‖n. [ L. adarce, adarca, Gr. &unr_;. ] A saltish concretion on reeds and grass in marshy grounds in Galatia. It is soft and porous, and was formerly used for cleansing the skin from freckles and tetters, and also in leprosy. Dana. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ OF. afforcier, LL. affortiare; ad + fortiare, fr. L. fortis strong. ] To reënforce; to strengthen. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. ] 1. A fortress; a fortification for defense. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A reënforcement; a strengthening. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Afforcement. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A throw of dice after the game in ended; hence, anything done too late. Gower. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An unexpected subsequent event; something disagreeable happening after an affair is supposed to be at an end. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A second crop or harvest in the same year. Mortimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. sing. & pl. Any vehicle, such as an airplane, helicopter, balloon, etc., for floating in, or flying through, the air. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

n. 1. 1 a noncommissioned officer in the British Royal Air Force. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. the crew of an aircraft. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. a member of an aircrew. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Altercated; p. pr. & vb. n. Altercating. ] [ L. altercatus, p. p. of altercare, altercari, fr. alter another. See Alter. ] To contend in words; to dispute with zeal, heat, or anger; to wrangle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. altercation, fr. L. altercatio. ] Warm contention in words; dispute carried on with heat or anger; controversy; wrangle; wordy contest. “Stormy altercations.” Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Altercation, Dispute, Wrangle. The term dispute is in most cases, but not necessarily, applied to a verbal contest; as, a dispute on the lawfulness of war. An altercation is an angry dispute between two parties, involving an interchange of severe language. A wrangle is a confused and noisy altercation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Their whole life was little else than a perpetual wrangling and altercation. Hakewill. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Characterized by wrangling; scolding. [ R. ] Fielding. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Amerced p. pr. & vb. n. Amercing. ] [ OF. amercier, fr. a merci at the mercy of, liable to a punishment. See Mercy. ] 1. To punish by a pecuniary penalty, the amount of which is not fixed by law, but left to the discretion of the court; as, the court amerced the criminal in the sum of one hundred dollars. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The penalty or fine may be expressed without a preposition, or it may be introduced by in, with, or of. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To punish, in general; to mulct. [ 1913 Webster ]

Millions of spirits for his fault amerced
Of Heaven. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Shall by him be amerced with penance due. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Liable to be amerced. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. amerciment. ] The infliction of a penalty at the discretion of the court; also, a mulct or penalty thus imposed. It differs from a fine, in that the latter is, or was originally, a fixed and certain sum prescribed by statute for an offense; but an amercement is arbitrary. Hence, the act or practice of affeering. [ See Affeer. ] Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ This word, in old books, is written amerciament. [ 1913 Webster ]

Amercement royal, a penalty imposed on an officer for a misdemeanor in his office. Jacobs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who amerces. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. amerciamentum. ] Same as Amercement. Mozley & W. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. amurcosus, L. amurca the dregs of olives, Gr. 'amo`rghs, fr. 'ame`rgein to pluck. ] Full off dregs; foul. [ R. ] Knowles. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; without head or chief; 'an priv. + &unr_; beginning, the first place, magistracy, government. ] The author of anarchy; one who excites revolt. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Imperial anarchs doubling human woes. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Lawless; anarchical. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

We are in the habit of calling those bodies of men anarchal which are in a state of effervescence. Landor. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Cf. F. anarchique. ] Pertaining to anarchy; without rule or government; in political confusion; tending to produce anarchy; as, anarchic despotism; anarchical opinions. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. anarchisme. ] The doctrine or practice of anarchists. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. anarchiste. ] An anarch; one who advocates anarchy of aims at the overthrow of civil government. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To reduce to anarchy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;: cf. F. anarchie. See Anarch. ] 1. Absence of government; the state of society where there is no law or supreme power; a state of lawlessness; political confusion. [ 1913 Webster ]

Spread anarchy and terror all around. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence, confusion or disorder, in general. [ 1913 Webster ]

There being then . . . an anarchy, as I may term it, in authors and their re&unr_;koning of years. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., from Gr. 'ana` throughout + sa`rx, sarko`s, flesh. ] (Med.) Severe generalized edema. [ 1913 Webster + AS ]

a. Belonging, or affected by, anasarca, or dropsy; dropsical. Wiseman. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. anti- + Gr. &unr_; government. ] Opposition to government in general. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who opposes all government. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Opposed to all human government. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ OE. antartik, OF. antartique, F. antarctique, L. antarcticus, fr. Gr. &unr_;; 'anti` + 'a`rktos bear. See Arctic. ] Opposite to the northern or arctic pole; relating to the southern pole or to the region near it, and applied especially to a circle, distant from the pole 23° 28′. Thus we say the antarctic pole, circle, ocean, region, current, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. designed for or used for defense against attack by aircraft; as, anti-aircraft cannon. [ PJC ]

prop. n. A genus of mammals comprising the springbucks (or springboks). The main species is Antidorcas marsupialis the springbuck, of which there are three subspecies: the cape springbuck (marsupialis), the Kalahari springbuck (hofmeyri) and the Angolan springbuck (angolensis).
Syn. -- genus Antidorcas. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

{ } Opposed to monarchial government. Bp. Benson. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An enemy to monarchial government. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Aperçus /plu>. [ F., prop. p. p. of apercevoir to perceive. ] 1. A first view or glance, or the perception or estimation so obtained; an immediate apprehension or insight, appreciative rather than analytic. [ 1913 Webster ]

The main object being to develop the several aperçus or insights which furnish the method of such psychology. W. T. Harris. [ 1913 Webster ]

A series of partial and more or less disparate aperçus or outlooks; each for itself a center of experience. James Ward. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. Hence, a brief or detached view; conspectus; sketch. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. [ F. apercevoir, fr. L. ad + percipere, perceptum, to perceive. See Perceive. ] To perceive; to comprehend. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. ad- + perception: cf. F. apperception. ] (Metaph.) The mind's perception of itself as the subject or actor in its own states; perception that reflects upon itself; sometimes, intensified or energetic perception. Leibnitz. Reid. [ 1913 Webster ]

This feeling has been called by philosophers the apperception or consciousness of our own existence. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. arc, L. arcus bow, arc. See Arch, n. ] 1. (Geom.) A portion of a curved line; as, the arc of a circle or of an ellipse. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A curvature in the shape of a circular arc or an arch; as, the colored arc (the rainbow); the arc of Hadley's quadrant. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. An arch. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Statues and trophies, and triumphal arcs. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The apparent arc described, above or below the horizon, by the sun or other celestial body. The diurnal arc is described during the daytime, the nocturnal arc during the night. [ 1913 Webster ]

Electric arc,
Voltaic arc. See under Voltaic. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Arcked p. pr. & vb. n. Arcking. ] (Elec.) To form a voltaic arc, as an electrical current in a broken or disconnected circuit. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. 1. 1 the type genus of the family Arcidae, including ark shells and blood clams.
Syn. -- genus Arca. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ F. arcade, Sp. arcada, LL. arcata, fr. L. arcus bow, arch. ] 1. (Arch.) (a) A series of arches with the columns or piers which support them, the spandrels above, and other necessary appurtenances; sometimes open, serving as an entrance or to give light; sometimes closed at the back (as in the cut) and forming a decorative feature. (b) A long, arched building or gallery. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An arched or covered passageway or avenue. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Furnished with an arcade. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. Arcadia, Gr. &unr_;. ] 1. A mountainous and picturesque district of Greece, in the heart of the Peloponnesus, whose people were distinguished for contentment and rural happiness. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fig.: Any region or scene of simple pleasure and untroubled quiet. [ 1913 Webster ]

Where the cow is, there is Arcadia. J. Burroughs. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. Arcadius, Arcadicus, fr. Arcadia: cf. F. Arcadien, Arcadique. ] 1. Of or pertaining to Arcadia; pastoral; ideally rural; as, Arcadian simplicity or scenery. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. the dialect of Ancient Greek spoken by Arcadians. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ L. arcanus. ] Hidden; secret. [ Obs. ] “The arcane part of divine wisdom.” Berkeley. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Arcana [ L., fr. arcanus closed, secret, fr. arca chest, box, fr. arcere to inclose. See Ark. ] 1. A secret; a mystery; -- generally used in the plural. [ 1913 Webster ]

Inquiries into the arcana of the Godhead. Warburton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) A secret remedy; an elixir. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. ] (Arch.) A buttress that stands apart from the main structure and connected to it by an arch; same as flying buttress. Gwilt.
Syn. -- flying buttress [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]