v. t. [ OE. abrochen, OF. abrochier. See Broach. ] To set abroach; to let out, as liquor; to broach; to tap. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ Pref. a- + broach. ] 1. Broached; in a condition for letting out or yielding liquor, as a cask which is tapped. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hogsheads of ale were set abroach. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: In a state to be diffused or propagated; afoot; astir. “Mischiefs that I set abroach.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ OE. acrochen, accrochen, to obtain, OF. acrochier, F. accrocher; à (L. ad) + croc hook (E. crook). ] 1. To hook, or draw to one's self as with a hook. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To usurp, as jurisdiction or royal prerogatives. [ 1913 Webster ]

They had attempted to accroach to themselves royal power. Stubbs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. accrochement. ] An encroachment; usurpation. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ a. [ L. Achaeus, Achaius; Gr. &unr_;. ] Of or pertaining to Achaia in Greece; also, Grecian. -- n. A native of Achaia; a Greek. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. ] Savage fierceness; ferocity. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An agate. [ Obs. ] Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. achat purchase. See Cates. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Purchase; bargaining. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. pl. Provisions. Same as Cates. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; agate. ] (Zool.) A genus of land snails, often large, common in the warm parts of America and Africa. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Cater. ] Purveyor; acater. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. ache, AS. æce, ece, fr. acan to ache. See Ache, v. i. ] Continued pain, as distinguished from sudden twinges, or spasmodic pain. “Such an ache in my bones.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Often used in composition, as, a headache, an earache, a toothache. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ F. ache, L. apium parsley. ] A name given to several species of plants; as, smallage, wild celery, parsley. [ Obs. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Ached p. pr. & vb. n. Aching ] [ OE. aken, AS. acan, both strong verbs, AS. acan, imp. ōc, p. p. acen, to ache; perh. orig. to drive, and akin to agent. ] To suffer pain; to have, or be in, pain, or in continued pain; to be distressed. “My old bones ache.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The sins that in your conscience ache. Keble. [ 1913 Webster ]

a & n. See Achæan, Achaian. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to an achene. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ n. [ Gr. 'a priv. + &unr_; to gape. ] (Bot.) A small, dry, indehiscent fruit, containing a single seed, as in the buttercup; -- called a naked seed by the earlier botanists. [ Written also akene and achænium. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., fr. Gr. &unr_;. ] (Myth.) A river in the Nether World or infernal regions; also, the infernal regions themselves. By some of the English poets it was supposed to be a flaming lake or gulf. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 death's-head moth.
Syn. -- genus Acherontia [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Of or pertaining to Acheron; infernal; hence, dismal, gloomy; moribund. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a genus of Orthopteran insects consisting of common house and field crickets.
Syn. -- genus Acheta [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. 1 the possibility of being achieved or accomplished; -- a property which may be possessed by a contemplated act.
Syn. -- attainability, attainableness [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Capable of being achieved. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OF. achevance. ] Achievement. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Elyot. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Achieved p. pr. & vb. n. Achieving ] [ OE. acheven, OF. achever, achiever, F. achever, to finish; à (L. ad) + OF. chief, F. chef, end, head, fr. L. caput head. See Chief. ] 1. To carry on to a final close; to bring out into a perfected state; to accomplish; to perform; -- as, to achieve a feat, an exploit, an enterprise. [ 1913 Webster ]

Supposing faculties and powers to be the same, far more may be achieved in any line by the aid of a capital, invigorating motive than without it. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To obtain, or gain, as the result of exertion; to succeed in gaining; to win. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some are born great, some achieve greatness. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou hast achieved our liberty. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ [ Obs ]., with a material thing as the aim. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Show all the spoils by valiant kings achieved. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

He hath achieved a maid
That paragons description. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To finish; to kill. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To accomplish; effect; fulfill; complete; execute; perform; realize; obtain. See Accomplish. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. achèvement, E. Hatchment. ] 1. The act of achieving or performing; an obtaining by exertion; successful performance; accomplishment; as, the achievement of his object. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A great or heroic deed; something accomplished by valor, boldness, or praiseworthy exertion; a feat. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ The exploits ] of the ancient saints . . . do far surpass the most famous achievements of pagan heroes. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

The highest achievements of the human intellect. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Her.) An escutcheon or ensign armorial; now generally applied to the funeral shield commonly called hatchment. Cussans. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who achieves; a winner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Resembling Achilles, the hero of the Iliad; invincible. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a mythical Greek hero of the Iliad; a foremost Greek warrior at the seige of Troy. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. Achillis tendo. ] (Anat.) The strong tendon formed of the united tendons of the large muscles in the calf of the leg, an inserted into the bone of the heel; -- so called from the mythological account of Achilles being held by the heel when dipped in the River Styx. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'a priv. + &unr_; lip. ] (Bot.) Without a lip. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 any plant of the genus Achimenes having gloxinialike flowers.
Syn. -- hot water plant [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. That aches; continuously painful. See Ache. -- Ach"ing*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

The aching heart, the aching head. Longfellow. [1913 Webster]

‖n. [ Sp. achiote, fr. Indian achiotl. ] Seeds of the annotto tree; also, the coloring matter, annotto. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'a priv. + &unr_;. &unr_;. a short cloak. ] (Zool.) Not possessing a mantle; -- said of certain gastropods. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) Naked; having no floral envelope, neither calyx nor corolla. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., from Gr. 'acholi`a; 'a priv. + cholh` bile. ] (Med.) Deficiency or lack of bile. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Med.) Lacking bile. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A stony meteor lacking chondrules. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

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

2. chondritic [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Med.) A skeletal disorder beginning before birth; cartilage is converted to bone resulting in dwarfism. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. (Med.) of or pertaining to achondroplasia. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

prop. n. A genus of tropical trees having papery leaves and large fruit.
Syn. -- genus Achras [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Gr. 'achrw`matos colorless; 'a priv. + chrw^ma, chrw`matos, color: cf. F. achromatique. ] 1. (Opt.) Free from color; transmitting light without decomposing it into its primary colors. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) Uncolored; not absorbing color from a fluid; -- said of tissue. [ 1913 Webster ]

Achromatic lens (Opt.), a lens composed usually of two separate lenses, a convex and concave, of substances having different refractive and dispersive powers, as crown and flint glass, with the curvatures so adjusted that the chromatic aberration produced by the one is corrected by other, and light emerges from the compound lens undecomposed. --
Achromatic prism. See Prism. --
Achromatic telescope, or
microscope, one in which the chromatic aberration is corrected, usually by means of a compound or achromatic object glass, and which gives images free from extraneous color. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an achromatic manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Achromatism. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Biol.) Tissue which is not stained by fluid dyes. W. Flemming. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. not readily colored by stains; -- of substance of a cell nucleus chromatinic [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. 1. remove color from.
Syn. -- achromatize, make achromatic [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Cf. F. achromatisme. ] The state or quality of being achromatic; as, the achromatism of a lens; achromaticity. Nichol. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. achromatisation. ] The act or process of achromatizing. [ 1913 Webster ]