n. 1. 1 (Electricity) a unit of electrical current equal to 10 amperes.
Syn. -- abamp [ WordNet 1.5 ]

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

n. Extreme hatred or detestation; the feeling of utter dislike. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Abhorrence. [ Obs. ] Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. abhorens, -rentis, p. pr. of abhorrere. ] 1. Abhorring; detesting; having or showing abhorrence; loathing; hence, strongly opposed to; as, abhorrent thoughts. [ 1913 Webster ]

The persons most abhorrent from blood and treason. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

The arts of pleasure in despotic courts
I spurn abhorrent. Clover. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Contrary or repugnant; discordant; inconsistent; -- followed by to. “Injudicious profanation, so abhorrent to our stricter principles.” Gibbon. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Detestable. “Pride, abhorrent as it is.” I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. With abhorrence. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who abhors. Hume. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Abjured p. pr. & vb. n. Abjuring ] [ L. abjurare to deny upon oath; ab + jurare to swear, fr. jus, juris, right, law; cf. F. abjurer. See Jury. ] 1. To renounce upon oath; to forswear; to disavow; as, to abjure allegiance to a prince. To abjure the realm, is to swear to abandon it forever. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To renounce or reject with solemnity; to recant; to abandon forever; to reject; repudiate; as, to abjure errors. “Magic I here abjure.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- See Renounce. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To renounce on oath. Bp. Burnet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Renunciation. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who abjures. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. ab- + reaction, after G. Abreagirung. ] (Psychotherapy) the purging of emotional tensions. See Catharsis, below.
Syn. -- catharsis, katharsis [ Webster 1913 Suppl. WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. [ Pref. a- + breast. ] 1. Side by side, with breasts in a line; as, “Two men could hardly walk abreast.” Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Naut.) Side by side; also, opposite; over against; on a line with the vessel's beam; -- with of. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Up to a certain level or line; equally advanced; as, to keep abreast of [ or with ] the present state of science. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. At the same time; simultaneously. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Abreast therewith began a convocation. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. See Abridge. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. abrenuntiare; ab + renuntiare. See Renounce. ] To renounce. [ Obs. ] “They abrenounce and cast them off.” Latimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. abrenuntiatio. See Abrenounce. ] Absolute renunciation or repudiation. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

An abrenunciation of that truth which he so long had professed, and still believed. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abreptus, p. p. of abripere to snatch away; ab + rapere to snatch. ] A snatching away. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F., a watering place. ] (Masonry) The joint or interstice between stones, to be filled with mortar. Gwilt. [ 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. The act of acclimating, or the state of being acclimated. [ R. ] Caldwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Accoutered or Accoutred p. pr. & vb. n. Accoutering or Accoutring. ] [ F. accouter, OF. accoutrer, accoustrer; à (L. ad) + perh. LL. custor, for custos guardian, sacristan (cf. Custody), or perh. akin to E. guilt. ] To furnish with dress, or equipments, esp. those for military service; to equip; to attire; to array. [ 1913 Webster ]

Both accoutered like young men. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

For this, in rags accoutered are they seen. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Accoutered with his burden and his staff. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. provided with necessary articles of equipment for a specialized purpose especially military; as, troops accoutered for battle [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. an item of clothing that is worn or carried, but not part of one's main clothing.
Syn. -- accessory, accouterment [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ } n. pl. [ F. accoutrement, earlier also accoustrement, earlier also accoustrement. See Accouter. ] Dress; trappings; equipment; specifically, the devices and equipments worn by soldiers. [ 1913 Webster ]

How gay with all the accouterments of war! [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Accredited; p. pr. & vb. n. Accrediting. ] [ F. accréditer; à (L. ad) + crédit credit. See Credit. ] 1. To put or bring into credit; to invest with credit or authority; to sanction. [ 1913 Webster ]

His censure will . . . accredit his praises. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

These reasons . . . which accredit and fortify mine opinion. Shelton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To send with letters credential, as an ambassador, envoy, or diplomatic agent; to authorize, as a messenger or delegate. [ 1913 Webster ]

Beton . . . was accredited to the Court of France. Froude. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To believe; to credit; to put trust in. [ 1913 Webster ]

The version of early Roman history which was accredited in the fifth century. Sir G. C. Lewis. [ 1913 Webster ]

He accredited and repeated stories of apparitions and witchcraft. Southey. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To credit; to vouch for or consider (some one) as doing something, or (something) as belonging to some one. [ 1913 Webster ]

To accredit (one)
with (something), to attribute something to him; as, Mr. Clay was accredited with these views; they accredit him with a wise saying. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of accrediting; as, letters of accreditation. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Physiol.) Pertaining to accremention. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See accresce, Increment. ] (Physiol.) The process of generation by development of blastema, or fission of cells, in which the new formation is in all respects like the individual from which it proceeds. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ L. accrescere. See Accrue. ] 1. To accrue. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To increase; to grow. [ Obs. ] Gillespie. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. accrescentia. ] Continuous growth; an accretion. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The silent accrescence of belief from the unwatched depositions of a general, never contradicted hearsy. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. accrescens, -entis, p. pr. of accrescere; ad + crescere to grow. See Crescent. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Growing; increasing. Shuckford. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Growing larger after flowering. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Characterized by accretion; made up; as, accrete matter. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Grown together. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ From L. accretus, p. p. of accrescere to increase. ] 1. To grow together. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To adhere; to grow (to); to be added; -- with to. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To make adhere; to add. Earle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. accretio, fr. accrescere to increase. Cf. Crescent, Increase, Accrue. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The act of increasing by natural growth; esp. the increase of organic bodies by the internal accession of parts; organic growth. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of increasing, or the matter added, by an accession of parts externally; an extraneous addition; as, an accretion of earth. [ 1913 Webster ]

A mineral . . . augments not by growth, but by accretion. Owen. [ 1913 Webster ]

To strip off all the subordinate parts of his narrative as a later accretion. Sir G. C. Lewis. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Concretion; coherence of separate particles; as, the accretion of particles so as to form a solid mass. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A growing together of parts naturally separate, as of the fingers or toes. Dana. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Law) (a) The adhering of property to something else, by which the owner of one thing becomes possessed of a right to another; generally, gain of land by the washing up of sand or soil from the sea or a river, or by a gradual recession of the water from the usual watermark. (b) Gain to an heir or legatee, by failure of a coheir to the same succession, or a co-legatee of the same thing, to take his share. Wharton. Kent. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. Marked or produced by accretion. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Relating to accretion; increasing, or adding to, by growth. Glanvill. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Acquired p. pr. & vb. n. Acquiring ] [ L. acquirere, acquisitum; ad + quarere to seek for. In OE. was a verb aqueren, fr. the same, through OF. aquerre. See Quest.. ] To gain, usually by one's own exertions; to get as one's own; as, to acquire a title, riches, knowledge, skill, good or bad habits. [ 1913 Webster ]

No virtue is acquired in an instant, but step by step. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

Descent is the title whereby a man, on the death of his ancestor, acquires his estate, by right of representation, as his heir at law. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To obtain; gain; attain; procure; win; earn; secure. See Obtain. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 1 (Biol.) gotten through environmental forces. Contrasted with inherited. acquired characteristics cannot be passed on noninheritable (vs. inheritable), nonheritable
Syn. -- nurtural [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The act of acquiring, or that which is acquired; attainment. “Rules for the acquirement of a taste.” Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

His acquirements by industry were . . . enriched and enlarged by many excellent endowments of nature. Hayward. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Acquisition, Acquirement. Acquirement is used in opposition to a natural gift or talent; as, eloquence, and skill in music and painting, are acquirements; genius is the gift or endowment of nature. It denotes especially personal attainments, in opposition to material or external things gained, which are more usually called acquisitions; but this distinction is not always observed. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A person who acquires. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. aker, AS. æcer; akin to OS. accar, OHG. achar, Ger. acker, Icel. akr, Sw. åker, Dan. ager, Goth. akrs, L. ager, Gr. &unr_;, Skr. ajra. √2, 206. ] 1. Any field of arable or pasture land. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A piece of land, containing 160 square rods, or 4, 840 square yards, or 43, 560 square feet. This is the English statute acre. That of the United States is the same. The Scotch acre was about 1.26 of the English, and the Irish 1.62 of the English. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The acre was limited to its present definite quantity by statutes of Edward I., Edward III., and Henry VIII. [ 1913 Webster ]

Broad acres, many acres, much landed estate. [ Rhetorical ] --
God's acre, God's field; the churchyard. [ 1913 Webster ]

I like that ancient Saxon phrase, which calls
The burial ground, God's acre. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]