v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abated, p. pr. & vb. n. Abating. ] [ OF. abatre to beat down, F. abattre, LL. abatere; ab or ad + batere, battere (popular form for L. batuere to beat). Cf. Bate, Batter. ] 1. To beat down; to overthrow. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The King of Scots . . . sore abated the walls. Edw. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To bring down or reduce from a higher to a lower state, number, or degree; to lessen; to diminish; to contract; to moderate; to cut short; as, to abate a demand; to abate pride, zeal, hope. [ 1913 Webster ]

His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. Deut. xxxiv. 7. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To deduct; to omit; as, to abate something from a price. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nine thousand parishes, abating the odd hundreds. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To blunt. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To abate the edge of envy. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To reduce in estimation; to deprive. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

She hath abated me of half my train. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Law) (a) To bring entirely down or put an end to; to do away with; as, to abate a nuisance, to abate a writ. (b) (Eng. Law) To diminish; to reduce. Legacies are liable to be abated entirely or in proportion, upon a deficiency of assets. [ 1913 Webster ]

To abate a tax, to remit it either wholly or in part. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ See Abate, v. t. ] 1. To decrease, or become less in strength or violence; as, pain abates, a storm abates. [ 1913 Webster ]

The fury of Glengarry . . . rapidly abated. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To be defeated, or come to naught; to fall through; to fail; as, a writ abates. [ 1913 Webster ]

To abate into a freehold,
To abate in lands (Law), to enter into a freehold after the death of the last possessor, and before the heir takes possession. See Abatement, 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To subside; decrease; intermit; decline; diminish; lessen. -- To Abate, Subside. These words, as here compared, imply a coming down from some previously raised or excited state. Abate expresses this in respect to degrees, and implies a diminution of force or of intensity; as, the storm abates, the cold abates, the force of the wind abates; or, the wind abates, a fever abates. Subside (to settle down) has reference to a previous state of agitation or commotion; as, the waves subside after a storm, the wind subsides into a calm. When the words are used figuratively, the same distinction should be observed. If we conceive of a thing as having different degrees of intensity or strength, the word to be used is abate. Thus we say, a man's anger abates, the ardor of one's love abates, “Winter's rage abates”. But if the image be that of a sinking down into quiet from preceding excitement or commotion, the word to be used is subside; as, the tumult of the people subsides, the public mind subsided into a calm. The same is the case with those emotions which are tumultuous in their nature; as, his passion subsides, his joy quickly subsided, his grief subsided into a pleasing melancholy. Yet if, in such cases, we were thinking of the degree of violence of the emotion, we might use abate; as, his joy will abate in the progress of time; and so in other instances. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Abatement. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. abatement, F. abattement. ] 1. The act of abating, or the state of being abated; a lessening, diminution, or reduction; removal or putting an end to; as, the abatement of a nuisance is the suppression thereof. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The amount abated; that which is taken away by way of reduction; deduction; decrease; a rebate or discount allowed. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Her.) A mark of dishonor on an escutcheon. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) The entry of a stranger, without right, into a freehold after the death of the last possessor, before the heir or devisee. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

Defense in abatement,
Plea in abatement, (Law), plea to the effect that from some formal defect (e.g. misnomer, lack of jurisdiction) the proceedings should be abated. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, abates. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. acerbatus, p. p. of acerbare, fr. acerbus. ] To sour; to imbitter; to irritate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 a genus of mammals.
Syn. -- genus Acrobates. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ L. acutus sharp + E. lobe. ] (Bot.) Having acute lobes, as some leaves. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. approbatus, p. p. of approbare to approve. ] Approved. [ Obs. ] Elyot. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To express approbation of; to approve; to sanction officially. [ 1913 Webster ]

I approbate the one, I reprobate the other. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ This word is obsolete in England, but is occasionally heard in the United States, chiefly in a technical sense for license; as, a person is approbated to preach; approbated to keep a public house. Pickering (1816). [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. barbatus, fr. barba beard. See Barb beard. ] (Bot.) Bearded; beset with long and weak hairs. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having barbed points. [ 1913 Webster ]

A dart uncommonly barbated. T. Warton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Prob. abbrev. from debate. ] Strife; contention. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bated; p. pr. & vb. n. Bating. ] [ From abate. ] 1. To lessen by retrenching, deducting, or reducing; to abate; to beat down; to lower. [ 1913 Webster ]

He must either bate the laborer's wages, or not employ or not pay him. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To allow by way of abatement or deduction. [ 1913 Webster ]

To whom he bates nothing of what he stood upon with the parliament. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To leave out; to except. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Bate me the king, and, be he flesh and blood,
He lies that says it. Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To remove. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

About autumn bate the earth from about the roots of olives, and lay them bare. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To deprive of. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

When baseness is exalted, do not bate
The place its honor for the person's sake. Herbert. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To remit or retrench a part; -- with of. [ 1913 Webster ]

Abate thy speed, and I will bate of mine. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To waste away. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To attack; to bait. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

imp. of Bite. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ F. battre des ailes to flutter. Cf. Bait to flutter. ] To flutter as a hawk; to bait. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Jewish Antiq.) See 2d Bath. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Sw. beta maceration, soaking, G. beize, and E. bite. ] An alkaline solution consisting of the dung of certain animals; -- employed in the preparation of hides; grainer. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To steep in bate, as hides, in the manufacture of leather. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Bateaux [ F. bateau, LL. batellus, fr. battus, batus, boat, which agrees with AS. bāt boat: cf. W. bad boat. See Boat, n. ] A boat; esp. a flat-bottomed, clumsy boat used on the Canadian lakes and rivers. [ Written also, but less properly, batteau. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Bateau bridge, a floating bridge supported by bateaux. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Reduced; lowered; restrained; as, to speak with bated breath. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Exciting contention; contentious. [ Obs. ] “It did bateful question frame.” Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not to be abated. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ For Abatement. See 2d Bate. ] Abatement; diminution. Moxon. [ 1913 Webster ]

Batement light (Arch.), a window or one division of a window having vertical sides, but with the sill not horizontal, as where it follows the rake of a staircase. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + lobate. ] Divided into two lobes or segments. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. divided into two lobes.
Syn. -- bilobate. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. having two lobes; as, a bilobate leaf.
Syn. -- bilobate, bilobed. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. One who breeds or originates quarrels. [ Obs. ] “No telltale nor no breedbate.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. aelibatus, fr. caelebs unmarried, single. ] 1. Celibate state; celibacy. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He . . . preferreth holy celibate before the estate of marriage. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who is unmarried, esp. a bachelor, or one bound by vows not to marry. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Unmarried; single; as, a celibate state. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Cohobated; p. pr. & vb. n. Cohobating. ] [ LL. cohobare; prob. of Arabic origin: cf. F. cohober. ] (Anc. Chem.) To repeat the distillation of, pouring the liquor back upon the matter remaining in the vessel. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. colombate. See Columbium. ] (Chem.) A salt of columbic acid; a niobate. See Columbium. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who combats. Sherwood. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ L. comprobatus, p. p. of comprobare, to approve wholly. ] To agree; to concur. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Elyot. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. conglobatus, p. p. of conglobare to conglobate. See Globate. ] Collected into, or forming, a rounded mass or ball; as, the conglobate [ lymphatic ] glands; conglobate flowers. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Conglobated; p. pr. & vb. n. Conglobating. ] [ Cf. Conglore. ] To collect or form into a ball or rounded mass; to gather or mass together. [ 1913 Webster ]

Conglobated bubbles undissolved. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. dealbatus, p. p. of dealbare. See Daub. ] To whiten. [ Obs. ] Cockeram. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Debated; p. pr. & vb. n. Debating. ] [ OF. debatre, F. débattre; L. de + batuere to beat. See Batter, v. t., and cf. Abate. ] 1. To engage in combat for; to strive for. [ 1913 Webster ]

Volunteers . . . thronged to serve under his banner, and the cause of religion was debated with the same ardor in Spain as on the plains of Palestine. Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To contend for in words or arguments; to strive to maintain by reasoning; to dispute; to contest; to discuss; to argue for and against. [ 1913 Webster ]

A wise council . . . that did debate this business. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Debate thy cause with thy neighbor himself. Prov. xxv. 9.

Syn. -- To argue; discuss; dispute; controvert. See Argue, and Discuss. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To engage in strife or combat; to fight. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Well could he tourney and in lists debate. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To contend in words; to dispute; hence, to deliberate; to consider; to discuss or examine different arguments in the mind; -- often followed by on or upon. [ 1913 Webster ]

He presents that great soul debating upon the subject of life and death with his intimate friends. Tatler. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. débat, fr. débattre. See Debate, v. t. ] 1. A fight or fighting; contest; strife. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

On the day of the Trinity next ensuing was a great debate . . . and in that murder there were slain . . . fourscore. R. of Gloucester. [ 1913 Webster ]

But question fierce and proud reply
Gave signal soon of dire debate. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Contention in words or arguments; discussion for the purpose of elucidating truth or influencing action; strife in argument; controversy; as, the debates in Parliament or in Congress. [ 1913 Webster ]

Heard, noted, answer'd, as in full debate. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Subject of discussion. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Statutes and edicts concerning this debate. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Full of contention; contentious; quarrelsome. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. With contention. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OF. debatement a beating. ] Controversy; deliberation; debate. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A serious question and debatement with myself. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who debates; one given to argument; a disputant; a controvertist. [ 1913 Webster ]

Debate where leisure serves with dull debaters. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. delibatus, p. p. of delibare to taste; de- + libare to taste. ] To taste; to take a sip of; to dabble in. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ LL. deturbatus, p. p. of deturbare, fr. L. deturbare to thrust down. ] To evict; to remove. [ Obs. ] Foxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; &unr_; (sc. &unr_;) offerings before crossing the border, fr. &unr_; to pass over. See Diabase. ] Passing over the borders. [ R. ] Mitford. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. elumbis; e + lumbus loin. ] Weak or lame in the loins. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Exacerbated p. pr. & vb. n. Exacerbating ] [ L. exacerbatus, p. p. of exacerbare; ex out (intens.) + acerbare. See Acerbate. ] To render more violent or bitter; to irritate; to exasperate; to imbitter, as passions or disease. Brougham. [ 1913 Webster ]