a. [ L. abdicativus. ] Causing, or implying, abdication. [ R. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. abditivus, fr. abdere to hide. ] Having the quality of hiding. [ R. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Med.) Characterized by abirritation or debility. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. abjunctus, p. p. of abjungere; ab + jungere to join. ] Exceptional. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

It is this power which leads on from the accidental and abjunctive to the universal. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. ablatif, ablative, L. ablativus fr. ablatus. See Ablation. ] 1. Taking away or removing. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Where the heart is forestalled with misopinion, ablative directions are found needful to unteach error, ere we can learn truth. Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gram.) Applied to one of the cases of the noun in Latin and some other languages, -- the fundamental meaning of the case being removal, separation, or taking away. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Gram.) The ablative case. [ 1913 Webster ]

ablative absolute, a construction in Latin, in which a noun in the ablative case has a participle (either expressed or implied), agreeing with it in gender, number, and case, both words forming a clause by themselves and being unconnected, grammatically, with the rest of the sentence; as, Tarquinio regnante, Pythagoras venit, i. e., Tarquinius reigning, Pythagoras came. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. abnegativus. ] Denying; renouncing; negative. [ R. ] Clarke. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Abortive. [ Obs. ] Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. abortivus, fr. aboriri. See Abort, v. ] 1. Produced by abortion.as, an abortive child. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster + AS ]

2. Made from the skin of a still-born animal; as, abortive vellum. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Rendering fruitless or ineffectual. [ Obs. ] “Plunged in that abortive gulf.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Coming to naught; failing in its effect; miscarrying; fruitless; unsuccessful; as, an abortive attempt. “An abortive enterprise.” Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Biol.) Imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary; sterile; as, an abortive organ, stamen, ovule, etc. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Med.) (a) Causing abortion; as, abortive medicines. Parr. AS (b) Cutting short the period of an illness; as, abortive treatment of typhoid fever. [ 1913 Webster + AS ]

n. 1. That which is born or brought forth prematurely; an abortion. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A fruitless effort or issue. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Med.) A medicine to which is attributed the property of causing abortion; -- also called an abortifacient. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

adv. In an abortive or untimely manner; immaturely; fruitlessly. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

a. Producing abrasion. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Tending or designed to abrogate; as, an abrogative law. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having power, capacity, or tendency to absorb or imbibe. E. Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

a. [ Cf. F. abstersif. See Absterge. ] Cleansing; purging. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Something cleansing. [ 1913 Webster ]

The strong abstersive of some heroic magistrate. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

a. [ Cf. F. abstractif. ] Having the power of abstracting; of an abstracting nature. “The abstractive faculty.” I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a abstract manner; separately; in or by itself. Feltham. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

a. [ Cf. F. abusif, fr. L. abusivus. ] 1. Wrongly used; perverted; misapplied. [ 1913 Webster ]

I am . . . necessitated to use the word Parliament improperly, according to the abusive acceptation thereof. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Given to misusing; also, full of abuses. [ Archaic ] “The abusive prerogatives of his see.” Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Practicing abuse; prone to ill treat by coarse, insulting words or by other ill usage; as, an abusive author; an abusive fellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Containing abuse, or serving as the instrument of abuse; vituperative; reproachful; scurrilous. “An abusive lampoon.” Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Tending to deceive; fraudulent; cheating. [ Obs. ] “An abusive treaty.” Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Reproachful; scurrilous; opprobrious; insolent; insulting; injurious; offensive; reviling. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an abusive manner; rudely; with abusive language. [ 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 ]

a. Relating to acceleration; adding to velocity; quickening. Reid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Fit for acceptance. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Ready to accept. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Additional. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Acclivous. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. ad + complere, completum, to fill up. ] Tending to accomplish. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Relating to accretion; increasing, or adding to, by growth. Glanvill. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. of or pertaining to acculturation (definition 3).
Syn. -- acculturational [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Characterized by accumulation; serving to collect or amass; cumulative; additional. -- Ac*cu"mu*la*tive*ly, adv. -- Ac*cu"mu*la*tive*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. accusatif, L. accusativus (in sense 2), fr. accusare. See Accuse. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Producing accusations; accusatory. “This hath been a very accusative age.” Sir E. Dering. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gram.) Applied to the case (as the fourth case of Latin and Greek nouns) which expresses the immediate object on which the action or influence of a transitive verb terminates, or the immediate object of motion or tendency to, expressed by a preposition. It corresponds to the objective case in English. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Gram.) The accusative case. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. In an accusative manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. In relation to the accusative case in grammar. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

a. 1. Acquired. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

He died not in his acquisitive, but in his native soil. Wotton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Able or disposed to make acquisitions; acquiring; as, an acquisitive person or disposition. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In the way of acquisition. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The quality of being acquisitive; propensity to acquire property; desire of possession. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Phren.) The faculty to which the phrenologists attribute the desire of acquiring and possessing. Combe. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. actif, L. activus, fr. agere to act. ] 1. Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting; -- opposed to passive, that receives; as, certain active principles; the powers of the mind. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body; nimble; as, an active child or animal. [ 1913 Webster ]

Active and nervous was his gait. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. In action; actually proceeding; working; in force; -- opposed to quiescent, dormant, or extinct; as, active laws; active hostilities; an active volcano. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Given to action; constantly engaged in action; energetic; diligent; busy; -- opposed to dull, sluggish, indolent, or inert; as, an active man of business; active mind; active zeal. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Requiring or implying action or exertion; -- opposed to sedentary or to tranquil; as, active employment or service; active scenes. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Given to action rather than contemplation; practical; operative; -- opposed to speculative or theoretical; as, an active rather than a speculative statesman. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Brisk; lively; as, an active demand for corn. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. Implying or producing rapid action; as, an active disease; an active remedy. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. (Gram.) (a) Applied to a form of the verb; -- opposed to passive. See Active voice, under Voice. (b) Applied to verbs which assert that the subject acts upon or affects something else; transitive. (c) Applied to all verbs that express action as distinct from mere existence or state. [ 1913 Webster ]

Active capital,
Active wealth, money, or property that may readily be converted into money. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Agile; alert; brisk; vigorous; nimble; lively; quick; sprightly; prompt; energetic. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. In an active manner; nimbly; briskly; energetically; also, by one's own action; voluntarily, not passively. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gram.) In an active signification; as, a word used actively. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being active; nimbleness; quickness of motion; activity. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Adaptive. Stubbs. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Suited, given, or tending, to adaptation; characterized by adaptation; capable of adapting. Coleridge. -- A*dapt"ive*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

n. The quality of being adaptive; capacity to adapt. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Astron.) an optical system used in some telescopes since the 1980's which rapidly changes the shape of the primary reflecting mirror to adjust for distortions of light which are caused by atmospheric turbulence. By reducing the distortions caused by the atmosphere, telescopes fitted with such optics can achieve a higher resolving power than normal telescopes with static mirrors. [ PJC ]

n. 1. (Palaeontology) the evolutionary generation of multiple specialized life forms from one ancestral form, evidenced in the fossil record. The inverse of extinction. [ PJC ]

a. [ L. additivus. ] (Math.) Proper to be added; positive; -- opposed to subtractive. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Adducing, or bringing towards or to something. [ 1913 Webster ]