n. An insoluble solid alcohol (C12H25OH) with an unbranched paraffin chain, used to make detergents, such as sodium lauryl sulfate.
Syn. -- lauryl alcohol [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

a. [ L. abdicans, p. pr. of abdicare. ] Abdicating; renouncing; -- followed by of. [ 1913 Webster ]

Monks abdicant of their orders. Whitlock. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who abdicates. Smart. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Acanthus. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Gr. &unr_; thorn, fr. &unr_; point. See Acute. ] 1. (Bot.) A prickle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) A spine or prickly fin. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Anat.) The vertebral column; the spinous process of a vertebra. Dunglison. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Armed with prickles, as a plant. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Of, pertaining to, or resembling, the family of plants of which the acanthus is the type. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. acanthinus, Gr. &unr_;, thorny, fr. &unr_;. See Acanthus. ] Of, pertaining to, or resembling, the plant acanthus. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; thorn + &unr_; fruit. ] (Bot.) Having the fruit covered with spines. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; a spine, thorn + &unr_; head. ] (Zool.) A group of intestinal worms, having the proboscis armed with recurved spines. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having a spiny head, as one of the Acanthocephala. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a genus of Australian elapid snakes.
Syn. -- genus Acanthophis. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; spine + fe`rein to bear. ] Spine-bearing. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; thorn + &unr_;, &unr_;, foot. ] (Bot.) Having spinous petioles. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; thorn + &unr_; wing, fin. ] (Zool.) A group of teleostean fishes having spiny fins. See Acanthopterygii. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; spine + &unr_; wing. ] 1. (Zool.) Spiny-winged. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) Acanthopterygious. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Belonging to the order of fishes having spinose fins, as the perch. -- n. A spiny-finned fish. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; thorn + &unr_; fin, dim. fr. &unr_; wing. ] (Zool.) An order of fishes having some of the rays of the dorsal, ventral, and anal fins unarticulated and spinelike, as the perch. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Having fins in which the rays are hard and spinelike; spiny-finned. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 1 shaped like a spine or thorn
Syn. -- spinous [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. 1 a family of fishes consisting of the surgeonfishes. fish family
Syn. -- family Acanthuridae [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. type genus of the family Acanthuridae; doctorfishes.
Syn. -- genus Acanthurus [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n.; pl. E. Acanthuses /plu>, L. Acanthi [ L., from Gr. &unr_;. Cf. Acantha. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Bot.) A genus of herbaceous prickly plants, found in the south of Europe, Asia Minor, and India; bear's-breech. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Arch.) An ornament resembling the foliage or leaves of the acanthus (Acanthus spinosus); -- used in the capitals of the Corinthian and Composite orders. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

n. One versed in æsthetics. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. Africus, Africanus, fr. Afer African. ] Of or pertaining to Africa. [ 1913 Webster ]

African hemp, a fiber prepared from the leaves of the Sanseviera Guineensis, a plant found in Africa and India. --
African marigold, a tropical American plant (Tagetes erecta). --
African oak or
African teak, a timber furnished by Oldfieldia Africana, used in ship building. [ 1913 Webster ]

African violet . --
African-American, see African-American. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A native of Africa; also one ethnologically belonging to an African race. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. of or pertaining to or characteristic of Americans of African ancestry or their history or culture
Syn. -- Afro-American [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. 1 an American whose ancestors were born in Africa, especially a United States citizen of African descent.
Syn. -- Afro-American, African, black, negro [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. One born in Africa, the offspring of a white father and a “colored” mother. Also, and now commonly in Southern Africa, a native born of European settlers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) same as African wild dog.
Syn. -- painted wolf, African hunting dog. [ PJC ]

n. A word, phrase, idiom, or custom peculiar to Africa or Africans. “The knotty Africanisms . . . of the fathers.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To place under the domination of Africans or negroes. [ Amer. ] Bartlett. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 (Zool.) a dog (Lycaon pictus) with mottled fur found in Africa, notable for the strong social structure of its family groups.
Syn. -- painted wolf, African hunting dog. [ PJC ]

n. 1. an American whose ancestors were born in Africa.
Syn. -- African-American, African. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. 1 of or pertaining to or characteristic of Americans of African ancestry or their history or culture.
Syn. -- African-American. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ L. albicans, p. pr. of albicare, albicatum, to be white, fr. albus white. ] Growing or becoming white. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Sp. alcana, alhe&unr_;a, fr. Ar. al-hinnā. See Henna, and cf. Alkanet. ] (Bot.) An oriental shrub (Lawsonia inermis) from which henna is obtained. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A kind of wine, formerly much esteemed; -- said to have been made near Alicant, in Spain. J. Fletcher. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Astron.) (a) Same as Almucantar. (b) A recently invented instrument for observing the heavenly bodies as they cross a given almacantar circle. See Almucantar. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. almucantarat, almicantarat, ultimately fr. Ar. al-muqantarāt, pl., fr. qantara to bend, arch. ] (Astron.) A small circle of the sphere parallel to the horizon; a circle or parallel of altitude. Two stars which have the same almucantar have the same altitude. See Almacantar. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Almucanter staff, an ancient instrument, having an arc of fifteen degrees, formerly used at sea to take observations of the sun's amplitude at the time of its rising or setting, to find the variation of the compass. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Named from Americus Vespucius. ] 1. Of or pertaining to America; as, the American continent: American Indians. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of or pertaining to the United States. “A young officer of the American navy.” Lyell. [ 1913 Webster ]

American ivy. See Virginia creeper. --
American Party (U. S. Politics), a party, about 1854, which opposed the influence of foreign-born citizens, and those supposed to owe allegiance to a foreign power. --
Native american Party (U. S. Politics), a party of principles similar to those of the American party. It arose about 1843, but soon died out. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A native of America; -- originally applied to the aboriginal inhabitants, but now applied to the descendants of Europeans born in America, and especially to the citizens of the United States. [ 1913 Webster ]

The name American must always exalt the pride of patriotism. Washington. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. any artifact (such a books or furniture or art) that is distinctive to America. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. a red-skinned member of a race of people living in North America when Europeans arrived.
Syn. -- Indian, native American, Amerindian, Red Indian [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. of or pertaining to American Indians
Syn. -- Amerindian, Amerind, Amerindic, Indian, native American [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. Attachment to the United States. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A custom peculiar to the United States or to America; an American characteristic or idea. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A word or phrase peculiar to the United States. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The process of Americanizing. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Americanizer p. pr. & vb. n. Americanizing. ] To render American; to assimilate to the Americans in customs, ideas, etc.; to stamp with American characteristics. [ 1913 Webster ]

. In hotels, aplan upon which guests pay for both room and board by the day, week, or other convenient period; -- contrasted with European plan. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. A secret organization in the United States, formed in Iowa in 1887, ostensibly for the protection of American institutions by keeping Roman Catholics out of public office. Abbrev. commonly to A. P .A. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]