a. Opposed to slavery. -- n. Opposition to slavery. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. aver domestic animal, whence LL. averia, pl. cattle. See Habit, and cf. Average. ] A work horse, or working ox. [ Obs. or Dial. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Averred (&adot_;*v&etilde_;rd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Averring.] [F. avérer, LL. adverare, averare; L. ad + versus true. See Verity.] 1. To assert, or prove, the truth of. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

2. (Law) To avouch or verify; to offer to verify; to prove or justify. See Averment. [1913 Webster]

3. To affirm with confidence; to declare in a positive manner, as in confidence of asserting the truth. [1913 Webster]

It is sufficient that the very fact hath its foundation in truth, as I do seriously aver is the case. Fielding. [1913 Webster]

Then all averred I had killed the bird. Coleridge. [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- To assert; affirm; asseverate. See Affirm. [1913 Webster]

n. [ OF. average, LL. averagium, prob. fr. OF. aver, F. avoir, property, horses, cattle, etc.; prop. infin., to have, from L. habere to have. Cf. F. avérage small cattle, and avarie (perh. of different origin) damage to ship or cargo, port dues. The first meaning was perhaps the service of carting a feudal lord's wheat, then charge for carriage, the contribution towards loss of things carried, in proportion to the amount of each person's property. Cf. Aver, n., Avercorn, Averpenny. ] 1. (OLd Eng. Law) That service which a tenant owed his lord, to be done by the work beasts of the tenant, as the carriage of wheat, turf, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ Cf. F. avarie damage to ship or cargo. ] (Com.) (a) A tariff or duty on goods, etc. [ Obs. ] (b) Any charge in addition to the regular charge for freight of goods shipped. (c) A contribution to a loss or charge which has been imposed upon one of several for the general benefit; damage done by sea perils. (d) The equitable and proportionate distribution of loss or expense among all interested. [ 1913 Webster ]

General average, a contribution made, by all parties concerned in a sea adventure, toward a loss occasioned by the voluntary sacrifice of the property of some of the parties in interest for the benefit of all. It is called general average, because it falls upon the gross amount of ship, cargo, and freight at risk and saved by the sacrifice. Kent. --
Particular average signifies the damage or partial loss happening to the ship, or cargo, or freight, in consequence of some fortuitous or unavoidable accident; and it is borne by the individual owners of the articles damaged, or by their insurers. --
Petty averages are sundry small charges, which occur regularly, and are necessarily defrayed by the master in the usual course of a voyage; such as port charges, common pilotage, and the like, which formerly were, and in some cases still are, borne partly by the ship and partly by the cargo. In the clause commonly found in bills of lading, “primage and average accustomed, ” average means a kind of composition established by usage for such charges, which were formerly assessed by way of average. Arnould. Abbott. Phillips. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A mean proportion, medial sum or quantity, made out of unequal sums or quantities; an arithmetical mean. Thus, if A loses 5 dollars, B 9, and C 16, the sum is 30, and the average 10. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Any medial estimate or general statement derived from a comparison of diverse specific cases; a medium or usual size, quantity, quality, rate, etc. “The average of sensations.” Paley. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. pl. In the English corn trade, the medial price of the several kinds of grain in the principal corn markets. [ 1913 Webster ]

On an average, taking the mean of unequal numbers or quantities. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Pertaining to an average or mean; medial; containing a mean proportion; of a mean size, quality, ability, etc.; ordinary; usual; as, an average rate of profit; an average amount of rain; the average Englishman; beings of the average stamp. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. According to the laws of averages; as, the loss must be made good by average contribution. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Averaged (&unr_;); p. pr. & vb. n. Averaging. ] 1. To find the mean of, when sums or quantities are unequal; to reduce to a mean. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To divide among a number, according to a given proportion; as, to average a loss. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To do, accomplish, get, etc., on an average. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To form, or exist in, a mean or medial sum or quantity; to amount to, or to be, on an average; as, the losses of the owners will average twenty five dollars each; these spars average ten feet in length. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Aver, n. + corn. ] (Old Eng. Law) A reserved rent in corn, formerly paid to religious houses by their tenants or farmers. Kennet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OF. averement, LL. averamentum. See Aver, v. t. ] 1. The act of averring, or that which is averred; affirmation; positive assertion. [ 1913 Webster ]

Signally has this averment received illustration in the course of recent events. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Verification; establishment by evidence. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) A positive statement of facts; an allegation; an offer to justify or prove what is alleged. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In any stage of pleadings, when either party advances new matter, he avers it to be true, by using this form of words: “and this he is ready to verify.” This was formerly called an averment. It modern pleading, it is termed a verification. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Of or pertaining to Avernus, a lake of Campania, in Italy, famous for its poisonous vapors, which ancient writers fancied were so malignant as to kill birds flying over it. It was represented by the poets to be connected with the infernal regions. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Aver, n. + penny. ] (Old Eng. Law) Money paid by a tenant in lieu of the service of average. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The tenets of the Averroists. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One of a sect of peripatetic philosophers, who appeared in Italy before the restoration of learning; so denominated from Averroes, or Averrhoes, a celebrated Arabian philosopher. He held the doctrine of monopsychism. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. averruncare to avert; a, ab, off + verruncare to turn; formerly derived from ab and eruncare to root out. Cf. Aberuncate. ] 1. To avert; to ward off. [ Obs. ] Hudibras. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To root up. [ Obs. ] Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OF. averroncation. ] 1. The act of averting. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Eradication. [ R. ] De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An instrument for pruning trees, having two blades, or a blade and a hook, fixed on a long rod and operated by a string or wire; a tree pruner. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ L. aversatio, fr. aversari to turn away, v. intens. of avertere. See Avert. ] A turning from with dislike; aversion. [ Obs.or Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Some men have a natural aversation to some vices or virtues, and a natural affection to others. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. aversus, p. p. of avertere. See Avert. ] 1. Turned away or backward. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The tracks averse a lying notice gave,
And led the searcher backward from the cave. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Having a repugnance or opposition of mind; disliking; disinclined; unwilling; reluctant. [ 1913 Webster ]

Averse alike to flatter, or offend. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

Men who were averse to the life of camps. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pass by securely as men averse from war. Micah ii. 8. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The prevailing usage now is to employ to after averse and its derivatives rather than from, as was formerly the usage. In this the word is in agreement with its kindred terms, hatred, dislike, dissimilar, contrary, repugnant, etc., expressing a relation or an affection of the mind to an object. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Averse, Reluctant, Adverse. Averse expresses an habitual, though not of necessity a very strong, dislike; as, averse to active pursuits; averse to study. Reluctant, a term of the of the will, implies an internal struggle as to making some sacrifice of interest or feeling; as, reluctant to yield; reluctant to make the necessary arrangements; a reluctant will or consent. Adverse denotes active opposition or hostility; as, adverse interests; adverse feelings, plans, or movements; the adverse party. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. To turn away. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. Backward; in a backward direction; as, emitted aversely. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. With repugnance or aversion; unwillingly. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being averse; opposition of mind; unwillingness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. aversio: cf. F. aversion. See Avert. ] 1. A turning away. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Adhesion to vice and aversion from goodness. Bp. Atterbury. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Opposition or repugnance of mind; fixed dislike; antipathy; disinclination; reluctance. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mutual aversion of races. Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

His rapacity had made him an object of general aversion. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ It is now generally followed by to before the object. [ See Averse. ] Sometimes towards and for are found; from is obsolete. [ 1913 Webster ]

A freeholder is bred with an aversion to subjection. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

His aversion towards the house of York. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is not difficult for a man to see that a person has conceived an aversion for him. Spectator. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Khasias . . . have an aversion to milk. J. D. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The object of dislike or repugnance. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pain their aversion, pleasure their desire. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Antipathy; dislike; repugnance; disgust. See Dislike. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. of or pertaining to aversion. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. exhibiting avoidance or causing avoidance. aversive conditioning aversive behavior [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Averted; p. pr. & vb. n. Averting. ] [ L. avertere; a, ab + vertere to turn: cf. OF. avertir. See Verse, n. ] To turn aside, or away; as, to avert the eyes from an object; to ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of; as, how can the danger be averted? “To avert his ire.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

When atheists and profane persons do hear of so many discordant and contrary opinions in religion, it doth avert them from the church. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

Till ardent prayer averts the public woe. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To turn away. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Cold and averting from our neighbor's good. Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Turned away, esp. as an expression of feeling; also, offended; unpropitious. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who scornful pass it with averted eye. Keble. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

a. Capable of being averted; preventable. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Advertisement. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. bever, AS. beofer, befer; akin to D. bever, OHG. bibar, G. biber, Sw. bäfver, Dan. bæver, Lith. bebru, Russ. bobr', Gael. beabhar, Corn. befer, L. fiber, and Skr. babhrus large ichneumon; also as an adj., brown, the animal being probably named from its color. √253. See Brown. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Zool.) An amphibious rodent, of the genus Castor. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ It has palmated hind feet, and a broad, flat tail. It is remarkable for its ingenuity in constructing its lodges or “houses, ” and dams across streams. It is valued for its fur, and for the material called castor, obtained from two small bags in the groin of the animal. The European species is Castor fiber, and the American is generally considered a variety of this, although sometimes called Castor Canadensis. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The fur of the beaver. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A hat, formerly made of the fur of the beaver, but now usually of silk. [ 1913 Webster ]

A brown beaver slouched over his eyes. Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Beaver cloth, a heavy felted woolen cloth, used chiefly for making overcoats. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A man's beard. [ PJC ]

6. The hair on a woman's pubic area; -- vulgar. [ vulgar slang ] [ PJC ]

7. A woman; -- vulgar and offensive. [ vulgar slang ] [ PJC ]

8. A person who works enthusiastically and diligently; -- used especially in the phrase eager beaver. [ informal ] [ PJC ]

Beaver rat (Zool.), an aquatic ratlike quadruped of Tasmania (Hydromys chrysogaster). --
Beaver skin, the furry skin of the beaver. --
Bank beaver. See under 1st Bank. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. baviere, bauier, beavoir, bever; fr. F. bavière, fr. bave slaver, drivel, foam, OF., prattle, drivel, perh. orig. an imitative word. Bavière, according to Cotgrave, is the bib put before a (slavering) child. ] That piece of armor which protected the lower part of the face, whether forming a part of the helmet or fixed to the breastplate. It was so constructed (with joints or otherwise) that the wearer could raise or lower it to eat and drink. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Covered with, or wearing, a beaver or hat. “His beavered brow.” Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

. Oregon; -- a nickname. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. A kind of fustian made of coarse twilled cotton, shorn after dyeing. Simmonds. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who bereaves. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beslavered p. pr. & vb. n. Beslavering. ] To defile with slaver; to beslobber. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. braverie. ] 1. The quality of being brave; fearless; intrepidity. [ 1913 Webster ]

Remember, sir, my liege, . . .
The natural bravery of your isle. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of braving; defiance; bravado. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Reform, then, without bravery or scandal of former times and persons. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Splendor; magnificence; showy appearance; ostentation; fine dress. [ 1913 Webster ]

With scarfs and fans and double change of bravery. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Like a stately ship . . .
With all her bravery on, and tackle trim. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A showy person; a fine gentleman; a beau. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A man that is the bravery of his age. Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Courage; heroism; interpidity; gallantry; valor; fearlessness; dauntlessness; hardihood; manfulness. See Courage, and Heroism. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L., fr cadere to fall. ] A dead human body; a corpse. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a corpse, or the changes produced by death; cadaverous; as, cadaveric rigidity. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cadaveric alkaloid, an alkaloid generated by the processes of decomposition in dead animal bodies, and thought by some to be the cause of the poisonous effects produced by the bodies. See Ptomaine. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ n. Also }. [ From Cadaver and amine. ] (Chem.) A sirupy, nontoxic ptomaine, H2N.(CH2)5.NH2 (chemically pentamethylene diamine), formed in putrefaction of flesh, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

a. [ L. cadaverosus. ] 1. Having the appearance or color of a dead human body; pale; ghastly; as, a cadaverous look. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of or pertaining to, or having the qualities of, a dead body. “The scent cadaverous.”

-- Ca*dav"er*ous*ly, adv. -- Ca*dav"er*ous*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

A human skull reported, by Prof. J. D. Whitney, as found in 1886 in a Tertiary auriferous gravel deposit, lying below a bed of black lava, in Calaveras County, California. It is regarded as very doubtful whether the skull really belonged to the deposit in which it was found. If it did, it indicates an unprecedented antiquity for human beings of an advanced type. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Min.) A bronze-yellow massive mineral with metallic luster; a telluride of gold; -- first found in Calaveras County California. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. caverna, fr. cavus hollow: cf. F. caverne. ] A large, deep, hollow place in the earth; a large cave. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Containing caverns. [ 1913 Webster ]

The wolves yelled on the caverned hill. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Living in a cavern. “Caverned hermit.” Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. cavernosus: cf. F. caverneux. ] 1. Full of caverns; resembling a cavern or large cavity; hollow. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Filled with small cavities or cells. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Having a sound caused by a cavity. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cavernous body, a body of erectile tissue with large interspaces which may be distended with blood, as in the penis or clitoris. --
Cavernous respiration, a peculiar respiratory sound andible on auscultation, when the bronchial tubes communicate with morbid cavities in the lungs. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. cavernula, dim. of caverna cavern. ] Full of little cavities; as, cavernulous metal. Black. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Obs. ] See Clover. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Frivolous or nonsensical talk; prattle; chattering. [ Scot. & North of Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Emmy found herself entirely at a loss in the midst of their clavers. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who cleaves, or that which cleaves; especially, a butcher's instrument for cutting animal bodies into joints or pieces. [ 1913 Webster ]