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a. [ L. abstrusus, p. p. of abstrudere to thrust away, conceal; ab, abs + trudere to thrust; cf. F. abstrus. See Threat. ] 1. Concealed or hidden out of the way. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The eternal eye whose sight discerns
Abstrusest thoughts. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Remote from apprehension; difficult to be comprehended or understood; recondite; as, abstruse learning. [ 1913 Webster ]

Profound and abstruse topics. Milman. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an abstruse manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being abstruse; difficulty of apprehension. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abstrusio. See Abstruse. ] The act of thrusting away. [ R. ] Ogilvie. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Abstruseness; that which is abstruse. [ R. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Alabastra [ NL. ] (Bot.) A flower bud. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A state or interval of sexual inactivity between two periods of estrus; -- applies to nonhuman mammals. [ Also spelled anoestrus. ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. (Med.) Antistrumous. -- n. A medicine for scrofula. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Med.) Good against scrofulous disorders. Johnson. Wiseman. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. astructus, p. p. of astruere to build up; ad + struere to build. ] Building up; constructive; -- opposed to destructive. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. & adv. 1. Sticking out, or puffed out; swelling; in a swelling manner. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Inflated and astrut with self-conceit. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. In a strutting manner; with a strutting gait. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Struck with awe. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L., a curling iron. ] (Zool.) A comblike structure on the metatarsus of the hind legs of certain spiders (Ciniflonidæ), used to curl certain fibers in the construction of their webs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the type genus of the Celastraceae, comprising the plants called climbing bittersweet; bittersweet and shrubby bittersweet; they are woody vines and shrubs native chiefly to Asia and Australia, bearing yellow to orange capsules which open to expose red-coated seeds. See also bittersweet{ 3b }.
Syn. -- genus Celastrus. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

‖n.; pl. Claustra. [ L., a bolt or bar. ] (Anat.) A thin lamina of gray matter in each cerebral hemisphere of the brain of man. -- Claus"tral, a. [1913 Webster]

‖n. [ L., biestings. ] (Med.) (a) The first milk secreted after delivery; biestings. (b) A mixture of turpentine and the yolk of an egg, formerly used as an emulsion. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Constructed; p. pr. & vb. n. Constructing. ] [ L. constructus, p. p. of construere to bring together, to construct; con- + struere to pile up, set in order. See Structure, and cf. Construe. ] 1. To put together the constituent parts of (something) in their proper place and order; to build; to form; to make; as, to construct an edifice. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To devise; to invent; to set in order; to arrange; as, to construct a theory of ethics.

Syn. -- To build; erect; form; compile; make; fabricate; originate; invent. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Formed by, or relating to, construction, interpretation, or inference. [ 1913 Webster ]

Construct form or
Construct state (Heb. Gram.), that of a noun used before another which has the genitive relation to it. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

n. [ L. constructio: cf. F. construction. ] 1. The process or art of constructing; the act of building; erection; the act of devising and forming; fabrication; composition. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The form or manner of building or putting together the parts of anything; structure; arrangement. [ 1913 Webster ]

An astrolabe of peculiar construction. Whewell. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Gram.) The arrangement and connection of words in a sentence; syntactical arrangement. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some particles . . . in certain constructions have the sense of a whole sentence contained in them. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The method of construing, interpreting, or explaining a declaration or fact; an attributed sense or meaning; understanding; explanation; interpretation; sense. [ 1913 Webster ]

Any person . . . might, by the sort of construction that would be put on this act, become liable to the penalties of treason. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

Strictly, the term [ construction ] signifies determining the meaning and proper effect of language by a consideration of the subject matter and attendant circumstances in connection with the words employed. Abbott. [ 1913 Webster ]

Interpretation properly precedes construction, but it does not go beyond the written text. Parsons. [ 1913 Webster ]

Construction of an equation (Math.), the drawing of such lines and figures as will represent geometrically the quantities in the equation, and their relations to each other. --
Construction train (Railroad), a train for transporting men and materials for construction or repairs. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, or deduced from, construction or interpretation. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who puts a certain construction upon some writing or instrument, as the Constitutions of the United States; as, a strict constructionist; a broad constructionist. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. constructif. ] 1. Having ability to construct or form; employed in construction; as, to exhibit constructive power. [ 1913 Webster ]

The constructive fingers of Watts. Emerson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Derived from, or depending on, construction, inference, or interpretation; not directly expressed, but inferred. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. helpful; promoting improvement; intended to help; as, constructive criticism; constructive suggestions. Contrasted with destructive. [ PJC ]

Constructive crimes (Law), acts having effects analogous to those of some statutory or common law crimes; as, constructive treason. Constructive crimes are no longer recognized by the courts. --
Constructive notice, notice imputed by construction of law. --
Constructive trust, a trust which may be assumed to exist, though no actual mention of it be made. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a constructive manner; by construction or inference. [ 1913 Webster ]

A neutral must have notice of a blockade, either actually by a formal information, or constructively by notice to his government. Kent. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. prenom. causing buildup of body tissues or tissue components. [ Narrower terms: anabolic (vs. catabolic) ]
Syn. -- energy-storing(prenominal). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. Tendency or ability to form or construct. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Phren.) The faculty which enables one to construct, as in mechanical, artistic, or literary matters. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. LL. constructor. ] A constructer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. That which is constructed or formed; an edifice; a fabric. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Construed p. pr. & vb. n. Construing ] [ L. construere: cf. F. construire. See Construct. ] 1. To apply the rules of syntax to (a sentence or clause) so as to exhibit the structure, arrangement, or connection of, or to discover the sense; to explain the construction of; to interpret; to translate. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To put a construction upon; to explain the sense or intention of; to interpret; to understand. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thus we are put to construe and paraphrase our own words to free ourselves either from the ignorance or malice of our enemies. Bp. Stilingfleet. [ 1913 Webster ]

And to be dull was construed to be good. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To interpret (a text or an artwork) by the method of deconstruction. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A philosophical theory of criticism (usually of literature or film) that seeks to expose deep-seated contradictions in a work by delving below its surface meaning. This method questions the ability of language to represent a fixed reality, and proposes that a text has no stable meaning because words only refer to other words, that metaphysical or ethnocentric assumptions about the meaning of words must be questioned, and words may be redefined in new contexts and new, equally valid and even contradictory meanings may be found. Such new interpretations may be based on the philosophical, political, or social implications of the words of a text, rather than solely on attempts to determine the author's intentions. RHUD MW10
Syn. -- deconstructionism. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

2. the process of criticising or interpreting a text by the method of deconstruction{ 1 }. [ PJC ]

n. Same as decontruction{ 1 }.
Syn. -- deconstruction. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. Of or pertaining to deconstruction or deconstructionism; as, deconstructionist criticism. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. To remove obstructions or impediments in; to clear from anything that hinders the passage of fluids; as, to deobstruct the pores or lacteals. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Med.) Removing obstructions; having power to clear or open the natural ducts of the fluids and secretions of the body; aperient. -- n. (Med.) A medicine which removes obstructions; an aperient. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. destructus, p. p. of destruere. See Destroy. ] To destroy. [ Obs. ] Mede. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. destructibilité. ] The quality of being capable of destruction; destructibleness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. destructibilis. ] Liable to destruction; capable of being destroyed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being destructible. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. destructio: cf. F. destruction. See Destroy. ] 1. The act of destroying; a tearing down; a bringing to naught; subversion; demolition; ruin; slaying; devastation. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction. Esth. ix. 5. [ 1913 Webster ]

'Tis safer to be that which we destroy
Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Destruction of venerable establishment. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being destroyed, demolished, ruined, slain, or devastated. [ 1913 Webster ]

This town came to destruction. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thou castedst them down into destruction. Ps. lxxiii. 18. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A destroying agency; a cause of ruin or of devastation; a destroyer. [ 1913 Webster ]

The destruction that wasteth at noonday. Ps. xci. 6.

Syn. -- Demolition; subversion; overthrow; desolation; extirpation; extinction; devastation; downfall; extermination; havoc; ruin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who delights in destroying that which is valuable; one whose principles and influence tend to destroy existing institutions; a destructive. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Theol.) One who believes in the final destruction or complete annihilation of the wicked; -- called also annihilationist. Shipley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who destroys; a radical reformer; a destructionist. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. destructivus: cf. F. destructif. ] Causing destruction; tending to bring about ruin, death, or devastation; ruinous; fatal; productive of serious evil; mischievous; pernicious; -- often with of or to; as, intemperance is destructive of health; evil examples are destructive to the morals of youth. [ 1913 Webster ]

Time's destructive power. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

Destructive distillation. See Distillation. --
Destructive sorties fld>(Logic), a process of reasoning which involves the denial of the first of a series of dependent propositions as a consequence of the denial of the last; a species of reductio ad absurdum. Whately.

Syn. -- Mortal; deadly; poisonous; fatal; ruinous; malignant; baleful; pernicious; mischievous. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a destructive manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. prenom. (Biochemistry & Physiology) energy-releasing (prenominal); same as catabolic.
Syn. -- . [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. The quality of destroying or ruining. Prynne. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Phren.) The faculty supposed to impel to the commission of acts of destruction; propensity to destroy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., from destruere. See Destroy, and cf. Destroyer. ] 1. A destroyer. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Fire, the destructor and the artificial death of things. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A furnace or oven for the burning or carbonizing of refuse; specif. (Sewage Disposal), a furnace (called in full
refuse destructor) in which the more solid constituents of sewage are burnt. Destructors are often so constructed as to utilize refuse as fuel. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

3. (Computers) in object-oriented programming, a function which destroys an object which was previously created by a different function. [ PJC ]

v. t. To destroy. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]