a. [ L. abstrusus, p. p. of abstrudere to thrust away, conceal; ab, abs + trudere to thrust; cf. F. abstrus. See Threat. ] 1. Concealed or hidden out of the way. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The eternal eye whose sight discerns
Abstrusest thoughts. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Remote from apprehension; difficult to be comprehended or understood; recondite; as, abstruse learning. [ 1913 Webster ]

Profound and abstruse topics. Milman. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an abstruse manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being abstruse; difficulty of apprehension. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abstrusio. See Abstruse. ] The act of thrusting away. [ R. ] Ogilvie. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Abstruseness; that which is abstruse. [ R. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A state or interval of sexual inactivity between two periods of estrus; -- applies to nonhuman mammals. [ Also spelled anoestrus. ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. the type genus of the Celastraceae, comprising the plants called climbing bittersweet; bittersweet and shrubby bittersweet; they are woody vines and shrubs native chiefly to Asia and Australia, bearing yellow to orange capsules which open to expose red-coated seeds. See also bittersweet{ 3b }.
Syn. -- genus Celastrus. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. a state or interval of sexual inactivity or quiescence between periods of activity; -- of animals having several estrous cycles in one breeding season.
Syn. -- diestrum. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Distrusted; p. pr. & vb. n. Distrusting. ] [ Cf. Mistrust. ] To feel absence of trust in; not to confide in or rely upon; to deem of questionable sufficiency or reality; to doubt; to be suspicious of; to mistrust. [ 1913 Webster ]

Not distrusting my health. 2 Mac. ix. 22. [ 1913 Webster ]

To distrust the justice of your cause. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

He that requireth the oath doth distrust that other. Udall. [ 1913 Webster ]

Of all afraid,
Distrusting all, a wise, suspicious maid. Collins. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Mistrust has been almost wholly driven out by distrust. T. L. K. Oliphant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Doubt of sufficiency, reality, or sincerity; lack of confidence, faith, or reliance; as, distrust of one's power, authority, will, purposes, schemes, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Suspicion of evil designs. [ 1913 Webster ]

Alienation and distrust . . . are the growth of false principles. D. Webster. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. State of being suspected; loss of trust. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who distrusts. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Not confident; diffident; wanting confidence or thrust; modest; as, distrustful of ourselves, of one's powers. [ 1913 Webster ]

Distrustful sense with modest caution speaks. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Apt to distrust; suspicious; mistrustful. Boyle.

-- Dis*trust"ful*ly, adv. -- Dis*trust"ful*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. That distrusts; suspicious; lacking confidence in. -- Dis*trust"ing*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

a. Free from distrust. Shenstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Want of confidence or trust; suspicion; distrust. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To regard with jealousy or suspicion; to suspect; to doubt the integrity of; to distrust. [ 1913 Webster ]

I will never mistrust my wife again. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To forebode as near, or likely to occur; to surmise. [ 1913 Webster ]

By a divine instinct, men's minds mistrust
Ensuing dangers. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who mistrusts. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having or causing mistrust, suspicions, or forebodings. [ 1913 Webster ]

Their light blown out in some mistrustful wood. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Mis*trust"ful*ly, adv. -- Mis*trust"ful*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. With distrust or suspicion. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having no mistrust or suspicion. [ 1913 Webster ]

The swain mistrustless of his smutted face. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L., a gadfly; also, frenzy, fr. Gr. &unr_; gadfly; hence, sting, fury, insane desire, frenzy. ] 1. (Zool.) A genus of gadflies. The species which deposits its larvae in the nasal cavities of sheep is oestrus ovis. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A vehement desire. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Specifically: (Physiol.) The periodical sexual impulse of animals; the period during which female animals are most receptive to males; heat; rut. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. Want of confidence in one' self; diffidence. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Russ. strug'. ] (Naut.) A Russian river craft used for transporting freight. [ 1913 Webster ]

See accommodating.
See aching.
See ailing.
See aiming.
See alarming.
See altering.
See appreciating.
See approving.
See aspiring.
See assisting.
See attempting.
See attending.
See bearing.
See befitting.
See beginning.
See believing.
See bleaching.
See bleeding.
See blemishing.
See blenching.
See blossoming.
See blushing.
See boding.
See branching.
See breathing.
See burning.
See calculating.
See ceasing.
See changing.
See charming.
See communicating.
See complaining.
See complying.
See conceiving.
See conducing.
See confessing.
See conniving.
See consenting.
See considering.
See conspiring.
See consulting.
See consuming.
See contending.
See contriving.
See conversing.
See convincing.
See dawning.
See decaying.
See delaying.
See depending.
See derogating.
See deserving.
See desiring.
See despairing.
See detesting.
See deviating.
See differencing.
See discerning.
See discording.
See discriminating.
See disobliging.
See dispensing.
See dissembling.
See dissolving.
See distinguishing.
See distracting.
See disturbing.
See doubting.
See dreading.
See drooping.
See ebbing.
See echoing.
See edifying.
See ending.
See enduring.
See engaging.
See enjoying.
See entering.
See enterprising.
See entertaining.
See envying.
See existing.
See fadging.
See fading.
See fainting.
See faltering.
See fearing.
See feigning.
See fighting.
See fitting.
See flagging.
See flattering.
See flinching.
See folding.
See forbearing.
See foreboding.
See foreseeing.
See forgiving.
See giving.
See grudging.
See harming.
See heeding.
See hesitating.
See hoping.
See hurting.
See importing.
See imposing.
See improving.
See interesting.
See intermitting.
See intoxicating.
See inviting.
See jarring.
See laboring.
See lingering.
See listening.
See loving.
See meddling.
See meriting.
See mistrusting.
See moving.
See murmuring.
See obliging.
See observing.
See offending.
See opening.
See pardoning.
See paying.
See perceiving.
See performing.
See perishing.
See pitying.
See pleasing.
See possessing.
See preaching.
See prepossessing.
See presuming.
See pretending.
See prevailing.
See prevaricating.
See profiting.
See promising.
See proving.
See quailing.
See questioning.
See reasoning.
See recalling.
See reclining.
See recurring.
See referring.
See reflecting.
See refunding.
See refusing.
See rejoicing.
See relaxing.
See relishing.
See remembering.
See repenting.
See repining.
See reproving.
See repulsing.
See resisting.
See resolving.
See resting.
See returning.
See rewarding.
See sanctifying.
See satisfying.
See searching.
See seeing.
See setting.
See shrinking.
See sinking.
See sleeping.
See slipping.
See slumbering.
See speaking.
See stinting.
See stirring.
See stooping.
See submitting.
See sufficing.
See suiting.
See surging.
See suspecting.
See sweating.
See swerving.
See sympathizing.
See tasting.
See thriving.
See tiring.
See toiling.
See trading.
See trembling.
See trespassing.
See trifling.
See vacillating.
See varying.
See walking.
See wandering.
See waning.
See wasting.
See wavering.
See weeping.
See winking.
See winning.
See withdrawing.
See withering.
See wondering.
See working.
See writing.
See yielding.
----- and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

The above classes of words are unlimited in extent, and such compounds may be formed by any writer or speaker at will from almost all the adjectives or participles in the language, excepting those which have a recognized and usual negative correspondent with the prefix -in. No attempt will be made, therefore, to define them all in this Dictionary; many will be omitted from its Vocabulary which are negations of the simple word, and are readily explained by prefixing a not to the latter. Derivatives of these words in -ly and -ness will also, for the most part, be omitted for the same or similar reasons. [ 1913 Webster ]

There will be inserted as separate articles with definitions, the following: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Those which have acquired an opposed or contrary, instead of a merely negative, meaning; as, unfriendly, ungraceful, unpalatable, unquiet, and the like; or else an intensive sense more than a prefixed not would express; as, unending, unparalleled, undisciplined, undoubted, unsafe, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Those which have the value of independent words, inasmuch as the simple words are either not used at all, or are rarely, or at least much less frequently, used; as, unavoidable, unconscionable, undeniable, unspeakable, unprecedented, unruly, and the like; or inasmuch as they are used in a different sense from the usual meaning of the primitive, or especially in one of the significations of the latter; as, unaccountable, unalloyed, unbelieving, unpretending, unreserved, and the like; or inasmuch as they are so frequently and familiarly used that they are hardly felt to be of negative origin; as, uncertain, uneven, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Those which are anomalous, provincial, or, for some other reason, not desirable to be used, and are so indicated; as, unpure for impure, unsatisfaction for dissatisfaction, unexpressible for inexpressible, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

II. Un- is prefixed to nouns to express the absence of, or the contrary of, that which the noun signifies; as, unbelief, unfaith, unhealth, unrest, untruth, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Compounds of this last class are given in full in their proper order in the Vocabulary. [ 1913 Webster ]