a. [ As if fr. abstort, fr. L. ab, abs + tortus, p. p. of torquere to twist. ] Wrested away. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Accustomed p. pr. & vb. n. Accustoming. ] [ OF. acostumer, acustumer, F. accoutumer; à (L. ad) + OF. costume, F. coutume, custom. See Custom. ] To make familiar by use; to habituate, familiarize, or inure; -- with to. [ 1913 Webster ]

I shall always fear that he who accustoms himself to fraud in little things, wants only opportunity to practice it in greater. Adventurer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To habituate; inure; exercise; train. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To be wont. [ Obs. ] Carew. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To cohabit. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

We with the best men accustom openly; you with the basest commit private adulteries. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Custom. [ Obs. ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Habitual; customary; wonted. “Accustomable goodness.” Latimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. According to custom; ordinarily; customarily. Latimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. accoustumance, F. accoutumance. ] Custom; habitual use. [ Obs. ] Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Customarily. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Usual; customary. [ Archaic ] Featley. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Familiar through use; usual; customary. “An accustomed action.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Frequented by customers. [ Obs. ] “A well accustomed shop.” Smollett. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Habituation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Accustomedness to sin hardens the heart. Bp. Pearce. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;, &unr_;, a ray + &unr_; mouth. ] (Zool.) The mouth or anterior opening of a cœlenterate animal. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ Anglo-Norman agistour. ] (Law) (a) Formerly, an officer of the king's forest, who had the care of cattle agisted, and collected the money for the same; -- hence called gisttaker, which in England is corrupted into guest-taker. (b) Now, one who agists or takes in cattle to pasture at a certain rate; a pasturer. Mozley & W. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Cf. F. agrostographique. ] Pertaining to agrostography. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; + -graphy. ] A description of the grasses. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Pertaining to agrostology. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One skilled in agrostology. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; + -logy. ] That part of botany which treats of the grasses. [ 1913 Webster ]

A stove for heating a current of air which is directed against its surface by means of pipes, and then distributed through a building. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ G.; Alp, gen. pl. Alpen + stock stick. ] A long staff, pointed with iron, used in climbing the Alps. Cheever. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 genus of evergreen trees or shrubs with white funnel-shaped flowers and milky sap; tropical Africa to southeast Asia and Polynesia.
Syn. -- genus Alstonia. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

(Min.) A subsulphate of alumina and potash; alunite. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ Named from the river Amazon. ] (Min.) A variety of feldspar, having a verdigris-green color. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'amfi` + &unr_; mouth. ] (Zool.) Having a sucker at each extremity, as certain entozoa, by means of which they adhere. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Anastomozed p. pr. & vb. n. Anastomosing. ] [ Cf. F. anastomoser, fr. anastomose. See Anastomosis. ] 1. (Anat. & Bot.) To inosculate; to intercommunicate by anastomosis, as the arteries and veins. [ 1913 Webster ]

The ribbing of the leaf, and the anastomosing network of its vessels. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of any channels or lines, to meet and unite or run into each other, as rivers; to coalesce; to interjoin. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n.; pl. Anastomoses [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; opening, fr. &unr_; to furnish with a mouth or opening, to open; &unr_; + &unr_; mouth: cf. F. anastomose. ] (Anat. & Bot.) The inosculation of vessels, or intercommunication between two or more vessels or nerves, as the cross communication between arteries or veins. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to anastomosis. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 openbills.
Syn. -- genus Anastomus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OE. ancestre, auncestre, also ancessour; the first forms fr. OF. ancestre, F. ancêtre, fr. the L. nom. antessor one who goes before; the last form fr. OF. ancessor, fr. L. acc. antecessorem, fr. antecedere to go before; ante before + cedere to go. See Cede, and cf. Antecessor. ] 1. One from whom a person is descended, whether on the father's or mother's side, at any distance of time; a progenitor; a fore father. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) An earlier type; a progenitor; as, this fossil animal is regarded as the ancestor of the horse. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) One from whom an estate has descended; -- the correlative of heir. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Ancestral. Grote. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. With regard to ancestors. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Angio- + Gr. &unr_; mouth. ] (Zool.) With a narrow mouth, as the shell of certain gastropods. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'an priv. + "isto`s web, tissue: cf. F. anhiste.] (Biol.) Without definite structure; as, an anhistous membrane. [1913 Webster]

‖ n. [ NL., fr. Ankylostoma, var. of Agchylostoma, generic name of one genus of the parasitic nematodes. ] (Med.) A disease caused by the hookworm parasites of the genus Ancylostoma (especially Ancylostoma duodenale), and Necator americanus. Typically, infection in humans occurs in the small intestine. In the small intestine they suck the blood from the wall and, when present in large numbers, produce a severe anaemia. Called also miner's anaemia, tunnel disease, brickmaker's anaemia, Egyptian chlorosis. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. + AS ]

n. A cavity which leads into the stomach, as in birds. Ray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. apostolatus, fr. apostolus. See Apostle. ] 1. The dignity, office, or mission, of an apostle; apostleship. [ 1913 Webster ]

Judas had miscarried and lost his apostolate. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The dignity or office of the pope, as the holder of the apostolic see. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. apostolicus. ] (Eccl. Hist.) A member of one of certain ascetic sects which at various times professed to imitate the practice of the apostles. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. apostolicus, Gr. &unr_;: cf. F. apostolique. ] 1. Pertaining to an apostle, or to the apostles, their times, or their peculiar spirit; as, an apostolical mission; the apostolic age. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. According to the doctrines of the apostles; delivered or taught by the apostles; as, apostolic faith or practice. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Of or pertaining to the pope or the papacy; papal. [ 1913 Webster ]

Apostolical brief. See under Brief. --
Apostolic canons, a collection of rules and precepts relating to the duty of Christians, and particularly to the ceremonies and discipline of the church in the second and third centuries. --
Apostolic church, the Christian church; -- so called on account of its apostolic foundation, doctrine, and order. The churches of Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem were called apostolic churches. --
Apostolic constitutions, directions of a nature similar to the apostolic canons, and perhaps compiled by the same authors or author. --
Apostolic fathers, early Christian writers, who were born in the first century, and thus touched on the age of the apostles. They were Polycarp, Clement, Ignatius, and Hermas; to these Barnabas has sometimes been added. --
Apostolic king (or
majesty), a title granted by the pope to the kings of Hungary on account of the extensive propagation of Christianity by St. Stephen, the founder of the royal line. It is now a title of the emperor of Austria in right of the throne of Hungary. --
Apostolic see, a see founded and governed by an apostle; specifically, the Church of Rome; -- so called because, in the Roman Catholic belief, the pope is the successor of St. Peter, the prince of the apostles, and the only apostle who has successors in the apostolic office. --
Apostolical succession, the regular and uninterrupted transmission of ministerial authority by a succession of bishops from the apostles to any subsequent period. Hook. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an apostolic manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Apostolicity. Dr. H. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (R. C. Ch.) The diplomatic agent of the pope highest in grade, superior to a nuncio. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

{ } n. The state or quality of being apostolical. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'archai^os ancient + sto`ma mouth. ] (Biol.) Applied to a gastrula when the blastopore does not entirely close up. [ 1913 Webster ]

A wedge-shaped stone used in an arch; a voussoir. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Aristocracies [ Gr. &unr_;; &unr_; best + &unr_; to be strong, to rule, &unr_; strength; &unr_; is perh. from the same root as E. arm, and orig. meant fitting: cf. F. aristocratie. See Arm, and Create, which is related to Gr. &unr_;. ] 1. Government by the best citizens. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A ruling body composed of the best citizens. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

In the Senate
Right not our quest in this, I will protest them
To all the world, no aristocracy. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A form a government, in which the supreme power is vested in the principal persons of a state, or in a privileged order; an oligarchy. [ 1913 Webster ]

The aristocracy of Venice hath admitted so many abuses, trough the degeneracy of the nobles, that the period of its duration seems approach. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The nobles or chief persons in a state; a privileged class or patrician order; (in a popular use) those who are regarded as superior to the rest of the community, as in rank, fortune, or intellect. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. aristocrate. See Aristocracy. ] 1. One of the aristocracy or people of rank in a community; one of a ruling class; a noble. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who is overbearing in his temper or habits; a proud or haughty person. [ 1913 Webster ]

A born aristocrat, bred radical. Mrs. Browning. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One who favors an aristocracy as a form of government, or believes the aristocracy should govern. [ 1913 Webster ]

His whole family are accused of being aristocrats. Romilly. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Gr. &unr_;: cf. F. aristocratique. ] 1. Of or pertaining to an aristocracy; consisting in, or favoring, a government of nobles, or principal men; as, an aristocratic constitution. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Partaking of aristocracy; befitting aristocracy; characteristic of, or originating with, the aristocracy; as, an aristocratic measure; aristocratic pride or manners. -- Ar`is*to*crat"ic*al*ly, adv. -- Ar`is*to*crat"ic*al*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The principles of aristocrats. Romilly. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Aristocrats, collectively. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 a family comprising the birthworts; wild ginger.
Syn. -- family Aristolochiaceae, birthwort family [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. 1 an order of plants distinguished by tubular petaloid perianth and inferior ovary. It includes the Aristolochiaceae, Rafflesiaceae, and Hydnoraceae.
Syn. -- order Aristolochiales. [ WordNet 1.5 ]