An lines placed below a note or through its stem to indicate that it is to be divided into a corresponding number of short notes. Thus, a minim carrying one line is played as four quavers, or carrying two lines as eight quavers. The same line-mark, standing alone, indicates a repetition of the preceding group of notes. Abbreviation, Contraction. abbreviation of a word, as distinguished from contraction, is strictly a part of it, generally the first syllable, taken for the whole, with no indication of the remaining portion; as, Gen. for Genesis; math, for mathematics; Will. for William; while a contraction properly is made by the elision of certain letters or syllables from the body of the word, but in such a manner as to indicate the whole word; as, Reed. payt. for Received payment; contd. for contracted or continued; Wm. for William. In common usage, however, this distinction is not always attended to. Abbreviator (ab-brē'vi-à-têr), n. [In first sense from the verb; in second from L.L. abbreviator, one of the officials mentioned under 2.] 1. One who abbreviates, abridges, or reduces to a smaller compass; specifically, one who abridges what has been written by another. "Neither the archbishop nor his abbreviator. Sir W. Hamilton.-2. One of a college of seventy-two persons in the chancery of the Roman Catholic pontiff, whose business is to draw up the pope's briefs, and reduce the petitions, when granted, to a suitable form for bulls. Abbreviatory (ab-brē’vi-a-tō-ri), a. Abbreviating or tending to abbreviate; shortening; contracting. Abbreviature (ab-bre'vi-a-tür), n. 1. A letter or character used for shortening; an abbreviation. The hand of Providence writes often by abbre viatures, hieroglyphics, or short characters. Sir T. Browne. 2. An abridgment; a compendium. This is an excellent abbreviature of the whole duty of a Christian. Fer. Taylor. Abbroach, Abbrocht (ab-brōch'), v.i. [L.L. abrocamentum, buying wholesale and selling by retail, from same root as E. broke, broker.] To forestall the market or monopolize goods. Abbroachment, Abbrochment (abbroch'ment), n. The act of forestalling the market or monopolizing goods. See under FORESTALL. Abb-wool (ab’wyl), n. 1. Wool for the abb or warp of a web.-2. A variety of wool of a certain fineness. See ABB. A A, b, c. 1. The first three letters of the alphabet, used generally for the whole; as, the child is learning his A, b, c.-2. A little book for teaching the elements of reading. Called also an A, b, c book. Abd (abd), n. [Ar., a slave, servant.] common prefix in Arabic names of persons; as, Abdallah, servant of God; Abd-elKader, servant of the mighty God; Abd-ulLatif, servant of the gracious God; &c. Abdal (ab'dal), n. [Ar. Abdallah, a servant of God.] A dervish; one of a class of Persian religious devotees. Abdalavi, Abdelavi (ab-dal-a'vi, ab-del-a'vi), n. The native name of the hairy cucumber of Egypt (Cucumis Chate). ABDERIAN Abderian (ab-de'ri-an), a. [From Abdera, in Thrace, the birthplace of Democritus called the Laughing Philosopher, whence the application of the term.] Pertaining to Abdera or its inhabitants; resembling or recalling in some way the philosopher Democritus of Abdera; hence, a term applied to incessant or continued laughter; given to laughter. Abderite (ab'der-it), n. [L. abderita, Gr. abdëritës] An inhabitant of Abdera, a maritime town in Thrace, and sometimes a term equivalent to a stupid person, the inhabitants of this city being anciently proverbial for their stupidity.-The Abderite, Democritus of Abdera, often called the Laughing Philosopher, one of the most celebrated philosophers among the ancient Greeks. Abdest (ab'dest), n. [Per. úbdast-ab, water, and dast, hand.] Purification or ablution before prayer: a Mohammedan rite. Abdevenham (ab-dev'n-ham), n. In astrol. the head of the twelfth house in a scheme of the heavens. Abdicant (ab'di-kant), n. One who abdicates. Abdicant (ab'di-kant), a. (See ABDICATE.] Abdicating; renouncing. Monks abdicant of their orders. Whitlock. Abdicate (ab'di-kåt), v.t. pret. & pp. abdicated: ppr. abdicating. [L. abdico, abdicatum, to give up a right or claim-ab, indicating separation, and dico, dicare, to declare publicly, to consecrate, to set apart, of same root as dicere, to say.] 1. To give up, renounce, abandon, lay down, or withdraw from, as a right or claim, office, duties, dignity, authority, and the like, especially in a voluntary, public, or formal manner. The father will disinherit or abdicate that power he hath rather than suffer it to be forced to a willing injustice. Burton. The cross-bearers abdicated their service. Gibbon. He (Charles II.) was utterly without ambition. He detested business, and would sooner have abdicated his crown than have undergone the trouble of really directing the administration. Macaulay. Heros and Lazarus, the Gallic bishops, were denounced... as vagabond, turbulent, and intriguing prelates, who had either abdicated or abandoned their sees, and travelled about sowing strife and calumny wherever they went. Milman. 2 To cast away; to take leave of; as, to abdicate one's mental faculties. [Rare or obsolete.1-3. In civil law, to disclaim and expel from a family, as a child; to disinherit during lifetime: said of a father. The father will disinherit or abdicate his child, quite cashier him. Burton. 4. To put away or expel; to banish; to renounce the authority of; to dethrone; to degrade. Scaliger would needs turn down Homer, and ab dacate him after the possession of three thousand years. Dryden. SYN. To give up, quit, vacate, relinquish, forsake, abandon, resign, renounce, desert. Abdicate (ab'di-kát), v.i. To renounce or give up something; to abandon some claim; to relinquish a right, power, or trust. He cannot abdicate for his children, otherwise than by his own consent in form to a bill from the two bouses. Swift. Abdication (ab-di-kā'shon), n. The act of abdicating the abandonment of an office, power or authority, right or trust; a casting off; renunciation: generally applied to giving up the kingly office. The consequences drawn from these facts (were) that they amounted to an abdication of the govern. ment, which abdication did not only affect the person of the king himself, but also of all his heirs, and rendered the throne absolutely and completely vacant. Blackstone. Abdicative (ab'di-kat-iv), a. Causing or implying abdication Bailey. [Rare.] Abdicator (ab'di-kāt'èr), n. One who abdi cates Abditive (ab'di-tiv), a. [L. abdo, abditum, to hide ab, away, and do, to give.] Having the power or quality of hiding. [Rare.] Abditory (ab'di-tō-ri), n. [L. abditorium, from abdo. See ABDITIVE.] A place for hiding or preserving goods, plate, or money; a chest in which relics were kept. Abdomen (ab-do'men or ab'do-men), n. [L., probably from abdo, to conceal, on type of acumen from acuo, and foramen from foro.] 1. That part of the human body which lies between the thorax and the pelvis. It is lined with a membrane called the peritoneum, and contains the stomach, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, bladder, and intestines. It is separated from the breast internally by the diaphragm, and externally by the lower ribs. 5 On its outer surface it is divided into certain defined portions called regions. The term is also sometimes applied to the belly of the lower animals. See Abdominal Regions under ABDOMINAL.-2. In entom. the posterior of the three parts of the perfect insect, united to the thorax by a slender connecting portion, and containing the greater portion of the digestive apparatus. It is divided into rings or segments, on the sides of which are small spiracles, or stigmata, for respiration. Abdominal (ab-dom'in-al), a. 1. Pertaining to the abdomen or belly.-Abdominal regions, certain regions into which the abdomen in men is arbitrarily divided. An imaginary line (a a) is drawn transversely from the cartilage of the seventh rib on one side to the corresponding point of the opposite side, and another transverse line (66) between the anterior superior spines of the ilia. The part above the upper line is called the epigas α 3. 5 Abdominal Regions. tric region, that between the upper and lower lines the umbilical region, and that beneath the lower line the hypogastric region. These regions are sometimes subdivided by two vertical lines (cc), one being drawn on each side, from the cartilage of the seventh rib to the anterior superior spine of the ilium. The central portion of the epigastric region (1) retains the name of epigastric; the lateral portions (4, 4) are called the right and left hypochondriac regions; the middle part of the umbilical region (2) is still called umbilical, while the parts to the right and left (5, 5) are called lumbar; the hypogastric region is denominated pubic in its central portion (3), and is divided on each side (6, 6) into an iliac and inguinal region. The latter, however, belongs in strictness to the thigh. Posteriorly there are two regions recognized on either side of the backbone the upper, corresponding to the hypochondriac, being called the inferior dorsal; the lower, the lumbar. -Abdominal ring, an oblong tendinous ring in both groins, through which pass the spermatic cord in men, and the round ligaments of the uterus in women. Called also Inguinal Ring.-2. In ich. having ventral fins posterior to the pectoral; as, an ab dominal fish. Abdominal (ab-dom'in-al), n. One of a group of malacopterygian fishes, with the ventral fins posterior to the pectorals, including many fresh-water fishes, and others which periodically leave the sea to spawn in fresh water. Many species are edible. The salmon, parr, mullet, flying-fish, herring, and carp belong to this order. Abdominales, Abdominalia (ab-dom-i-nā'lez, ab-dom-i-nali-a), n. pl. A group of malacopterygian fishes. See ABDOMINAL, N. Abdominoscopy (ab-dom'in-os'kō-pi), n. [L. abdomen, and Gr. skopeo, to view or examine.] In med. examination of the abdomen with a view to detect disease. Abdominous (ab-dom'in-us), a. 1. Of or pertaining to the abdomen.-2. Having a large belly; pot-bellied. [Rare.] Gorgonius sits abdominous and wan, Like a fat squab upon a Chinese fan. Cowper. Abduce (ab-düs'), v.t. pret. & pp. abduced; ppr. abducing. [L. abduco, to lead awayab, and duco, to lead, to draw. See DUKE.] To draw or conduct away; to withdraw or draw to a different part. If we abduce the eye into either corner, the object will not duplicate. Sir T. Browne. Abducent (ab-düs'ent), a. [L. abducens, abducentis, ppr. of abduco, to abduce.] Drawing away; pulling back; specifically, in anat. applied to those muscles which pull back certain parts of the body from the mesial line, in contradistinction to the adducent muscles or adductors. Abduct (ab-dukt'), v.t. 1. Same as Abduce. 2. To take away surreptitiously and by force. The thing is self-evident, that his majesty has been abducted or spirited away, 'enlevé, by some person or persons unknown. Carlyle. ABEIGH Abduction (ab-duk'shon), n. [L. L. abductio, abductionis, a leading or drawing away. See ABDUCE.] 1. The act of abducing or abducting, or state of being abduced or abducted. 2. In physiol. the action by which muscles withdraw a limb or other part from the axis of the body, as when certain muscles separate the arm from the side or the thumb from the rest of the fingers.-3. In surg. a term formerly applied to a fracture in which the bone near a joint is so divided that the extremities recede from each other.-4. In logic, a kind of syllogism, called by the Greeks apagoge, in which the major is evident, but the minor is not so clear as not to require further proof, as in this syllogism: 'All whom God absolves are free from sin: God absolves all who are in Christ; therefore all who are in Christ are free from sin.' This mode of reasoning is called abduction, because it withdraws us from the conclusion to the proof of a proposition concealed or not expressed. Fleming, Vocab. of Philos. 5. In law, the fraudulent or unlawful leading away of a person, more especially the taking and carrying away of a child, a ward, a wife, &c., either by fraud, persuasion, or open violence. The term is most commonly applied to the taking away of females. The term is also applied to the using or threatening to use force to prevent a voter from voting. Abductor (ab-duk'ter), n. One who or that which abducts; specifically, in anat a muscle which moves certain parts from the axis of the body; as, the abductor oculi, a muscle which pulls the eye outward: opposed to adductor. Abeam (a-bem'), adv. [Prefix a, on, and beam.] Naut. on the beam, that is, at right angles to the keel of a ship; thus guns are said to be pointed abeam when they are pointed in a line at right angles to the ship's keel. Abear (a-bār'), v.t. [A. Sax. aberan, to bear, to carry, to suffer, from prefix a, and beran, to carry.] 1. To bear; to behave: with reflexive pronoun. Thus did the gentle knight himself abear. Spenser, 2. To suffer or tolerate. [Provincial or vulgar.] Gin I mun doy I mun doy, for I couldn abear to see it. Tennyson (Northern Farmer). Abearance (a-bār'ans), n. [From abear (which see).] Behaviour; demeanour. Blackstone. The other species of recognizances with sureties is for the good abearance or good behaviour. Abecedarian (à bê-se-dā”ri-an), n. [A word formed from the first four letters of the alphabet.] 1. One who teaches the letters of the alphabet, or a learner of the letters. 2. A follower of Stork, an Anabaptist, in the sixteenth century, so called because he rejected all worldly knowledge, even the learning of the alphabet. Abecedarian, Abecedary (ã'bē-se-dā'ri-an, a-be-se'da-ri), a. Pertaining to or formed by the letters of the alphabet.-Abecedarian psalms, hymns, &c., psalms, hymns, &c., in which (as in the 119th psalm), distinct portions have the verses begin with successive letters of the alphabet. Abeche,t v.t. [0. Fr. abécher; Fr. abéquer, abecquer, to feed with the beak, to feed an infant-a, and bec, the beak.] To feed, as a parent bird feeds its young. Yet should I somedel ben abeched, Abed (a-bed'), adv. Gower. [Prefix a, on, and bed. ] 1. On or in bed. Not to be abed after midnight is to be up betimes. Shak 2. To bed. Her mother dream'd before she was deliver'd That she was brought abed of a buzzard. Beau, & Fl. Abee (a-be'). [Scotch.] Used in the same sense as be. To let abee, to let alone; to let be. Let abee is used as a noun in the sense of forbearance or connivance.-Let abee for let abee, one act of forbearance meeting another; mutual forbearance. I am for let abee for let abee. Sir W. Scott. -Let abee (adv.), far less; not to mention; as, he couldna sit let abee stand. Abegge, v.t. [See ABY.] To suffer for, or atone for; to aby. There dorste no wight hond upon him legge, That he ne swore he shuld anon abegge. Chaucer. Abeigh (a-bech'), adv. [O. Fr. abbay, abbois, Fr. abois, the bark of a dog; tenir en abbay, to hold at bay, from baer, baïr, to gape. See Abele,Abel-tree (a-bel, abel-trẻ), n. [ G. albele, alber; M.H.G. alber; O.H.G. albari; D. abeel; Fr. aubel, aubrelle, perhaps from L. albellus, whitish, or from L. arbor, It. albero, a tree.] The white poplar (Populus alba), so called from the white colour of its twigs and leaves. See POPLAR. Abelian (a-bel'yan), a. Of or pertaining to the mathematician Abel.- Abelian equation, an irreducible algebraic equation, one of whose roots is inexpressible as a rational function of a second, and shown by Abel to be solvable by the solution of a second equation of a lower degree.-Abelian functions, inverse Abelian integrals, analogous to functions of the amplitude of an ordinary elliptic integral, and also to inverse circular and logarithmic functions; as, sin. -7x, log. —lx. -Abelian integrals, a class of ultra-elliptic integrals first investigated by Abel. Abelian (a-bel'yan), n. A member of a sect in Africa which arose in the fourth century. They married, but lived in continence, after the manner, as they maintained, of Abel, and attempted to keep up the sect by adopting the children of others. Also called Abelonian and Abelite. Abelmoschus, Abelmosk (a-bel-moskus, a'bel-mosk), n. [Ar. habb-el-mosk, seed of musk, or abu-el-mosk, father of musk, that is, endued with musk.] A genus of plants nat. order Malvaceæ. A. moschatus, or Hibiscus abelmoschus, is an evergreen shrub of tropical Asia and America, 3 feet high. The seeds have a musky odour, for which reason the Arabs mix them with coffee. A. esculentus is an Indian annual, 4 feet high, variously called ochro, bandikai, gombo, &c. It yields a much esteemed mucilaginous fruit, used in soups and pickles in the W. Indies, Isle of France, &c. All the species yield good fibre. Abel-tree. See ABELE. A bene placito (a bā'nā plach'ē-tō). [It.] In music, at pleasure; indicating that a piece is to be played in the way the performer likes best. Aber (a'ber), n. [Cym. and Pictish equivalent of Gael. inver. There are three Welsh forms to denote meeting of waters-aber, ynver, cynver, compounded of cyn L. con, together, and ber, flowing, seen in berad, a running of water; Armor. beri, to flow. Camry, Cymry, Cumberland, Cumbraes, Humber, exhibit the word under various forms. See CYMRY, INVER.] A Celtic word prefixed to the names of many places in Great Britain, and signifying a confluence of waters, either of two rivers, or of a river with the sea; as, Aberdeen, Aberdour, Abergavenny, Aberystwith. Aberdevine (a-bêr'de-vin), n. The Fringilla spinus or siskin, a well-known song-bird, belonging to the finch family (Fringillida), somewhat resembling the green variety of the canary bird. It is a native of Scandinavia, visiting Britain in autumn and winter. Aberr (ab-er'), v.i. To wander; to err. Sir T. Browne. [Rare.] Aberrance, Aberrancy (ab-er'rans, ab-erran-si), n. [L. aberro, to wander from--ab, and erro, to wander.] A wandering or deviating from the right way; a deviation from truth or rectitude. Sir T. Browne. [Rare.] Aberrant (ab-er'rant), a. [L. aberrans, pp. of aberro, to wander.] 1. Wandering, straying from the right way.-2. In zool. and bot. applied to certain animals and plants which differ materially from the type of their natural group. The more aberrant any form is, the greater must have been the number of connecting forms, which on my theory have been exterminated or utterly lost. Darwin, Aberrate (ab-er'rât), v. i. [L. aberro, aberratum (ab and erro), to wander from.] To wander or deviate from the right way. [Rare.] The product of their defective and aberrating vision. De Quincey. Aberration (ab-er-ra'shon), n. [L. aberratio, from aberro, aberratum-ab, from, erro, to wander.] 1. The act of wandering from; especially, in a figurative sense, the act of wandering from the right way; deviation from truth or moral rectitude; deviation from a type or standard. So then we draw near to God, when, repenting us of our former aberrations from him, we renew our covenants with him. Bp. Hall. 6 2. In astron, the difference between the true and the observed position of a heavenly body, the result of the combined effect of the motion of light and the motion of the eye of the observer caused by the annual or diurnal motion of the earth, or of the motion of light and that of the body from which the light proceeds: when the auxiliary cause, is the annual revolution of the earth round the sun, it is called annual aberration, in consequence of which a fixed star may appear as much as 204 from its true position;" when the auxiliary cause is the diurnal rotation of the earth on its axis, it is called diurnal aberration, which amounts at the greatest to 03; and when the auxiliary cause is the motion of the body from which the light proceeds, it is called planetary aberration.-3. In optics, a deviation in the rays of light when unequally refracted by a lens, or reflected by a mirror, so that they do not converge and meet in a point or focus, but spread out, forming an indistinct and coloured image of the object. It is called spherical when the imperfection arises from the form of curvature of the lens or reflector, and chromatic when it arises from the different refrangibility of the rays composing white light, the image of the object being surrounded with prismatic colours. In the former case it produces distortion, and in the latter false colour of the object. In the eye the iris and crystalline lens prevent these aberrations. Optical instruments corrected for chromatic aberration are called achromatic.-4. In physiol. the passage of a fluid in the living body into vessels not destined to receive it, as also the determination of a fluid to an organ different from that to which it is ordinarily directed, as in vicarious hemorrhage.-5. In zool. and bot. deviation of a plant or animal from the type of its natural group. In whichever light, therefore, insect aberration is viewed by us... we affirm that it does exist. T. V. Wollaston, 6. Partial alienation of mind; mental wandering Circle of aberration, the circle of coloured light observed in experiments with convex lenses between the point where the violet rays and that where the red rays meet. Crown of aberration, a luminous circle surrounding the disc of the sun depending on the aberration of its rays, by which its apparent diameter is enlarged. Aberuncate (ab-e-rung ́kát), v.t. ab, and L. erunco, to weed out-e, out, and runco, to weed.] To pull up by the roots; to extirpate utterly. Bailey. Aberuncator (ab-er-rung'kåt-ér), n. An implement for extirpating weeds; a weeder or weeding-machine. [Prefix Abet (a-bet'), v.t. pret. & pp. abetted; ppr. abetting. [O. Fr. abetter, abeter, to incite, to lure, to deceive, to befool; O. Fr. abet, deceit; Norm. abet, a bait-prefix a, and root of bait, to incite, set on. See BAIT.] 1. To encourage by aid, countenance, or approval: used chiefly in a bad sense, and always with a personal object. They abetted both parties in the civil war, and always furnished supplies to the weaker side, lest there should be an end put to these fatal divisions. Addison. 2 To maintain; to support; to uphold: in this sense sometimes with a thing for the object. Then shall I soon, quoth he, Abet that virgin's cause disconsolate. Spenser. 3. In law, to encourage, counsel, incite, or assist in a criminal act. In Scots law, a person is said to be abetting though he may only protect a criminal, conceal him from justice, or aid him in making his escape. Hence-4. To lead to or encourage the commission of. ABHORRER 2. One who aids or encourages: in a good sense. Pope. Abevacuation (ab-ē-vak'ū-ā”shon), n. [L. ab and E. evacuation.] In med. (a) a partial evacuation. (b) An immoderate evacuation. Ab extra (ab eks'tra). [L] From without. Abeyance (a-ba'ans), n. (Norm. Fr. abbaiaunce, abbaizance, expectation, from abbayer, to listen with the mouth open, from bayer, baer, bair, to gape, as in crying bah! See ABASH.] 1. In law, a state of expectation or contemplation; thus, the fee simple or inheritance of lands and tenements is in abeyance when there is no person in being in whom it can vest, so that it is in a state of expectancy or waiting until a proper person shall appear. If, for instance, land is leased to a man for life, remainder to another for years, the remainder for years is in abeyance till the death of the lessee for life. Titles of honour and dignities are said to be in abeyance when it is uncertain who shall enjoy them, as when a nobleman holding his dignity descendible to his heirs general dies leaving daughters, the king by his prerogative may grant the dignity to which of the daughters he pleases, or on the male issue of one of such daughters. During the time the title to the dignity is thus in suspension it is said to be in abeyance.-2. A state of suspension or temporary want of exercise. There is such a thing as keeping the sympathies of love and admiration in a dormant state, or state of abeyance. De Quincey. Abeyant (a-bā'ant), a. In law, being in abeyance. Abgregate † (ab'grē-gāt), v t. [L. abgrego, to lead away from the flock-ab, away, and grex, gregis, a flock.] To separate from a herd. Abgregation † (ab-grē-gā'shon), n. [L. L. abgregatio, from L. abgrego. See ABGREGATE.] The act of separating from a flock. Abhal (abhal), n. A name given in the East Indies to the berries of a species of cypress or juniper which are believed to be a powerful emmenagogue. Written sometimes Abhel. Abhominable (ab-hom'in-a-bl), a. An old mode of spelling abominable (from its being supposed to be derived from ab homine, from or repugnant to man), ridiculed as pedantic by Shakspere in the character of the pedant Holofernes. This is abhominable which he would call abominable. Love's Labour Lost. Abhor (ab-hor'), v. t. pret. & pp. abhorred; ppr. abhorring. [L. abhorreo, to shrink back ab, from, and horreo, to shudder, to feel horror.] 1. To hate extremely or with loathing; to loathe, detest, or abominate; to feel excessive repugnance towards; to shrink from with horror. Shak 2. To fill with horror and loathing. [Rare.] It doth abhor me now I speak the word. -Hate, Abhor, Detest. See under HATE. Abhort (ab-hor), v.i. 1. To shrink back with disgust, or fear, and shuddering. To abhorre from those vices.' Udall. 2. To be inconsistent with, opposite or contrary to: followed by from. Which is utterly abhorring from the end of all law. Milton. Abhorred (ab-hord'), p. and a. Hated extremely; detested; as, no one is more abhorred. Abhorrence (ab-hor'rens), n. Extreme hatred; detestation; great aversion. A sensitive abhorrence of proselytism. Sir G. C. Lewis. Abhorrency† (ab-hor'ren-si), n. Abhor ABHORRIBLE member of the court party, afterwards called Tories. They derived their name from their professed abhorrence of the principles of the Addressers, who endeavoured to encroach on the royal prerogative. See ADDRESSER Great numbers of abkorrers, from all parts of England, were seized by order of the Commons, and committed to custody. Huone. Abhorrible (ab-horri-bl), a. Worthy or deserving to be abhorred." [Rare.] Abhorring (ab-hor'ing), n. 1. Feeling of abhorrence; loathing. I find no abhorring in my appetite. 2 Object of abhorrence. Donne. They shall be an abhorring to all flesh. Is. lxvi. 44. Abib (a'bib), n. [Heb. abib, an ear of corn, from abab, to produce the first or early fruit-root ab, a swelling] The first month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, called also Nisan. It begins at the spring equinox, and answers to the latter part of March and beginning of April. Its name is derived from the full growth of wheat in Egypt, which took place anciently, as it does now, at that season. Abidance (a-bid'ans), n. The act of abiding; abode; stay. Fuller. [Rare.] Abide (a-bid'), r.i. pret. & pp. abode; ppr. abiding. [A. Sax. abidan, gebidan, to abide, from bidan, to bide. See BIDE.] 1. To take up one's abode; to dwell; to reside; to stay for a shorter or longer time.-2. To remain; not to depart. Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. Acts xxvii. 31. condition; to 1 Cor. vii. 40. 4. To inhere; to belong, as an attribute or quality; to have its seat. 3. To continue in a certain remain steadfast or faithful. Shak. Less spirit to curse abides in me. Abide by, (a) to remain at rest beside. Abide by thy crib.' Job xxxix. 9. (b) To adhere to; to maintain; to defend; to stand to; as, to abide by a friend; specifically, in Scots law, to adhere to as true and genuine: said of the party who founds on a deed or writing which the other party desires to have reduced or declared null and void, on the ground of forgery or falsehood. (c) To await or accept the consequences of; to rest satisfied with; as, to abide by the event or issue. Abide (a-bid'), e.t. 1. To wait for; especially, to stand one's ground against. 2 To be prepared for; to await; to be in store for. Bonds and afflictions abide me. Acts ix. 23. 3. To be able to endure or sustain, as a punishment, or judgment of God; to remain firm under. To abide the indignation of the Lord. Joel ii. 11. 4. To put up with; to tolerate. [Colloq.] I cannot abide the smell of hot meat. Shak. 5. [This meaning attaches to the word from a kind of confusion with aby, abie. See ABY.] To pay the price or penalty for; to suffer for. If it be found so, some will dear abide it. Shak. How dearly I abide that boast so vain. Milton. Abider (a-bid'ér), n. One who dwells or continnes Abiding (a-bid'ing), a. Continuing; permanent; steadfast; as, an abiding faith. Abidingly (a-bid′ing-li), adv. In such a manner as to continue; permanently. Abies (ab'i-es), n. [L] The fir, a genus of trees of the sub-order Abietinæ, nat. order Coniferæ, well known for the valuable timber that is produced by many of the species. It differs from the genus Pinus in the leaves growing singly on the stem, and the scales of the cones being smooth, round, and thin. To this genus belong the silver fir (A. picea), the great Californian fir (A. grandis), the halm of Gilead fir (A. balsamifera), the large-bracted fir (A. nobilis), the hemlock spruce fir (A. canadensis), sacred Mexican fir (A religiosa), Norway spruce fir (A. excelsa), Oriental fir (A. orientalis), white spruce fir (A. alba), Douglas' fir (A. Douglasi), &c. See FIR, PINE. Abietic (ab-i-et'ik), a. Of or pertaining to trees of the genus Abies. Abietic acid (CHO), an acid discovered in the resin of trees of the genus Abies. Abietinæ (ab'i-et-i'ne), n. pl. [L. abies, the fir.] The firs and spruces, a sub-order of plants, nat. order Coniferæ, having the fertile flowers in cones, with one or two in 7 verted ovules at the base of each scale. It includes many valuable timber-trees, often rising 130 to 180 feet high, arranged under the genera Pinus, Abies, Picea, Larix, Cedrus, Araucaria, Dammara, &c. Abietite (ab'i-et-it), n. (CH.03.) A sugar obtained from the needles of Abies pecti nata. Abietites (ab'i-et-i'tez), n. [L. abies, the fir.] A genus of fossil plants, nat. order Coniferæ, occurring in the Wealden and lower greensand strata. Abigail (ab'i-gál), n. [From the title of handmaid assumed to herself by Abigail, wife of Nabal, when carrying provisions to David. See 1 Sam. xx. 5.] A general name for a waiting woman or lady's-maid. [Colloq.] I remember the time when some of our well-bred country-women kept their valet-de-chambre, because, forsooth, a man was much more handy about them than one of their own sex. I myself have seen one of these male Abigails tripping about the room with a looking-glass in his hand and combing his lady's hair a whole morning together. Spectator. Abigeat (ab-ij ́é-at), n. [L. abigeatus, cattlestealing, from abigeus, a cattle-driver, from abigo, to drive away.] In law, (a) the crime of stealing or driving off cattle in droves. (b) A miscarriage procured by art. Abiliate (a-bil'i-at), v. t. [See ABLE.] To enable. Bacon. [Rare.] Abiliment (a-bil'i-ment), n. Ability. Ford. Abiliment to steer a kingdom. Abiliments, n. pl. Same as Habiliments. Abilitate t (a-bil'i-tāt), v.t. To assist. Nicholas Ferrar. Ability (a-bil'i-ti), n. [Fr. habilité, L. habilitas, ableness. See ABLE.] 1. The state or condition of being able; power, whether bodily or mental, natural or acquired, moral, conventional, or legal; skill or competence in any occupation or field of action. They gave after their ability unto the treasure of the work. Ezra ii. 69. Alas! what poor ability's in me To do him good? Shak. 2. pl. In a concrete sense, talents; mental gifts or endowments. Natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study. Bacon. 3. The being in a condition to meet pecuniary obligations; commercial soundness; wealth or means. Out of my lean and low ability Shak. A draft upon my neighbour was to me the same as money; for I was sufficiently convinced of his ability. Goldsmith. -Ability, Capacity. The former denotes rather active power or power to perform, and is used with regard to power of any kind; capacity conveys the idea of receptiveness, of the possession of resources; it is potential rather than actual, and may be no more than undeveloped ability. Ability is manifested in action, while capacity does not imply action, as when we speak of a capacity for virtue. Abilities, Talents, Parts, &c., distinguished under GENIUS.SYN. Capacity, talent, faculty, capability, efficiency, aptitude, aptness, address, dexterity, skill. Abilliaments (a-bil'i-a-ments), n. pl. Same as Habiliments, but applied more especially to armour and warlike stores. And now the temple of Janus being shut, warlike abilliaments grew rusty. Wilson, Hist. James I. Abime, n. [Fr.] An abyss. Column and base upbering from abime. Chaucer. Ab initio (ab in-i'shi-ō), n. [L.] From the beginning. Abintestate (ab-in-tes'tat), a. [L. ab, and intestatus, dying without a will-in, and testor, to bear witness.] In law, dying without making a will. Ab intra (ab in'trä). [L.] From within: opposed to ab extra. Abiogenesis (a-bi'ō-jen"ē-sis), n. [Gr.a, priv., bios, life, and genesis, generation, production. See BIOGENESIS.] In biol. the doctrine that living matter may be produced by not living matter. In the seventeenth century this was the dominant view, sanctioned alike by antiquity and authority, and was first assailed by Redi, an Italian philosopher. Needham and Buffon, who have been regarded as the supporters of this hypothesis, held the doctrine in a very modified degree. They held that life is the indefeasible property of certain indestructible molecules of matter which exist in all living things, and have inherent activities by which they are distinguished from not living matter; each individual living organ ABJURE ism being formed by their temporary combination, and they standing to it in the relation of the particles of water to a cascade or a whirlpool, or to a mould, into which the water is poured. See BIOGENESIS, HE TEROGENESIS. Abirritation (ab-ir'rit-a"shon), n. [L. ab, as a dim., and irritatio, irritation.] In med. a diminished condition of the vital phenomena of the tissues, inclining to debility or asthenia. Abit, v.. third person sing. of abide. Abideth. Chaucer. Abject (ab-jekt'), v. t. [See the adjective.] 1. To throw away; to cast off or out. For that offence only Almighty God abjected Saul that he should no more reign over Israel. Sir T. Elyot. 2. To make abject; to humiliate. It abjected his spirit to that degree that he fell dangerously sick. Strype. What is it that can make this gallant so stoop and abject himself so basely! Fotherby. Abject (ab’jekt),a. [L. abjectus, from abjicio, to throw away-ab, and jacio, to throw.] Sunk to a low condition; worthless, mean, despicable, low in estimation. To what base ends, and by what abject ways, Are mortals urg'd through sacred lust of praise. Pope. SYN. Mean, base, worthless, low, grovelling, debased, despicable. Abject (ab'jekt), n. A person in a low or abject condition. Ps. xxxv. 15. Shak. A very We are the queen's abjects, and must obey. Abjectedness (ab-jekt'ed-nes),_n. low or despicable condition. [Rare.] Abjection (ab-jek'shon), n. 1. The act of throwing away or down; the act of bringing down or humbling; overthrow. [Rare.] The audacite and bolde speche of Daniel signifyeth the abjection of the kynge and his realme. "Foye. 2. The state of being cast down or away; hence, a low state; meanness of spirit; baseness; abjectness. That this should be termed baseness, abjection of mind, or servility, is it credible? Hooker. The just medium of this case lies between pride and abjection. L'Estrange. The state of Abjectly (ab'jekt-li), adv. In a contemptible manner; meanly; servilely. Abjectness (ab'jekt-nes), n. being abject; meanness; servility. Abjudicatet (ab-jū'di-kāt),v.t. [L. abjudico, abjudicatum-ab,away,and judico, to judge. See JUDGE.] To give away by judgment. Ash. Abjudication (ab'jū-di-kā”shon), n. Rejection. Knowles. [Rare.] Abjugatet (ab'jū-gât), v.t. [L. abjugo, abjugatum, to unyoke-ab, from, and jugum, a yoke.] To unyoke. Bailey. Abjunctive (ab-jungk'tiv), a. [L. abjungo, abjunctum, to unyoke.] Isolated; exceptional. [Rare.] It is this power which leads on from the accidental and abjunctive to the universal. Is. Taylor. Abjuration (ab-jū-rā'shon), n. [See ABJURE.] 1. The act of abjuring: a renunciation upon oath. Formerly in England felons taking refuge in a church, and confessing their guilt, could not be arrested and tried, but might save their lives by an abjuration of the realm,' that is, by swearing to leave the country, and never to return.-2. A rejection or denial with solemnity; a total abandonment; as, 'an abjuration of heresy.'-Oath of abjuration, an oath asserting the title of the present royal family to the crown of EngÏand, and abjuring allegiance to that of the Pretender. A single oath is substituted for this and the oath of allegiance and supremacy by 21, 22 Vict. xlviii. Abjuratory (ab-jû'ra-to-ri), a. to abjuration. Abjure (ab-jür), v.t. pret. & pp. abjured; ppr. abjuring. [L. abjuro, to deny upon oath-ab, and juro, to swear.] 1. To renounce upon oath; to withdraw formally from; as, to abjure allegiance to a prince.-2. To renounce or reject with solemnity; to abandon; as, to abjure errors. 'Magic I here abjure.' Shak.-3. To recant or retract. [Rare.] I put myself to thy direction, and Unspeak mine own detraction, here abjure The taints and blames I laid upon myself. Shak. -Renounce, Recant, Abjure. See under RENOUNCE. SYN. To forswear, renounce, retract, recall, recant, revoke. Abjure (ab-jur), v. i. To renounce the realm; to swear to forsake the country. Pertaining One Thomas Harding,. . . who had abjured in the year 1506, was now observed to go often into woods, &c. Bp. Burnet. |