n. [ OF. abaesse, abeesse, F. abbesse, L. abbatissa, fem. of abbas, abbatis, abbot. See Abbot. ] A female superior or governess of a nunnery, or convent of nuns, having the same authority over the nuns which the abbots have over the monks. See Abbey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Per. ābdast; ab water + dast hand. ] Purification by washing the hands before prayer; -- a Muslim rite. Heyse. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., masc. pl. ] (Zool.) A group including the greater part of fresh-water fishes, and many marine ones, having the ventral fins under the abdomen behind the pectorals. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 distension of the stomach area due to overweight.
Syn. -- paunchiness [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ L., fir tree. ] (Bot.) A genus of coniferous trees, properly called Fir, as the balsam fir and the silver fir. The spruces are sometimes also referred to this genus. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. 'a priv. + bi`os life + ge`nesis, origin, birth. ] (Biol.) The supposed origination of living organisms from lifeless matter; such genesis as does not involve the action of living parents; spontaneous generation; -- called also abiogeny, and opposed to biogenesis. [ 1913 Webster ]

I shall call the . . . doctrine that living matter may be produced by not living matter, the hypothesis of abiogenesis. Huxley, 1870. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A very abject or low condition; abjectness. [ R. ] Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being abject; abasement; meanness; servility. Grew. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Ability of body or mind; force; vigor. [ Obs. or R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being abominable; odiousness. Bentley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. [ L. Aborigines; ab + origo, especially the first inhabitants of Latium, those who originally (ab origine) inhabited Latium or Italy. See Origin. ] 1. The earliest known inhabitants of a country; native races. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The original fauna and flora of a geographical area [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being abortive. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Mentioned or recited before. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The state of being abrupt or broken; craggedness; ruggedness; steepness. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Suddenness; unceremonious haste or vehemence; as, abruptness of style or manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Abscesses [ L. abscessus a going away, gathering of humors, abscess, fr. abscessus, p. p. of absedere to go away; ab, abs + cedere to go off, retire. See Cede. ] (Med.) A collection of pus or purulent matter in any tissue or organ of the body caused by infection. [ 1913 Webster + AS ]

Cold abscess, (a) an abscess of slow formation, unattended with the pain and heat characteristic of ordinary abscesses, and lasting for years without exhibiting any tendency towards healing; a chronic abscess. AS (b) an abscess produced by tubercle bacilli, called also tuberculous abscess. AS [ 1913 Webster + AS ]

n. [ L. abscessio a separation; fr. absedere. See Abscess. ] A separating; removal; also, an abscess. [ Obs. ] Gauden. Barrough. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being absent-minded. H. Miller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being absolute; independence of everything extraneous; unlimitedness; absolute power; independent reality; positiveness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being absorptive; absorptive power. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being abstemious, temperate, or sparing in the use of food and strong drinks. It expresses a greater degree of abstinence than temperance. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being abstersive. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being abstracted; abstract character. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being abstractive; abstractive property. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being abstract. “The abstractness of the ideas.” Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

n. Absurdity. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being abusive; rudeness of language, or violence to the person. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pick out mirth, like stones out of thy ground,
Profaneness, filthiness, abusiveness. Herbert. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. See Cates. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. a- not + caulescent. ] (Bot.) Having no stem or caulis, or only a very short one concealed in the ground. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Without accent. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being acceptable, or suitable to be favorably received; acceptability. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. accès, L. accessus, fr. accedere. See Accede. ] 1. A coming to, or near approach; admittance; admission; accessibility; as, to gain access to a prince. [ 1913 Webster ]

I did repel his letters, and denied
His access to me. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The means, place, or way by which a thing may be approached; passage way; as, the access is by a neck of land. “All access was thronged.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Admission to sexual intercourse. [ 1913 Webster ]

During coverture, access of the husband shall be presumed, unless the contrary be shown. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Increase by something added; addition; as, an access of territory. [ In this sense accession is more generally used. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I, from the influence of thy looks, receive
Access in every virtue. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. An onset, attack, or fit of disease. [ 1913 Webster ]

The first access looked like an apoplexy. Burnet. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A paroxysm; a fit of passion; an outburst; as, an access of fury. [ A Gallicism ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In the manner of an accessary. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being accessary. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Accompanying, as a subordinate; additional; accessory; esp., uniting in, or contributing to, a crime, but not as chief actor. See Accessory. [ 1913 Webster ]

To both their deaths thou shalt be accessary. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Amongst many secondary and accessary causes that support monarchy, these are not of least reckoning. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Accessaries [ Cf. Accessory and LL. accessarius. ] (Law) One who, not being present, contributes as an assistant or instigator to the commission of an offense. [ 1913 Webster ]

Accessary before the fact (Law), one who commands or counsels an offense, not being present at its commission. --
Accessary after the fact, one who, after an offense, assists or shelters the offender, not being present at the commission of the offense. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ This word, as used in law, is spelt accessory by Blackstone and many others; but in this sense is spelt accessary by Bouvier, Burrill, Burns, Whishaw, Dane, and the Penny Cyclopedia; while in other senses it is spelt accessory. In recent text-books on criminal law the distinction is not preserved, the spelling being either accessary or accessory. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. accessibilitas: cf. F. accessibilité. ] The quality of being accessible, or of admitting approach; receptibility. Langhorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. accessibilis, fr. accedere: cf. F. accessible. See Accede. ] 1. Easy of access or approach; approachable; as, an accessible town or mountain, an accessible person. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Open to the influence of; -- with to. “Minds accessible to reason.” Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Obtainable; to be got at. [ 1913 Webster ]

The best information . . . at present accessible. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an accessible manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. accessio, fr. accedere: cf. F. accession. See Accede. ] 1. A coming to; the act of acceding and becoming joined; as, a king's accession to a confederacy. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Increase by something added; that which is added; augmentation from without; as, an accession of wealth or territory. [ 1913 Webster ]

The only accession which the Roman empire received was the province of Britain. Gibbon. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) (a) A mode of acquiring property, by which the owner of a corporeal substance which receives an addition by growth, or by labor, has a right to the part or thing added, or the improvement (provided the thing is not changed into a different species). Thus, the owner of a cow becomes the owner of her calf. (b) The act by which one power becomes party to engagements already in force between other powers. Kent. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The act of coming to or reaching a throne, an office, or dignity; as, the accession of the house of Stuart; -- applied especially to the epoch of a new dynasty. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Med.) The invasion, approach, or commencement of a disease; a fit or paroxysm. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Increase; addition; augmentation; enlargement. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to accession; additional. [ R. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Additional. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to an accessory; as, accessorial agency, accessorial guilt. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In the manner of an accessory; auxiliary. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being accessory, or connected subordinately. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. accessorius. See Access, and cf. Accessary. ] Accompanying as a subordinate; aiding in a secondary way; additional; connected as an incident or subordinate to a principal; contributing or contributory; said of persons and things, and, when of persons, usually in a bad sense; as, he was accessory to the riot; accessory sounds in music. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Ash accents the antepenult; and this is not only more regular, but preferable, on account of easiness of pronunciation. Most orhoëpists place the accent on the first syllable. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Accompanying; contributory; auxiliary; subsidiary; subservient; additional; acceding. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Accessories 1. That which belongs to something else deemed the principal; something additional and subordinate. “The aspect and accessories of a den of banditti.” Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) Same as Accessary, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Fine Arts) Anything that enters into a work of art without being indispensably necessary, as mere ornamental parts. Elmes. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Abettor; accomplice; ally; coadjutor. See Abettor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being accidental; casualness. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ L., hawks. ] (Zool.) The order that includes rapacious birds. They have a hooked bill, and sharp, strongly curved talons. There are three families, represented by the vultures, the falcons or hawks, and the owls. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 in some classifications an alternative name for the Falconiformes.
Syn. -- order Accipitriformes. [ WordNet 1.5 ]