Part 15

ARSENAL, [:a]r'se-nal, _n._ a dock possessing naval stores: a public magazine or manufactory of naval and military stores. [It. _arzenale_, _arsenale_ (Sp., Fr. _arsenal_)--Ar. _d[=a]r accin[=a]`ah_, workshop; _d[=a]r_, house, _al_, the, _cin[=a]`ah_, art.]

ARSENIC, ar'sen-ik, _n._ one of the chemical elements: a mineral poison: a soft, gray-coloured metal.--_ns._ AR'SENATE, ARS[=E]'NIATE, a salt of arsenic acid.--_adjs._ ARSEN'IC, -AL, composed of or containing arsenic: in chemistry, applied to compounds; ARS[=E]'NIOUS, of or containing arsenic.--_n._ AR'SENITE, a salt of arsenious acid. [Gr. _arsenikon_, _arsen_, male; the alchemists fancied some metals male, others female.]

ARSIS, ar'sis, _n._ grammatical term applied to the elevation of the voice to a higher pitch in speaking: (_mus._) the strong position in a bar: the strong syllable in English metre:--_pl._ AR'S[=E]S. [L.--Gr. _arsis_--_airein_, to lift.]

ARSON, [:a]rs'on, _n._ the crime of wilfully burning houses or other buildings.--_ns._ AR'SONITE, AR'SONIST (_rare_). [O. Fr. _arson_--L. _arsion-em_, _ard[=e]re_, _arsum_, to burn.]

ART, [:a]rt, 2d pers. sing. of the present tense of the verb _To be_. [A.S. _eart._]

ART, [:a]rt, _n._ practical skill guided by rules: human skill as opposed to nature: skill as applied to subjects of taste, the fine arts--music, painting, sculpture, architecture, and poetry: (_pl._) specially used of certain branches of learning to be acquired as necessary for pursuit of higher studies, or for the work of life, as in phrase 'faculty of arts, master of arts:' the rules and methods of doing certain actions: a profession, skilled trade, or craft: contrivance: cunning, artfulness, or address: artifice, special faculty of some kind acquired by practice, skill, dexterity, knack: special faculty of giving expression to aesthetic or artistic quality, as in _art-furniture_, &c., supposed, by the buyer, in this respect, to justify its price.--_adj._ ART'FUL, full of art: (_arch._) dexterous, clever: cunning: produced by art.--_adv._ ART'FULLY.--_n._ ART'FULNESS.--_adj._ ART'LESS, simple: (_rare_) inartistic: guileless, unaffected.--_adv._ ART'LESSLY.--_ns._ ART'LESSNESS; ARTS'MAN, one who cultivates some practical knowledge: (_arch._) a man skilled in arts or in learning.--_n.pl._ ART'-UN'IONS, associations having for their object the promotion of an interest in the fine arts.--ART AND PART, as in the phrase 'to be art and part in,' originally in legal expressions like 'to be concerned in either by art or part'--i.e. either by _art_ in contriving or by _part_ in actual execution; now loosely used in the sense of

## participating, sharing.--USEFUL ARTS as opposed to _Fine arts_, those in

which the hands and body are more concerned than the mind.--SCIENCE and ART differ essentially in their aims--_Science_, in Mill's words, 'takes cognisance of a _phenomenon_, and endeavours to ascertain its _law_; _Art_ proposes to itself an _end_, and looks out for means to effect it.' [L. _ars_, _artis_. See ARM.]

ARTEMISIA, [:a]r-t[=e]-miz'i-a, _n._ a genus of composite plants, with a peculiarly bitter taste, including Wormwood, Southernwood, &c.

ARTERY, [:a]r't[.e]r-i, _n._ a tube or vessel which conveys blood from the heart (see AORTA)--also metaphorically: any main channel of communication.--_adj._ ART[=E]R'IAL--_v.t._ ART[=E]R'IALISE, to make arterial.--_ns._ ART[=E]RIOT'OMY, the cutting or opening of an artery, to let blood; ARTER[=I]'TIS, inflammation of an artery. [L.--Gr. _art[=e]ria_, orig. the windpipe most probably--Gr. _air-ein_, to raise. The ancient conception of the artery as an air-duct gave rise to the derivation from Gr. _a[=e]r_, air.]

ARTESIAN, [:a]r-t[=e]'zhan, _adj._ applied to wells made by boring until water is reached. [From _Artois_ (L. _Artesium_), in the north of France, where the oldest known well of this kind in Europe was sunk in 1126.]

ARTHRITIS, ar-thr[=i]'tis, _n._ inflammation of a joint: gout.--_adj._ ARTHRIT'IC, relating to or affecting the joints: gouty. [Gr. _arthritikos_--_arthron_, a joint.]

ARTHROPODA, ar-throp'od-a, _n.pl._ a great division of the animal kingdom, the body consisting of a definite number of segments, each having a pair of hollow jointed limbs into which the body muscles proceed. It again divides into two great groups--the water-breathers or Branchiata, and the air-breathers or Tracheata.--_adj._ ARTHROP'ODAL. [Gr. _arthron_, joint, and _pous_, _pod-os_, a foot.]

ARTICHOKE, [:a]r'ti-ch[=o]k, _n._ a thistle-like, perennial, eatable plant with large scaly heads, like the cone of the pine, now growing wild in the south of Europe, though probably a native of Asia.--JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, a totally different plant, a species of sunflower, bearing tubers like those of the potato, Jerusalem being a corr. of It. _girasole_ ('turn-sun'), sunflower. By a quibble on Jerusalem, the soup made from it is called _Palestine soup_. [Old It. _articiocco_ (It. _carciofo_)--Old Sp. _alcarchofa_--Ar. _al_-_kharsh[=o]fa_, _al-kharshuf_. Popular definitions are many--e.g. the plant that _chokes_ the _garden_ or the _heart_.]

ARTICLE, [:a]rt'i-kl, _n._ a separate element, member, or part of anything: a particular substance: a single clause or term: a distinct point in an agreement, or an agreement looked at as complete, as in 'articles of apprenticeship,' &c.: rules or conditions generally: a section of any document: a literary composition in a journal, newspaper, encyclopaedia, &c., treating of a subject distinctly and independently: (_gram._) the name given to the adjectives _the_ (definite article) and _a_ or _an_ (indefinite article).--_v.t._ to draw up or bind by articles: to indict, charge with specific accusations: bind by articles of apprenticeship.--_adj._ ARTIC'ULAR, belonging to the joints.--ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION, regulations for the business of a joint-stock company registered under the Companies Acts; ARTICLES OF FAITH, binding statement of points held by a particular Church; ARTICLES OF WAR, code of regulations for the government and discipline of the army and navy.--IN THE ARTICLE OF DEATH (L. _in articulo mortis_), at the point of death.--LORDS OF THE ARTICLES, a standing committee of the Scottish parliament who drafted the measures to be submitted.--THE THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES, the articles of religious belief finally agreed upon by the entire bishops and clergy of the Church of England in 1562. [L. _articulus_, a little joint--_artus_, a joint.]

ARTICULATA, [:a]r-tik-[=u]-l[=a]'ta, _n._ one of the great primary divisions of the animal kingdom, according to Cuvier, including those animals of which the body is divided into a number of distinct joints--viz. the higher worms or Annelids, and also the Insects, Crustaceans, Arachnids, and Myriopods.

ARTICULATE, [:a]r-tik'[=u]l-[=a]t, _adj._ distinct: clear.--_v.t._ to joint: to form into distinct sounds, syllables, or words.--_v.i._ to speak distinctly.--_adv._ ARTIC'ULATELY.--_ns._ ARTIC'ULATENESS; ARTICUL[=A]'TION, a joining as of the bones: part between two joints: distinctness, or distinct utterance: a consonant; ARTIC'ULATOR, one who articulates or speaks: one who articulates bones and mounts skeletons. [L. _articul[=a]re_, _-[=a]tum_, to furnish with joints, to utter distinctly. See ARTICLE.]

ARTIFICE, art'i-fis, _n._ artificer's work: a contrivance: a trick or fraud.--_n._ ARTIF'ICER, a workman: an inventor.--_adj._ ARTIFICIAL ([:a]rt-i-fish'yal), made by art: not natural: cultivated: not indigenous: feigned: not natural in manners, affected.--_v.t._ and _v.i._ ARTIFIC'IALISE, to render artificial.--_ns._ ARTIFICIAL'ITY, ARTIFIC'IALNESS.--_adv._ ARTIFIC'IALLY. [L. _artificium_--_artifex_, _-ficis_, an artificer--_ars_, _artis_, and _fac[)e]re_, to make.]

ARTILLERY, [:a]r-til'[.e]r-i, _n._ offensive weapons of war, esp. cannon, mortars, &c.: the men who manage them: a branch of the military service: gunnery.--_ns._ ARTILL'ERIST, one skilled in artillery or gunnery; ARTILL'ERY-MAN, a soldier of the artillery. [O. Fr. _artillerie_, _artiller_, to arm; through a supposed Low L. _artill[=a]re_--L. _ars_, _artis_, art.]

ARTIODACTYLA, [:a]r-ti-o-dak'til-a, _n._ a sub-order of the great mammalian order of Ungulata, having the third digit unsymmetrical in itself, but forming a symmetrical pair with the fourth digit--as distinguished from the _Perissodactyla_ (horse, tapir, rhinoceros), which have the third digit of each limb symmetrical in itself, an odd number of digits on the hind-foot, and at least twenty-two dorso-lumbar vertebrae. The Artiodactyla, again, divide into two groups, the Non-Ruminantia and the Ruminantia.

ARTISAN, [:a]rt'i-zan, _n._ one skilled in any art or trade: a mechanic. [Fr.--It. _artigiano_, ult. from L. _artitus_, skilled in the arts--_ars_, _artis_, art.]

ARTIST, [:a]rt'ist, _n._ one who practises an art, esp. one of the fine arts, as painting, sculpture, engraving, or architecture.--_adjs._ ARTIST'IC, -AL, according to art.--_adv._ ARTIST'ICALLY.--_n._ ART'ISTRY, artistic pursuits: artistic workmanship, quality, or ability. [Fr. _artiste_, It. _artista_--L. _ars_, _artis_, art.]

ARTISTE, [:a]r-t[=e]st', _n._ one dexterous or tasteful in any art, as an opera dancer, a cook, a hairdresser, &c. [Fr.]

ART-UNION. See ART.

ARUM, [=a]'rum, _n._ a genus of plants represented in England by the Cuckoo-pint or Wake Robin (_A. maculatum_), whose root yields a wholesome farina known as Portland Sago or Arrowroot. [L.--Gr. _aron_.]

ARUNDINACEOUS, a-run-di-n[=a]'shus, _adj._ relating to or like a reed.--Also ARUNDIN'EOUS. [L. _arundinaceus_--_arundo_, a reed.]

ARUSPEX, ARUSPICE, ARUSPICY. See HARUSPEX.

ARVICOLA, [:a]r-vik'[=o]-l[:a], _n._ the general name of the family of animals to which belong the water-vole and field-vole. [Coined from L. _arvum_, a field, _col[)e]-re_, to inhabit.]

ARY, [:a]'ri, e'ri, _adj._ (_prov._) any. [A modification of _e'er a_ for _ever a_. Cf. NARY.]

ARYAN, ar'i-an, or [=a]'ri-an, _adj._ relating to the family of nations otherwise called Indo-European (comprehending the inhabitants of Europe--except the Basques, Turks, Magyars, and Finns--and those of Armenia, Persia, and North Hindustan), or to their languages--Sanskrit, Zend, Greek, Latin, Celtic, Teutonic, Slavonic, Lettic.--_v.t._ ARYANISE'. [L. _arianus_, belonging to _Ariana_ or _Aria_ (Gr. _Areia_), the east part of Ancient Persia--Sans. _Arya_ (cf. Old Pers. _Ariya_, and _Ir[=a]n_, Persia), often traced to a root _ar_, plough.]

AS, az, _adv._, _conj._, and _pron._ in that degree, so far, _as ... as_: the consequent in a co-relation expressing quantity, degree, &c., _as ... as_, _such ... as_, _same ... as_: since, because: when, while: expressing merely continuation or expansion, for instance: similarly: for example: while: in like manner: that, who, which (after _such_, _same_).--AS CONCERNING, AS TO, AS FOR, so far as concerns; AS IT WERE, so to speak, in some sort; AS MUCH, the same; AS WELL (AS), just as much (as), equally (with). [A worn-down form of _all-so_, A.S. _all-sw['a]_, wholly so.]

AS, as, _n._ in Norse mythology, one of the gods, the inhabitants of _Asgard_:--_pl._ AESIR ([=a]'ser). [Ice. _[=a]ss_, a god (pl. _aesir_)--A.S. _[=o]s_, seen in such proper names as _Os_wold, _Os_ric.]

AS, as, _n._ Latin unit of weight, 12 ounces (L. _unciae_): a copper coin, the unit of the early monetary system of Rome.

ASAFOETIDA, as-a-fet'i-da, _n._ a medicinal gum-resin, having an offensive smell, procured by drying the milky juice which flows from the root of the plant _Ferula_ (_Narthex_) _asafoetida_. [Pers. _az[=a]_, mastic, and L. _foetida_, stinking.]

[oA]SAR, [=e]'sar, _n.pl._ the Swedish name for those long, winding banks and ridges of gravel and sand which occur abundantly in the low grounds of Sweden, supposed to mark the site of sub-glacial streams and rivers.--These _[oa]sar_ are the same as the Irish _eskar_ and the Scotch _kames_.

ASARABACCA, as-a-ra-bak'a, _n._ a European plant, a species of _Asarum_, having acrid properties, formerly used in the preparation of snuffs for catarrh, &c. [L. _asarum_, _bacca_, a berry.]

ASBESTOS, az-best'os, _n._ an incombustible mineral, a variety of hornblende, of a fine fibrous texture, resembling flax: (_fig._) anything unquenchable.--_adjs._ ASBES'TIC, ASBES'TOUS, ASBES'TINE, of or like asbestos: incombustible. [Gr.; (lit.) unquenchable--_a_, neg., _sbestos_, extinguished.]

ASCARIS, as'ka-ris, _n._ a genus of parasitic worms, of the family ASCAR'IDAE, infesting the small intestines. [Gr. _askaris_, pl. _askarides_.]

ASCEND, as-send', _v.i._ to climb or mount up: to rise, literally or figuratively: to go backwards in the order of time.--_v.t._ to climb or go up on: to mount.--_adjs._ ASCEND'ABLE, ASCEND'IBLE.--ASCENDING RHYTHM, in prosody, a rhythm in which the arsis follows the thesis, as an iambic or anapaestic rhythm: opposed to _descending_ rhythms, as the trochaic and dactylic. [L. _ascend[)e]re_, _ascensum_--_ad_, and _scand[)e]re_, to climb.]

ASCENSION, as-sen'shun, _n._ a rising or going up.--_adjs._ ASCEND'ANT, -ENT, superior: above the horizon.--_n._ superiority: (_astrol._) the part of the ecliptic rising above the horizon at the time of one's birth; it was supposed to have commanding influence over the person's life, hence the phrase, 'in the ascendant:' superiority or great influence: (_rare_) an ancestor.--_n._ ASCEND'ENCY, controlling influence--also ASCEND'ANCY, ASCEND'ANCE, ASCEND'ENCE (_rare_).--_adj._ ASCEN'SIONAL, relating to ascension.--_n._ ASCEN'SION-DAY, the festival held on Holy Thursday, ten days before Whitsunday, to commemorate Christ's _ascension_ to heaven.--_adj._ ASCEN'SIVE, rising: causing to rise.--_n._ ASCENT', act of ascending: upward movement, as of a balloon: way of ascending: degree of elevation or advancement: slope or gradient: a flight of steps.--LINE OF ASCENT, ancestry.--RIGHT ASCENSION (_astron._), the name applied to one of the arcs which determine the position relatively to the equator of a heavenly body on the celestial sphere, the other being the declinator. [L. _ascensio_--_ascend[)e]re_.]

ASCERTAIN, as-s[.e]r-t[=a]n', _v.t._ to determine: to obtain certain knowledge of: (_rare_) to insure, certify, make certain.--_adj._ ASCERTAIN'ABLE.--_n._ ASCERTAIN'MENT. [O. Fr. _acertener_. See CERTAIN.]

ASCETIC, as-set'ik, _n._ one who rigidly denies himself ordinary sensual gratifications for conscience' sake, one who aims to compass holiness through self-mortification, the flesh being considered as the seat of sin, and therefore to be chastened: a strict hermit.--_adjs._ ASCET'IC, -AL, excessively rigid: austere: recluse.--_adv._ ASCET'ICALLY.--_n._ ASCET'ICISM. [Gr. _ask[=e]tikos_ (adj. _ask[=e]t[=e]s_), one that uses exercises to train himself--_askein_, to work, take exercise, (_eccles._) to mortify the body.]

ASCIAN, ash'yan, _n._ name given to the inhabitants of the torrid zone, who are shadowless at certain seasons, from the sun being right over their heads. [Gr. _askios_, shadowless--_a_, neg., _skia_, a shadow.]

ASCIDIANS, a-sid'i-anz, _n.pl._ a group belonging to the tunicate Mollusca, forming a class of degenerate survivors of ancestral vertebrates, asymmetrical marine animals with a tubular heart and no feet, of a double-mouthed flask shape, found at low-water mark on the sea-beach.--_n._ ASCID'IUM, a genus of Ascidians: (_bot._) a pitcher-shaped, leafy formation, as in the _Nepenthes_. [Gr. _askidion_, dim. of _askos_, a leathern bag, wine-skin.]

ASCITITIOUS. Same as ADSCITITIOUS.

ASCLEPIAD, as-kl[=e]'pi-ad, ASCLEPIADIC, as-kl[=e]-pi-ad'ik, _n._ in ancient prosody, a verse consisting of a spondee, two (or three) choriambi, and an iambus: [--|-uu-|-uu-|u-|]--_adj._ ASCLEPIAD'IC. [_Asclepiad[=e]s_, a Greek poet.]

ASCLEPIADS, as-kl[=e]'pi-adz, _n.pl._ an order of Greek physicians, priests of Asclepius or Aesculapius, the god of medicine. [Gr. _askl[=e]pius_, Asclepius.]

ASCLEPIAS, as-kl[=e]'pi-as, _n._ a genus of plants, native to North America, giving name to the natural order of the Asclepidaceae, and containing the milk-weed, swallow-wort, &c.

ASCRIBE, a-skr[=i]b', _v.t._ to attribute, impute, or assign.--_adj._ ASCRIB'ABLE.--_n._ ASCRIP'TION, act of ascribing or imputing: any expression of ascribing, or any formula for such, like the one ascribing glory to God repeated at the end of a sermon. [L. _ascrib[)e]re_, _-scriptum_--_ad_, to, _scrib-[)e]re_, to write.]

ASEITY, a-s[=e]'i-ti, _n._ self-origination. [L. _a_, from, _se_, self.]

ASEPTIC, a-sep'tik, _adj._ not liable to decay or putrefaction.--_n._ ASEP'TICISM. [From Gr. _a_, neg., _s[=e]ptos_, _s[=e]pomai_, to decay.]

ASEXUAL, a-seks'[=u]-al, _adj._ without sex, once applied to cryptogams--agamic. [Gr. _a_, neg., and SEXUAL.]

ASGARD, as'g[:a]rd, _n._ the heaven of Norse mythology, abode of the twelve gods and twenty-six goddesses, and of heroes slain in battle. [Ice. _asgardhr_, _[=a]ss_, a god, _gardhr_, an enclosure.]

ASH, ash, _n._ a well-known timber tree, or its wood, which is white, tough, and hard, much used in carpentry and wheel-work: the ashen shaft of a spear, or a spear itself.--_adj._ ASH'EN.--_n._ GROUND'-ASH, or ASH'-PLANT, an ash sapling.--MOUNTAIN ASH, the rowan-tree; QUAKING ASH, the aspen. [A.S. _aesc_--Ger. _esche_, Ice. _askr_.]

ASHAKE, a-sh[=a]k', _adv. phrase_, shaking. [Prep. _a_, and SHAKE.]

ASHAMED, a-sh[=a]md', _adj._ affected with shame (with _of_ for the cause of shame; _for_, the person).--_v.t._ and _v.i._ ASHAME', to feel shame: to put to shame.--_n._ ASHAMED'NESS.--_p.adj._ ASHAM'ING. [Pa.p. of old verb _ashame_.]

ASHES, ash'ez, _n.pl._ the dust or remains of anything burnt: the remains of the human body when burnt: (_fig._) a dead body: used to express pallor, from the colour of wood-ashes, as in 'pale as ashes,' 'ashy-pale.'--_n._ ASH'-BUCK'ET, a box or bucket in which house-ashes and general refuse are collected for removal.--_adjs._ ASH'EN, ASH'EN-GRAY.--_ns._ ASH'ERY, a place where potash or pearl-ash is made; ASH'-HEAP, a heap of ashes and household refuse; ASH'-LEACH, a tub in which alkaline salts are dissolved from wood-ashes; ASH'-PAN, a kind of tray fitted underneath a grate to receive the ashes.--_adjs._ ASH'Y, ASH'Y-GRAY.--TO LAY IN ASHES, to destroy utterly by burning. [A.S. _asce_; Ice. _aska_.]

ASHET, ash'et, _n._ (now only _Scot._) a large flat dish in which meat is served. [Fr. _assiette_.]

ASHIVER, a-shiv'[.e]r, _adv. phrase_, quivering.

ASHKENAZIM, ash-k[=e]-naz'im, _n.pl._ the Polish and German Jews, as distinguished from the _Sephardim_, the Spanish and Portuguese Jews. [Heb. _Ashkenaz_, the name of a northern people in Gen. x., located in Arabia, by later Jews identified with Germany.]

ASHLAR, ash'lar, ASHLER, ash'l[.e]r, _n._ hewn or squared stone used in facing a wall, as distinguished from rough, as it comes from the quarry--also in ASH'LAR-WORK, as opposed to _Rubble-work_.--_p.adj._ ASH'LARED.--_n._ ASH'LARING. [O. Fr. _aiseler_--L. _axillaris_, _axilla_, dim. of _axis_, _assis_, axle; also plank (cf. Fr. _ais_, It. _asse_.]

ASHORE, a-sh[=o]r', _adv._ on shore. [Prep. _a_, and SHORE.]

ASH-WEDNESDAY, ash-wenz'd[=a], _n._ the first day of Lent, so called from the Roman Catholic custom of sprinkling ashes on the head.

ASIAN, [=a]zh'yan, or [=a]sh'i-an, ASIATIC, [=a]-zhi-at'ik, or [=a]sh-i-at'ik, _adj._ belonging to Asia: florid in literature or art.--_n._ ASIAT'ICISM, imitation of Asiatic or Eastern manners.

ASIDE, a-s[=i]d', _adv._ on or to one side: privately: apart.--_n._ words spoken in an undertone, so as not to be heard by some person present, words spoken by an actor which the other persons on the stage are supposed not to hear: an indirect effort of any kind.--_adj._ private, apart.--TO SET ASIDE, to quash (a judgment).

ASINEGO, as-i-n[=e]'go, _n._ (_Shak._) a stupid fellow.--Also ASINI'CO. [Sp. _asnico_--dim. of _asno_, L. _asinus_, ass.]

ASININE, as'in-[=i]n, _adj._ of or like an ass.--_n._ ASININ'ITY. [See ASS.]

ASK, ask, _v.t._ to seek: to request, inquire, beg, question, invite.--_v.i._ to request: to make inquiry (with _about_ and _for_--as to ask one _after_ or _for_ another). [A.S. _['a]scian_, _['a]csian_; Ger. _heischen_, Ice. _aeskja_, Sans. _esh_, to desire.]

ASKANCE, a-skans', ASKANT, a-skant', _adv._ sideways: awry: obliquely: with a side glance, or with a side meaning.--_v.t._ (_Shak._) to turn aside.--TO EYE, LOOK, or VIEW ASKANCE, to look at with suspicion. [Ety. very obscure; perh. conn. with It. _a schi['a]ncio_, slopingly, or with Ice. _['a]-sk['a]_, as in ASKEW.]

ASKEW, a-sk[=u]', _adv._ obliquely: aside: awry. [See ASKANCE.]

ASLAKE, a-sl[=a]k', _v.t._ (_arch._) to slake: to mitigate. [Prep. _a_, and SLAKE.]

ASLANT, a-slant', _adj._ or _adv._ obliquely.--Also ASKLENT' (_Scot._).

ASLEEP, a-sl[=e]p', _adj._ or _adv._ in sleep: sleeping: in the sleep of death, dead. [Prep. _a_, and SLEEP.]

ASLOPE, a-sl[=o]p', _adj._ or _adv._ on the slope.

ASMOULDER, a-sm[=o]l'der, _adv. phrase_, smouldering.

ASNORT, a-snort', _adv. phrase_, snorting. [Prep. _a_, and SNORT.]

ASP, asp, ASPIC, asp'ik, _n._ a popular name applied loosely to various genera of venomous serpents--now chiefly to the _Vipera aspis_ of Southern Europe. Cleopatra's asp was probably the small _Vipera hasselquistii_, or horned viper: the biblical asp (Heb. _pethen_) was probably the Egyptian juggler's snake (_Naja haje_). [L.--Gr. _aspis_.]

ASPARAGUS, as-par'a-gus, _n._ a plant cultivated for its young shoots, esteemed as a table delicacy.--_n._ ASPAR'AGINE, a nitrogenised crystallised substance found in asparagus and other vegetables.--_Sparrow-grass_ was long the form of the word in English. [L.--Gr. _asparagos_.]

ASPECT, as'pekt (in _Shak._ and elsewhere, as-pekt'), _n._ look: view: appearance, also applied figuratively to the mind: position in relation to the points of the compass: the situation of one planet with respect to another, as seen from the earth.--_v.i._ (_obs._) to look at.--_adj._ AS'PECTABLE, visible, worth looking at. [L. _aspectus_--_ad_, at, _spec[)e]re_, to look.]

ASPEN, asp'en, _n._ the trembling poplar.--_adj._ made of or like the aspen: tremulous: timorous.--_adj._ AS'PEN-LIKE. [A.S. _aespe_, Ger. _espe_.]

ASPER, as'p[.e]r, _n._ a small silver Turkish coin.

ASPERATED. See ASPIRATE.

ASPERGES, as-per'jes, _n._ a short service introductory to the mass, so called from the words _Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo et mundabor_ (Ps. li.).

ASPERGILL, -UM, as'p[.e]r-jil, -um, _n._ a kind of brush used in R.C. churches for sprinkling holy water on the people.--Also ASPERGE', ASPER'SOIR. [L. _asperg[)e]re_, to sprinkle, and dim. suffix.]

ASPERGILLUM, as-p[.e]r-jil'um, _n._ a remarkable genus of boring Lamellibranch Molluscs, in which the shell has the form of an elongated cone, terminating at the lower end in a disc, pierced by numerous small tubular holes.--_n._ ASPERGIL'LUS, the name of a genus of minute fungi or moulds occurring on decaying substances of various kinds.

ASPERITY, as-per'i-ti, _n._ roughness: harshness: bitter coldness. [L. _asperitat-em_, _asper_, rough.]

ASPERMOUS, a-sp[.e]r'mus, ASPERMATOUS, a-sp[.e]r'ma-tus, _adj._ without seeds. [Gr. _a_, neg., _sperma_, seed.]

ASPERSE, as-p[.e]rs', _v.t._ to slander or calumniate: to bespatter (_with_).--_n._ ASPER'SION, calumny: slander: (_Shak._) a shower or spray.--_adjs._ ASPERS'IVE, ASPERS'ORY, tending to asperse: defamatory.

ASPERSORIUM, as-per-s[=o]r'i-um, _n._ a vessel used in R.C. churches for holding holy water.

ASPHALT, as-falt', or as'falt, ASPHALTUM, as-falt'um, _n._ a black or dark-brown, hard, bituminous substance, anciently used as a cement, and now for paving, cisterns, water-pipes, &c.--_v.t._ ASPHALT', to lay or cover with asphalt.--_adj._ ASPHALT'IC. [Gr. _asphaltos_, from an Eastern word.]

ASPHETERISM, as-fet'er-izm, _n._ (_Southey_) denial of the right of private property.--_v.i._ ASPHET'ERISE. [Gr. _a_, neg., and _spheteros_, one's own.]

ASPHODEL, as'fo-del, _n._ a kind of lily--in Greek mythology, the peculiar plant of the dead. In Greece they cover the bleakest hillsides with enduring blossom.--_adj._ Elysian. [Gr. _asphodelos_, a plant of the lily kind; cf. Homer's _asphodelos leim[=o]n_, the meadow of the dead. See DAFFODIL.]

ASPHYXIA, as-fik'si-a, _n._ (_lit._) suspended animation, suffocation, when the blood is in such a state as to render impossible a sufficiently free exchange of carbonic acid for oxygen--also ASPHYX'Y.--_n._ ASPHYX'IANT, a chemical substance which produces asphyxia.--_adj._ ASPHYX'I[=A]TED.--_ns._ ASPHYXI[=A]'TION; ASPHYX'I[=A]TOR. [Gr., a stopping of the pulse--_a_, neg., _sphyxis_, the pulse.]

ASPIC, ASPICK, as'pik, _n._ (_poet._) a venomous serpent. [See ASP.]

ASPIC, as'pik, _n._ a savoury meat-jelly containing fish, game, hard-boiled eggs, &c. [Littr['e] suggests its derivation from _aspic_, asp, because it is 'cold as an aspic,' a French proverb.]

ASPIRANT, as-p[=i]r'ant, or as'pir-ant, _n._ one who aspires (with _after_, _for_): a candidate.--_adj._ ambitious: mounting up (_rare_ in both senses). [See ASPIRE.]

ASPIRATE, as'pir-[=a]t, _v.t._ to pronounce with a full breathing, as the letter _h_ in _house_.--_n._ a mark of aspiration, the rough breathing in Greek (`): an aspirated letter.--_p.adj._ AS'PERATED, made harsh.--_ns._ ASPIR[=A]'TION, pronunciation of a letter with a full breathing: an aspirated sound (like Gr. _ch_, _th_, &c.): drawing air in; ASPIR[=A]'TOR, an apparatus for drawing air or other gases through bottles or other vessels: (_med._) an instrument for removing fluids from the cavities of the body.--_adj._ ASP[=I]R'ATORY, relating to breathing.--TO DROP ONE'S ASPIRATES, not to pronounce _h_, a mark of imperfect education or humble social standing. [See ASPIRE.]

ASPIRE, as-p[=i]r' (followed by _to_ or _after_ with the object, or by an infinitive), _v.i._ to desire eagerly: to aim at high things: to tower up.--_n._ ASPIR[=A]'TION, eager desire.--_adj._ ASP[=I]R'ING.--_adv._ ASP[=I]R'INGLY.--_n._ ASP[=I]R'INGNESS. [Fr.--L. _aspir[=a]re_, _-[=a]tum_--_ad_, to, _spir[=a]re_, to breathe.]

ASPLENIUM, as-pl[=e]'ni-um, _n._ spleenwort, a genus of ferns, mostly tropical, with long or linear _sori_, with _indusium_ arising laterally from above a vein--including the lady-fern, black maiden-hair, &c. [Gr. _aspl[=e]nion_.]

ASPORT, as-p[=o]rt', _v.t._ (_rare_) to carry away, esp. in a bad sense.--_n._ ASPORT[=A]'TION, feloniously carrying away. [L. _asport[=a]re_--_abs_, away, and _port[=a]re_, to carry.]

ASPOUT, a-spowt', _adv. phrase_, spouting.

ASPRAWL, a-sprawl', _adv. phrase_, sprawling.

ASPREAD, a-spred', _adv. phrase_, spread out.

ASPROUT, a-sprowt', _adv. phrase_, sprouting.

ASQUAT, a-skw[:a]t', _adv. phrase_, squatting.

ASQUINT, a-skwint', _adv._ and _adj._ towards the corner of the eye: obliquely.

ASS, as, _n._ a well-known quadruped of the horse family: (_fig._) a dull, stupid fellow.--ASSES' BRIDGE, or PONS ASINORUM, a humorous name for the fifth proposition of the first book of Euclid. [A.S. _assa_, the earlier Teutonic form being _esol_, _esil_ (Goth. _asilus_)--L. _asinus_; Gr. _onos_, ass. Perh. ult. of Semitic origin, as in Heb. _[=a]th[=o]n_, a she-ass.]

ASSAFETIDA. Same as ASAFOETIDA.

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ASSAGAI, ASSEGAI, as'sa-g[=i], _n._ a slender spear of hard wood, tipped with iron, some for hurling, some for thrusting with--used by the South African tribes, notably the war-like Zulus.--_v.t._ to kill or slay with an assagai. [Through Fr. or Port. from Ar. _azzagh[=a]yah_, _az_ = _al_, the _zagh[=a]yah_, a Berber word.]

ASSAIL, as-s[=a]l', _v.t._ to assault: to attack.--_adj._ ASSAIL'ABLE.--_ns._ ASSAIL'ANT, one who assails or attacks; ASSAIL'MENT. [O. Fr. _asaillir_--L. _assil[=i]re_--_ad_, upon, and _sal[=i]re_, to leap.]

ASSASSIN, as-as'in, _n._ one who, usually for a reward, kills by surprise or secretly.--_v.t._ ASSAS'SINATE, to murder by surprise or secret assault: (_Milton_) to maltreat: also figuratively, to destroy by treacherous means, as a reputation.--_n._ (_obs._) one who assassinates.--_ns._ ASSASSIN[=A]'TION, secret murder; ASSAS'SINATOR. [Through Fr. or It. from Ar. _hashsh[=a]sh[=i]n_, 'hashish-eaters,' a military and religious order in Syria, of the 11th century, who became notorious for their secret murders in obedience to the will of their chief, and fortified themselves for their adventures by _hashish_, an intoxicating drug or drink made from hemp.]