ABILITY, a-bil'i-ti, _n._ quality of being able: power: strength:
skill.--_n.pl._ ABIL'ITIES, the powers of the mind. [O. Fr. _ableté_ (Fr.
_habileté_)--L. _habilitas_--_habilis_, easily handled, from _hab[=e]re_,
to have, hold. See ABLE.]
ABINTESTATE, ab-in-tes't[=a]t, _adj._ inheriting the estate of one who died
without having made a will. [L. _ab_, from, and INTESTATE.]
ABIOGENESIS, ab-i-o-jen'es-is, _n._ the origination of living by not-living
matter, spontaneous generation.--_adj._ ABIOGENET'IC--_n._ ABIO'GENIST, one
who believes in such. [Coined by Huxley in 1870; Gr. _a_, neg., _bios_,
life, _genesis_, birth.]
ABJECT, ab-jekt', _v.t._ (_obs._) to throw or cast down or away. [L.
_abjic[)e]re_, _-jectum_--_ab_, away, _jac[)e]re_, to throw.]
ABJECT, ab'jekt, _adj._ cast away: mean: worthless: cowering: base.--_n._
an outcast.--_ns._ ABJEC'TION, AB'JECTNESS, a mean or low state: baseness:
degradation.--_adv._ AB'JECTLY. [L. _abjectus_, cast away--_ab_, away,
_jac[)e]re_, to throw.]
ABJUDGE, ab-juj', _v.t._ (_rare_) to take away by judicial sentence. [L.
_ab_, from, and JUDGE.]
ABJUDICATE, ab-j[=oo]'di-k[=a]t, _v.t._ to give by judgment from one to
another. [L. _ab_, from, and JUDICATE.]
ABJURE, ab-j[=oo]r', _v.t._ to renounce on oath or solemnly: to recant: to
repudiate.--_n._ ABJUR[=A]'TION, official renunciation on oath of any
principle or pretension.--_adj._ ABJUR'ATORY.--_n._ ABJUR'ER. [L. _ab_,
from, _jur[=a]re_, _-[=a]tum_, to swear.]
ABKARI, ab-kä'ri, _n._ the manufacture or sale of spirituous liquors: the
excise duty levied on such.--Also ABKA'RY. [Pers.]
ABLACTATION, ab-lak-t[=a]'shun, _n._ a weaning. [L. _ab_, from,
_lact[=a]re_, to suckle--_lac_, _lactis_, milk.]
ABLATION, ab-l[=a]'shun, _n._ the act of carrying away: (_geol._) the
wearing away of rock by the action of water.--_adj._ ABLATI'TIOUS. [L.
_ab_, from, _latum_, supine of _ferre_, to bear.]
ABLATIVE, ab'lat-iv, _adj._ used as a noun. The name applied to one of the
cases in the declension of nouns and pronouns in the Indo-European
languages, retained as in Latin and Sanskrit, or merged in another case, as
in the genitive in Greek. Its meaning was to express _direction from_ or
_time when_.--_adj._ ABLAT[=I]'VAL. [L. _ablativus_--_ab_, from, _ferre_,
_latum_, to take; as if it indicated taking away, or privation.]
ABLAUT, ab'lowt, _n._ (_philol._) vowel permutation, a substitution of one
root vowel for another in derivation, as in s_i_ng, s_a_ng, s_o_ng, s_u_ng,
distinct from the phonetic influence of a succeeding vowel, as in the
Umlaut. It is especially the change of a vowel to indicate tense-change in
strong verbs. [Ger., from _ab_, off, and _laut_, sound.]
ABLAZE, a-bl[=a]z', _adj._ in a blaze, on fire: gleaming brightly. [Prep.
_a_, and BLAZE.]
ABLE, [=a]'bl, _adj._ (comp. A'BLER; superl. A'BLEST) having sufficient
strength, power, or means to do a thing: skilful.--_adj._ A'BLE-BOD'IED, of
a strong body: free from disability, of a sailor, labourer, &c.:
robust.--_adv._ A'BLY. [See ABILITY.]
ABLEGATE, ab'le-g[=a]t, _n._ a papal envoy who carries the insignia of
office to a newly-appointed cardinal.
ABLOOM, a-bl[=oo]m', _adv._ in a blooming state. [Prep. _a_, on, and
BLOOM.]
ABLUENT, ab'l[=oo]-ent, _adj._ washing or cleaning by a liquid.--_n._ a
medicine which carries off impurities from the system. [L. _abluens_,
_-entis_, pr.p. of _ablu[)e]re_, to wash away--_ab_, from, away, and
_lu[)e]re_ = _lav[=a]re_, to wash. See LAVE.]
ABLUTION, ab-l[=oo]'shun, _n._ act of washing, esp. the body, preparatory
to religious rites: any ceremonial washing, symbolic of moral purification:
the wine and water used to rinse the chalice, drunk by the officiating
priest.--_adj._ ABLU'TIONARY. [L. _ablutio_--_ab_, away, _lu[)e]re_ =
_lav[=a]re_, to wash.]
ABNEGATE, ab'ne-g[=a]t, _v.t._ to deny.--_ns._ ABNEG[=A]'TION,
renunciation; AB'NEGATOR, one who abnegates or renounces. [L. _ab_, away,
and _neg[=a]re_, to deny.]
ABNORMAL, ab-nor'mal, _adj._ not normal or according to rule:
irregular--also ABNOR'MOUS.--_ns._ ABNORMAL'ITY, ABNOR'MITY.--_adv._
ABNOR'MALLY. [L. _ab_, away from, and NORMAL.]
ABOARD, a-b[=o]rd', _adv._ or _prep._ on board: in a ship, or in a train
(_Amer._). [Prep. _a_, on, and BOARD.]
ABOCOCKE. See BYCOCKET.