a. Serving or tending to abbreviate; shortening; abridging. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abditorium. ] A place for hiding or preserving articles of value. Cowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Pertaining to, or formed by, the letters of the alphabet; alphabetic; hence, rudimentary. [ 1913 Webster ]

Abecedarian psalms,
hymns, etc., compositions in which (like the 119th psalm in Hebrew) distinct portions or verses commence with successive letters of the alphabet. Hook. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A primer; the first principle or rudiment of anything. [ R. ] Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Containing abjuration. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to ablution. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. relating to or favoring abolition, especially the abolition of slavery. WordNet 1.5 ]

2. of or pertaining to abolition [ PJC ]

a. [ L. absolutorius, fr. absolvere to absolve. ] Serving to absolve; absolving. “An absolutory sentence.” Ayliffe. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Conferring absolution; absolutory. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Belonging to the order of fishes having spinose fins, as the perch. -- n. A spiny-finned fish. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; thorn + &unr_; fin, dim. fr. &unr_; wing. ] (Zool.) An order of fishes having some of the rays of the dorsal, ventral, and anal fins unarticulated and spinelike, as the perch. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having fins in which the rays are hard and spinelike; spiny-finned. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Accelerative. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Accompanying, as a subordinate; additional; accessory; esp., uniting in, or contributing to, a crime, but not as chief actor. See Accessory. [ 1913 Webster ]

To both their deaths thou shalt be accessary. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Amongst many secondary and accessary causes that support monarchy, these are not of least reckoning. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Accessaries [ Cf. Accessory and LL. accessarius. ] (Law) One who, not being present, contributes as an assistant or instigator to the commission of an offense. [ 1913 Webster ]

Accessary before the fact (Law), one who commands or counsels an offense, not being present at its commission. --
Accessary after the fact, one who, after an offense, assists or shelters the offender, not being present at the commission of the offense. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ This word, as used in law, is spelt accessory by Blackstone and many others; but in this sense is spelt accessary by Bouvier, Burrill, Burns, Whishaw, Dane, and the Penny Cyclopedia; while in other senses it is spelt accessory. In recent text-books on criminal law the distinction is not preserved, the spelling being either accessary or accessory. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. accessorius. See Access, and cf. Accessary. ] Accompanying as a subordinate; aiding in a secondary way; additional; connected as an incident or subordinate to a principal; contributing or contributory; said of persons and things, and, when of persons, usually in a bad sense; as, he was accessory to the riot; accessory sounds in music. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Ash accents the antepenult; and this is not only more regular, but preferable, on account of easiness of pronunciation. Most orhoëpists place the accent on the first syllable. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Accompanying; contributory; auxiliary; subsidiary; subservient; additional; acceding. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Accessories 1. That which belongs to something else deemed the principal; something additional and subordinate. “The aspect and accessories of a den of banditti.” Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) Same as Accessary, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Fine Arts) Anything that enters into a work of art without being indispensably necessary, as mere ornamental parts. Elmes. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Abettor; accomplice; ally; coadjutor. See Abettor. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, or expressing approval by, acclamation. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. Marked or produced by accretion. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ L. accusatorius, fr. accusare. ] Pertaining to, or containing, an accusation; as, an accusatory libel. Grote. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Usual; customary. [ Archaic ] Featley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. acetaria salad plants. ] An acid pulp in certain fruits, as the pear. Grew. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act or method of ascertaining the strength of vinegar, or the proportion of acetic acid contained in it. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. acidus acid + -metry. ] (Chem.) The measurement of the strength of acids, especially by a chemical process based on the law of chemical combinations, or the fact that, to produce a complete reaction, a certain definite weight of reagent is required. -- Ac`id*i*met"ric*al a. [1913 Webster]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; to hear + -metry. ] The measuring of the power or extent of hearing. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Acquirement. [ Obs. ] Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. A paint in which the pigment is suspended in a solution of an acrylic resin, which dries to a hard film on exposure to air. [ PJC ]

2. A painting made using an acrylic paint; as, he donated several of his acrylics to the museum. [ PJC ]

3. Same as acrylic resin. [ PJC ]

4. Same as acrylic fiber. [ PJC ]

a. 1. (Chem.) Of or containing acryl, the hypothetical radical (R.CH:CH.CO-) of which acrolein (H2C:CH.CHO) is the hydride; as, acrylic acid. The characteristic residue in an acrylic compound is the carbonyl group attached directly to an ethylenic carbon. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. Of or pertaining to a derivative of acrylic acid, or an object consisting mostly of an acrylic resin; as, an acrylic window. [ PJC ]

n. 1. (Chem.) a thermoplastic made by polymerization of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid or some derivative of these (such as the esters or amides). It can be formed into a clear hard plastic, and is the basis for the commercial plastics called Lucite and Plexiglass. [ PJC ]

n. 1. a colorless liquid compound (H2C:CH.CN); used as raw material for acrylic fibers, and as a solvent.
Syn. -- vinyl cyanide, cyanoethylene, 2-propenenitrile [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. Chemistry in its relations to actinism. Draper. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The measurement of the force of solar radiation. Maury. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The measurement of the chemical or actinic energy of light. Abney. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ Cf. F. actionnaire. ] (Com.) A shareholder in joint-stock company. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Actuaries [ L. actuarius copyist, clerk, fr. actus, p. p. of agere to do, act. ] 1. (Law) A registrar or clerk; -- used originally in courts of civil law jurisdiction, but in Europe used for a clerk or registrar generally. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The computing official of an insurance company; one whose profession it is to calculate for insurance companies the risks and premiums for life, fire, and other insurances. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Additional. [ R. ] Herbert. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Tending to add; making some addition. [ R. ] Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Containing counsel or warning; hortatory; advisory. [ Obs. ] Potter. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. 'adiafori`a. ] Indifference. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. adjuratorius. ] Containing an adjuration. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. adjutorius. ] Serving to help or assist; helping. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. ad- + maxillary. ] (Anat.) Near to the maxilla or jawbone. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Adminicular. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to admission. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. admonitorius. ] That conveys admonition; warning or reproving; as, an admonitory glance. -- Ad*mon"i*to*ri*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

a. [ Pref. a- (for on) + dry. ] In a dry or thirsty condition. “A man that is adry.” Burton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. See Astrictory. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. adulatorius, fr. adulari: cf. OF. adulatoire. ] Containing excessive praise or compliment; servilely praising; flattering; as, an adulatory address. [ 1913 Webster ]

A mere rant of adulatory freedom. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Adulteries [ L. adulterium. See Advoutry. ] 1. The unfaithfulness of a married person to the marriage bed; sexual intercourse by a married man with another than his wife, or voluntary sexual intercourse by a married woman with another than her husband. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ It is adultery on the part of the married wrongdoer. The word has also been used to characterize the act of an unmarried participator, the other being married. In the United States the definition varies with the local statutes. Unlawful intercourse between two married persons is sometimes called double adultery; between a married and an unmarried person, single adultery. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Adulteration; corruption. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Script.) (a) Lewdness or unchastity of thought as well as act, as forbidden by the seventh commandment. (b) Faithlessness in religion. Jer. iii. 9. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Old Law) The fine and penalty imposed for the offense of adultery. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Eccl.) The intrusion of a person into a bishopric during the life of the bishop. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Injury; degradation; ruin. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

You might wrest the caduceus out of my hand to the adultery and spoil of nature. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Opposed; opposite; adverse; antagonistic. [ Archaic ] Bp. King. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) Having an opposing party; not unopposed; as, an adversary suit. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Adversaries [ OE. adversarie, direct fr. the Latin, and adversaire, fr. OF. adversier, aversier, fr. L. adversarius (a.) turned toward, (n.) an adversary. See Adverse. ] One who is turned against another or others with a design to oppose or resist them; a member of an opposing or hostile party; an opponent; an antagonist; an enemy; a foe. [ 1913 Webster ]

His ancient knot of dangerous adversaries. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Agree with thine adversary quickly. Matt. v. 25. [ 1913 Webster ]

It may be thought that to vindicate the permanency of truth is to dispute without an adversary. Beattie. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Adversary, The Satan, or the Devil. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Adversary, Enemy, Opponent, Antagonist. Enemy is the only one of these words which necessarily implies a state of personal hostility. Men may be adversaries, antagonists, or opponents to each other in certain respects, and yet have no feelings of general animosity. An adversary may be simply one who is placed for a time in a hostile position, as in a lawsuit, an argument, in chess playing, or at fence. An opponent is one who is ranged against another (perhaps passively) on the opposing side; as a political opponent, an opponent in debate. An antagonist is one who struggles against another with active effort, either in a literal fight or in verbal debate. [ 1913 Webster ]