a. [ L. abdicans, p. pr. of abdicare. ] Abdicating; renouncing; -- followed by of. [ 1913 Webster ]

Monks abdicant of their orders. Whitlock. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who abdicates. Smart. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Acanthus. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Gr. &unr_; thorn, fr. &unr_; point. See Acute. ] 1. (Bot.) A prickle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) A spine or prickly fin. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Anat.) The vertebral column; the spinous process of a vertebra. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Armed with prickles, as a plant. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Of, pertaining to, or resembling, the family of plants of which the acanthus is the type. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. acanthinus, Gr. &unr_;, thorny, fr. &unr_;. See Acanthus. ] Of, pertaining to, or resembling, the plant acanthus. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; thorn + &unr_; fruit. ] (Bot.) Having the fruit covered with spines. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; a spine, thorn + &unr_; head. ] (Zool.) A group of intestinal worms, having the proboscis armed with recurved spines. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having a spiny head, as one of the Acanthocephala. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a genus of Australian elapid snakes.
Syn. -- genus Acanthophis. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; spine + fe`rein to bear. ] Spine-bearing. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; thorn + &unr_;, &unr_;, foot. ] (Bot.) Having spinous petioles. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; thorn + &unr_; wing, fin. ] (Zool.) A group of teleostean fishes having spiny fins. See Acanthopterygii. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; spine + &unr_; wing. ] 1. (Zool.) Spiny-winged. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) Acanthopterygious. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Belonging to the order of fishes having spinose fins, as the perch. -- n. A spiny-finned fish. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; thorn + &unr_; fin, dim. fr. &unr_; wing. ] (Zool.) An order of fishes having some of the rays of the dorsal, ventral, and anal fins unarticulated and spinelike, as the perch. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having fins in which the rays are hard and spinelike; spiny-finned. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 1 shaped like a spine or thorn
Syn. -- spinous [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. 1 a family of fishes consisting of the surgeonfishes. fish family
Syn. -- family Acanthuridae [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. type genus of the family Acanthuridae; doctorfishes.
Syn. -- genus Acanthurus [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n.; pl. E. Acanthuses /plu>, L. Acanthi [ L., from Gr. &unr_;. Cf. Acantha. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Bot.) A genus of herbaceous prickly plants, found in the south of Europe, Asia Minor, and India; bear's-breech. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Arch.) An ornament resembling the foliage or leaves of the acanthus (Acanthus spinosus); -- used in the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. same as Akocanthera.
Syn. -- Akocanthera, genus Acocanthera, genus Acokanthera. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ L. albicans, p. pr. of albicare, albicatum, to be white, fr. albus white. ] Growing or becoming white. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A kind of wine, formerly much esteemed; -- said to have been made near Alicant, in Spain. J. Fletcher. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Astron.) (a) Same as Almucantar. (b) A recently invented instrument for observing the heavenly bodies as they cross a given almacantar circle. See Almucantar. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. almucantarat, almicantarat, ultimately fr. Ar. al-muqantarāt, pl., fr. qantara to bend, arch. ] (Astron.) A small circle of the sphere parallel to the horizon; a circle or parallel of altitude. Two stars which have the same almucantar have the same altitude. See Almacantar. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Almucanter staff, an ancient instrument, having an arc of fifteen degrees, formerly used at sea to take observations of the sun's amplitude at the time of its rising or setting, to find the variation of the compass. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Spineless, as certain fishes. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ } n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. 'an priv. + &unr_; thorny, fr. &unr_; thorn. ] (Zool.) A group of teleostean fishes destitute of spiny fin-rays, as the cod. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. applicans, p. pr. of applicare. See Apply. ] One who apples for something; one who makes request; a petitioner. [ 1913 Webster ]

The applicant for a cup of water. Plumtre. [ 1913 Webster ]

The court require the applicant to appear in person. Z. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ It., beautiful singing. ] (Music) a cantabile style of operatic singing characterized by purity and evenness of tone, and a precise but brilliant vocal technique displaying ease and agility. [ PJC ]

a. [ L. candicans, p. pr. of candicare to be whitish. ] Growing white. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF., edge, angle, prof. from L. canthus the iron ring round a carriage wheel, a wheel, Gr. &unr_; the corner of the eye, the felly of a wheel; cf. W. cant the stake or tire of a wheel. Cf. Canthus, Canton, Cantle. ] 1. A corner; angle; niche. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The first and principal person in the temple was Irene, or Peace; she was placed aloft in a cant. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An outer or external angle. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. An inclination from a horizontal or vertical line; a slope or bevel; a titl. Totten. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A sudden thrust, push, kick, or other impulse, producing a bias or change of direction; also, the bias or turn so give; as, to give a ball a cant. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Coopering) A segment forming a side piece in the head of a cask. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Mech.) A segment of he rim of a wooden cogwheel. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Naut.) A piece of wood laid upon the deck of a vessel to support the bulkheads. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cant frames,
Cant timbers (Naut.), timber at the two ends of a ship, rising obliquely from the keel. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Canted; p. pr. & vb. n. Canting. ] 1. To incline; to set at an angle; to tilt over; to tip upon the edge; as, to cant a cask; to cant a ship. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To give a sudden turn or new direction to; as, to cant round a stick of timber; to cant a football. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To cut off an angle from, as from a square piece of timber, or from the head of a bolt. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Prob. from OF. cant, F. chant, singing, in allusion to the singing or whining tine of voice used by beggars, fr. L. cantus. See Chant. ] 1. An affected, singsong mode of speaking. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The idioms and peculiarities of speech in any sect, class, or occupation. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

The cant of any profession. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The use of religious phraseology without understanding or sincerity; empty, solemn speech, implying what is not felt; hypocrisy. [ 1913 Webster ]

They shall hear no cant from me. F. W. Robertson [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Vulgar jargon; slang; the secret language spoker by gipsies, thieves, tramps, or beggars. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of the nature of cant; affected; vulgar. [ 1913 Webster ]

To introduce and multiply cant words in the most ruinous corruption in any language. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To speak in a whining voice, or an affected, singsong tone. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To make whining pretensions to goodness; to talk with an affectation of religion, philanthropy, etc.; to practice hypocrisy; as, a canting fanatic. [ 1913 Webster ]

The rankest rogue that ever canted. Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To use pretentious language, barbarous jargon, or technical terms; to talk with an affectation of learning. [ 1913 Webster ]

The doctor here,
When he discourseth of dissection,
Of vena cava and of vena porta,
The meseræum and the mesentericum,
What does he else but cant. B. Jonson [ 1913 Webster ]

That uncouth affected garb of speech, or canting language, if I may so call it. Bp. Sanderson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Prob. from OF. cant, equiv. to L. quantum; cf. F. encan, fr. L. in quantum, i.e. “for how much?” ] A call for bidders at a public sale; an auction. “To sell their leases by cant.” Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. to sell by auction, or bid a price at a sale by auction. [ Archaic ] Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Abbreviated from Cantabrigian. ] A Cantabrigian. [ Colloq. ] Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖a. [ It., cantare to sing. ] (Mus.) In a melodious, flowing style; in a singing style, as opposed to bravura, recitativo, or parlando. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ n. (Mus.) A piece or passage, whether vocal or instrumental, peculiarly adapted to singing; -- sometimes called cantilena. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to Cantabria on the Bay of Biscay in Spain. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A native or resident of Cambridge; esp. a student or graduate of the university of Cambridge, England. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cant an external angle + lever a supporter of the roof timber of a house. ] [ Written also cantaliver and cantilever. ] 1. (Arch.) A bracket to support a balcony, a cornice, or the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Engin.) A projecting beam, truss, or bridge unsupported at the outer end; one which overhangs. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cantalever bridge, a bridge in which the principle of the cantalever is applied. It is usually a trussed bridge, composed of two portions reaching out from opposite banks, and supported near the middle of their own length on piers which they overhang, thus forming cantalevers which meet over the space to be spanned or sustain a third portion, to complete the connection. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. cantaloup, It. cantalupo, so called from the caste of Cantalupo, in the Marca d'Ancona, in Italy, where they were first grown in Europe, from seed said to have been imported from Armenia. ] A muskmelon of several varieties, having when mature, a yellowish skin, and flesh of a reddish orange color. [ Written also cantaleup. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Perverse; contentious; ugly; malicious. [ Colloq. ] -- Can*tan"ker*ous*ly, adv. -- Can*tan"ker*ous*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

The cantankerous old maiden aunt. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖ } n. [ It. cantaro (in sense 1), Sp. cantaro (in sense 2). ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A weight used in southern Europe and East for heavy articles. It varies in different localities; thus, at Rome it is nearly 75 pounds, in Sardinia nearly 94 pounds, in Cairo it is 95 pounds, in Syria about 503 pounds. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A liquid measure in Spain, ranging from two and a half to four gallons. Simmonds. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ It., fr. cantare to sing, fr. L. cantare intens of canere to sing. ] (Mus.) A poem set to music; a musical composition comprising choruses, solos, interludes, etc., arranged in a somewhat dramatic manner; originally, a composition for a single noise, consisting of both recitative and melody. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. cantatio. ] A singing. [ Obs. ] Blount. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Containing cant or affectation; whining; singing. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]