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n. [ Syriac abbā father. See Abbot. ] Father; religious superior; -- in the Syriac, Coptic, and Ethiopic churches, a title given to the bishops, and by the bishops to the patriarch. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Abbacies [ L. abbatia, fr. abbas, abbatis, abbot. See Abbey. ] The dignity, estate, or jurisdiction of an abbot. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

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

‖n. [ F. abbé. See Abbot. ] The French word answering to the English abbot, the head of an abbey; but commonly a title of respect given in France to every one vested with the ecclesiastical habit or dress. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ After the 16th century, the name was given, in social parlance, to candidates for some priory or abbey in the gift of the crown. Many of these aspirants became well known in literary and fashionable life. By further extension, the name came to be applied to unbeneficed secular ecclesiastics generally. Littré. [ 1913 Webster ]

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.; pl. Abbeys [ OF. abaïe, abbaïe, F. abbaye, L. abbatia, fr. abbas abbot. See Abbot. ] 1. A monastery or society of persons of either sex, secluded from the world and devoted to religion and celibacy; also, the monastic building or buildings. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The men are called monks, and governed by an abbot; the women are called nuns, and governed by an abbess. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The church of a monastery. [ 1913 Webster ]

In London, the Abbey means Westminster Abbey, and in Scotland, the precincts of the Abbey of Holyrood. The name is also retained for a private residence on the site of an abbey; as, Newstead Abbey, the residence of Lord Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Monastery; convent; nunnery; priory; cloister. See Cloister. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. abbod, abbad, L. abbas, abbatis, Gr. 'abba^s, fr. Syriac abbā father. Cf. Abba, Abbé. ] 1. The superior or head of an abbey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One of a class of bishops whose sees were formerly abbeys. Encyc. Brit. [ 1913 Webster ]

Abbot of the people. a title formerly given to one of the chief magistrates in Genoa. --
Abbot of Misrule (or
Lord of Misrule), in mediæval times, the master of revels, as at Christmas; in Scotland called the Abbot of Unreason. Encyc. Brit. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Abbot + -ship. ] The state or office of an abbot. [ 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 ]

See Abb. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Eccl.) One of a sect which opposes the observance of the Christian Sabbath. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. seizing the attention attention-getting demonstration
Syn. -- eye-catching. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. 1 likely to attract interest.
Syn. -- catchy. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. To line with Babbitt metal. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. lining a surface or bearing with babbitt metal.
Syn. -- babbitting [ WordNet 1.5 ]

[ From the inventor, Isaac Babbitt of Massachusetts. ] A soft white alloy of variable composition (as a nine parts of tin to one of copper, or of fifty parts of tin to five of antimony and one of copper) used in bearings to diminish friction. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Babbled p. pr. & vb. n. Babbling. ] [ Cf. LG. babbeln, D. babbelen, G. bappeln, bappern, F. babiller, It. babbolare; prob. orig., to keep saying ba, imitative of a child learning to talk. ] 1. To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to utter inarticulate sounds; as a child babbles. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To talk incoherently; to utter unmeaning words. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To talk much; to chatter; to prate. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To make a continuous murmuring noise, as shallow water running over stones. [ 1913 Webster ]

In every babbling brook he finds a friend. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Hounds are said to babble, or to be babbling, when they are too noisy after having found a good scent. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To prate; prattle; chatter; gossip. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To utter in an indistinct or incoherent way; to repeat, as words, in a childish way without understanding. [ 1913 Webster ]

These [ words ] he used to babble in all companies. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To disclose by too free talk, as a secret. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Idle talk; senseless prattle; gabble; twaddle. “This is mere moral babble.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Inarticulate speech; constant or confused murmur. [ 1913 Webster ]

The babble of our young children. Darwin. [ 1913 Webster ]

The babble of the stream. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Babble. Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. An idle talker; an irrational prater; a teller of secrets. [ 1913 Webster ]

Great babblers, or talkers, are not fit for trust. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A hound too noisy on finding a good scent. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) A name given to any one of a family (Timalinæ) of thrushlike birds, having a chattering note. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Babble. [ Obs. ] Sir T. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To make swollen and disfigured or sullied by weeping; as, her eyes or cheeks were beblubbered. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bedabbled p. pr. & vb. n. Bedabbling ] To dabble; to sprinkle or wet. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To befoul with rain and mud; to drabble. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To dribble upon. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To scribble over. “Bescribbled with impertinences.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To beslobber. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To slobber on; to smear with spittle running from the mouth. Also Fig.: as, to beslobber with praise. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To beslobber. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A bibcock. See Bib, n., 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } v. t. [ L. bibere. See Beverage, and cf. Imbibe. ] To drink; to tipple. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

This miller hath . . . bibbed ale. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One given to drinking alcoholic beverages too freely; a tippler; -- chiefly used in composition; as, winebibber. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ A reduplication of babble. ] Idle talk; babble. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. (Naut.) Pieces of timber bolted to certain parts of a mast to support the trestletrees. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. one who blabr; a tattler; a telltale.
Syn. -- blabbermouth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. someone who gossips indiscreetly.
Syn. -- blabber, tattletale, taleteller, talebearer, telltale. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. tending to talk excessively.
Syn. -- bigmouthed, blabby, talkative. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. prone to revealing secrets; -- of people.
Syn. -- leaky, talebearing(prenominal), tattling(prenominal). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. same as blabbermouthed 1.
Syn. -- bigmouthed, blabbermouthed, talkative. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. marred by small bubbles or small particles of foreign material; -- of glass or quartzite.
Syn. -- blebby. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Containing blebs, or characterized by blebs; as, blebby glass.
Syn. -- blebbed. [ 1913 Webster ]