a. Capable of being ameliorated. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Ameliorated p. pr. & vb. n. Ameliorating. ] [ L. ad + meliorare to make better: cf. F. améliorer. See Meliorate. ] To make better; to improve; to meliorate. [ 1913 Webster ]

In every human being there is a wish to ameliorate his own condition. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To grow better; to meliorate; as, wine ameliorates by age. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. prenom. [ p. pr. of ameliorate. ] causing improvement in or reducing the bad effects of an unfavorable condition.
Syn. -- ameliorative, amelioratory, meliorative [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Cf. F. amélioration. ] The act of ameliorating, or the state of being ameliorated; making or becoming better; improvement; melioration. “Amelioration of human affairs.” J. S. Mill. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Tending to ameliorate; producing amelioration or improvement; as, ameliorative remedies, efforts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who ameliorates. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Anthelia [ Pref. anti + Gr. &unr_; sun. ] (Meteor.) A halo opposite the sun, consisting of a colored ring or rings around the shadow of the spectator's own head, as projected on a cloud or on an opposite fog bank. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Aphelia [ Gr. &unr_; + &unr_; sun. ] (Astron.) That point of a planet's or comet's orbit which is most distant from the sun, the opposite point being the perihelion. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; + &unr_; sun + &unr_; belonging to a turning. ] Turning away from the sun; -- said of leaves, etc. Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The habit of bending from the sunlight; -- said of certain plants. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. contumeliosus. ] 1. Exhibiting contumely; rudely contemptuous; insolent; disdainful. [ 1913 Webster ]

Scoffs, and scorns, and contumelious taunts. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Curving a contumelious lip. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Shameful; disgraceful. [ Obs. ] Dr. H. More.

-- Con`tu*me"li*ous*ly, adv. -- Con`tu*me"li*ous*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. dent de lion lion's tooth, fr. L. dens tooth + leo lion. See Tooth, n., and Lion. ] (Bot.) A well-known plant of the genus Taraxacum (Taraxacum officinale, formerly called Taraxacum Dens-leonis and Leontodos Taraxacum) bearing large, yellow, compound flowers, and deeply notched leaves. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; through, at variance + &unr_; sun + &unr_; turning. ] (Bot.) Relating or, or manifesting, diaheliotropism. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A tendency of leaves or other organs of plants to have their dorsal surface faced towards the rays of light. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Epithelium + -oid. ] (Anat.) Like epithelium; as, epithelioid cells. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL. See Epithelium, and -oma. ] (Med.) A malignant growth containing epithelial cells; -- called also epithelial cancer. [ 1913 Webster ]

A combining form from Gr. "h`lios the sun.

{ } a. [ Helio- + centric, centrical: cf. F. héliocentrique. ] (Astron.) pertaining to the sun's center, or appearing to be seen from it; having, or relating to, the sun as a center; -- opposed to geocentrical. [ 1913 Webster ]

Heliocentric parallax. See under Parallax. --
Heliocentric place,
latitude,
longitude, etc. (of a heavenly body), the direction, latitude, longitude, etc., of the body as viewed from the sun. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Helio- + Gr. chrw^ma color. ] A photograph in colors. R. Hunt. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, or produced by, heliochromy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The art of producing photographs in color. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Helio- + -gram. ] A message transmitted by a heliograph. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Helio- + -graph. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A picture taken by heliography; a photograph. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An instrument for taking photographs of the sun. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. An apparatus for telegraphing by means of the sun's rays. See Heliotrope, 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To telegraph, or signal, with a heliograph. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. To photograph by sunlight. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. (Astron.) 1. Of or pertaining to a description of the sun. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

☞ Heliographic longitudes and latitudes of spots on the sun's surface are analogous to geographic longitudes and latitudes of places on the earth. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. Of or pertaining to heliography or a heliograph; made by heliography. [ 1913 Webster ]

Heliographic chart. See under Chart. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. [ Helio- + -graphy. ] The description of the sun. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. The system, art, or practice of telegraphing, or signaling, with the heliograph. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

3. An early photographic process invented by Nicéphore Niepce, and still used in photo-engraving. It consists essentially in exposing under a design or in a camera a polished metal plate coated with a preparation of asphalt, and subsequently treating the plate with a suitable solvent. The light renders insoluble those parts of the film which is strikes, and so a permanent image is formed, which can be etched upon the plate by the use of acid. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

4. Photography. [ Archaic. ] R. Hunt. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. héliogravure. ] 1. The process of photographic engraving. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A plate or picture made by the process of heliogravure. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Helio- + Gr. &unr_; servant, worshiper. ] A worshiper of the sun. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Helio- + Gr. &unr_; service, worship. ] Sun worship. See Sabianism. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Helio- + -lite. ] (Paleon.) A fossil coral of the genus Heliolites, having twelve-rayed cells. It is found in the Silurian rocks. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Helio- + -meter: cf. F. héliomètre. ] (Astron.) An instrument devised originally for measuring the diameter of the sun; now employed for delicate measurements of the distance and relative direction of two stars too far apart to be easily measured in the field of view of an ordinary telescope.

{ } a. Of or pertaining to the heliometer, or to heliometry. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The apart or practice of measuring the diameters of heavenly bodies, their relative distances, etc. See Heliometer. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; the sun + &unr_; a passage, pore. ] (Zool.) An East Indian stony coral now known to belong to the Alcyonaria; -- called also blue coral. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Helio- + -scope: cf. F. hélioscope. ] (Astron.) A telescope or instrument for viewing the sun without injury to the eyes, as through colored glasses, or with mirrors which reflect but a small portion of light. -- He`li*o*scop`ic a. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Helio- + Gr. &unr_; placed, standing, fr. &unr_; to place, stand: cf. F. héliostate. ] An instrument consisting of a mirror moved by clockwork, by which a sunbeam is made apparently stationary, by being steadily directed to one spot during the whole of its diurnal period; also, a geodetic heliotrope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. héliotrope, L. heliotropium, Gr. &unr_;; &unr_; the sun + &unr_; to turn, &unr_; turn. See Heliacal, Trope. ] 1. (Anc. Astron.) An instrument or machine for showing when the sun arrived at the tropics and equinoctial line. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Heliotropium; -- called also turnsole and girasole. Heliotropium Peruvianum is the commonly cultivated species with fragrant flowers. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Geodesy & Signal Service) An instrument for making signals to an observer at a distance, by means of the sun's rays thrown from a mirror. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Min.) See Bloodstone (a). [ 1913 Webster ]

Heliotrope purple, a grayish purple color. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The person at a geodetic station who has charge of the heliotrope. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) Manifesting heliotropism; turning toward the sun. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Helio- + Gr. &unr_; to turn. ] (Bot.) The phenomenon of turning toward the light, seen in many leaves and flowers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Helio- + -type. ] A picture obtained by the process of heliotypy. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Relating to, or obtained by, heliotypy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A method of transferring pictures from photographic negatives to hardened gelatin plates from which impressions are produced on paper as by lithography. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; the sun + zw^, on an animal. ] (Zool.) An order of fresh-water rhizopods having a more or less globular form, with slender radiating pseudopodia; the sun animalcule.

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Meliorated p. pr. & vb. n. Meliorating. ] [ L. melioratus, p. p. of meliorare to meliorate, fr. melior better; akin to Gr. ma^llon rather, ma`la very. Cf. Ameliorate. ] To make better; to improve; to ameliorate; to soften; to make more tolerable. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nature by art we nobly meliorate. Denham. [ 1913 Webster ]

The pure and benign light of revelation has had a meliorating influence on mankind. Washington. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To grow better. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Meliorator. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. melioratio. ] The act or operation of meliorating, or the state of being meliorated; improvement. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who meliorates. [ 1913 Webster ]