v. t. [ OE. acrochen, accrochen, to obtain, OF. acrochier, F. accrocher; à (L. ad) + croc hook (E. crook). ] 1. To hook, or draw to one's self as with a hook. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To usurp, as jurisdiction or royal prerogatives. [ 1913 Webster ]

They had attempted to accroach to themselves royal power. Stubbs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. accrochement. ] An encroachment; usurpation. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; to hear. ] Communicated orally; oral; -- applied to the esoteric teachings of Aristotle, those intended for his genuine disciples, in distinction from his exoteric doctrines, which were adapted to outsiders or the public generally. Hence: Abstruse; profound. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; to hear. ] Same as Acroamatic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. acrobate, fr. Gr. &unr_; walking on tiptoe, climbing aloft; &unr_; high + &unr_; to go. ] One who practices rope dancing, high vaulting, or other daring gymnastic feats. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 a genus of mammals.
Syn. -- genus Acrobates. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Cf. F. acrobatique. ] Pertaining to an acrobat. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Ac`ro*bat"ic*al*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

n. Feats of the acrobat; daring gymnastic feats; high vaulting. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; extreme, highest + &unr_; fruit. ] (Bot.) (a) Having a terminal fructification; having the fruit at the end of the stalk. (b) Having the fruit stalks at the end of a leafy stem, as in certain mosses. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. having a subterminal centromere an acrocentric chromosome [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; highest + &unr_;. See Cephalic. ] Characterized by a high skull. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 a genus of birds.
Syn. -- genus Acrocephalus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. Loftiness of skull. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. acroceraunius, fr. Gr. &unr_; high, n. pl. &unr_; heights + &unr_; thunderbolt. ] Of or pertaining to the high mountain range of “thunder-smitten” peaks (now Kimara), between Epirus and Macedonia. Shelley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 a genus of herbs and shrubs of Australia and Southern Africa, with an everlasting flower; most species are usually placed in genus Helipterum.
Syn. -- genus Acroclinium [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. 1 a genus of Central and South American feather palms.
Syn. -- genus Acrocomia [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; topmost + &unr_; finger. ] (Zool.) The upper surface of the toes, individually. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. 'a`kros summit + 'odoy`s, 'odo`ntos, a tooth. ] (Zool.) One of a group of lizards having the teeth immovably united to the top of the alveolar ridge. -- a. Of or pertaining to the acrodonts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. 'a`kros extreme, high + -gen. ] (Bot.) A plant of the highest class of cryptogams, including the ferns, etc. See Cryptogamia. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Age of Acrogens (Geol.), the age of coal plants, or the carboniferous era. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 1 pertaining to acrogens, flowerless plants (ferns or mosses) in which growth occurs only at the tip of the main stem.
Syn. -- acrogenous [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. (Bot.) Increasing by growth from the extremity; as, an acrogenous plant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. acer sharp + olēre to smell. ] (Chem.) A limpid, colorless, highly volatile liquid, obtained by the dehydration of glycerin, or the destructive distillation of neutral fats containing glycerin. Its vapors are intensely irritating. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. acrolthus, Gr. 'akroli`qos with the ends made of stone; 'a`kros extreme + li`qos stone. ] (Arch. & Sculp.) A statue whose extremities are of stone, the trunk being generally of wood. Elmes. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Pertaining to, or like, an acrolith. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ NL. acromegalia, fr. Gr. 'a`kron point, peak + me`gas, mega`loy, big. ] (Med.) Chronic enlargement of many bones of the skeleton, especially bones of hands, feet and face; the condition is due to excessive secretion of growth hormone. [ 1913 Webster + AS ]

a. [ Cf. F. acromial. ] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the acromion. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Gr. &unr_;; 'a`kros extreme + &unr_; shoulder: cf. F. acromion. ] (Anat.) The outer extremity of the shoulder blade. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'a`kros extreme + &unr_; alone + &unr_; a letter. ] Having each verse begin with the same letter as that with which the preceding verse ends. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an acronycal manner as rising at the setting of the sun, and vice versa. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Gr. 'akro`nychos at nightfall; 'a`kros + ny`x night. ] (Astron.) Rising at sunset and setting at sunrise, as a star; -- opposed to cosmical. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The word is sometimes incorrectly written acronical, achronychal, acronichal, and acronical. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'akro`nyktos; 'a`kros + ny`x, nykto`s, night. ] (Astron.) Acronycal. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Crookedly. [ R. ] Udall. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'a`kros summit + L. petere to seek. ] (Bot.) Developing from below towards the apex, or from the circumference towards the center; centripetal; -- said of certain inflorescence. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. 'a`kros extreme + &unr_; sound. ] The use of a picture symbol of an object to represent phonetically the initial sound of the name of the object. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Gr. 'a`kros topmost + poy`s, podo`s, foot. ] (Zool.) The entire upper surface of the foot. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. 'akro`polis; 'a`kros extreme + po`lis city. ] The upper part, or the citadel, of a Grecian city; especially, the citadel of Athens. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to an acropolis. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; + &unr_; anything twisted. ] (Bot.) The sprout at the end of a seed when it begins to germinate; the plumule in germination; -- so called from its spiral form. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To put forth the first sprout. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; + &unr_; fruit. ] (Bot.) A spore borne at the extremity of the cells of fructification in fungi. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having acrospores. [ 1913 Webster ]

prep. [ Pref. a- + cross: cf. F. en croix. See Cross, n. ] From side to side; athwart; crosswise, or in a direction opposed to the length; quite over; as, a bridge laid across a river. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

To come across, to come upon or meet incidentally. Freeman. --
To go across the country, to go by a direct course across a region without following the roads. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. From side to side; crosswise; as, with arms folded across. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Obliquely; athwart; amiss; awry. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The squint-eyed Pharisees look across at all the actions of Christ. Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. broad in scope or content limited, exclusive
Syn. -- all-embracing, all-inclusive, blanket(prenominal), broad, complete, global, panoptic, wide [ WordNet 1.5 ]

pr>(&unr_;), n. [ Gr. &unr_;; &unr_; extreme + &unr_; order, line, verse. ] 1. A composition, usually in verse, in which the first or the last letters of the lines, or certain other letters, taken in order, form a name, word, phrase, or motto. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A Hebrew poem in which the lines or stanzas begin with the letters of the alphabet in regular order (as Psalm cxix.). See Abecedarian. [ 1913 Webster ]

Double acrostic, a species of enigma, in which words are to be guessed whose initial and final letters form other words. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. Pertaining to, or characterized by, acrostics. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. After the manner of an acrostic. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; topmost + &unr_; tarsus. ] (Zool.) The instep or front of the tarsus. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. 'a`kros extreme + teley`th end. ] (Eccles.) The end of a verse or psalm, or something added thereto, to be sung by the people, by way of a response. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. acrotère. See Acroterium. ] (Arch.) Same as Acroterium. [ 1913 Webster ]