‖n. [ L., he is sick. ] (Camb. Univ.) A medical certificate that a student is ill. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A second growth or crop, or (metaphorically) development. J. S. Mill. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. aggravation or aggression. [ informal British usage ] I skipped it because it was too much aggro [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Aggrouped p. pr. & vb. n. Aggrouping. ] [ F. agrouper; à (L. ad) + groupe group. See Group.. ] To bring together in a group; to group. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Arrangement in a group or in groups; grouping. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. of or pertaining to agrology. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. the science of soils in relation to crops. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ Native name. ] (Med.) A disease occurring in Bengal and other parts of the East Indies, in which the tongue chaps and cleaves. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } [ Cf. F. agronomique. ] Pertaining to agronomy, of the management of farms. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

n. The science of the distribution and management of land. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One versed in agronomy; a student of agronomy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; rural; as a noun, an overseer of the public lands; &unr_; field + &unr_; usage, &unr_; to deal out, manage: cf. F. agronomie. ] The management of land; rural economy; agriculture. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. & a. [ Pref. a- + grope. ] In the act of groping. Mrs. Browning. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 a genus comprising the corncockles.
Syn. -- genus Agrostemma. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. [ L., fr. Gr. &unr_;. ] A genus of grasses, including species called in common language bent grass. Some of them, as redtop (Agrostis vulgaris), are valuable pasture grasses. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Cf. F. agrostographique. ] Pertaining to agrostography. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; + -graphy. ] A description of the grasses. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Pertaining to agrostology. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One skilled in agrostology. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; + -logy. ] That part of botany which treats of the grasses. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. & a. [ Pref. a- + ground. ] On the ground; stranded; -- a nautical term applied to a ship when its bottom lodges on the ground. Totten. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Aggroupment. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖a. [ It., merry, gay, fr. L. alacer lively. Cf. Aleger. ] (Mus.) Brisk, lively. -- n. An allegro movement; a quick, sprightly strain or piece. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Back, a. + ground. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Ground in the rear or behind, or in the distance, as opposed to the foreground, or the ground in front. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Paint.) The space which is behind and subordinate to a portrait or group of figures. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The distance in a picture is usually divided into foreground, middle distance, and background. Fairholt. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Anything behind, serving as a foil; as, the statue had a background of red hangings. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A place in obscurity or retirement, or out of sight. [ 1913 Webster ]

I fancy there was a background of grinding and waiting before Miss Torry could produce this highly finished . . . performance. Mrs. Alexander. [ 1913 Webster ]

A husband somewhere in the background. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The set of conditions within which an action takes place, including the social and physical conditions as well as the psychological states of the participants; as, within the background of the massive budget deficits of the 1980's, new spending programs had little chance of passage by the congress. [ PJC ]

6. The set of conditions that precede and affect an action, such as the social and historical precedents for the event, as well as the general background{ 5 }; as, against the background of their expulsion by the Serbs, the desire of Kosovars for vengeance is understandable though regrettable. [ PJC ]

7. (Science) The signals that may be detected by a measurement which are not due to the phenomenon being studied, and tend to make the measurement uncertain to a greater or lesser degree. Specifically: (Physics) Electronic noise present in a system using electronic measuring instrument or in a telecommunications system, which may hide and which must be differentiated from the desired signal; also called background noise or noise. [ PJC ]

8. (Journalism) An agreement between a journalist and an interviewee that the name of the interviewee will not be quoted in any publication, although the substance of the remarks may be reported; -- often used in the phrase “on background”. Compare deep background. [ PJC ]

To place in the background, to make of little consequence.
To keep in the background, to remain unobtrusive, inconspicuous or out of sight; -- of people.
deep background, (Journalism) the status of an interview which must not be quoted in a publication, even without attribution. Compare background{ 8 }. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

n. (Computers) The execution of low priority programs while higher priority programs are not using the processing system.
Syn. -- background processing [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a region where a battle is fought; same as battlefield.
Syn. -- battlefield, field of battle, field. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. an area on which a drove of cattle or sheep can sleep for a night. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OE. bridegome, brudgume, AS. br&ymacr_;dguma (akin to OS. brūdigumo, D. bruidegom, bruigom, OHG. prūtigomo, MHG. briutegome, G. bräutigam); AS. br&ymacr_;d bride + guma man, akin to Goth. guma, Icel. gumi, OHG. gomo, L. homo; the insertion of r being caused by confusion with groom. See Bride, and cf. Groom, Homage. ] A man newly married, or just about to be married. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ }. The ground or place for burying the dead; burial place. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) a monovalent organic radical (written -COOH, -CO2H or -CO.OH) whose presence confers acidic properties on the compound containing it; -- called also carboxylic group. Monocarboxylic acids (such as acetic acid or butyric acid) have one carboxyl group, dicarboxylic acids (such as oxalic acid or malonic acid) have two, tricarboxylic acids (such as citric acid) have three. It is weakly acidic, the pKa of acetic acid being 4.75. [ PJC ]

(Geol.) A subdivision of the cretaceous formation of western North America, especially developed in Colorado and the upper Missouri region. [ 1913 Webster ]

. [ From Congo red. ] A group of artificial dyes with an affinity for vegetable fibers, so that no mordant is required. Most of them are azo compounds derived from benzidine or tolidine. Called also
benzidine dyes. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

{ } n. [ See Count, v. ] The house or room in which a merchant, trader, or manufacturer keeps his books and transacts business; the offices used by the accountants of a business. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

(Geol.) A subdivision at the base of the cretaceous formation in Western North America; -- so named from the region where the strata were first studied. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A half groat. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a room used for dining. In a residence, it usually contains a dining table and some furniture, such as a buffet or sideboard, for storing tableware and dining utensils. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Engrossed p. pr. & vb. n. Engrossing. ] [ F., fr. pref. en- (L. in) + gros gross, grosse, n., an engrossed document: cf. OF. engrossir, engroissier, to make thick, large, or gross. See Gross. ] 1. To make gross, thick, or large; to thicken; to increase in bulk or quantity. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Waves . . . engrossed with mud. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Not sleeping, to engross his idle body. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To amass. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To engross up glorious deeds on my behalf. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To copy or write in a large hand (en gross, i. e., in large); to write a fair copy of in distinct and legible characters; as, to engross a deed or like instrument on parchment. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some period long past, when clerks engrossed their stiff and formal chirography on more substantial materials. Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

Laws that may be engrossed on a finger nail. De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To seize in the gross; to take the whole of; to occupy the attention completely; to absorb; as, the subject engrossed all his thoughts. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To purchase either the whole or large quantities of, for the purpose of enhancing the price and making a profit; hence, to take or assume in undue quantity, proportion, or degree; as, to engross commodities in market; to engross power. [ 1913 Webster ]

Engrossed bill (Legislation), one which has been plainly engrossed on parchment, with all its amendments, preparatory to final action on its passage. --
Engrossing hand (Penmanship), a fair, round style of writing suitable for engrossing legal documents, legislative bills, etc.

Syn. -- To absorb; swallow up; imbibe; consume; exhaust; occupy; forestall; monopolize. See Absorb. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who copies a writing in large, fair characters. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who takes the whole; a person who purchases such quantities of articles in a market as to raise the price; a forestaller. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. capable of holding the attention completely; very interesting.
Syn. -- absorbing, fascinating, gripping, riveting. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. 1. The act of engrossing; as, the engrossment of a deed. [ 1913 Webster ]

Engrossments of power and favor. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which has been engrossed, as an instrument, legislative bill, goods, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a genus of annual or perennial grasses of tropics and subtropics.
Syn. -- genus Eragrostis. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. an open area for holding fairs or exhibitions or circuses. Often used in plural. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. pl. same as fairground. [ PJC ]

adj. tending to spread quickly; -- used mostly of plants. [ prenominal ] [ Narrower terms: invasive (vs. noninvasive) ]
Syn. -- aggressive. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. On a painting, and sometimes in a bas-relief, mosaic picture, or the like, that part of the scene represented, which is nearest to the spectator, and therefore occupies the lowest part of the work of art itself. Cf. Distance, n., 6. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having reached the limits of growth; mature; fully developed; -- used mostly of living organisms; as, A full-grown lion can easily kill an unarmed man.. “Full-grown wings.” Lowell.
Syn. -- adult, big, fully grown, grown, grownup.[ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. .
[ ]

a. Overgrown with grass; as, a grass-grown road. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A retailer of vegetables or fruits in their fresh or green state. [ 1913 Webster ]