am

n. [ L. amabilitas. ] Lovableness. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The New English Dictionary (Murray) says this word is “usefully distinct from Amiability.” [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; together + &unr_; power. ] (Photog.) Amasthenic. Sir J. Herschel. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Indian name. From Ahmedabad, a city from which it was imported to Europe. ] (Zool.) The strawberry finch, a small Indian song bird (Estrelda amandava), commonly caged and kept for fighting. The female is olive brown; the male, in summer, mostly crimson; -- called also ame>red waxbillame>. [ Written also amaduvad and avadavat. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. amadou tinder, prop. lure, bait, fr. amadouer to allure, caress, perh. fr. Icel. mata to feed, which is akin to E. meat. ] A spongy, combustible substance, prepared from fungus (Boletus and Polyporus) which grows on old trees; German tinder; punk. It has been employed as a styptic by surgeons, but its common use is as tinder, for which purpose it is prepared by soaking it in a strong solution of niter. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a woman hired to suckle a child of someone else.
Syn. -- wet nurse [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a female domestic.
Syn. -- maid, maidservant, housemaid [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. [ Pref. a- + main. See 2d Main, n. ] 1. With might; with full force; vigorously; violently; exceedingly. [ 1913 Webster ]

They on the hill, which were not yet come to blows, perceiving the fewness of their enemies, came down amain. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

That striping giant, ill-bred and scoffing, shouts amain. T. Parker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. At full speed; in great haste; also, at once. “They fled amain.” Holinshed. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ F. amener. See Amenable. ] (Naut.) To lower, as a sail, a yard, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. (Naut.) To lower the topsail, in token of surrender; to yield. [ 1913 Webster ]