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. [ Per. ābdast; ab water + dast hand. ] Purification by washing the hands before prayer; -- a Muslim rite. Heyse. [ 1913 Webster ]
‖n. pl. [ NL., masc. pl. ] (Zool.) A group including the greater part of fresh-water fishes, and many marine ones, having the ventral fins under the abdomen behind the pectorals. [ 1913 Webster ]
n.
‖n. [ L., fir tree. ] (Bot.) A genus of coniferous trees, properly called Fir, as the balsam fir and the silver fir. The spruces are sometimes also referred to this genus. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ Gr.
I shall call the . . . doctrine that living matter may be produced by not living matter, the hypothesis of abiogenesis. Huxley, 1870. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. A very abject or low condition; abjectness. [ R. ] Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The state of being abject; abasement; meanness; servility. Grew. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. Ability of body or mind; force; vigor. [ Obs. or R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The quality or state of being abominable; odiousness. Bentley. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. pl. [ L. Aborigines; ab + origo, especially the first inhabitants of Latium, those who originally (ab origine) inhabited Latium or Italy. See Origin. ]
n. The quality of being abortive. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. Mentioned or recited before. [ 1913 Webster ]
n.
n.;
Cold abscess,
n. [ L. abscessio a separation; fr. absedere. See Abscess. ] A separating; removal; also, an abscess. [ Obs. ] Gauden. Barrough. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The quality of being absent-minded. H. Miller. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The quality of being absolute; independence of everything extraneous; unlimitedness; absolute power; independent reality; positiveness. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The quality of being absorptive; absorptive power. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The quality of being abstemious, temperate, or sparing in the use of food and strong drinks. It expresses a greater degree of abstinence than temperance. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The quality of being abstersive. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The state of being abstracted; abstract character. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The quality of being abstractive; abstractive property. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The quality of being abstract. “The abstractness of the ideas.” Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The quality of being abstruse; difficulty of apprehension. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. Absurdity. [ R. ] [ 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 ]
n. pl. See Cates. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]
a. [ Pref. a- not + caulescent. ] (Bot.) Having no stem or caulis, or only a very short one concealed in the ground. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. Without accent. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The quality of being acceptable, or suitable to be favorably received; acceptability. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ F. accès, L. accessus, fr. accedere. See Accede. ]
I did repel his letters, and denied
His access to me. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]
During coverture, access of the husband shall be presumed, unless the contrary be shown. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]
I, from the influence of thy looks, receive
Access in every virtue. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]
The first access looked like an apoplexy. Burnet. [ 1913 Webster ]
adv. In the manner of an accessary. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The state of being accessary. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. Accompanying, as a subordinate; additional; accessory; esp., uniting in, or contributing to, a crime, but not as chief actor. See Accessory. [ 1913 Webster ]
To both their deaths thou shalt be accessary. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]
Amongst many secondary and accessary causes that support monarchy, these are not of least reckoning. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]
n.;
Accessary before the fact (Law),
Accessary after the fact,
☞ This word, as used in law, is spelt accessory by Blackstone and many others; but in this sense is spelt accessary by Bouvier, Burrill, Burns, Whishaw, Dane, and the Penny Cyclopedia; while in other senses it is spelt accessory. In recent text-books on criminal law the distinction is not preserved, the spelling being either accessary or accessory. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ L. accessibilitas: cf. F. accessibilité. ] The quality of being accessible, or of admitting approach; receptibility. Langhorne. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. [ L. accessibilis, fr. accedere: cf. F. accessible. See Accede. ]
The best information . . . at present accessible. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]
adv. In an accessible manner. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ L. accessio, fr. accedere: cf. F. accession. See Accede. ]
The only accession which the Roman empire received was the province of Britain. Gibbon. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. Pertaining to accession; additional. [ R. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. Additional. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. Of or pertaining to an accessory;
adv. In the manner of an accessory; auxiliary. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. The state of being accessory, or connected subordinately. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. [ L. accessorius. See Access, and cf. Accessary. ] Accompanying as a subordinate; aiding in a secondary way; additional; connected as an incident or subordinate to a principal; contributing or contributory; said of persons and things, and, when of persons, usually in a bad sense;
☞ Ash accents the antepenult; and this is not only more regular, but preferable, on account of easiness of pronunciation. Most orhoëpists place the accent on the first syllable. [ 1913 Webster ]
n.;
n. The quality of being accidental; casualness. [ 1913 Webster ]
‖n. pl. [ L., hawks. ] (Zool.) The order that includes rapacious birds. They have a hooked bill, and sharp, strongly curved talons. There are three families, represented by the vultures, the falcons or hawks, and the owls. [ 1913 Webster ]
n.