‖a. [ It. ] (Mus.) Gradually accelerating the movement. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Accelerated p. pr. & vb. n. Accelerating. ] [ L. acceleratus, p. p. of accelerare; ad + celerare to hasten; celer quick. See Celerity. ] 1. To cause to move faster; to quicken the motion of; to add to the speed of; -- opposed to retard. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To quicken the natural or ordinary progression or process of; as, to accelerate the growth of a plant, the increase of wealth, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To hasten, as the occurence of an event; as, to accelerate our departure. [ 1913 Webster ]

Accelerated motion (Mech.), motion with a continually increasing velocity. --
Accelerating force, the force which causes accelerated motion. Nichol. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To hasten; expedite; quicken; dispatch; forward; advance; further. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 1 caused to move faster
Syn. -- speeded up [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

2. 1 caused to be completed in a shorter than normal time period; speeded up, as of an academic course; He took an accelerated curriculum, and graduated in three years. Opposite of delayed.
Syn. -- expedited [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. [ L. acceleratio: cf. F. accélération. ] The act of accelerating, or the state of being accelerated; increase of motion or action; as, a falling body moves toward the earth with an acceleration of velocity; -- opposed to retardation. [ 1913 Webster ]

A period of social improvement, or of intellectual advancement, contains within itself a principle of acceleration. I. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Astr. & Physics.)
Acceleration of the moon, the increase of the moon's mean motion in its orbit, in consequence of which its period of revolution is now shorter than in ancient times. --
Acceleration and
retardation of the tides. See Priming of the tides, under Priming. --
Diurnal acceleration of the fixed stars, the amount by which their apparent diurnal motion exceeds that of the sun, in consequence of which they daily come to the meridian of any place about three minutes fifty-six seconds of solar time earlier than on the day preceding. --
Acceleration of the planets, the increasing velocity of their motion, in proceeding from the apogee to the perigee of their orbits. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Relating to acceleration; adding to velocity; quickening. Reid. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, accelerates. Also as an adj.; as, accelerator nerves. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Accelerative. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 the family of trees including the maples.
Syn. -- family Aceraceae, maple family [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ See Aceric. ] (Chem.) A combination of aceric acid with a salifiable base. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Acerose; needle-shaped. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL. See Acetabuliferous. ] (Zool.) The division of Cephalopoda in which the arms are furnished with cup-shaped suckers, as the cuttlefishes, squids, and octopus; the Dibranchiata. See Cephalopoda. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. an enzyme which exists in nerve cells and hydrolyses acetylcholine into choline and acetic acid. It is essential for neurotransmission at autonomous synapses and neuromuscular junctions, and its inhibition by acetylcholinesterase inhibitors can paralyze or kill an animal.
Syn. -- ACE [ PJC ]

n. [ F. aciérage, fr. acier steel. ] The process of coating the surface of a metal plate (as a stereotype plate) with steellike iron by means of voltaic electricity; steeling. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. same as Akocanthera.
Syn. -- Akocanthera, genus Acocanthera, genus Acokanthera. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. small genus of trees and shrubs containing strongly toxic cardiac glycosides; distributed from Arabia to Africa.
Syn. -- Acocanthera, genus Acocanthera, genus Acokanthera [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ L. acroceraunius, fr. Gr. &unr_; high, n. pl. &unr_; heights + &unr_; thunderbolt. ] Of or pertaining to the high mountain range of “thunder-smitten” peaks (now Kimara), between Epirus and Macedonia. Shelley. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To convert into adipocere. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act or process of changing into adipocere. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. adulterans, p. pr. of adulterare. ] That which is used to adulterate anything. -- a. Adulterating; as, adulterant agents and processes. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Adulterated p. pr. & vb. n. Adulterating ] [ L. adulteratus, p. p. of adulterare, fr. adulter adulterer, prob. fr. ad + alter other, properly one who approaches another on account of unlawful love. Cf. Advoutry. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To defile by adultery. [ Obs. ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To corrupt, debase, or make impure by an admixture of a foreign or a baser substance; as, to adulterate food, drink, drugs, coin, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

The present war has . . . adulterated our tongue with strange words. Spectator. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To corrupt; defile; debase; contaminate; vitiate; sophisticate. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To commit adultery. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Tainted with adultery. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Debased by the admixture of a foreign substance; adulterated; spurious. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- A*dul"ter*ate*ly, adv. -- A*dul"ter*ate*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. having been made impure by addition of inferior ingredients; -- said of substances or foods used ususally of articles of commerce, dulted with less costly materials so as to enhance profit; -- usually imlying that the dilution is surreptitious and unethical
Syn. -- adulterate, debased [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. making impure or corrupt by virtue of extraneous origin; -- of impurities. the adulterating effect of extraneous materials purifying
Syn. -- adulterant [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. making impure or corrupt by adding extraneous materials; -- of people.
Syn. -- adulterant. [ PJC ]

n. [ L. adulteratio. ] 1. The act of adulterating; corruption, or debasement (esp. of food or drink) by foreign mixture. [ 1913 Webster ]

The shameless adulteration of the coin. Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An adulterated state or product. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] One who adulterates or corrupts. [ R. ] Cudworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Aërated p. pr. & vb. n. Aërating ] [ Cf. F. aérer. See Air, v. t. ] 1. To combine or charge with gas; usually with carbonic acid gas, formerly called fixed air. [ 1913 Webster ]

His sparkling sallies bubbled up as from aërated natural fountains. Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To supply or impregnate with common air; as, to aërate soil; to aërate water. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Physiol.) To expose to the chemical action of air; to oxygenate (the blood) by respiration; to arterialize. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. cause a change by passing air through (of sewage)
Syn. -- activate [ WordNet 1.5 ]

Aërated bread, bread raised by charging dough with carbonic acid gas, instead of generating the gas in the dough by fermentation. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. treated by having air passed or bubbled through it for purification; -- of a liquid [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. (Physiol.) supplied with oxygen by respiration; -- used of tissues or especially blood
Syn. -- oxygenated [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. 1 supplied with carbon dioxide
Syn. -- charged [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Cf. F. aération. ] 1. Exposure to the free action of the air; airing; as, aëration of soil, of spawn, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Physiol.) A change produced in the blood by exposure to the air in respiration; oxygenation of the blood in respiration; arterialization. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The act or preparation of charging a liquid with carbon dioxide gas to make it effervescent. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. the act of charging a liquid with air or oxygen for the purpose of purification. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. 1. That which supplies with air or gas; specif.: (a) An apparatus used for charging mineral waters with gas and in making soda water. (b) A fumigator used to bleach grain, destroying fungi and insects. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. an apparatus for exposing something to the air (as sewage). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Aero- + therapeutics. ] (Med.) Treatment of disease by the use of air or other gases. AS [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

(Chem.) Same as Ethiops mineral. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

‖prop. n. [ NL., fr. Gr. 'agh`raton a sort of plant; 'a priv. + gh`ras old age. ] (Bot.) A genus of plants, one species of which (Ageratum Mexicanum) has lavender-blue flowers in dense clusters. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. aggenerare to beget in addition. See Generate. ] The act of producing in addition. [ Obs. ] T. Stanley. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. aggeratus, p. p. of aggerare. See Agger. ] To heap up. [ Obs. ] Foxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. aggeratio. ] A heaping up; accumulation; as, aggerations of sand. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Agglomerated p. pr. & vb. n. Agglomerating ] [ L. agglomeratus, p. p. of agglomerare; ad + glomerare to form into a ball. See Glomerate. ] To wind or collect into a ball; hence, to gather into a mass or anything like a mass. [ 1913 Webster ]

Where he builds the agglomerated pile. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To collect in a mass. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A collection or mass. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Geol.) A mass of angular volcanic fragments united by heat; -- distinguished from conglomerate. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. 1. Collected into a ball, heap, or mass. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Collected into a rounded head of flowers. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. clustered together but not coherent. an agglomerated flower head
Syn. -- agglomerate, agglomerative, aggregate, clustered. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Cf. F. agglomération. ] 1. The act or process of collecting in a mass; a heaping together. [ 1913 Webster ]

An excessive agglomeration of turrets. Warton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. State of being collected in a mass; a mass; cluster. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having a tendency to gather together, or to make collections. [ 1913 Webster ]

Taylor is eminently discursive, accumulative, and (to use one of his own words) agglomerative. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, or characterized by alliteration. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To compose alliteratively; also, to constitute alliteration. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To employ or place so as to make alliteration. Skeat. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ad + litera letter. See Letter. ] The repetition of the same letter at the beginning of two or more words immediately succeeding each other, or at short intervals; as in the following lines: - [ 1913 Webster ]

Behemoth, biggest born of earth, upheaved
His vastness. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Fly o'er waste fens and windy fields. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The recurrence of the same letter in accented parts of words is also called alliteration. Anglo-Saxon poetry is characterized by alliterative meter of this sort. Later poets also employed it. [ 1913 Webster ]

In a somer seson whan soft was the sonne,
I shope me in shroudes as I a shepe were. P. Plowman. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, or characterized by, alliteration; as, alliterative poetry. -- Al*lit"er*a*tive*ly, adv. -- Al*lit"er*a*tive*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who alliterates. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. altérabilité. ] The quality of being alterable; alterableness. [ 1913 Webster ]