[ acronym. ] the combined organizations of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. [ PJC. ]

{ , a. [ Gr. 'anh`r, 'andro`s, man + E. diœcious. ] (Bot.) Having perfect and staminate flowers on different plants. -- An`dro*di*œ"cism, -di*e"cism n. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. [ L. artificiosus. ] Artificial. [ Obs. ] Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. astucieux. See Astute. ] Subtle; cunning; astute. [ R. ] Sir W. Scott. -- As*tu"cious*ly, adv. [R.] [1913 Webster]

prop. n. (Geography) The capital city of Paraguay. Population (2000) = 502, 426. [ PJC ]

a. [ L. atrox, atrocis, cruel, fierce: cf. F. atroce. ] 1. Extremely heinous; full of enormous wickedness; as, atrocious guilt or deeds. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Characterized by, or expressing, great atrocity. [ 1913 Webster ]

Revelations . . . so atrocious that nothing in history approaches them. De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Very grievous or violent; terrible; as, atrocious distempers. [ Obs. ] Cheyne. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Atrocious, Flagitious, Flagrant. Flagitious points to an act as grossly wicked and vile; as, a flagitious proposal. Flagrant marks the vivid impression made upon the mind by something strikingly wrong or erroneous; as, a flagrant misrepresentation; a flagrant violation of duty. Atrocious represents the act as springing from a violent and savage spirit. If Lord Chatham, instead of saying “the atrocious crime of being a young man, ” had used either of the other two words, his irony would have lost all its point, in his celebrated reply to Sir Robert Walpole, as reported by Dr. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- A*tro"cious*ly, adv. -- A*tro"cious*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. the quality of being shockingly cruel and inhumane.
Syn. -- atrocity, barbarity, barbarousness, heinousness. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ F. audacieux, as if fr. LL. audaciosus (not found), fr. L. audacia audacity, fr. audax, -acis, bold, fr. audere to dare. ] 1. Daring; spirited; adventurous. [ 1913 Webster ]

As in a cloudy chair, ascending rides
Audacious. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Contemning the restraints of law, religion, or decorum; bold in wickedness; presumptuous; impudent; insolent. “ Audacious traitor.” Shak. “ Such audacious neighborhood.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Committed with, or proceedings from, daring effrontery or contempt of law, morality, or decorum. “Audacious cruelty.” “Audacious prate.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an audacious manner; with excess of boldness; impudently. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being audacious; impudence; audacity. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Auspice. ] 1. Having omens or tokens of a favorable issue; giving promise of success, prosperity, or happiness; predicting good; as, an auspicious beginning. [ 1913 Webster ]

Auspicious union of order and freedom. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Prosperous; fortunate; as, auspicious years. “Auspicious chief.” Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Favoring; favorable; propitious; -- applied to persons or things. “Thy auspicious mistress.” Shak. “Auspicious gales.” Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- See Propitious. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Aus*pi"cious*ly, adv. -- Aus*pi"cious*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Auto- + Gr. &unr_; house. ] (Biol.) Passing through all its stages on one host, as certain parasitic fungi; -- contrasted with heterœcious. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. [ Cf. F. avaricieux. ] Actuated by avarice; greedy of gain; immoderately desirous of accumulating property. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Greedy; stingy; rapacious; griping; sordid; close. -- Avaricious, Covetous, Parsimonious, Penurious, Miserly, Niggardly. The avaricious eagerly desire wealth with a view to hoard it. The covetous grasp after it at the expense of others, though not of necessity with a design to save, since a man may be covetous and yet a spendthrift. The penurious, parsimonious, and miserly save money by disgraceful self-denial, and the niggardly by meanness in their dealing with others. We speak of persons as covetous in getting, avaricious in retaining, parsimonious in expending, penurious or miserly in modes of living, niggardly in dispensing. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Av`a*ri"cious*ly, adv. -- Av`a*ri"cious*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. bibax, bibacis, fr. bibere. See Bib. ] Addicted to drinking. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Braggadocchio, a boastful character in Spenser's “Faërie Queene.” ] 1. A braggart; a boaster; a swaggerer. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Empty boasting; mere brag; pretension. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. capax, -acis, fr. capere to take. See Heave. ] 1. Having capacity; able to contain much; large; roomy; spacious; extended; broad; as, a capacious vessel, room, bay, or harbor. [ 1913 Webster ]

In the capacious recesses of his mind. Bancroft. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Able or qualified to make large views of things, as in obtaining knowledge or forming designs; comprehensive; liberal. “A capacious mind.” Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a capacious manner or degree; comprehensively. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being capacious, as of a vessel, a reservoir a bay, the mind, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ It. See Caprice. ] 1. (Mus.) A piece in a free form, with frequent digressions from the theme; a fantasia; -- often called caprice. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A caprice; a freak; a fancy. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖a. [ It. ] (Mus) In a free, fantastic style. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. capricieux, It. capriccioso. ] Governed or characterized by caprice; apt to change suddenly; freakish; whimsical; changeable. “Capricious poet.” Shak. “Capricious humor.” Hugh Miller. [ 1913 Webster ]

A capricious partiality to the Romish practices. Hallam.

Syn. -- Freakish; whimsical; fanciful; fickle; crotchety; fitful; wayward; changeable; unsteady; uncertain; inconstant; arbitrary.

-- Ca*pri"cious*ly, adv. -- Ca*pri"cious*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ It. cappucio. See Capoch. ] A capoch or hood. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; a kind of fish. ] (Zool.) A shark of the genus Cestracion, and of related genera. The posterior teeth form a pavement of bony plates for crushing shellfish. Most of the species are extinct. The Port Jackson shark and a similar one found in California are living examples. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Pertaining to, or characteristic of, the genus Cestracion. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. cilicium a covering, orig. made of Cilician goat's hair, fr. Cilicious Cilician, fr. Cilicia, a province of Asia Minor. ] Made, or consisting, of hair. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A Cilicious or sackcloth habit. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. cion. See Scion. ] See Scion. [ 1913 Webster ]

The cion overruleth the stock; and the stock is but passive, and giveth aliment, but no motion, to the graft. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. coercio, fr. coercere. See Coerce. ] 1. The act or process of coercing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) The application to another of either physical or moral force. When the force is physical, and cannot be resisted, then the act produced by it is a nullity, so far as concerns the party coerced. When the force is moral, then the act, though voidable, is imputable to the party doing it, unless he be so paralyzed by terror as to act convulsively. At the same time coercion is not negatived by the fact of submission under force. “Coactus volui” (I consented under compulsion) is the condition of mind which, when there is volition forced by coercion, annuls the result of such coercion. Wharton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ L. concionatus, p. p. of concionari to adress. ] To preach. [ Obs. ] Lithgow. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] 1. An haranguer of the people; a preacher. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Old Law) A common councilman. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to preaching or public addresses. [ Obs. ] Howell. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Irregularly formed fr. conscience. ] Governed by, or according to, conscience; reasonable; just. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let my debtors have conscionable satisfaction. Sir H. Wotton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being conscionable; reasonableness. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Reasonably; justly. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. conscius; con- + scire to know. See Conscience. ] 1. Possessing the faculty of knowing one's own thoughts or mental operations. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some are thinking or conscious beings, or have a power of thought. I. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Possessing knowledge, whether by internal, conscious experience or by external observation; cognizant; aware; sensible. [ 1913 Webster ]

Her conscious heart imputed suspicion where none could have been felt. Hawthorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

The man who breathes most healthilly is least conscious of his own breathing. De Quincey. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Made the object of consciousness; known to one's self; as, conscious guilt. [ 1913 Webster ]

With conscious terrors vex me round. Milton.

Syn. -- Aware; apprised; sensible; felt; known. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a conscious manner; with knowledge of one's own mental operations or actions. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The state of being conscious; knowledge of one's own existence, condition, sensations, mental operations, acts, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Consciousness is thus, on the one hand, the recognition by the mind or “ego” of its acts and affections; -- in other words, the self-affirmation that certain modifications are known by me, and that these modifications are mine. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Immediate knowledge or perception of the presence of any object, state, or sensation. See the Note under Attention. [ 1913 Webster ]

Annihilate the consciousness of the object, you annihilate the consciousness of the operation. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

And, when the steam
Which overflowed the soul had passed away,
A consciousness remained that it had left.
. . . images and precious thoughts
That shall not die, and can not be destroyed. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

The consciousness of wrong brought with it the consciousness of weakness. Froude. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Feeling, persuasion, or expectation; esp., inward sense of guilt or innocence. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

An honest mind is not in the power of a dishonest: to break its peace there must be some guilt or consciousness. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. contumax, -acis. See Contumacy. ] 1. Exhibiting contumacy; contemning authority; obstinate; perverse; stubborn; disobedient. [ 1913 Webster ]

There is another very, efficacious method for subduing the most obstinate, contumacious sinner. Hammond. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) Willfully disobedient to the summons or orders of a court. Blackstone.

Syn. -- Stubborn; obstinate; obdurate; disobedient; perverse; unyielding; headstrong.

-- Con`tu*ma"cious*ly, adv. -- Con`tu*ma"cious*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Expressing reproach; abusive; railing; taunting. [ Obs. ] “Convicious words.” Queen Elizabeth (1559). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a genus of sea trout.
Syn. -- genus Cynoscion. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ OF. delicieus, F. délicieux, L. deliciosus, fr. deliciae delight, fr. delicere to allure. See Delight. ] 1. Affording exquisite pleasure; delightful; most sweet or grateful to the senses, especially to the taste; charming. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some delicious landscape. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

One draught of spring's delicious air. Keble. [ 1913 Webster ]

Were not his words delicious? Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Addicted to pleasure; seeking enjoyment; luxurious; effeminate. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Others, lastly, of a more delicious and airy spirit, retire themselves to the enjoyments of ease and luxury. Milton.

Syn. -- Delicious, Delightful. Delicious refers to the pleasure derived from certain of the senses, particularly the taste and smell; as, delicious food; a delicious fragrance. Delightful may also refer to most of the senses (as, delightful music; a delightful prospect; delightful sensations), but has a higher application to matters of taste, feeling, and sentiment; as, a delightful abode, conversation, employment; delightful scenes, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Like the rich fruit he sings, delicious in decay. Smith. [ 1913 Webster ]

No spring, nor summer, on the mountain seen,
Smiles with gay fruits or with delightful green. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Delightfully; as, to feed deliciously; to be deliciously entertained. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The quality of being delicious; as, the deliciousness of a repast. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Luxury. “To drive away all superfluity and deliciousness.” Sir T. North. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. dicax, dicacis, fr. dicere to say. ] Talkative; pert; saucy. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a., /mhw>, a. (Bot.) See Diœcian, and Diœcious. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. (Biol.) Having the sexes in two separate individuals; -- applied to plants in which the female flowers occur on one individual and the male flowers on another of the same species, and to animals in which the ovum is produced by one individual and the sperm cell by another; -- opposed to monœcious. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. (Biol.) In a diœcious manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

Diœciously hermaphrodite (Bot.), having flowers structurally perfect, but practically diœcious, -- those on one plant producing no pollen, and those on another no ovules. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Biol.) The state or quality of being diœcious. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. disgracieux. ] Wanting grace; unpleasing; disagreeable. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. edax, edacis, fr. edere to eat. ] Given to eating; voracious; devouring. [ 1913 Webster ]

Swallowed in the depths of edacious Time. Carlyle.

-- E*da"cious*ly, adv. -- E*da"cious*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. eficax, -acis, fr. efficere. See Effect, n. ] Possessing the quality of being effective; productive of, or powerful to produce, the effect intended; as, an efficacious law.

Syn. -- See Effectual.

-- Ef`fi*ca"cious*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]