a. [ L. ad + dorsum, back: cf. F. adossé. ] (Her.) Set or turned back to back. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Adorableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. adorabilis, fr. adorare: cf. F. adorable. ] 1. Deserving to be adored; worthy of divine honors. [ 1913 Webster ]

The adorable Author of Christianity. Cheyne. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Worthy of the utmost love or respect. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being adorable, or worthy of adoration. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an adorable manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. adoratio, fr. adorare: cf. F. adoration. ] 1. The act of playing honor to a divine being; the worship paid to God; the act of addressing as a god. [ 1913 Webster ]

The more immediate objects of popular adoration amongst the heathens were deified human beings. Farmer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Homage paid to one in high esteem; profound veneration; intense regard and love; fervent devotion. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A method of electing a pope by the expression of homage from two thirds of the conclave. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Pole ] might have been chosen on the spot by adoration. Froude. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To adorn. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Congealed little drops which do the morn adore. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. adored p. pr. & vb. n. adoring ] [ OE. aouren, anouren, adoren, OF. aorer, adorer, F. adorer, fr. L. adorare; ad + orare to speak, pray, os, oris, mouth. In OE. confused with honor, the French prefix a- being confused with OE. a, an, on. See Oral. ] 1. To worship with profound reverence; to pay divine honors to; to honor as a deity or as divine. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bishops and priests, . . . bearing the host, which he [ James II. ] publicly adored. Smollett. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To love in the highest degree; to regard with the utmost esteem and affection; to idolize. [ 1913 Webster ]

The great mass of the population abhorred Popery and adored Monmouth. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of adoring; adoration. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who adores; a worshiper; one who admires or loves greatly; an ardent admirer. “An adorer of truth.” Clarendon. [ 1913 Webster ]

I profess myself her adorer, not her friend. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 1 feeling or showing profound respect or veneration. Opposite of irreverent.
Syn. -- worshipful, reverent [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. 1 feeling or showing a deep love and devotion to. her adoring parents
Syn. -- doting, fond, lovesome [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. With adoration. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Adorned p. pr. & vb. n. Adorning. ] [ OE. aournen, anournen, adornen, OF. aorner, fr. L. aaornare; ad + ornare to furnish, embellish. See Adore, Ornate. ] To deck or dress with ornaments; to embellish; to set off to advantage; to render pleasing or attractive. [ 1913 Webster ]

As a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. Isa. lxi. 10. [ 1913 Webster ]

At church, with meek and unaffected grace,
His looks adorned the venerable place. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To deck; decorate; embellish; ornament; beautify; grace; dignify; exalt; honor. -- To Adorn, Ornament, Decorate, Embellish. We decorate and ornament by putting on some adjunct which is attractive or beautiful, and which serves to heighten the general effect. Thus, a lady's head-dress may be ornament or decorated with flowers or jewelry; a hall may be decorated or ornament with carving or gilding, with wreaths of flowers, or with hangings. Ornament is used in a wider sense than decorate. To embellish is to beautify or ornament richly, not so much by mere additions or details as by modifying the thing itself as a whole. It sometimes means gaudy and artificial decoration. We embellish a book with rich engravings; a style is embellished with rich and beautiful imagery; a shopkeeper embellishes his front window to attract attention. Adorn is sometimes identical with decorate, as when we say, a lady was adorned with jewels. In other cases, it seems to imply something more. Thus, we speak of a gallery of paintings as adorned with the works of some of the great masters, or adorned with noble statuary and columns. Here decorated and ornamented would hardly be appropriate. There is a value in these works of genius beyond mere show and ornament. Adorn may be used of what is purely moral; as, a character adorned with every Christian grace. Here neither decorate, nor ornament, nor embellish is proper. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Adornment. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Adorned; decorated. [ Obs. ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Adornment. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. He who, or that which, adorns; a beautifier. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. By adorning; decoratively. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OF. adornement. See Adorn. ] An adorning; an ornament; a decoration. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to an ambassador. H. Walpole. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state, office, or functions of an ambassador. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. (Geography) The capital city of Andorra. Population (2000) = 22, 390. [ PJC ]

prop. n. A genus of mammals comprising the springbucks (or springboks). The main species is Antidorcas marsupialis the springbuck, of which there are three subspecies: the cape springbuck (marsupialis), the Kalahari springbuck (hofmeyri) and the Angolan springbuck (angolensis).
Syn. -- genus Antidorcas. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. [ L. ardor, fr. ardere to burn: cf. OF. ardor, ardur, F. ardeur. ] [ Spelt also ardour. ] 1. Heat, in a literal sense; as, the ardor of the sun's rays. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Warmth or heat of passion or affection; eagerness; zeal; as, he pursues study with ardor; the fought with ardor; martial ardor. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. pl. Bright and effulgent spirits; seraphim. [ Thus used by Milton. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Fervor; warmth; eagerness. See Fervor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp. bandurria, fr. L. pandura, pandurium, a musical instrument of three strings, fr. Gr. pandoy^ra a three-stringed musical instrument. Cf. Pandore, Banjo, Mandolin. ] A musical stringed instrument, similar in form to a guitar; a pandore. It is now obsolete, but see bandura. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. same as battledoor.
Syn. -- battledore and shuttlecock. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a genus of mammals comprising the gnu goats.
Syn. -- genus Budorcas. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

(Zool.) a large vulture (Gymnogyps californianus), also called California vulture. In the late 20th century it is classed as an endangered species. The California condor used to number in the thousands and ranged along the entire west coast of the United States. By 1982 only 21 to 24 individuals could be identified in the wild. A breeding program was instituted, and by 1996 over 50 birds were alive in captivity. As of 1997, fewer than ten of the bred birds had been reintroduced into the wild. [ PJC ]

n. [ Written also candour. ] [ L. candor, fr. candëre; cf. F. candeur. See candid. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Whiteness; brightness; (as applied to moral conditions) usullied purity; innocence. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Nor yor unquestioned integrity
Shall e'er be sullied with one taint or spot
That may take from your innocence and candor. Massinger. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A disposition to treat subjects with fairness; freedom from prejudice or disguise; frankness; sincerity. [ 1913 Webster ]

Attribute superior sagacity and candor to those who held that side of the question. Whewell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Prob. a corruption of commander, or Sp. comendador a knight of a military order who holds a commandery; also a superior of a monastery, fr. LL. commendare to command. Cf. Commend, Command, Commander. ] 1. (U. S. Navy) An officer who ranks next above a captain; sometimes, by courtesy, the senior captain of a squadron. The rank of commodore corresponds with that of brigadier general in the army. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (British Navy) A captain commanding a squadron, or a division of a fleet, or having the temporary rank of rear admiral. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A title given by courtesy to the senior captain of a line of merchant vessels, and also to the chief officer of a yachting or rowing club. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A familiar for the flagship, or for the principal vessel of a squadron or fleet. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Pg., a buyer. ] A kind of steward or agent. [ China ] S. W. Williams [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp. condor, fr. Peruvian cuntur. ] 1. (Zool.) A very large bird of the Vulture family (Sarcorhamphus gryphus), found in the most elevated parts of the Andes. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) The California vulture (Gymnogyps californianus), also called California condor. [ Local, U. S. ] In the late 20th century it is classed as an endangered species. The California condor used to number in the thousands and ranged along the entire west coast of the United States. By 1982 only 21 to 24 individuals could be identified in the wild. A breeding program was instituted, and by 1996 over 50 birds were alive in captivity. As of 1997, fewer than ten of the bred birds had been reintroduced into the wild. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

3. A gold coin of Chile, bearing the figure of a condor, and equal to twenty pesos. It contains 10.98356 grams of gold, and is equivalent to about $7.29. Called also colon. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

4. A gold coin of Colombia equivalent to about $9.65. It is no longer coined. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

pos>prop. n. Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis de Condorcet, was a celebrated French philosopher and mathematician, Born at Ribemont, near St. Quentin, France, Sept. 17, 1743: died at Bourg-la-Reine, near Paris, March 28, 1794. . His most important work was on probability and the philosophy of mathematics. He was a deputy to the Legislative Assembly in 1791, and its president 1792, and a deputy to the Convention in 1792, where he sided with the Girondists. After the fall of the latter he was accused (Oct. 3, 1793) with Brissot, and went into hiding in Paris for eight months to save his life. He found shelter with a Madame Vernet. He then left the city, but was arrested at Clamart, near Bourg-la-Reine, and imprisoned. The next morning he was found dead, probably from poison. He contributed to the “Encyclopédie, ” and wrote “Esquisse d'un tableau historique des progrès de l'esprit humain” (1794), and various mathematical works.
His most important mathematical treatise was “Essay on the Application of Analysis to the Probability of Majority Decisions” (1785), an extremely important work in the development of the theory of probability. His work in probability led him to a study of voting methods, and laid the groundwork for the various ranked-pairs voting methods, which are often referred to as Condorcet's Method (for which see here. Robert D. Hilliard + Century Dictionary, 1906 [ PJC ]

Condorcet's method is one of several pairwise methods, which are great methods for electing people in single-seat elections (president, governor, mayor, etc.). Condorcet's method is named after the 18th century election theorist who invented it. Unlike most methods which make you choose the lesser of two evils, Condorcet's method and other pairwise methods let you rank the candidates in the order in which you would see them elected. The way the votes are tallied is by computing the results of separate pairwise elections between all of the candidates, and the winner is the one that wins a majority in all of the pairwise elections.
The best result of this is that if there is Candidate A on one extreme who pulls 40% of the vote, Candidate B in the middle who only pulls 20% of the vote, and Candidate C on the other extreme who pulls 40% of the vote, Candidate B will get elected as a compromise. Why? Because in a two-way contest between A and B, B would win with 60% of the vote, and in a two-way contest between B and C, B would also win with 60% of the vote. (Note that if B is a loony billionaire, he might not be able to win separate pairwise elections against anyone, and this would be reflected with Condorcet's method.)
Condorcet's method lets voters mark their sincere wishes for who they would like to win the election, without having to consider strategy ("I'd vote for Candidate B, but I'm afraid of wasting my vote."). It's really just a logical extension of majority rule when more than two choices are involved. Other pairwise methods, such as Copeland's method and Smith's method, have other desirable characteristics. The best of the pairwise methods is something that is quite debatable.
Wait, I've heard of this before...
You may have. However, there are many methods other methods similar to this one (though in my opinion, inferior), so don't be so sure. In order to be fair, here are a couple of those other methods:
* Majority preference voting (MPV) -- related to PV. Like PV, the voter simply ranks candidates in an order of preference (e. 1. Perot 2. Clinton 3. Bush). The candidate with the least number of first place votes is eliminated, and their votes are "transferred" to their 2nd choice until a candidate has a majority. It is frequently advocated and is better than our current system, but still has some nasty properties (like possibly knocking compromise candidates out of the running early). MPV is actually in use in Australia, among other places. Also known as Hare's Method.
* Approval -- Voters are allowed to vote for all candidates they approve. For example, Bush-Yes Perot-No Clinton-Yes. The candidate with the highest number of "yes" votes wins. For a more complete explanation, see here.
Rob Lanphier (from https://web.archive.org/web/20050722235546/http://www.eskimo.com/~robla/politics/condorcet.html). [ PJC ]

‖n. [ Sp., orig., a corrector. ] The chief magistrate of a Spanish town. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. Itt. corridpore, or Sp. corredor; prop., a runner, hence, a running or long line, a gallery, fr. L. currere to run. See Course. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Arch.) A gallery or passageway leading to several apartments of a house. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Fort.) The covered way lying round the whole compass of the fortifications of a place. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. any relatively narrow passageway or route, such as a strip of land through a foreign territory. [ PJC ]

4. a densely populated stretch of land; as, the Northeast corridor, extending from Richmond, Virginia into Maine. [ PJC ]

. A train whose coaches are connected so as to have through its entire length a continuous corridor, into which the compartments open. [ Eng. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Pg. cuspideria, fr. cuspir to spit. ] Any ornamental vessel used as a spittoon; hence, to avoid the common term, a spittoon of any sort. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A deodorizer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of depriving of odor, especially of offensive odors resulting from impurities. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To deprive of odor, especially of such as results from impurities. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. He who, or that which, deodorizes; esp., an agent that destroys offensive odors. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To deprive of ornaments. Congreve. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. AS. dora drone, locust, D. tor beetle, L. taurus a kind of beetle. Cf. Dormouse. ] (Zool.) A large European scaraboid beetle (Geotrupes stercorarius), which makes a droning noise while flying. The name is also applied to allied American species, as the June bug. Called also dorr, dorbeetle, or dorrbeetle, dorbug, dorrfly, and buzzard clock. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Dor a beetle, and Hum, Humbug. ] A trick, joke, or deception. Beau. & Fl. [ 1913 Webster ]

To give one the dor, to make a fool of him. [ Archaic ] P. Fletcher. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To make a fool of; to deceive. [ Obs. ] [ Written also dorr. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Sp. dorado gilt, fr. dorar to gild, fr. L. deaurare. See 1st Dory, and cf. Fl Dorado. ] 1. (Astron.) A southern constellation, within which is the south pole of the ecliptic; -- called also sometimes Xiphias, or the Swordfish. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) A large, oceanic fish of the genus Coryphæna. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) See 1st Dor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Dory. ] (Zool.) A European marine fish (Zeus faber), of a yellow color. See Illust. of John Doree. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The popular name in England is John Doree, or Dory, well known to be a corruption of F. jaune-dorée, i. e., golden-yellow. See 1st Dory. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A doorpost. [ Obs. ] “As dead as a doretree.” Piers Plowman. [ 1913 Webster ]