Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
- Entries
- 95,912
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Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
An'a-tron, n. p. 50[Fr. anatron, natron, Sp. anatron, natron, Ar. al-natrūn, (al-nitrān), from Gr. νίτρον, natron, a mineral alkali, our potassa, or soda, or both (not our niter, i. e., saltpeter), Lat. nitrum, N. Lat.…A-năt'ro-pal or A-năt'ro-poŭs, a. p. 50(Bot.) Having the ovule inverted at an early period in its development, so that the chalaza is at the apparent apex. Gray.An’bu-ry, n. p. 50(Far.) A soft tumor on horses and cows, containing blood. White. 2. A swelling produced by insects on the roots of turnips, cabbages, &c. Gardner.Ăn'ces-tor, n. p. 50One from whom a person descends, either by the father or mother, at any distance of time; a progenitor; a forefather. 2. (Law.) One who has preceded another in the possession of real estate; one from…Ăn'ces-tō'rī-al, a. p. 50Ancestral. Pollok.An-cès'tral or Ăn'ces-tral, a. p. 50Pertaining to, or descending from, ancestors; as, an ancestral estate. “Ancestral trees.” Hemans.An-cĕs'tress or Ăn'ces-tress, n. p. 50A female ancestor.Ăn'ces-try, n. p. 50A series of ancestors or progenitors; lineage, or those who compose the line of natural descent. 2. Hence, birth or honorable descent. Addison. Our ancestry, a gallant, Christian race, Patterns of…Anch'i-lops, n. p. 50See ÆGILOPS.Ăn'chor, n. p. 50An iron instrument for holding a ship or other vessel at rest in water. It consists of a straight bar called a shank, having at one end a transverse bar called a stock, above which is a ring for the…Ănch'or, v. t. p. 50(Naut.) To place at anchor; as, to anchor a ship. 2. (Fig.) To fix or fasten; to fix in a stable condition; as, to anchor the cables of a suspension bridge. Till that my nails were anchored in thine…Ănch'or, v. i. p. 50To cast anchor; to come to anchor; as, our ship anchored in the Downs. 2. (Fig.) To stop; to fix or rest. “My intention anchors on Isabel.” Shak.Ănch'or, n. p. 50An anchorite; a hermit. [Obs.] Shak.Ănch'or-a-ble, a. p. 50Fit for anchorage. Herbert.Ănch'or-aġe, n. p. 50A place where a ship can anchor. Totten. 2. The anchor and all the necessary tackle for anchoring. 3. A duty imposed on ships for anchoring in a harbor. Johnson.Ănch'ored, p. a. p. 50(Her.) Having the extremities turned back, like the flukes of an anchor; as, an anchored cross. [Sometimes spelt ancred.]An'cho-ress, n. p. 50A female anchoret. Fairfax. And there, a saintly anchoress, she dwelt. Wordsworth.An'eh'o-ret or An'eh'o-rite, n. p. 50One who retires from society into a desert or solitary place, to avoid the temptations of the world, and devote himself to religious duties; a hermit; a recluse. Our Savior himself . . . did not…An'cho-rĕt'ic or An'cho-rĕt'ic-al, a. p. 50Pertaining to an anchoret or hermit, or to his mode of life.An'chor-hōld, n. p. 50The hold or gripe of an anchor; security.Ănch'or-ice, n. p. 50Ice formed at the bottom of running streams, and thus attached or anchored to the ground; ground-ice. Denny.An'chor-it'ess, n. p. 50A female anchorite. [Obs.] Pega, his sister, an anchoritess, led a solitary life not far from him. Fuller.An-chō'vy, n. p. 50A small fish, about three inches in length, of the Herring family (species Engraulis encrasicolus), caught in vast numbers in the Mediterranean, and pickled for exportation.An-chō'vy-peār, n. p. 50(Bot.) A plant and its fruit found in the West Indies; the Grias cauliflora. The fruit resembles the mango in taste, and, like it, is sometimes pickled when green. Encyc. of Dom. Econ.An'chu-sīne, n. p. 50(Chem.) A resinoid coloring matter obtained from alkanet root.An'chy-lōse, v. t. p. 50To unite or fix immovably; to stiffen; to make fast. Owen.Anchy-lō'sis, n. p. 50(Med.) Stiffness of a joint; immobility of a joint naturally movable. Dunglison.An'cient, a. p. 50Old; that happened or existed in former times, usually at a great distance of time; as, ancient authors; ancient days. Witness those ancient empires of the earth. Milton. Gildas Albanius . . . much…An'cient, n. p. 51pl. Those who lived in former ages, as opposed to the moderns. 2. pl. Very old men. Hence, (a.) Governors; rulers. “The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people.” Isa. iii. 13.…An'cient-ly, adv. p. 51In ancient times; in times long since past.Ăn'cient-ness, n. p. 51The state of being ancient; antiquity; existence from old times.An'cient-ry, n. p. 51Dignity of birth; the honor of ancient lineage. “His father being a gentleman of more ancientry than estate.” Fuller.An'cient-y, n. p. 51Age; antiquity. [Obs.] Martin. 2. In some old English statutes and authors, eldership or seniority. 14 Henry III.An-cī'le, n. p. 51(Rom. Antiq.) The sacred shield of Mars, said to have fallen from heaven in the reign of Numa. Adams.Ăn'cil-la-ry, a. p. 51Subservient or subordinate, like a handmaid. The Convocation of York seems to have been always considered as inferior, and even ancillary, to the greater province. Hallam. Ancillary administration…An-cip’i-tal, a. p. 51(Bot.) Two-edged; compressed, and forming two opposite angles, as a stem of blue-grass. Gray.An-cĭp'i-tous, a. p. 51See ANCIPITAL.An'cle, n. p. 51See ANKLE.Ăn'cōme, n. p. 51A small ulcerous swelling, coming suddenly. Boucher.An'con, n. p. 51(Anat.) The olecranon, or elbow; the larger posterior process at the upper end of the ulna.An'con or An'cône, n. p. 51(Arch.) (a.) An elbow, or angle, or corner stone; one of the corners or quoins of walls, cross-beams, or rafters. Gwilt. (b.) A bracket supporting a cornice, as of doorways; frequently used merely as…An'co-ne'us, n. p. 51(Anat.) A muscle which assists in extending the arm. Ogilvie.An'co-noid, a. p. 51Elbow-like;—applied to a process of the cubit. Ogilvie.An'co-ny, n. p. 51(Iron Works.) A piece of half-wrought iron, in the shape of a bar in the middle, but rude and unwrought at the ends.And, conj. p. 51A particle which expresses the relation of addition. It may connect words merely; as, three and four are seven; or full sentences, as, the sun shines, and the air is mild.An'da-ba-tĭsm, n. p. 51Doubt; uncertainty. [Obs.] Sheffield.An'da-lu'site, n. p. 51(Min.) A mineral, occurring usually in thick rhombic prisms, nearly square, of a grayish or pale reddish tint, composed of silica and alumina. Its name is derived from Andalusia, in Spain, where it…An-dān’te, a. p. 51[It. andante, p. pr. of andare, to go. Andare is derived from Lat. ambulare, but under the influence of Ger. wenden, wandern, Eng. to wend, to wander, A-S. wenden, wandelen, (goth. wandjan.) [Mus.]…An-dān’te, n. p. 51(Mus.) A movement or piece in andante time; as, the andante in Beethoven’s fifth symphony.An'dan-tī'no, adv. p. 51(Mus.) Less slow than andante; between that and allegretto.Ăn'da-rae, n. p. 51Red orpiment. Coxe.An-dē'an, a. p. 51(Geog.) Pertaining to the Andes.And'iron, n. p. 51In England, an iron at the end of a fire-grate in which the spit turns. Johnson. 2. A utensil for supporting wood in a fireplace; a fire-dog.An'dor-rēse', n. sing. & pl. p. 51(Geog.) A native inhabitant of the valley of Andorra.An'dor-rēse', a. p. 51(Geog.) Per-An'dra-năt'o-my, n. p. 51The dissection of a human body, especially of a male; androtomy. Coxe.An-drŏg'y-nal or An-drŏg'y-noûs, a. p. 51Having two sexes; being male and female; hermaphroditical. Browne. 2. Hence, having the mental characteristics of both sexes. The truth is, a great mind must be androgynous. Coleridge. 3. (Bot.)…An-drŏg'y-nal-ly, adv. p. 51With the parts of both sexes. Browne.An-drŏg'y-nē or An-drŏg'y-nēs, n. p. 51An hermaphrodite. [Obs.] Johnson.An'droid or An-droid'des, n. p. 51A machine or automaton in the human form, which, by certain contrivances, as springs, weights, &c., performs some of the natural motions of a living man.