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 ]

adv. In time past; formerly. “He prayed . . . as he did aforetime.” Dan. vi. 10. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'ale`xein to keep off + pyreto`s burning heat, fever, py^r fire. ] (Med.) Serving to drive off fever; antipyretic; antifebrile. [ archaic ] -- n. An antipyretic drug; a febrifuge. [ archaic ] [ 1913 Webster + AS ]

n. a. See Anchoret, Anchoretic. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Cf. Gr. &unr_;. ] Pertaining to an anchoret or hermit; after the manner of an anchoret. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Hermitlike. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The practice or mode of life of an anchoret. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Med.) Efficacious in preventing or allaying fever. -- n. A febrifuge. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 1 of or pertaining to anuresis. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. 1 relating to or formed by or consisting of aphaeresis. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_;. See Aporia. ] Doubting; skeptical. [ Obs. ] Cudworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. a&unr_; not + pyretic. ] (Med.) Without fever; -- applied to days when there is an intermission of fever. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Formerly; aforetime. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ They ] dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. 2 Kings xiii. 5. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F., good Christian. ] A name given to several kinds of pears. See Bartlett. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ rom Camphor. ] Pertaining to, or derived from camphor. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; to bring down or raze; &unr_; down + &unr_; to take. ] (Med.) A mild kind caustic used to reduce warts and other excrescences. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. concretio. ] 1. The process of concreting; the process of uniting or of becoming united, as particles of matter into a mass; solidification. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A mass or nodule of solid matter formed by growing together, by congelation, condensation, coagulation, induration, etc.; a clot; a lump; a calculus. [ 1913 Webster ]

Accidental ossifications or deposits of phosphates of lime in certain organs . . . are called osseous concretions. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Geol.) A rounded mass or nodule produced by an aggregation of the material around a center; as, the calcareous concretions common in beds of clay. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Concretionary. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, or formed by, concretion or aggregation; producing or containing concretions. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Promoting concretion. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a concrete manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. & n. See Cretan. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. Creticus (sc. pes foot), Gr. Kritiko`s (sc. poy`s foot), prop., a Cretan (metrical) foot. ] (Gr. & Lat. Pros.) A poetic foot, composed of one short syllable between two long ones (- ˘ -). Bentley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Falsehood; lying; cretism. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. crétin; of uncertain origin. ] One afflicted with cretinism. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. crétinisme. ] A condition of endemic or inherited idiocy, accompanied by physical degeneracy and deformity (usually with goiter), frequent in certain mountain valleys, esp. of the Alps. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having the characteristics of a cretin. “Cretinous stupefaction.” Ruskin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;&unr_;&unr_; lying, fr. &unr_;&unr_;&unr_;&unr_;&unr_; to act like a Cretan, that is, to lie. “The Cretians are always liars.” Titus i. 12. ] A Cretan practice; lying; a falsehood. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From L. decrescere, decretum. See Decrease. ] A decrease. [ Obs. ] Pearson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. decretista, fr. decretum: cf. F. décrétiste. See Decree, n. ] One who studies, or professes the knowledge of, the decretals. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From L. decretum. See Decree, n. ] Having the force of a decree; determining. [ 1913 Webster ]

The will of God is either decretive or perceptive. Bates. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; dividing. ] (Med.) Caustic. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Med.) A medicine or agent which promotes perspiration. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Diaphoretics differ from sudorifics; the former only increase the insensible perspiration, the latter excite the sensible discharge called sweat. Parr. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. diaphoreticus, Gr. &unr_;: cf. F. diaphorétique. See Diaphoresis. ] Having the power to increase perspiration. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. discrétion, L. discretio separation, difference, discernment, fr. discernere, discretum. See Discreet, Discern. ] 1. Disjunction; separation. [ Obs. ] Mede. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The quality of being discreet; wise conduct and management; cautious discernment, especially as to matters of propriety and self-control; prudence; circumspection; wariness. [ 1913 Webster ]

The better part of valor is discretion. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The greatest parts without discretion may be fatal to their owner. Hume. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Discrimination. [ 1913 Webster ]

Well spoken, with good accent and good discretion. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Freedom to act according to one's own judgment; unrestrained exercise of choice or will. [ 1913 Webster ]

At discretion, without conditions or stipulations. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } adv. At discretion; according to one's discretion or judgment. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ }[ Cf. F. discrétionnaire. ] Left to discretion; unrestrained except by discretion or judgment; as, an ambassador with discretionary powers.

a. [ L. discretivus. See Discrete. ] Marking distinction or separation; disjunctive. [ 1913 Webster ]

Discretive proposition (Logic & Gram.), one that expresses distinction, opposition, or variety, by means of discretive particles, as but, though, yet, etc.; as, travelers change their climate, but not their temper. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a discretive manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. diureticus, Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; to make water; &unr_; through + &unr_; to make water, fr. &unr_; urine: cf. F. diurétique. ] (Med.) Tending to increase the secretion and discharge of urine. -- n. A medicine with diuretic properties. [ 1913 Webster ]

Diuretic salt (Med.), potassium acetate; -- so called because of its diuretic properties. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Diuretic. [ Obs. ] Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being diuretical; diuretic property. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. of or pertaining to electrophoresis; electrophoretic mobility; accomplished using electrophoresis; as, electrophoretic separation; electrophoretic analysis.
Syn. -- cataphoretic. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

{ } a. [ L. emporeticus, Gr. &unr_;. See Emporium. ] Pertaining to an emporium; relating to merchandise. [ Obs. ] Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Excrete. ] (physiol. Chem.) A nonnitrogenous, crystalline body, present in small quantity in human fæces. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. excrétion. ] 1. The act of excreting. [ 1913 Webster ]

To promote secretion and excretion. Pereira. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is excreted; excrement. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having the power of excreting, or promoting excretion. Harvey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The past; the time before the present. “A very dim foretime.” J. C. Shairp. [ 1913 Webster ]