n. 1. 1 type genus of the Aceraceae; trees or shrubs having winged fruit.
Syn. -- genus Acer [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. 1 the family of trees including the maples.
Syn. -- family Aceraceae, maple family [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ See Aceric. ] (Chem.) A combination of aceric acid with a salifiable base. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Acerose; needle-shaped. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. acerbus, fr. acer sharp: cf. F. acerbe. See Acrid. ] Sour, bitter, and harsh to the taste, as unripe fruit; sharp and harsh. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. acerbatus, p. p. of acerbare, fr. acerbus. ] To sour; to imbitter; to irritate. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Sour or severe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. acerbitudo, fr. acerbus. ] Sourness and harshness. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. acerbité, L. acerbitas, fr. acerbus. See Acerb. ] 1. Sourness of taste, with bitterness and astringency, like that of unripe fruit. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Harshness, bitterness, or severity; as, acerbity of temper, of language, of pain. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. acer maple. ] Pertaining to, or obtained from, the maple; as, aceric acid. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ (a) L. acerosus chaffy, fr. acus, gen. aceris, chaff; (b) as if fr. L. acus needle: cf. F. acéreux. ] (Bot.) (a) Having the nature of chaff; chaffy. (b) Needle-shaped, having a sharp, rigid point, as the leaf of the pine. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Same as Acerose. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. α priv. + ke`ras a horn. ] (Zool.) (a) Destitute of tentacles, as certain mollusks. (b) Without antennæ, as some insects. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. acervalis, fr. acervus heap. ] Pertaining to a heap. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Heaped, or growing in heaps, or closely compacted clusters. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. acervatus, p. p. of acervare to heap up, fr. acervus heap. ] To heap up. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. acervatio. ] A heaping up; accumulation. [ R. ] Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Heaped up; tending to heap up. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Full of heaps. [ R. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Resembling little heaps. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. amphimacrus, Gr. &unr_;; 'amfi` on both sides + &unr_; long. ] (Anc. Pros.) A foot of three syllables, the middle one short and the others long, as in cāst&ibreve_;tās. Andrews. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Hostile to priests or the priesthood. Waterland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The key on a typewriter or other keyboard used for back spacing.
Syn. -- backspace key. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. That which braces, binds, or makes firm; a band or bandage. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A covering to protect the arm of the bowman from the vibration of the string; also, a brassart. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A medicine, as an astringent or a tonic, which gives tension or tone to any part of the body. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. coacervatus, p. p. of coacervare to heap up; co- + acervare. See Acervate. ] Raised into a pile; collected into a crowd; heaped. [ R. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To heap up; to pile. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. coacervatio. ] A heaping together. [ R. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. de`ka ten + ke`ras a horn. ] (Zool.) The division of Cephalopoda which includes the squids, cuttlefishes, and others having ten arms or tentacles; -- called also Decapoda. [ Written also Decacera. ] See Dibranchiata.

n. One who, or that which, defaces or disfigures. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. delacerare, delaceratum, to tear in pieces. See Lacerate. ] A tearing in pieces. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Dilacerated p. pr. & vb. n. Dilacerating ] [ L. dilaceratus, p. p. of dilacerare to tear apart; di- = dis- + lacerare to tear. ] To rend asunder; to tear to pieces. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. dilaceratio: cf. F. dilacération. ] The act of rending asunder. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who disgraces. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One that displaces. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Chem.) The funnel part of the apparatus for solution by displacement. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. [ L. emaceratus emaciated; e + macerare to make soft. ] To make lean or to become lean; to emaciate. [ Obs. ] Bullokar. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Emaciation. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who embraces. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Law) An attempt to influence a court, jury, etc., corruptly, by promises, entreaties, money, entertainments, threats, or other improper inducements. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Exacerbated p. pr. & vb. n. Exacerbating ] [ L. exacerbatus, p. p. of exacerbare; ex out (intens.) + acerbare. See Acerbate. ] To render more violent or bitter; to irritate; to exasperate; to imbitter, as passions or disease. Brougham. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. Making worse.
Syn. -- aggravating, exasperating. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

pos>n. [ Cf. F. exacerbation. ] 1. The act of rendering more violent or bitter; the state of being exacerbated or intensified in violence or malignity; as, exacerbation of passion. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) A periodical increase of violence in a disease, as in remittent or continuous fever; an increased energy of diseased and painful action. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. exacerbescens, -entis, p. pr. of exacerbescere, incho. of exacerbare. ] Increase of irritation or violence, particularly the increase of a fever or disease. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. exacervare to heap up exceedingly. See Ex-, and Acervate. ] The act of heaping up. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who faces; one who puts on a false show; a bold-faced person. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

There be no greater talkers, nor boasters, nor fasers. Latimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A blow in the face, as in boxing; hence, any severe or stunning check or defeat, as in controversy. [ Collog. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I should have been a stercoraceous mendicant if I had hollowed when I got a facer. C. Kingsley.

3. a serious difficulty with which one is suddenly faced. [ wns=1 ] [ obsolescent Briticism ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OE. filace a file, or thread, on which the records of the courts of justice were strung, F. filasse tow of flax or hemp, fr. L. filum thread. ] (Eng. Law) A former officer in the English Court of Common Pleas; -- so called because he filed the writs on which he made out process. [ Obs. ] Burrill. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. illacerabilis: cf. F. illacérable. See In- not, and Lacerable. ] Not lacerable; incapable of being torn or rent. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Embracery. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. lacerabilis: cf. F. lacérable. ] That can be lacerated or torn. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Lacerated p. pr. & vb. n. Lacerating ] [ L. laceratus, p. p. of lacerare to lacerate, fr. lacer mangled, lacerated; cf. Gr. &unr_; a rent, rending, &unr_; to tear; perh. akin to E. slay. ] To tear; to rend; to separate by tearing; to mangle; as, to lacerate the flesh. Hence: To afflict; to torture; as, to lacerate the heart. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } p. a. [ L. laceratus, p. p. ] 1. Rent; torn; mangled; as, a lacerated wound. [ 1913 Webster ]

By each other's fury lacerate Southey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot. & Zool.) Jagged, or slashed irregularly, at the end, or along the edge. [ 1913 Webster ]