n. [ For obeisance; confused with F. abaisser, E. abase. ] Obeisance. [ Obs. ] Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Ivory black or animal charcoal. Weale. [ 1913 Webster ]

p. p. Abashed; confounded; discomfited. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ The proper name used as an appellative. ] A lady's waiting-maid. Pepys. [ 1913 Webster ]

Her abigail reported that Mrs. Gutheridge had a set of night curls for sleeping in. Leslie. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ /mhw>, adv. [ See Able. ] Perhaps; possibly. [ Scotch ] Burns. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Mentioned or recited before. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. [ OE. abraiden, to awake, draw (a sword), AS. ābredgan to shake, draw; pref. ā- (cf. Goth. us-, Ger. er-, orig. meaning out) + bregdan to shake, throw. See Braid. ] To awake; to arouse; to stir or start up; also, to shout out. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Abstained p. pr. & vb. n. Abstaining. ] [ OE. absteynen, abstenen, OF. astenir, abstenir, F. abstenir, fr. L. abstinere, abstentum, v. t. & v. i., to keep from; ab, abs + tenere to hold. See Tenable. ] To hold one's self aloof; to forbear or refrain voluntarily, and especially from an indulgence of the passions or appetites; -- with from. [ 1913 Webster ]

Not a few abstained from voting. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

Who abstains from meat that is not gaunt? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To refrain; forbear; withhold; deny one's self; give up; relinquish. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To hinder; to withhold. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whether he abstain men from marrying. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who abstains; esp., one who abstains from the use of intoxicating liquors. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. acclamare; ad + clamare to cry out. See Claim, Clamor. ] [ R. ] 1. To applaud. “A glad acclaiming train.” Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To declare by acclamations. [ 1913 Webster ]

While the shouting crowd
Acclaims thee king of traitors. Smollett. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To shout; as, to acclaim my joy. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To shout applause. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Acclamation. [ Poetic ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who acclaims. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ a. [ L. Achaeus, Achaius; Gr. &unr_;. ] Of or pertaining to Achaia in Greece; also, Grecian. -- n. A native of Achaia; a Greek. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ OF. acoint. See Acquaint, v. t. ] Acquainted. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Acquainted; p. pr. & vb. n. Acquainting. ] [ OE. aqueinten, acointen, OF. acointier, LL. adcognitare, fr. L. ad + cognitus, p. p. of cognoscere to know; con- + noscere to know. See Quaint, Know. ] 1. To furnish or give experimental knowledge of; to make (one) to know; to make familiar; -- followed by with. [ 1913 Webster ]

Before a man can speak on any subject, it is necessary to be acquainted with it. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Isa. liii. 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To communicate notice to; to inform; to make cognizant; -- followed by with (formerly, also, by of), or by that, introducing the intelligence; as, to acquaint a friend with the particulars of an act. [ 1913 Webster ]

Acquaint her here of my son Paris' love. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

I must acquaint you that I have received
New dated letters from Northumberland. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To familiarize; to accustom. [ Obs. ] Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

To be acquainted with, to be possessed of personal knowledge of; to be cognizant of; to be more or less familiar with; to be on terms of social intercourse with. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To inform; apprise; communicate; advise. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. OF. acointable ]. Easy to be acquainted with; affable. [ Obs. ] Rom. of R. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. aqueintance, OF. acointance, fr. acointier. See Acquaint. ] 1. A state of being acquainted, or of having intimate, or more than slight or superficial, knowledge; personal knowledge gained by intercourse short of that of friendship or intimacy; as, I know the man; but have no acquaintance with him. [ 1913 Webster ]

Contract no friendship, or even acquaintance, with a guileful man. Sir W. Jones. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A person or persons with whom one is acquainted. [ 1913 Webster ]

Montgomery was an old acquaintance of Ferguson. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In this sense the collective term acquaintance was formerly both singular and plural, but it is now commonly singular, and has the regular plural acquaintances. [ 1913 Webster ]

To be of acquaintance, to be intimate. --
To take acquaintance of or
with, to make the acquaintance of. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Familiarity; intimacy; fellowship; knowledge. -- Acquaintance, Familiarity, Intimacy. These words mark different degrees of closeness in social intercourse. Acquaintance arises from occasional intercourse; as, our acquaintance has been a brief one. We can speak of a slight or an intimate acquaintance. Familiarity is the result of continued acquaintance. It springs from persons being frequently together, so as to wear off all restraint and reserve; as, the familiarity of old companions. Intimacy is the result of close connection, and the freest interchange of thought; as, the intimacy of established friendship. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our admiration of a famous man lessens upon our nearer acquaintance with him. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

We contract at last such a familiarity with them as makes it difficult and irksome for us to call off our minds. Atterbury. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is in our power to confine our friendships and intimacies to men of virtue. Rogers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A state of being acquainted; acquaintance. Southey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. acointant, p. pr. ] An acquaintance. [ R. ] Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Personally known; familiar. See To be acquainted with, under Acquaint, v. t. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. State of being acquainted; degree of acquaintance. [ R. ] Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. A foolish or dull-witted fellow. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Dull-witted; stupid. “The addle-brained Oberstein.” Motley. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dull and addle-pated. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Heb. adōnāi, lit., my lord. ] A Hebrew name for God, usually translated in the Old Testament by the word “Lord”. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The later Jews used its vowel points to fill out the tetragrammaton Yhvh, or Ihvh, “the incommunicable name, ” and in reading substituted “Adonai”. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖ [ F., shaded enamel. ] (Fine Arts) An art or process of flooding transparent colored glaze over designs stamped or molded on earthenware or porcelain. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (a) A stretched wire or rope elevated above the ground and forming a way along which a trolley may travel, for conveying a load suspended from the trolley. (b) An elevated cableway. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ OE. afere, affere, OF. afaire, F. affaire, fr. a faire to do; L.. ad + facere to do. See Fact, and cf. Ado. ] 1. That which is done or is to be done; matter; concern; as, a difficult affair to manage; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public; -- often in the plural. “At the head of affairs.” Junius. “A talent for affairs.” Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any proceeding or action which it is wished to refer to or characterize vaguely; as, an affair of honor, i. e., a duel; an affair of love, i. e., an intrigue. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mil.) An action or engagement not of sufficient magnitude to be called a battle. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Action; endeavor. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

And with his best affair
Obeyed the pleasure of the Sun. Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A material object (vaguely designated). [ 1913 Webster ]

A certain affair of fine red cloth much worn and faded. Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Said before, or in a preceding part; already described or identified. [ 1913 Webster ]

p. a. [ OE. afrayed, affraide, p. p. of afraien to affray. See Affray, and cf. Afeard. ] Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear; apprehensive. [ Afraid comes after the noun it limits. ] “Back they recoiled, afraid.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ This word expresses a less degree of fear than terrified or frightened. It is followed by of before the object of fear, or by the infinitive, or by a dependent clause; as, to be afraid of death. “I am afraid to die.” “I am afraid he will chastise me.” “Be not afraid that I your hand should take.” Shak. I am afraid is sometimes used colloquially to soften a statement; as, I am afraid I can not help you in this matter. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Fearful; timid; timorous; alarmed; anxious. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. (Med.) The pains which succeed childbirth, as in expelling the afterbirth. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. (Naut.) The sails on the mizzenmast, or on the stays between the mainmast and mizzenmast. Totten. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ OE. agein, agayn, AS. ongegn, ongeán, against, again; on + geán, akin to Ger. gegewn against, Icel. gegn. Cf. Gainsay. ] 1. In return, back; as, bring us word again. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Another time; once more; anew. [ 1913 Webster ]

If a man die, shall he live again? Job xiv. 14. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Once repeated; -- of quantity; as, as large again, half as much again. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. In any other place. [ Archaic ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. On the other hand. “The one is my sovereign . . . the other again is my kinsman.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Moreover; besides; further. [ 1913 Webster ]

Again, it is of great consequence to avoid, etc. Herschel. [ 1913 Webster ]

Again and again, more than once; often; repeatedly. --
Now and again, now and then; occasionally. --
To and again, to and fro. [ Obs. ] De Foe. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Again was formerly used in many verbal combinations, as, again-witness, to witness against; again-ride, to ride against; again-come, to come against, to encounter; again-bring, to bring back, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To redeem. [ Obs. ] Wyclif. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } prep. Against; also, towards (in order to meet). [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Albeit that it is again his kind. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To gainsay. [ Obs. ] Wyclif. [ 1913 Webster ]

prep. [ OE. agens, ageynes, AS. ongegn. The s is adverbial, orig. a genitive ending. See Again. ] 1. Abreast; opposite to; facing; towards; as, against the mouth of a river; -- in this sense often preceded by over. [ 1913 Webster ]

Jacob saw the angels of God come against him. Tyndale. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. From an opposite direction so as to strike or come in contact with; in contact with; upon; as, hail beats against the roof. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. In opposition to, whether the opposition is of sentiment or of action; on the other side; counter to; in contrariety to; hence, adverse to; as, against reason; against law; to run a race against time. [ 1913 Webster ]

The gate would have been shut against her. Fielding. [ 1913 Webster ]

An argument against the use of steam. Tyndale. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. By of before the time that; in preparation for; so as to be ready for the time when. [ Archaic or Dial. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Urijah the priest made it, against King Ahaz came from Damascus. 2 Kings xvi. 11. [ 1913 Webster ]

Against the sun, in a direction contrary to that in which the sun appears to move. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To withstand. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Back again. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. A genus of birds including the red-winged blackbirds.
Syn. -- genus Agelaius. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ AS. angnægl; ange vexation, trouble + nægel nail. Cf. Hangnail. ] 1. A corn on the toe or foot. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An inflammation or sore under or around the nail; also, a hangnail. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Ais [ Braz. aï, haï, from the animal's cry: cf. F. aï. ] (Zool.) The three-toed sloth (Bradypus tridactylus) of South America. See Sloth. [ 1913 Webster ]

A kind of gun metal, containing copper, zinc, and iron, but no tin. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Aided p. pr. & vb. n. Aiding. ] [ F. aider, OF. aidier, fr. L. adjutare to help, freq. of adjuvare to help; ad + juvare to help. Cf. Adjutant. ] To support, either by furnishing strength or means in coöperation to effect a purpose, or to prevent or to remove evil; to help; to assist. [ 1913 Webster ]

You speedy helpers . . .
Appear and aid me in this enterprise. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To help; assist; support; sustain; succor; relieve; befriend; coöperate; promote. See Help. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. aide, OF. aïde, aïe, fr. the verb. See Aid, v. t. ] 1. Help; succor; assistance; relief. [ 1913 Webster ]

An unconstitutional mode of obtaining aid. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The person or thing that promotes or helps in something done; a helper; an assistant. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is not good that man should be alone; let us make unto him an aid like unto himself. Tobit viii. 6. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Eng. Hist.) A subsidy granted to the king by Parliament; also, an exchequer loan. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Feudal Law) A pecuniary tribute paid by a vassal to his lord on special occasions. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. An aid-de-camp, so called by abbreviation; as, a general's aid. [ 1913 Webster ]

Aid prayer (Law), a proceeding by which a defendant beseeches and claims assistance from some one who has a further or more permanent interest in the matter in suit. --
To pray in aid, to beseech and claim such assistance. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. OF. aidance. ] Aid. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Aidance 'gainst the enemy. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. aidant, p. pr. of aider to help. ] Helping; helpful; supplying aid. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Aids-de-camp. [ F. aide de camp (literally) camp assistant. ] (Mil.) An officer selected by a general to carry orders, also to assist or represent him in correspondence and in directing movements. [ 1913 Webster ]

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