a. [ L. abruptus, p. p. of abrumpere to break off; ab + rumpere to break. See Rupture. ] 1. Broken off; very steep, or craggy, as rocks, precipices, banks; precipitous; steep; as, abrupt places. “Tumbling through ricks abrupt, ” Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Without notice to prepare the mind for the event; sudden; hasty; unceremonious. “The cause of your abrupt departure.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Having sudden transitions from one subject to another; unconnected. [ 1913 Webster ]

The abrupt style, which hath many breaches. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Bot.) Suddenly terminating, as if cut off. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Sudden; unexpected; hasty; rough; curt; unceremonious; rugged; blunt; disconnected; broken. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abruptum. ] An abrupt place. [ Poetic ] “Over the vast abrupt.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To tear off or asunder. [ Obs. ] “Till death abrupts them.” Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abruptio, fr. abrumpere: cf. F. abruption. ] A sudden breaking off; a violent separation of bodies. Woodward. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. In an abrupt manner; without giving notice, or without the usual forms; suddenly. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Precipitously. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. (Bot.) pinnate with a pair of leaflets at the apex, i.e. without an odd leaflet, or other appendage, at the end; -- said of a leaf shape
Syn. -- even-pinnate, paripinnate [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. The state of being abrupt or broken; craggedness; ruggedness; steepness. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Suddenness; unceremonious haste or vehemence; as, abruptness of style or manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ OF. acopler, F. accoupler. See Couple. ] To join; to couple. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The Englishmen accoupled themselves with the Frenchmen. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. accouplement. ] 1. The act of coupling, or the state of being coupled; union. [ R. ] Caxton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which couples, as a tie or brace. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The involucre or cup in which the acorn is fixed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. acus needle + premere, pressum, to press. ] (Surg.) A mode of arresting hemorrhage resulting from wounds or surgical operations, by passing under the divided vessel a needle, the ends of which are left exposed externally on the cutaneous surface. Simpson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Acupuncture. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. acus needle + punctura a pricking, fr. pungere to prick: cf. F. acuponcture. ] Pricking with a needle; a needle prick. Specifically (Med.): The insertion of needles into the living tissues for remedial purposes, such as to relieve pain. It was first recorded as being practised in China, and the technique is believed to be over 2, 000 years old. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

Acupuncture
(An NIH Consensus Statement prepared by a nonadvocate, non-Federal panel of experts)

November 3-5, 1997
Vol. 15, No. 5

Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely practiced in the United States. While there have been many studies of its potential usefulness, many of these studies provide equivocal results because of design, sample size, and other factors. The issue is further complicated by inherent difficulties in the use of appropriate controls, such as placebos and sham acupuncture groups. However, promising results have emerged, for example, showing efficacy of acupuncture in adult post-operative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and in post-operative dental pain. There are other situations such as addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofacial pain, osteoarthritis, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma where acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program. Further research is likely to uncover additional areas where acupuncture interventions will be useful.
taken from: https://web.archive.org/web/20011126211520/http://odp.od.nih.gov/consensus/cons/107/107_intro.htm [ PJC ]

v. t. To treat with acupuncture. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Aggrouped p. pr. & vb. n. Aggrouping. ] [ F. agrouper; à (L. ad) + groupe group. See Group.. ] To bring together in a group; to group. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Arrangement in a group or in groups; grouping. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Aggroupment. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Preceding marriage; as, an antenuptial agreement. Kent. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. aucupatio, fr. auceps, contr. for aviceps; avis bird + capere to take. ] Birdcatching; fowling. [ Obs. ] Blount. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. & a. [ OE. aver de peis, goods of weight, where peis is fr. OF. peis weight, F. poids, L. pensum. See Aver, n., and Poise, n. ] 1. Goods sold by weight. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Avoirdupois weight. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Weight; heaviness; as, a woman of much avoirdupois. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Avoirdupois weight, a system of weights by which coarser commodities are weighed, such as hay, grain, butter, sugar, tea. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The standard Avoirdupois pound of the United States is equivalent to the weight of 27.7015 cubic inches of distilled water at 62° Fahrenheit, the barometer being at 30 inches, and the water weighed in the air with brass weights. In this system of weights 16 drams make 1 ounce, 16 ounces 1 pound, 25 pounds 1 quarter, 4 quarters 1 hundred weight, and 20 hundred weight 1 ton. The above pound contains 7, 000 grains, or 453.54 grams, so that 1 pound avoirdupois is equivalent to 1 31-144 pounds troy. (See Troy weight.) Formerly, a hundred weight was reckoned at 112 pounds, the ton being 2, 240 pounds (sometimes called a long ton). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. anything kept in reserve to serve as a substitute in case of failure or unavailability of the normal or primary object; -- used for devices, plans, people, etc. Also used attributively; as, there was no backup for the electrical supply; a backup motor; a backup generator. [ PJC ]

2. (Music) a musician or group of musicians accompanying a soloist, whether vocalists or instrumentalists.
Syn. -- accompaniment. [ PJC ]

3. a person or group of persons serving as reinforcement for another or others; as, the policeman called for backup when he was fired on. [ PJC ]

4. an accumulation, overflow, or reverse flow (in traffic or a liquid flow system) caused by a stoppage or other malfunction. [ PJC ]

5. (Computers) A copy of a program or data from a computer onto a data-storage medium, usually one that may be removed to safe storage at a distance from the computer; it is used to preserve data for use in the contingency that the original data on the computer may be lost or become unusable. A backup that is removed from the building housing the computer system (to provide protection against loss of data in a disastrous event such as a fire) is called off-site backup. Also used attributively; as, backup copy. [ PJC ]

6. (Computers) The act or process of creating a backup{ 5 }; as, they performed a full system backup every weekend. [ PJC ]

v. i. 1. to move in a reverse direction; -- used of vehicles or animals. [ PJC ]

2. to accumulate due to a blockage of flow; as, a traffic backup due to an accident; a sewage backup. [ PJC ]

v. t. 1. to serve as a backup{ 3 } for (another person or persons); as, the patrolmen backed up the detectives as they went inside to make the arrest; the center fielder backed up the shortstop on the play. [ PJC ]

2. (Computers) to make a backup{ 5 } of; as, the sysop backed up the purchasing data files every night. [ PJC ]

n. something badly botched or muddled; a foul-up. [ British ]
Syn. -- ballup, cockup, mess-up, foul-up. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. same as balls-up. [ British ]
Syn. -- balls-up, cockup, mess-up, foul-up. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bankrupted; p. pr. & vb. n. Bankrupting. ] To make bankrupt; to bring financial ruin upon; to impoverish. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. banqueroute, fr. It. bancarotta bankruptcy; banca bank (fr. OHG. banch, G. bank, bench) + rotta broken, fr. L. ruptus, p. p. of rumpere to break. At Florence, it is said, the bankrupt had his bench (i.e., money table) broken. See 1st Bank, and Rupture, n. ] 1. (Old Eng. Law) A trader who secretes himself, or does certain other acts tending to defraud his creditors. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A trader who becomes unable to pay his debts; an insolvent trader; popularly, any person who is unable to pay his debts; an insolvent person. M‘Culloch. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) A person who, in accordance with the terms of a law relating to bankruptcy, has been judicially declared to be unable to meet his liabilities. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In England, until the year 1861 none but a “trader” could be made a bankrupt; a non-trader failing to meet his liabilities being an “insolvent”. But this distinction was abolished by the Bankruptcy Act of 1861. The laws of 1841 and 1867 of the United States relating to bankruptcy applied this designation bankrupt to others besides those engaged in trade. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Being a bankrupt or in a condition of bankruptcy; unable to pay, or legally discharged from paying, one's debts; as, a bankrupt merchant. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Depleted of money; not having the means of meeting pecuniary liabilities; as, a bankrupt treasury. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Relating to bankrupts and bankruptcy. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Destitute of, or wholly wanting (something once possessed, or something one should possess). “Bankrupt in gratitude.” Sheridan. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bankrupt law, a law by which the property of a person who is unable or unwilling to pay his debts may be taken and distributed to his creditors, and by which a person who has made a full surrender of his property, and is free from fraud, may be discharged from the legal obligation of his debts. See Insolvent, a. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Bankruptcies 1. The state of being actually or legally bankrupt. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act or process of becoming a bankrupt. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Complete loss; -- followed by of. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. worn by use into a deplorable condition. the beaten-up old Ford
Syn. -- battered, beat-up, bedraggled, broken-down, dilapidated, ramshackle, tumble-down, unsound. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. same as beaten-up.
Syn. -- battered, beaten-up, bedraggled, broken-down, dilapidated, ramshackle, tumble-down, unsound. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ F. beau pére; beau fair + pére father. ] 1. A father. [ Obs. ] Wyclif. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A companion. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. made greater or stronger. beefed-up sales efforts [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. i. to approach (a counter) and stand in front of it; -- used mostly in the phrase
belly up to the bar (i.e. to a counter in a saloon). [ PJC ]

, a. [ from analogy to the position of a floating dead fish. ] defunct; bankrupt; -- used mostly of commercial organizations; often used in the phrase
go belly-up, i. e. to go bankrupt. [ PJC ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + pupil (of the eye). ] (Zool.) Having an eyelike spot on the wing, with two dots within it of a different color, as in some butterflies. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ See Upas. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. drunk; intoxicated.
Syn. -- bombed; soused. [ PJC ]

n. an occasion for heavy drinking.
Syn. -- bust, tear, bender, binge, toot. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. (Computers) planning or building the smallest parts first; as, bottom-up programming. Opposite of top-down. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. Disruption; coming apart; a separation and dispersion of the parts or members; as, a break-up of a meeting, assembly, or dinner party; the break-up of a spacecraft on re-entry into the atmosphere.
Syn. -- separation, detachment. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

2. the termination of a relationship; a break-up of the government; the break-up of a marriage; the break-up of a business partnership; the break-up of a comedy team.
Syn. -- dissolution. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. 1. the act of building up an accumulation.
Syn. -- build-up. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. the events, such as advertising or publicity, causing increased interest in some coming event. The buildup to Superbowl XXIV was the most intense of the series. [ PJC ]

n. [ Origin unknown; cf. Bumble, n. ] 1. The old game of nineholes. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. (Card Playing) Whist played in an unscientific way. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

adj. dressed warmly; as, bundled-up sailors and soldiers. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. buprestis, Gr. &unr_;, a poisonous beetle, which, being eaten by cattle in the grass, caused them to swell up and and die; &unr_; ox, cow + &unr_; to blow up, swell out. ] (Zool.) One of a tribe of beetles, of the genus Buprestis and allied genera, usually with brilliant metallic colors. The larvæ are usually borers in timber, or beneath bark, and are often very destructive to trees. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the amount of fuel used up (as in a nuclear reactor). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a high-speed motorcycle race on a public road. [ British slang ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a serious quarrel (especially one that ends a friendship). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

With some antick bustoes in the niches. Ashmole. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Ranunculus, or crowfoot, particularly Ranunculus bulbosus, with bright yellow flowers; -- called also butterflower, golden cup, and kingcup. It is the cuckoobud of Shakespeare. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. taciturn. Opposite of voluble. [ British colloquial ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. conservative in professional manner; as, employers are looking for buttoned-up types. [ WordNet 1.5 ]