‖ [ It. See Chapel. ] (Mus.) (a) In church or chapel style; -- said of compositions sung in the old church style, without instrumental accompaniment; as, a mass a capella, i. e., a mass purely vocal. (b) A time indication, equivalent to alla breve. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. a- not + capsular. ] (Bot.) Having no capsule. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Accelerate + -graph. ] (Mil.) An apparatus for studying the combustion of powder in guns, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;, &unr_;, ray + -graph. ] An instrument for measuring and recording the variations in the actinic or chemical force of rays of light. Nichol. [ 1913 Webster ]

See under Adam. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖[ Babylonian. ] n. 1. a demigod or first man: "seed of mankind"; sometimes identified with Adam. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. 1 extinct small mostly diurnal lower primates that fed on leaves and fruit; abundant in North America and Europe 30 to 50 million years ago; their descendents probably include the lemurs and lorises; some authorities consider them ancestral to anthropoids but others consider them only cousins.
Syn. -- Adapid group [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Fitted; suited. [ Obs. ] Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Adapted; p. pr. & vb. n. Adapting. ] [ L. adaptare; ad + aptare to fit; cf. F. adapter. See Apt, Adept. ] To make suitable; to fit, or suit; to adjust; to alter so as to fit for a new use; -- sometimes followed by to or for. [ 1913 Webster ]

For nature, always in the right,
To your decays adapts my sight. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

Appeals adapted to his [ man's ] whole nature. Angus. [ 1913 Webster ]

Streets ill adapted for the residence of wealthy persons. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being adapted. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. The quality of being adaptable; suitableness. “General adaptability for every purpose.” Farrar. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. adaptation, LL. adaptatio. ] 1. The act or process of adapting, or fitting; or the state of being adapted or fitted; fitness. “Adaptation of the means to the end.” Erskine. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The result of adapting; an adapted form. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 1 having a capacity for adaptation. Opposed to maladaptive.
Syn. -- adaptive, adaptative [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Adaptive. Stubbs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being adapted; suitableness; special fitness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who adapts. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Chem.) A connecting tube; an adopter. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Adaptation. Cheyne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Suited, given, or tending, to adaptation; characterized by adaptation; capable of adapting. Coleridge. -- A*dapt"ive*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

n. The quality of being adaptive; capacity to adapt. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Astron.) an optical system used in some telescopes since the 1980's which rapidly changes the shape of the primary reflecting mirror to adjust for distortions of light which are caused by atmospheric turbulence. By reducing the distortions caused by the atmosphere, telescopes fitted with such optics can achieve a higher resolving power than normal telescopes with static mirrors. [ PJC ]

n. 1. (Palaeontology) the evolutionary generation of multiple specialized life forms from one ancestral form, evidenced in the fossil record. The inverse of extinction. [ PJC ]

adv. In a suitable manner. [ R. ] Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Adaptedness. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Adaptive. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ L., for catching. ] A phrase used adjectively sometimes of meretricious attempts to catch or win popular favor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a printer that automatically prints addresses on letters for mailing.
Syn. -- addressing machine [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Pertaining to adenography. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Adeno- + -graphy. ] That part of anatomy which describes the glands. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Religious indifference. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Adiaphorous. ] (Eccl. Hist.) One of the German Protestants who, with Melanchthon, held some opinions and ceremonies to be indifferent or nonessential, which Luther condemned as sinful or heretical. Murdock. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to matters indifferent in faith and practice. Shipley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Adiaphorist. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'adia`foros; 'a priv. + dia`foros different; dia` through + fe`rein to bear. ] 1. Indifferent or neutral. Jer. Taylor. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) Incapable of doing either harm or good as a medicine. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster + AS ]

n. [ Gr. 'adiafori`a. ] Indifference. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One versed in aëography: an aërologist. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. Pertaining to aërography; aërological. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Aëro- + -graphy: cf. F. aérographie. ] A description of the air or atmosphere; aërology. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

a. Pertaining to Æsculapius or to the healing art; medical; medicinal. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. Aesculapius, Gr. &unr_;. ] (Myth.) The god of medicine. Hence, a physician. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. [ Cf. It. affrappare, frappare, to cut, mince, F. frapper to strike. See Frap. ] To strike, or strike down. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An unexpected subsequent event; something disagreeable happening after an affair is supposed to be at an end. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. & a. [ Pref. a- + gape. ] Gaping, as with wonder, expectation, or eager attention. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dazzles the crowd and sets them all agape. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Agapæ [ Gr. 'aga`ph love, pl. 'aga`pai. ] The love feast of the primitive Christians, being a meal partaken of in connection with the communion. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Gr. 'a priv. + &unr_; to write. ] The absence or loss of the power of expressing ideas by written signs. It is one form of aphasia. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Characterized by agraphia. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. [ OF. agrappe, F. agrafe; a + grappe (see Grape) fr. OHG. krāpfo hook. ] Hooks and eyes for armor, etc. Fairholt. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

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

adv. [ Pref. a- + heap. ] In a heap; huddled together. Hood. [ 1913 Webster ]