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n. The act of abacinating. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. abalienatus, p. p. of abalienare; ab + alienus foreign, alien. See Alien. ] 1. (Civil Law) To transfer the title of from one to another; to alienate. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To estrange; to withdraw. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To cause alienation of (mind). Sandys. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abalienatio: cf. F. abaliénation. ] The act of abalienating; alienation; estrangement. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ LL. abannatio; ad + LL. bannire to banish. ] (Old Law) Banishment. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ab + E. articulation : cf. F. abarticulation. See Article. ] (Anat.) Articulation, usually that kind of articulation which admits of free motion in the joint; diarthrosis. Coxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being abated; as, an abatable writ or nuisance. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abated, p. pr. & vb. n. Abating. ] [ OF. abatre to beat down, F. abattre, LL. abatere; ab or ad + batere, battere (popular form for L. batuere to beat). Cf. Bate, Batter. ] 1. To beat down; to overthrow. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The King of Scots . . . sore abated the walls. Edw. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To bring down or reduce from a higher to a lower state, number, or degree; to lessen; to diminish; to contract; to moderate; to cut short; as, to abate a demand; to abate pride, zeal, hope. [ 1913 Webster ]

His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. Deut. xxxiv. 7. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To deduct; to omit; as, to abate something from a price. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nine thousand parishes, abating the odd hundreds. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To blunt. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To abate the edge of envy. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To reduce in estimation; to deprive. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

She hath abated me of half my train. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Law) (a) To bring entirely down or put an end to; to do away with; as, to abate a nuisance, to abate a writ. (b) (Eng. Law) To diminish; to reduce. Legacies are liable to be abated entirely or in proportion, upon a deficiency of assets. [ 1913 Webster ]

To abate a tax, to remit it either wholly or in part. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ See Abate, v. t. ] 1. To decrease, or become less in strength or violence; as, pain abates, a storm abates. [ 1913 Webster ]

The fury of Glengarry . . . rapidly abated. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To be defeated, or come to naught; to fall through; to fail; as, a writ abates. [ 1913 Webster ]

To abate into a freehold,
To abate in lands (Law), to enter into a freehold after the death of the last possessor, and before the heir takes possession. See Abatement, 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To subside; decrease; intermit; decline; diminish; lessen. -- To Abate, Subside. These words, as here compared, imply a coming down from some previously raised or excited state. Abate expresses this in respect to degrees, and implies a diminution of force or of intensity; as, the storm abates, the cold abates, the force of the wind abates; or, the wind abates, a fever abates. Subside (to settle down) has reference to a previous state of agitation or commotion; as, the waves subside after a storm, the wind subsides into a calm. When the words are used figuratively, the same distinction should be observed. If we conceive of a thing as having different degrees of intensity or strength, the word to be used is abate. Thus we say, a man's anger abates, the ardor of one's love abates, “Winter's rage abates”. But if the image be that of a sinking down into quiet from preceding excitement or commotion, the word to be used is subside; as, the tumult of the people subsides, the public mind subsided into a calm. The same is the case with those emotions which are tumultuous in their nature; as, his passion subsides, his joy quickly subsided, his grief subsided into a pleasing melancholy. Yet if, in such cases, we were thinking of the degree of violence of the emotion, we might use abate; as, his joy will abate in the progress of time; and so in other instances. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Abatement. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. abatement, F. abattement. ] 1. The act of abating, or the state of being abated; a lessening, diminution, or reduction; removal or putting an end to; as, the abatement of a nuisance is the suppression thereof. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The amount abated; that which is taken away by way of reduction; deduction; decrease; a rebate or discount allowed. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Her.) A mark of dishonor on an escutcheon. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) The entry of a stranger, without right, into a freehold after the death of the last possessor, before the heir or devisee. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

Defense in abatement,
Plea in abatement, (Law), plea to the effect that from some formal defect (e.g. misnomer, lack of jurisdiction) the proceedings should be abated. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, abates. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Provided with an abatis. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Law) (a) One who abates a nuisance. (b) A person who, without right, enters into a freehold on the death of the last possessor, before the heir or devisee. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } pos>n. [ F. abatis, abattis, mass of things beaten or cut down, fr. abattre. See Abate. ] (Fort.) A means of defense formed by felled trees, the ends of whose branches are sharpened and directed outwards, or against the enemy. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Abattoirs [ F., fr. abattre to beat down. See Abate. ] A public slaughterhouse for cattle, sheep, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. abatture, fr. abattre. See Abate. ] Grass and sprigs beaten or trampled down by a stag passing through them. Crabb. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. abattre to beat down + voix voice. ] The sounding-board over a pulpit or rostrum. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. abbatialis : cf. F. abbatial. ] Belonging to an abbey; as, abbatial rights. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Abbatial. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abbreviated; p. pr. & vb. n. Abbreviating. ] [ L. abbreviatus, p. p. of abbreviare; ad + breviare to shorten, fr. brevis short. See Abridge. ] 1. To make briefer; to shorten; to abridge; to reduce by contraction or omission, especially of words written or spoken. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is one thing to abbreviate by contracting, another by cutting off. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Math.) To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. abbreviatus, p. p. ] 1. Abbreviated; abridged; shortened. [ R. ] “The abbreviate form.” Earle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An abridgment. [ Obs. ] Elyot. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Shortened; relatively short; abbreviate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. abbreviatio: cf. F. abbréviation. ] 1. The act of shortening, or reducing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The result of abbreviating; an abridgment. Tylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The form to which a word or phrase is reduced by contraction and omission; a letter or letters, standing for a word or phrase of which they are a part; as, Gen. for Genesis; U.S.A. for United States of America. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Mus.) One dash, or more, through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, or demi-semiquavers. Moore. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL.: cf. F. abbréviateur. ] 1. One who abbreviates or shortens. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One of a college of seventy-two officers of the papal court whose duty is to make a short minute of a decision on a petition, or reply of the pope to a letter, and afterwards expand the minute into official form. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Serving or tending to abbreviate; shortening; abridging. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. An abbreviation; an abbreviated state or form. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An abridgment; a compendium or abstract. [ 1913 Webster ]

This is an excellent abbreviature of the whole duty of a Christian. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abdicated p. pr. & vb. n. Abdicating. ] [ L. abdicatus, p. p. of abdicare; ab + dicare to proclaim, akin to dicere to say. See Diction. ] 1. To surrender or relinquish, as sovereign power; to withdraw definitely from filling or exercising, as a high office, station, dignity; as, to abdicate the throne, the crown, the papacy. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The word abdicate was held to mean, in the case of James II., to abandon without a formal surrender. [ 1913 Webster ]

The cross-bearers abdicated their service. Gibbon. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To renounce; to relinquish; -- said of authority, a trust, duty, right, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

He abdicates all right to be his own governor. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

The understanding abdicates its functions. Froude. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To reject; to cast off. [ Obs. ] Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Civil Law) To disclaim and expel from the family, as a father his child; to disown; to disinherit. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To give up; quit; vacate; relinquish; forsake; abandon; resign; renounce; desert. -- To Abdicate, Resign. Abdicate commonly expresses the act of a monarch in voluntary and formally yielding up sovereign authority; as, to abdicate the government. Resign is applied to the act of any person, high or low, who gives back an office or trust into the hands of him who conferred it. Thus, a minister resigns, a military officer resigns, a clerk resigns. The expression, “The king resigned his crown, ” sometimes occurs in our later literature, implying that he held it from his people. -- There are other senses of resign which are not here brought into view. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To relinquish or renounce a throne, or other high office or dignity. [ 1913 Webster ]

Though a king may abdicate for his own person, he cannot abdicate for the monarchy. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abdicatio: cf. F. abdication. ] The act of abdicating; the renunciation of a high office, dignity, or trust, by its holder; commonly the voluntary renunciation of sovereign power; as, abdication of the throne, government, power, authority. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

n. One who abdicates. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ L. aberratus, p. pr. of aberrare; ab + errare to wander. See Err. ] To go astray; to diverge. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Their own defective and aberrating vision. De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. aberratio: cf. F. aberration. See Aberrate. ] 1. The act of wandering; deviation, especially from truth or moral rectitude, from the natural state, or from a type. “The aberration of youth.” Hall. “Aberrations from theory.” Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A partial alienation of reason. “Occasional aberrations of intellect.” Lingard. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whims, which at first are the aberrations of a single brain, pass with heat into epidemic form. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Astron.) A small periodical change of position in the stars and other heavenly bodies, due to the combined effect of the motion of light and the motion of the observer; called annual aberration, when the observer's motion is that of the earth in its orbit, and daily or diurnal aberration, when of the earth on its axis; amounting when greatest, in the former case, to 20.4'', and in the latter, to 0.3''. Planetary aberration is that due to the motion of light and the motion of the planet relative to the earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Opt.) The convergence to different foci, by a lens or mirror, of rays of light emanating from one and the same point, or the deviation of such rays from a single focus; called spherical aberration, when due to the spherical form of the lens or mirror, such form giving different foci for central and marginal rays; and chromatic aberration, when due to different refrangibilities of the colored rays of the spectrum, those of each color having a distinct focus. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Physiol.) The passage of blood or other fluid into parts not appropriate for it. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Law) The producing of an unintended effect by the glancing of an instrument, as when a shot intended for A glances and strikes B. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Insanity; lunacy; madness; derangement; alienation; mania; dementia; hallucination; illusion; delusion. See Insanity. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Characterized by aberration. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. aberuncare, for aberruncare. See Averruncate. ] To weed out. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A weeding machine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. ab- + evacuation. ] (Med.) A partial evacuation. Mayne. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Pref. ab- + irritate. ] (Med.) To diminish the sensibility to stimulation of. [ 1913 Webster+ AS ]

n. (Med.) A pathological condition opposite to that of irritation; debility; lack of strength; asthenia. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

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

v. t. [ L. abjudicatus, p. p. of abjudicare; ab + judicare. See Judge, and cf. Abjudge. ] To reject by judicial sentence; also, to abjudge. [ Obs. ] Ash. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Rejection by judicial sentence. [ R. ] Knowles. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. abjugatus, p. p. of abjugare. ] To unyoke. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abjuratio: cf. F. abjuration. ] 1. The act of abjuring or forswearing; a renunciation upon oath; as, abjuration of the realm, a sworn banishment, an oath taken to leave the country and never to return. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A solemn recantation or renunciation; as, an abjuration of heresy. [ 1913 Webster ]

Oath of abjuration, an oath asserting the right of the present royal family to the crown of England, and expressly abjuring allegiance to the descendants of the Pretender. Brande & C. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Containing abjuration. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. ablactatus, p. p. of ablactare; ab + lactare to suckle, fr. lac milk. ] To wean. [ R. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The weaning of a child from the breast, or of young beasts from their dam. Blount. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Hort.) The process of grafting now called inarching, or grafting by approach. [ 1913 Webster ]