2. Without notice to prepare the mind for the event; sudden; hasty; unceremonious. “The cause of your abrupt departure.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Having sudden transitions from one subject to another; unconnected. [ 1913 Webster ]

The abrupt style, which hath many breaches. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Bot.) Suddenly terminating, as if cut off. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Sudden; unexpected; hasty; rough; curt; unceremonious; rugged; blunt; disconnected; broken. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Precipitously. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

The Englishmen accoupled themselves with the Frenchmen. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which couples, as a tie or brace. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Acupuncture
(An NIH Consensus Statement prepared by a nonadvocate, non-Federal panel of experts)

November 3-5, 1997
Vol. 15, No. 5

Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely practiced in the United States. While there have been many studies of its potential usefulness, many of these studies provide equivocal results because of design, sample size, and other factors. The issue is further complicated by inherent difficulties in the use of appropriate controls, such as placebos and sham acupuncture groups. However, promising results have emerged, for example, showing efficacy of acupuncture in adult post-operative and chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and in post-operative dental pain. There are other situations such as addiction, stroke rehabilitation, headache, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyalgia, myofacial pain, osteoarthritis, low back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and asthma where acupuncture may be useful as an adjunct treatment or an acceptable alternative or be included in a comprehensive management program. Further research is likely to uncover additional areas where acupuncture interventions will be useful.
taken from: https://web.archive.org/web/20011126211520/http://odp.od.nih.gov/consensus/cons/107/107_intro.htm [ PJC ]

2. Avoirdupois weight. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Weight; heaviness; as, a woman of much avoirdupois. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Avoirdupois weight, a system of weights by which coarser commodities are weighed, such as hay, grain, butter, sugar, tea. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The standard Avoirdupois pound of the United States is equivalent to the weight of 27.7015 cubic inches of distilled water at 62° Fahrenheit, the barometer being at 30 inches, and the water weighed in the air with brass weights. In this system of weights 16 drams make 1 ounce, 16 ounces 1 pound, 25 pounds 1 quarter, 4 quarters 1 hundred weight, and 20 hundred weight 1 ton. The above pound contains 7, 000 grains, or 453.54 grams, so that 1 pound avoirdupois is equivalent to 1 31-144 pounds troy. (See Troy weight.) Formerly, a hundred weight was reckoned at 112 pounds, the ton being 2, 240 pounds (sometimes called a long ton). [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Music) a musician or group of musicians accompanying a soloist, whether vocalists or instrumentalists.
Syn. -- accompaniment. [ PJC ]

3. a person or group of persons serving as reinforcement for another or others; as, the policeman called for backup when he was fired on. [ PJC ]

4. an accumulation, overflow, or reverse flow (in traffic or a liquid flow system) caused by a stoppage or other malfunction. [ PJC ]

5. (Computers) A copy of a program or data from a computer onto a data-storage medium, usually one that may be removed to safe storage at a distance from the computer; it is used to preserve data for use in the contingency that the original data on the computer may be lost or become unusable. A backup that is removed from the building housing the computer system (to provide protection against loss of data in a disastrous event such as a fire) is called off-site backup. Also used attributively; as, backup copy. [ PJC ]

6. (Computers) The act or process of creating a backup{ 5 }; as, they performed a full system backup every weekend. [ PJC ]

2. to accumulate due to a blockage of flow; as, a traffic backup due to an accident; a sewage backup. [ PJC ]

2. (Computers) to make a backup{ 5 } of; as, the sysop backed up the purchasing data files every night. [ PJC ]

2. A trader who becomes unable to pay his debts; an insolvent trader; popularly, any person who is unable to pay his debts; an insolvent person. M‘Culloch. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) A person who, in accordance with the terms of a law relating to bankruptcy, has been judicially declared to be unable to meet his liabilities. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In England, until the year 1861 none but a “trader” could be made a bankrupt; a non-trader failing to meet his liabilities being an “insolvent”. But this distinction was abolished by the Bankruptcy Act of 1861. The laws of 1841 and 1867 of the United States relating to bankruptcy applied this designation bankrupt to others besides those engaged in trade. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Depleted of money; not having the means of meeting pecuniary liabilities; as, a bankrupt treasury. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Relating to bankrupts and bankruptcy. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Destitute of, or wholly wanting (something once possessed, or something one should possess). “Bankrupt in gratitude.” Sheridan. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bankrupt law, a law by which the property of a person who is unable or unwilling to pay his debts may be taken and distributed to his creditors, and by which a person who has made a full surrender of his property, and is free from fraud, may be discharged from the legal obligation of his debts. See Insolvent, a. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act or process of becoming a bankrupt. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Complete loss; -- followed by of. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A companion. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. the termination of a relationship; a break-up of the government; the break-up of a marriage; the break-up of a business partnership; the break-up of a comedy team.
Syn. -- dissolution. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

2. the events, such as advertising or publicity, causing increased interest in some coming event. The buildup to Superbowl XXIV was the most intense of the series. [ PJC ]

2. (Card Playing) Whist played in an unscientific way. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

With some antick bustoes in the niches. Ashmole. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. conservative in professional manner; as, employers are looking for buttoned-up types. [ WordNet 1.5 ]